RE: [Tcllib-devel] Re: Adding a geometry module to tcllib?

[Andreas K. <and...@Ac...>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: tcl...@li...
> [mailto:tcl...@li...]On Behalf Of Christian
> Heide Damm
> Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2001 10:55 AM
> To: Tcllib Devel
> Subject: [Tcllib-devel] Re: Adding a geometry module to tcllib?
>
>
> Andreas Kupries wrote:
>
> > ...
> > > What is the procedure for adding a new module to tcllib?
> >
> > We have no real process for adding new modules to tcllib right now.
> >
> > I would recommend as a first step to add yourself to the mailing
> > list <tcl...@li...> and ask there. Most
> > developers for tcllib are now on this list and then ask this
> > question there.
>
> I'm now on the mailing list.
>
> So... how should we go about adding a new module?
>
> I'm new at this, so I don't know any of the procedures for modifying
> code, writing test cases, who is allowed to modify what code, who is the
> main responsible for Tcllib, etc. etc.


We have no one who is the main responsible for tcllib. Right now we are
just a bunch of developers woth no big/real organization. Although the
last releases were done/generated by Bob Techentin, making him sort of
an unofficial release manager.

Who is allowed to modify what code: SourceForge allows every developer
for a project to modify everything in that project. We haven't set up
guidelines to restrict this yet.

What SF does is that we can not only define categories for bugs, etc.,
but are also able to associate a single developer per category so that
new items with that category are automatically assigned to that developer.
In this way we can make a developer responsible for the handling of a
category.

In tcllib the categories we have are equivalent to module names (and
in some places subpackages of a module). I for example have set up myself
to be assigned all bugs for the graph structure in the module 'struct'.

So, in your case we could create a category 'math :: geometry', associate
you with that category and thus make you responsible for the handling of
items having that category.

Regarding the writing of testcases, a lot of modules come with a testsuite
(not all unfortunately), so there are plenty of examples.

Also see
http://sourceforge.net/docman/display_doc.php?docid=8147&group_id=12883
for general guidelines for writing code, although the discussion in that
article concentrates on math.



> > It would also make things easier if you have an account at SF so
> > that we can add you as developer to tcllib, to the trackers and
> > auto-assign items in the geometry area to you.
>
> My username at SF is 'chdamm'.

Ok. I will set you up as a tcllib developer.


>
> > ... Question on the module itself:
> >
> >         Would it make sense to add the geometry functionality
> >         as a subpackage to "math" instead as a separate module ?
> >
> >                 [package require math::geometry]
>
> I think this makes good sense.


> > ...
> > Ideogramic, you guys do XML and UML with Tcl, right ?
> > I guess I now know where the geometry functionality is
> > required :)
>
> Correct, although we don't actually need any new geometry functions
> ourselves. I just thought that it was time to give something back to
> the Tcl community. The geometry functions seemed a good place to start,
> since there was apparently no such functions anywhere I looked.


Reading the latest posting in the c.l.t. thread I realize that your code
is [incr Tcl] based. Do you believe that it is possible to make this
functionality independent of this extension ?

As long as TIP #50 is not 'final' tcllib code may not have a dependency
on this extension.


--
	Andreas Kupries <and...@Ac...>
	Developer @ http://www.ActiveState.com