[DiaCanvas] Re: Can Dia-Canvas handle predefined symbols

[Arjan M. <arj...@he...>]

Stanley A. Klein wrote:
> Can Dia-Canvas now (or are there plans for the future to have it) read-in
> pre-defined symbols from an XML file similar to those that can be
> pre-defined for Dia in shape files organized as sheets?  In looking at Dia
> it seems that the capability for XML-based pre-defined symbols is provided
> by a plug in.  Looking at Gaphor, it appears that the symbology is
> pre-defined, but has been hard-coded.

Techincally speaking the answer is yes: you can use predefined shapes 
read from XML files, however, there is no such canvas item written that 
implements this functionality. It shouldn't be to hard, though.

> In my own application, which is the display for a SCADA system, what I want
> to do is to put up a relatively static collection of diagrams using
> pre-defined syumbology.  During real-time operation only colors and text
> (displaying data values) would be changed by the application.

For this to work something like an SVG importer should be written.
Currently I do not have much time to write one myself. It should be 
pretty straight forward, creatig DiaShape items from SVG primitives.

(Issue: how do you want to handle editable text)

> I'm sure there would be wide use for such an XML-based pre-defined
> symbology capability.  

Having this would indeed be a nice feature.

Regards,

Arjan

> 
> Stan Klein
>