Re: My proposal (Was: Shapes layout proposal)

[Lars Clausen <lrclause cs uiuc edu>]

On Thu, 14 Jun 2001, Andre Kloss wrote:

> Hi folks.
> 
> I think there are exactly 3 extensions for the custom XML shapes that
> would be extremely useful when it comes to extending this shapes'
> usability:
> 
> 1. Abstract from textboxes. XMLshapes should be able to contain
> multiple sub-shapes (As long as they're rectangle-shaped). One simple
> shape could be a textbox.

Sounds good.  Nothing problematic there.

> 2. Another quite simple shape could be an array of subshapes. This
> could be horizontal or vertical. An array should save the order of
> its contained shapes, and have always some room to enter another
> shape.

With this comes the possibility of multiple levels of nesting and resizing
based on contents.  Fortunately, there's been a lot of research on that for
GUIs.  The question is what of it we don't need.  Do we want for instance
shapes that divide the containers space evenly between them?  

> 3. Last, but not least: Every shape should be resizable (At least most
> shapes. A textbox has it size and basta). If some shape is containd by
> another shape, the containing shape should also be resized in this
> process. This would need some pointer structure to let each shape know
> it's "parents".
> And the minimum size of a shape (in x as well as in y-axis) can be
> determined by the maximum of the size minimum size of its subshapes
> times the relation my:size/sub:size. This would also need some pointer
> list to all "children".

Also sounds good.  It has always irked me that the UML class is not
resizable.  And there's no reason why text couldn't resize as well, by
changing font size (it might not be a fully proportional resize, but the
shape layout algorithm could take care of that).

-Lars

-- 
Lars Clausen (http://shasta.cs.uiuc.edu/~lrclause) | Hårdgrim of Numenor
"I do not agree with a word that you say, but I    | Retainer of Sir Kegg
will defend to the death your right to say it."    |   of Westfield
    --Evelyn Beatrice Hall paraphrasing Voltaire   | Chaos Berserker of Khorne