Templates [Re: Software Patterns into shapes using UML shapes?]

[Alan Horkan <horkana tcd ie>]

> Maybe the best solution then would be not to have shapes (which are really
> just a structureless SVG drawing plus some metadata), but the ability to
> insert a whole ("template") drawing. For instance, you start your UML

Templates, Good idea, do templates like everyone else does templates ...

> diagram; you want to add a visitor ?
>       File...Insert Template...select visitor.dia... pooof ! one group

Insert file,
good idea, but i think a seperate concept but i may be misunderstanding
you.

> I think this could be quite easy to implement, compared to adding the
> ability to have shapes be fully structured dia drawings ?

for the future perhaps ...

> (thinking about it, in fact, what I describe above *could* in fact be
> packaged into the shapes toolbox; what's important is to build the feature)

there are various things that i think could be added to the shapes.
It would be useful to be able to specify that Dia should not shrink your
shapes and that they should be displayed at their original size.
For example a fish outline for a fishbone diagram would need to be at
least the size of a page, and i am not even sure how you would go about
inserting preprepared background images/shapes (have looked at this
it is doable with layers and insert image but various little problems and
could be a whole lot easier).

i had better dump all my work on the web to give you an idea of what
shapes i was messing about with, as I just dont have as much time to
work on it at the moment.

Later
Alan