[Pipet Devel] Viewers and the FigBuilder.

[J.W. Bizzaro]

Humberto Ortiz Zuazaga wrote:
> 
> Sure, this works.  A viewer can fiddle with the figure, then export the final
> figure to the FigBuilder.  We could just export encapsulated postscript, or
> some kind of XML file for vector illustrations.  Export can happen
> automatically when the viewer closes.

Since discussions have recently lead to use of a vector drawing program like
GILT, I suppose we can define an XML/DTD for vector drawings.  So we have DTD's
for

    Figure data
    Biological data (a DTD for each: sequence, structure, phylogeny, etc.)
    Workflow data

and a Python GUIscript + GUImegawidgets.    

> I does make a viewer more complicated, we have to manage the dynamic display,
> and then display again for the figbuilder.

The figure can be dnd'd to the FigBuilder the first time, sending over the
figure XML.  When remanipulating the figure, the figure XML can be sent by
closing the viewer or pressing an "update" button.  So for buttons on the
viewer/browser, we can have

    Back
    Forward
    Update    <- to update figure in FigBuilder
    Print
    Save

And if the user double-clicks on part of the figure in the FigBuilder, that part
will be brought up in a viewer for manipulation.

BTW, to build upon the tradition of naming loci after things you find in the lab
(such as Benchtop), how about using the nickname "slide" for viewer (and
"collection slide" for FigBuilder).  These are nicknames; I'm not trying to
confuse anyone by renaming anything ;-)

P.S.  Robert Harrison, author of AMMP, says he will help us :-)


Asta la Vista,
Jeff
-- 
J.W. Bizzaro                  mailto:bizzaro at bc.edu
Boston College Chemistry      http://www.uml.edu/Dept/Chem/Bizzaro/
--