Re: handle graphics

[jswensen]

I just found that the design and implementation of the handle graphics 
was much
simpler if the UI toolkit was built right into it.  Otherwise there has 
to be a
whole other layer of abstraction to separate the UI toolkit from the handle
graphics stuff.  I tried to pick a UI toolkit that wasn't going away 
soon (e.g.
GTK+ and GTKMM).  GTKMM is simply a C++ wrapper for GTK+.  Since my time is
limited, I think shooting for a single UI toolkit at first is the most 
feasible
approach.  It can then be refactored later to change the interface to "hooks"
for plugging in a variety of toolkits.

In essence, I want to get something working for "users" before I try to 
appease
the bigoted, but well-intentioned, developers who all always ready to say "UI
toolkit XYZ could do this so much better/faster/cleaner" because XYZ is what
they have used previously and are familiar with.

I guess I was raised in the extreme programming generation where the motto is
"get something working quick, we can always refactor later".

Does this sound reasonable, or would you prefer I do the up-front,
all-encompasing UI toolkit interface from the get-go?

John


Quoting Ole Jacob Hagen <address@hidden>:

> Hi,
>
> Are you planning in implementing some kind of "handle graphics" in 
> Octave, John?
> I believe that Octave should be shipped with a common library for 
> whoever who wants to implement a visualisation application to Octave.
>
> This library is should be responsible that "handle-graphics" 
> hierarchy are ensured.
>
> Props-library in Oplot works in this way, if the code is "octaveized" 
> and refactored.
> Oplot works only as a "frontend", a visualisation application.
>
> If this is wanted, then a frontend to every visualisation library 
> that use a "props"-library would be made.
> I know there are frontends to gnuplot written in Qt. This could be 
> made in tcl/tk as well. Every visualisation application could satisfy 
> these needs.
>
> A props-similar library is then working as a handle-graphics 
> framework, that every developer that makes a visualisation 
> application to octave must use.
> And Octave should be released  with such a library.
>
> If I had enough time, I could e.g make a frontend to e.g gnuplot-4.x 
> in Qt, using a "common handle graphics" framework to Octave.
> This is just a proof of concept, and it's not very hard to implement....;-)
>
> Am I thinking correctly?
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> Ole J.



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