Electronics with DIA (was: Other diagram types)

[jonni lehtiranta net]

Greets again!

> I have a bunch of updated Logic shapes at home, mostly involving better
> icons, but also with the horizontal/vertical distinction.  I'm not putting
> them in right now as we're in a feature freeze, but I can send them to you.

Please do! jonni lehtiranta net 
The actual shapes I was after are symbolic representations for
electric components. These include for example adders, latches,
multiplexers and so on, and it looks like I'll end up drawing
these myself =).

> >     I'd also like the option to specify both a name and
> >     a "number-of-wires" info to an arrow and get them to
> >     print nicely.
>
> Let me see if I understand you right:  You want something that can have an
> arrow in one end, but a number of lines in the other, and that shows a name
> and the number of lines?  Or something else?  Can you do a mock-up perhaps?

Hm, let me clarify =). I'd need a way to mark up

1) connecting two components with many wires
        example: mainboard to harddisk, IDE, 80 wires =)

_____________        80        ________
| Mainboard |--------/-------->| disk |
-------------                  --------

2) connecting one "parallel bus"-type output to many different
        components; maybe connecting two joysticks might serve
        as an example =). Real uses (for me) include sending different
        bits of an opcode to different places in a processor; some
        bits always choose registers to use, some go to the control
        and so on.

____________
| computer |
------------
      |           bits 0-7
      |----------------->
      |           bits 0,8-14
      |----------------->

Also, of course, it wouldn't be a BUS without a way to send all the
bits to many places.

> > - What about LINES? I didn't find a "perfect line"
> >     anywhere. The UML message is a good arrow but it
> >     doesn't snap with another line, so building L-shaped
> >     connections seem impossible (to do well).
>
> I don't get what you mean by 'perfect line'.  What can you do with one?
> What would it look like?  Have you tried the zigzagline?

It would like a line with an arrow at one end, text option at both
ends, and a wire number indicator in the middle. Also, either having
snap points for branching or another way to do branches would be great.

Now, graphically, the DIA zigzag looks like this:


 |          |
 |          |
 `----------

or

 |
 ------------
            |

or the same thing upside down. I didn't even find a way to make it

 ------
      |
      ---------

without adding a segment.

Now, what I originally meant, was an L-shaped line that would do the
adjustments needed at the corner. I can get the zigzagline look this
way with careful work, EXTRA careful if the line has an arrow at either
end. I'd still fancy the option of having one end of the line
horizontal and the other vertical, and getting the corner automatically
where it belongs.

After all, as I'll have to start drawing, I might use the Electric
set's dot for branching lines. However, this makes all "dynamic"
moving impossible, afaik, but will look the way I want it.


--------

> I was also dissatified with the Circuit shapes as I didn't think
> they looked good enough to do professional drawings so I
> modified and created additional shapes.  I posted them on
> the Dia List awhile back and are available from my webspace at:
> http://www.hal-pc.org/~jsgil/Dia-Shapes.tar.gz
>
> John

Thanks, John! Still, I'm afraid that wasn't what I was after =I.

> I am working on line decoration code that should make it easy to specify
> names as well as 'bus-width/number-of-wires' slashes that stay centered
> on the line.  I'm a bit busy, so it will be a few weeks before I can
> get out a semi-user-friendly version, but the
> code is mostly written and works well.  This same decoration code will
> make it possible to create clock-input lines that can be stuck on
> flip-flops, or (NOT) bubbles that can be added to any gate input.  I
> might  be able to hack the code so that decorated lines can be stuck
> together with fixed user-specified angles.  Stay tuned.
>
> Dave Hoover.

Hey, that sounds like what I need =). I'll stay tuned..

 -Jonni Lehtiranta