[Ipe-discuss] Ipe features (was Congratulations !!!!)

[Otfried Cheong]

> I really think Ipe deserve more audience

Thanks for the compliments, but please note that this version of Ipe is
still a preview - you should think about current Ipe users as beta
testers. They are used to Ipe crashing and misbehaving (at least they
don't complain very loudly).  Before Ipe can handle a larger audience, it
needs to become more complete, and more robust.

Now, except for suggesting that you use a less spam-like subject line, I
would kindly ask you to read a bit in the Ipe manual.

In fact, all of this already exists and is documented in the manual (see
also symbolic/absolute attributes there):

>    * More color selection (use of QColorDialog ?).
>    * Custom angle for automatic angular snap.
>    * Elipse  object (I was unable to use the parabola ipelets).
>    * Why in the "file->insert image" JPEG image are treated separately
>      from bitmap images ?

(In fact, the Ipe path object is much more general than you seem to think.)

>    * Edition of coordinates and other parameters of objects.

This is also already possible, but in a kind of geeky way: Select the
object(s), and do a "Copy".  Then paste into your favorite text editor (I
use Emacs).  Edit the XML description of the object(s), and copy them back
into Ipe the same way.

It would be nice to have a direct user interface for this.  This should be
implemented by a volunteer as an Ipelet.

>    * Intersection snap only work on lines, extend to other objects.

One of the still missing features (see Ipe bugzilla #23)

>    * More and nicer arrow.

Also on my list of things to do (just entered it in Ipe bugzilla #82)

>    * More visually appealing selection mode.

Please start a discussion about that on this list, let's see whether we
can come to a consensus what selection should look like.

>    * Interaction with Inkscape ("www.inkscape.org").

I had already thought about conversion between Ipe and SVG. It shouldn't
be too hard, except that one needs to think carefully about what to do
with text (it would be possible to generate SVG fonts out of Latex fonts,
which would give you the ability to create 100% accurate SVG descriptions
of Latex formulas).

This should be a separate program (like figtoipe or ipetoipe), and would
make it possible for Ipe to interact not only with Inkscape but with many
other tools.  (But one could aim to represent groups and layers in the
same way that Inkscape does.)  Ideally, this program should be written and
maintained by somebody else (otherwise I will do it at some point, but
this is still a long way off).

Cheers,
  Otfried