Reconsider how the change type dialog handles newly entered types

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#4,965 2 comments 0 reactions 1 assignee View on GitHub

@CouleeApps is already working on this.

Since Apr 4, 2024.

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Description

Component: UI Effort: Low Impact: High UI: Dialogs

Currently, when attempting to change a type for a variable or parameter, BN tests if the new type is correct as we type it, before clicking on the Accept button. However, this process can cause lags and make the 'Change Type' dialog unresponsive, especially if an incorrect type is entered.

You can reproduce this by

  1. Clicking on any variable or parameter and pressing Y
  2. Providing a random type, such as "asdasd123"
  3. Pressing Enter a few times (in order to make it more clear)
  4. See how the change type dialog becomes unresponsive

Here is an example GIF:

Recording

I encounter this issue in every RE session, and it often leads to wasted time. I suggest that BN performs type checking only when we press Enter or click on the 'Accept' button. This would eliminate the lag issue and allow for more appropriate error messages to be displayed regarding the error. In current implementation, we need to hover over the "Error parsing specified type" message to see details, which can be a bit difficult to notice.

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