From: staff-gmail <john.staff2222@...400...>
Subject: Re: [Inkscape-devel] Inkscape House plan wish list

As an engineer, I like Inkscape because it is NOT like CAD (I like the
simplicity and free form nature), though I do enjoy some of the newer
features that bring Visio and Sketchup type abilities.  However, some of
the things you are looking for are possible (see below) and you are
welcome and encouraged to contribute patches for anything else you would
like.  Some things could be done with the python extension script
capabilities.

Donn wrote:
> 1. Rotate entire page - the plan is designed square, but the house is seated
> at an angle. Nice to be able to see the house angled, but continue to design
> square.
> 
Have you tried selecting all the objects, grouping and then rotating ?

I think what he really wants is to have the entire coordinate system rotated... not just the graphics.

> 3. It would be super if "symbols" (original groups that are used as clones)
> could be kept in a separate .svg file and referred-to within other svg files.
> That way, the symbols don't have to be *in* every file that uses those
> clones.
> 
then you start to have file dependency hell.  I do keep a separate file
for my favorite symbols/drawn objects which I copy into various
drawings.  I want them to be a pure copy so I can modify them any way I
want in that particular drawing.

File dependency is not an entirely bad thing.  Being able to modify a graphical widget in one file and have instances of the widget updated in many files can be very useful.  It would be a cool option to be able to save dependencies... but I wouldn't want it to be the default.

> 4. Measurements: If there were at least a ruler tool that could be measured in
> length (at any angle) rather than the width/height of it's bounding square,
> it would really help in designing accurately when things don't remain square.
>    Better yet, a way to get the length of a section of an element - perhaps by
> selecting nodes and having it show the lengths in a readout somewhere.
>    Or, when you draw a line it could show the length along with the other
> usual info.
>
> 
yes, a ruler tool would be nice, in fact, the whole SVG unit
transformation specifications could use some work - feel free to
contribute some ideas on this.

The Measure Path effect can already do measurement at any angle.  What seems to be missing is some code that updates the measurement text when the measured path is modified.

> 7.5 (I just remembered) It would be nifty if a kind of "spreadsheetyness"
> could infiltrate Inkscape. For example, I often wanted to add a list of areas
> (that I manually calculated and noted as text objects here and there)
> together and display a total area in a text object on another layer. If that
> could be automated by variables and formula... Just imagine!

Sounds like a great Inkcape offshoot project... CADscape!  I'd certainly give it a go when I needed to do some CAD work if somebody wanted to create it... but I would hate it if Inkscape became too much like other CAD tools.

> 10. A way to export the selected item(s) out to an svg file. I find that
> copy/paste between Inkscape instances on Kubuntu just plain does not work. So
> I end up making "cut.svg" files with one item in it so I can import that to
> the next file. Boring really. So being able to pull something out of a busy
> file and send it to a file would speed that.
> 
Cut and paste between files does work - you just have to open the 2nd
file from within the first file

Sending selected objects to a new file isn't all that difficult or complicated.  Select your objects > CTRL/C > CTRL/N > CTRL/V.  Presto... all selected objects are now exported to a new document.