Update the Snap Project Editor

[mac10fan]

I feel like the current Snap project editor looks outdated in my opinion, and can use an update to make it more modern, convenient and accessible, like Scratch 3.0, for example.

Some features I like about the Snap project editor are:

• The ability to search for certain blocks when you need them
• The button to pause your project (between the green flag and stop sign buttons)
• Other Snap-exclusive features

Some features I believe the Snap project editor can improve are:

• The paint editor (Such as adding new features, e.g. copying/pasting, reshaping, etc. For vector costumes from the Snap costume library, we should be given the option to either change the rotation center or change how it looks.)
• The color of the project editor, which aligns with the overall feel of it (I believe a light color can go well with a black header to make it look and feel more calming)
• Adding other Scratch-exclusive features for a more variety of options (e.g. tutorials, extension blocks, more costumes and sounds, etc.)

To add on, I believe we should add a button on the editor's header that allows you to share/publish the project (like the "Share" button on Scratch), but when clicked on, it should show a screen of the Snap guidelines (and helpful tips to get featured) before it can be shared, like Tynker.

Please let me know if you have any comments about this.

[ego-lay_atman-bay]

@mac10fan

The paint editor

The devs know they need to make a brand new paint editor, they just have more important stuff do work on.

@mac10fan

The color of the project editor, which aligns with the overall feel of it (I believe a light color can go well with a black header to make it look and feel more calming)

The current colors look good, but if you're used to a lighter color, it may take time to get used to. Plus, if you want a light design, try enabled the "flat design" (settings > Flat design), which is basically just light mode.

@mac10fan

Adding other Scratch-exclusive features for a more variety of options (e.g. tutorials, extension blocks, more costumes and sounds, etc.)

Tutorials are not going to happen, because they don't have the resources, however there is a reference manual, and there's a course called BJC (Beauty and Joy of Computing), which teaches programming in snap.

Extension blocks already exist in snap as libraries (file > Libraries).

The reason there's not more costumes and sounds is actually due to how the current costumes and sounds dialogs are very slow when they have a lot of costumes and sounds, although that can be fixed with some optimizations.

This is also something you should probably read.

Why doesn't Snap! look or behave like this Scratch feature?

Obviously our work is very much inspired by Scratch, and the first version of Snap! (BYOB) was based on their source code. At that time we tried very hard to be absolutely backward compatible with Scratch, because we hoped that the Scratch Team would adopt our ideas, and maybe even adopt our code, as part of Scratch itself. But that didn't happen. Since then, each language has evolved in its own directions. We do adopt some good ideas from later version of Scratch, but we do it because somet…

@mac10fan

I believe we should add a button on the editor's header that allows you to share/publish the project (like the "Share" button on Scratch)

Honestly I agree with this, because it's in the open project dialog, which can take some time to go into, and select the currently opened project. I would actually still not put a button in the header, I would instead put it in the cloud menu, because that would give another use to the cloud menu than just loggin in (and changing your password).

@mac10fan

it should show a screen of the Snap guidelines (and helpful tips to get featured) before it can be shared

I kind of agree with the snap guidelines, however I think that should only be shown the first time you share a project.

I don't think there should be tips to getting featured, because snap is not a popularity contest (which is why there will never be likes, and you can't see how many followers you have), and you should not strive to get on the front page, you should instead just make projects you're passionate about.

[mac10fan]

Thanks for the kind reply.

@ego-lay_atman-bay

Plus, if you want a light design, try enabled the "flat design" (settings > Flat design), which is basically just light mode.

I didn't know you can change to a lighter color in the project editor.

@ego-lay_atman-bay

Extension blocks already exist in snap as libraries

@ego-lay_atman-bay

I don't think there should be tips to getting featured, because snap is not a popularity contest

Also, you're right about the extension blocks being existent as libraries (I just forgot about that) and Snap not being a popularity contest (I came up with that idea because Snap has featured projects).

@ego-lay_atman-bay

Honestly I agree with this, because it's in the open project dialog, which can take some time to go into, and select the currently opened project.

@ego-lay_atman-bay

I kind of agree with the snap guidelines, however I think that should only be shown the first time you share a project.

I'm glad you agree with me on the share button idea because I believe it will make it more convenient to share/publish your projects through the editor.

@ego-lay_atman-bay

The devs know they need to make a brand new paint editor, they just have more important stuff do work on.

I'm glad they know they need to update their paint editor, because to me, it feels kind of inconvenient in its present form, because of lack of features as I mentioned in my earlier post.

Anyways, I'm pleased you expressed your ideas with me. Let me know if you have anything to say to me as well.

[sathvikrias]

@mac10fan

update their paint editor

Honestly, I use scratch’s paint editor or pixlr and import the costume into snap.