[OS X TeX] New Macros, new Engines, new TeXShop versions, and all that

[Richard Koch]

Folks,

I'd like to run another idea by you. This idea won't appeal to those who want a "grand systematic solution",
but maybe others might like it. The previously discussed "New" folder would remain, as would the current
"About This Release" in Help.

The folders in ~/Library/TeXShop don't have equal standing. For instance, the Templates folder mainly belongs
to users, who customize it as they like. If TeXShop offered other templates in the future, they belong in the
"New" folder as suggestions a user might want to adopt, rather than as material we'd shove into Templates.

Look at the full list of folders:

	bin:	                                     see below
	CommandCompletion     unusual change
	DraggedImages                stable
	Engines                              see below
	Keyboard                           stable
	LatexPanel                        stable
	Macros                               see below
	MatrixPanel                       stable
	Menus                                unusual change
	Movies                               stable
	Scripts                                see below
	Templates                         for user

Two of these folders were changed in 2.30 and 2.31 for unusual reasons; I expect no more changes
anytime soon. I don't expect changes in the stable folders soon. Most of our discussion has been
about Macros and Engines.

The proposal is to automatically update three folders: bin, Engines, Scripts. Here "automatically update"
means we'd merge in new files or changed files, but not eliminate files added by the user.

This would make adding or updating engines very easy. No "folder regeneration" or messing with bin.
Just drag the engine to the active area. (With a little extra code, updating engines wouldn't be necessary
and users would only need to activate new engines if desired.)

I don't like adding new engines automatically to the active list, but Peter's suggestion of a Preference 
item to activate engines, with new engines automatically added to the list of engines which could be 
activated, is an attractive idea for the future. This proposal would be consistent with that more extensive 
change.

The proposal also simplifies adding new Macros, although it doesn't go all the way. The user wouldn't
have to worry about adding items to bin or Scripts. They would use the Macro command "add macros from
file" to add new macros, and the macros would be available in the New folder as discussed previously.
More extensive changes could come later, since for me it isn't clear how to proceed further.

Dick

PS: I am aware of two implications: a) the XeTeX and XeLaTeX engines would automatically be updated,
and b) any other engines the user dragged from the Inactive folder wouldn't be updated. With a little
extra coding, b) could be fixed.