Re: [Gimp-developer] Gsoc - Slicing Tool

[peter sikking <peter mmiworks net>]

noob7 wrote:

> Hey there!
> Iam interested in this year gsoc. I would like to take slicing tool idea which I heard that its one of most requested features. I get the main conept of this tool. Ive tested guillotine action and slice filter on compiled trunk version. I found that slice filter still have some issues. On irc I was told to talk to ,,guiguru" which is mitch? about gui for this tool. Do you have any comments about slice tool ? I would love to hear some feedback.

this one has been brewing for a long time. Let's have look what is
minimally needed and then you can gauge if you are up for this:

let's call this tool ‘cutting mask’, because that what it is.
it is a glorious export function, so it should live in the File
menu. there needs to be a setup of the cutting mask and and
execution of the cutting mask (the mass export).

just to make this clear: in the UI the cutting mask has
nothing to do with the guides, is not a layer nor a channel
(which are saved selections, really). how you do it on the
_inside_, technically, is fully up to you, your mentor and mitch.

the cutting mask (let's say one per file, to keep it simple) is
a mask that consist of any number of rectangles (again, simple
and practical). these rectangles are vectors (can be changed for
ever) and can overlap. the size of the cutting mask is that of
the canvas (unless somebody protests).

when the setup of the cutting mask is invoked, the mask is drawn
over the canvas and rectangles can be added, deleted and edited.
setting the position and size of each rectangle is both interactive
on the mask and via numerical input. this can work a lot like the
rectangle selection tool does (I expect that code can be reused for
that). but: it is _not_ the rectangle tool does the actual editing.
it is the property of the mask setup mode that working with these
vector rectangles is highlighting one, dragging its handles or
changing its coordinate numbers.

also minimally needed in setup mode is that for each rectangle a
filename and type is specified by users. the mask setup is OK'ed
or cancelled and the mask projection ‘folds away.’

executing the cutting mask means users setting a folder name and
location (via a file dialog). this folder will be created and all
the files end up in it. overwrite existing folder if users wish to do so.
users set in the same dialog whether to cut the current layer or
a merge of all visible layers.

the export settings for each file type that is in the mask
(png, jpeg, tiff, the list goes on) must be set for each
execution of the mask. I propose to keep things simple and
do one setting dialog for each file type present on the mask
and apply to all files of that type in the cut. file name
clashes should be dealt with automatically.

I think this is a nice beginning of a tool like this.
yes, a lot more advanced feature could be added, but this
is the core of it.

    --ps

        founder + principal interaction architect
            man + machine interface works

        http://blog.mmiworks.net: on interaction architecture