Re: merging layers

[Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>]

On Sat, 5 Mar 2005, Lars Clausen wrote:

> > I certainly wouldn't mind seeing it either, with the emphasis on seeing
> > it.  I think Dia has a lot of great functionality including Layers that
> > users perhaps are not making the most of because of how they are
> > presented.
>
> As Alan is implying, I probably won't code this at the present.  However,
> it got me thinking about the layer dialog and how to select the layers to
> merge.  Simple:  Allow multiple layers to be selected at a time.  These
> would also be the layers that are active, i.e. allows objects to be
> modified etc.  Much better than adding a third toggle for each layer.

I was thinking more of merging down to the layer below and flatten image.

> > I think this would force me to resurrect my attempts to add a Layer menu
> > and bring more of this functiality to the surface.  A Layer menu would
> > provide an ideal place to put "Merge Layers" and even more layer
> > functionality and also make it easier to assign keybindings to the Layer
> > funcationality without needing to do something crazy like hide away the
> > features in a context menu of a dialog.
>
> If you mean a layer menu among the main menus, how would you select the
> layers to merge, then?  A pop-up window?  I like the actions to be as
> close to the objects as possible, here for instance in the layer window.

Menu items to select layers could be done (the gimp does this) but I dont
intend to replace the Layer Dialog but rather to bring forward some of the
functionality and make it easy to give keybindings to some of the actions
(like Ctrl+Shift+N for New Layer).

> > There are other potential ways of approaching the general problem of
> > moving things around more easily like maybe enabling drag and drop from
> > the Diagram Tree, especially if the Diagram Tree represented Layers and
> > groups as branches of the tree (and I wanted an excuse to mention how
> > Adobe Photoshop has 'layer groups' which makes the Layers dialog look a
> > lot more like a tree view of the document).  Plenty of food for thought.
>
> The diagram tree could *definitely* do with an update, showing layers and
> groups and subgroups as nodes in the tree.  Any takers?

The Diagram tree has so much functionality hidden in a context menu it was
years before I realised it was even there (found it during an extended
hunt through Dia looking for things to document).  I would write some
documentation on the Diagram Tree but I'd much rather see it overhauled
and redesigned first.

Sincerely

Alan Horkan

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