Re: embedded components and equations

[Mathieu Lacage <mathieu eazel com>]

Paul Topping <PaulT@mathtype.com> writes:

> 
> I've browsed the GNOME site and equation editing within documents is
> mentioned a few times in connection with component development but I
> couldn't find evidence of anyone doing anything about it specifically. If I
> missed it, someone please point me in the right direction. Also, if my
> subject should be posted to a different list, let me know.

sounds like a good place to post such things.

> 
> It seems to me that the problems with creating an equation editor component
> are in the richness (or lack thereof) of the interface between it and the
> document that contains it. The simple model is one where the document asks
> the equation component "how big are you?" and the component replies with a
> width and height in a suitable coordinate system. The document editor use
> this info as input to the page layout process and, eventually, decides where
> the equation component should be put. Later, the document editor will ask
> the component to display itself within its rectangle using a canvas given to
> it.

GTK+ sizing mechanism is based on this simple idea:
It asks : how mush sapce do you want ?
The widget ansers and the component then allocates space to all
it child widgets.

Bonobo sizing mechanism is -for the moment- equivalent to gtk 
(unless someone chanegd it recently) since it actually relies on 
the gtk sizing mechanism.

However, I think that we need a nicer way to deal with this if only
for the sake of being gtk+ independant :)

> 
> To make a practical equation editor component takes a much richer interface
> than this. Before I expand on this at greater length, I want to be sure I'm

I would like you to expand at greater length :)


Mathieu
-- 
Mathieu Lacage <mathieu@eazel.com>