Custom lines plugin for dia 0.96.1 (including patch+demo line shapes/sheet)

["Marcel Toele" <dpy dia gmail com>]

Hi guys,

I have written an objects/shapes plugin for dia called custom_lines. It is similar to the custom_objects plugin
and allows users to define "line shapes" with preconfigured settings for start/end arrow, 
line style, thickness, color, etc. using simple XML.

E.g.:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<line>
        <name>Demo, Custom Lines - Association</name>
        <icon>Association.png </icon> <!-- if type is All .png is replaced by _Zigzagline.png, _Bezierline.png and _P
olyline.png -->
        <type>All</type> <!-- Zigzagline | Polyline | Bezierline | All? -->
        <line-style>Solid</line-style> <!-- Solid | Dashed | Dash-Dot | Dash-Dot-Dot | Dotted -->
        <dash-length>0.5</dash-length> <!-- floating-point value -->
        <line-width>0.1</line-width> <!-- floating-point value -->
        <corner-radius>0.0</corner-radius> <!- floating-point value -->
        <arrows>
                <start>
                        <type>None</type> <!-- None | Lines | Hollow-Triangle | Filled-Triangle | Hollow-Dia
mond | Filled-Diamond | Half-Head | Slashed-Cross | Filled-Ellipse | Hollow-Ellipse | Double-Hollow-Triangle
 | Double-Filled-Triangle | Unfilled-Triangle | Filled-Dot | Dimension-Origin | Blanked-Dot | Filled-Box | B
lanked-Box | Slash-Arrow | Integral-Symbol | Crow-Foot | Cross | Filled-Concave | Blanked-Concave | Rounded
| Half-Diamond | Open-Rounded | Filled-Dot-N-Triangle | One-Or-Many | None-Or-Many | One-Or-None | One-Exact
ly | Backslash | Three-Dots -->
                        <length></length> <!-- floating-point value -->
                        <width></width> <!-- floating-point value -->
                </start>
                <end>
                        <type>Lines</type>
                        <length>0.5</length> <!-- floating-point value -->
                        <width> 0.5</width> <!-- floating-point value -->
                </end>
        </arrows>
        <line-color>
                <red></red> <!-- floating-point value -->
                <green></green> <!-- floating-point value -->
                <blue></blue> <!-- floating-point value -->
        </line-color>
</line>

This is very useful, because quite a few diagram languages use several distinct line types/styles to connect various shapes. 
Consider for instance the ArchiMate Relations: https://doc.telin.nl/dsweb/Get/Document-52048/ArchiMate%20Quick%20Reference.pdf

It's both a nuisance and not clean to having to configure the right line style. It's true, you can just copy an existing line of the right type,
but it's much easier if it were available at the click of a button. And with the custom_lines plugin it works exactly like that, just like
the *.shapes.

The *.line files are stored in the directory lines/ next to the directory 

shapes/ that serves the same goal, but with *.shape files.
The created line shapes can be intermixed with ordinary shapes on a sheet.

I have prepared and included a patch against dia version 
0.96.1. 

Also included is a set of demonstration line "shapes" (e.g. the Relations from the ArchiMate diagram language) and a demonstration 
sheet: Demo, Custom Lines. The icons for these lines have been
automatically generated by a small ruby script (not included in the
patch),
I'll submit it at a later date.

For those who just want a quick peek at what it looks like check this uri: 
http://krnl.nl/custom_lines_plugin_for_dia_0.96.1_screenshot.png
(Remember, it is not mandatory to have all three linetype shapes for every relation (like in the screenshot). Also remember that, since
the lines are just dia shapes, they can be mixed with ordinary shapes on a single sheet).

For those who want to actually see the plugin in action, download dia version 0.96.1 and patch with the provided patch. Don't forget to 
run autogen.sh

 after patching.

have fun!

Marcel Toele

Attachment: custom_lines_plugin_for_dia_0.96.1.patch.gz
Description: GNU Zip compressed data

Attachment: custom_lines_plugin_for_dia_0.96.1_demo_lines_and_sheet.tgz
Description: GNU Zip compressed data