[Ipe-discuss] ipe feature wish

[Otfried Cheong]

Gabriel Zachmann writes:
 > I just "discovered" your wonderful drawing tool ipe.
 > 
 > Now, in order to continue using all my legacy drawings with ipe,
 > I would like to submit the following request for enhancement:
 > Add the ability to import xfig-drawings (fig format).
 > That shouldn't be too big a problem, because the fig format is well
 > documented and pretty simple.

[moving this discussion to ipe-discuss]

This would indeed be a very useful tool for many people.  The right
approach to making such a tool is to look at the "transfig" program -
it contains code to parse fig files (which is not as easy as one
thinks since the fig format has gone through many generations of
changes, and the parser has to recognize each version and handle it
appropriately), and several drivers to write other formats.

"All one has to do" is to add another driver for the Ipe format.  I
looked at this once over a year ago, but couldn't get it work within
an hour (the transfig code is not as well documented as it could be),
and decided my time is better spent on the Ipe program itself.  

This is really an excellent project for a volunteer!

Otfried