Re: Dia-list digest, Vol 1 #802 - 4 msgs

[Lars Clausen <lrclause cs uiuc edu>]

On Mon, 31 Mar 2003, Aaron Trevena wrote:
> On Mon, 31 Mar 2003 dia-list-request gnome org wrote:

BTW, your mailer doesn't pick out the right From: address.

> > And besides, we have more important things to look at right now, like
> > improving the UI.  Now that 0.91 is out, we're open for patches.
>
> c'mon c'mon!
>
> where is auto-routing and 'smart lines' ?

I've been looking a bit at them, and it's something I'd love to see in
Dia.  If anybody wants to try it, there's only a few pieces of advice I'll
give: 

1) Autorouting should be turned off any line where a non-endpoint handle is
   moved.  It should be possible to turn it back on, but when the user
   wants to take control, it should be given.
2) Start simple.  At first, just ignore all other objects than the two
   connected -- hell, maybe even don't try to avoid them, just make sure
   lines go out the right way.
3) Use the 'directions' that some objects understand (standard box, circle
   etc do).
4) Keep it simple & well isolated.

I'd like to hear what you mean be 'smart lines' if it's not autorouting?

> I've only been waiting a couple of years for them ;)
>
> (I am giving serious thought to eating^w writing some perl that does dia
> layout based on dot or vcg)

I'd *love* to see dot/vcg import.  Especially since the dot->dot
translation can put coordinates on the items in a dot file.  Calling dot
from within Dia is... an interesting option.

-Lars

-- 
Lars Clausen (http://shasta.cs.uiuc.edu/~lrclause)| HÃrdgrim of Numenor
"I do not agree with a word that you say, but I   |----------------------------
will defend to the death your right to say it."   | Where are we going, and
    --Evelyn Beatrice Hall paraphrasing Voltaire  | what's with the handbasket?