Re: [Mtpaint-user] Feature

[Dmitry G. <wj...@us...>]

Hello!

You wrote:
> What the procedure you describe clearly shows is how advantageous it
> would be to have a scripting feature - where you can pre-set often
> repeated sequences of key-strokes/mouse-clicks.

Programmatic scripting would not be that hard to implement - but here
mtPaint's compact size results in a peculiar problem: even the
smallest among embeddable scripting languages, is comparable in size
to mtPaint binary itself. :-) And most, are several times larger than
the entire mtPaint. While, say, a Python interpreter makes just a tiny
difference for LibreOffice, GIMP or somesuch - it still weighs like 5
mtPaints combined. :-)
And bindings for interfacing with scripts do take space too.

As for macro storage/replay on click/keypress level - I hadn't seen
any such which were of much use for a GUI app - except for a text
editor, which is a very special case.

> For example, I often
> have to soften and sharpen an image multiple times to get a certain
> effect (sometimes 20 or more times),

And what, specifically, is that effect which is worth so much effort?
;-) If it's generally useful, then maybe *it does* deserve inclusion
as a dedicated filter?

> and sometimes there are sequences
> of much more complex steps; in such cases a script (or macro) feature
> would be wonderful.
> Would such a feature be possible?

I intend, for sometime in before-version-4.00 timeframe, to merge into
mtPaint the commandline-driven mode, like what Mark Tyler once
implemented in his "libmtpixel" project. Then it will be trivial to
invoke such command sequences from within the GUI as well, through  an
interface not unlike "File->Actions".

Such a substitute for scripting has the advantage that the feature
could be gained nearly for free: by reusing the commandline
interpreter (yet to be written) and "Actions" dialog (already
existing).


-- 
-= With best regards, Dmitry Groshev =-