Re: chickenpox: dia in LWN (again)

[Cyrille Chepelov <cyrille chepelov org>]

Le Fri, Mar 19, 2004, Ã  10:27:33PM +0100, Lars Clausen a écrit:


> Chickenpox mode is ... interesting.  There's definitely scenarios where
> it could be useful, but I think almost all needs would be covered by
> three things:
>   Our current connection points (for nice lining up)
>   Virtual center connection point (for just pointing at the object)
>   Dynamic connection points at the edges of objects (for spreading
>     out zigzaglines pointing at an object)

This doesn't solve the problem Jonathan Corbet had on his kernel charts (the
starts of the brown lines is NOT on the edge and still would need to be
nicely arranged). You also need dynamic connection points on the body of
objects (as an alternate to at the edges -- you need the ability to switch
between current, virtual, edge and body. Which is basically what I described
with chickenpox + what Philippe asked for, isn't it ? ;-))

> I'm not sure I like the idea of explicitly erasing connectionpoints.  I
> think dragging a line into an object might connect there (optionally
> snapped to edge), but if you move the line away, the cp should just
> disappear.

Makes a lot of sense. So, disconnect a dynamic CP, poof it goes. static CPs
remain as they are.

> As for when this stuff should happen:  I really would like the virtual
> center point before 1.0.  The chickenpox idea and variations I see as
> somewhat more experimental, and would like to way till after 1.0.

OK. Will try to get some of the support code up as I get the time (one thing
I'm pretty sure of -- ConnectionPoints need to be identified by ID, not by
index like we do now, with all the contorsions in CPL; no matter how the UI
looks like eventually, we'll need freedom in the way to access and refer to
CPs). 

        -- Cyrille

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