From graphics-request at octave dot org Sun Feb 26 18:15:51 2006
Subject: Re: Object Graphics v0.2
From: Bill Denney <denney at seas dot upenn dot edu>
To: graphics at octave dot org
Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2006 19:16:11 -0500 (EST)

OK, here are a couple more changes/issues that I'd like to propose:

A Note property that would be added to every type.  It would simply be a 
char matrix that the user could put any notation about the current object 
that they would like.  This property could be used to assist a user 
finding an object that they did not keep track of from the beginning.  I'm 
thinking of a function like grepobject(object, string) that would search 
all children of object and return the handle(s) of object(s) that match 
string in their note field.

Also, for some visualizations, they could show the note if it is non-empty 
as a tool tip like feature, but that would be implementation dependent.

Second, how do we want to handle implementation dependent features?  I'm 
thinking of things like when I write my SVG backend, that there will need 
to be a file name.  I've realized that filename would make sense as a 
property for any figure level object (figure and movie currently) for any 
save operations, but what should we do for other properties that don't 
make sense for all or most backends?

Bill

On Sat, 25 Feb 2006, Bill Denney wrote:

> I managed to put it up on the wiki.  It now has (very rudimentary) root and 
> image objects with a couple of other changes.  Please make sure to highlight 
> your changes to the document (probably by indenting one more level than 
> whatever you're bringing the issues up about).
>
> http://wiki.octave.org/wiki.pl?ObjectGraphics
>
> I've also added an "issues" section at the top where I've summarized what I 
> saw of the issues Ole, Shai, and I have brought up so far.
>
> I hope to hear more discussion and expansion of this now that everyone is 
> more free to participate.
>
> Bill
>
> -- 
> "Handle like eggs" -- a nuclear missile in _Thunderball_
>

-- 
"In the study, the researchers anesthetized the fish and cut away about 20
percent of their two-chambered hearts. [...] 'They're not happy for a
while,' he said."
   -- "Study Shows Zebrafish Can Grow Heart Cells", AP, 12/13/2002