December 2004 - Inkscape Users

Build errors in CVS
by Trent Buck 22 Dec '04

22 Dec '04

I just tried to build Inkscape from CVS for the first time in a couple of weeks. I noticed the following Debian-specific problems: - AFAICT, python-dev and libperl-dev are now build dependencies; they should be added to the Build-Depends line in debian/control. - After building, dh_strip attempts to strip an ar archive, causing packaging to fail. From the build log: $ dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot [...] dh_installmime dh_link dh_strip strip: debian/inkscape/usr/lib/inkscape/plugins/stcstnTn/DynaLoader.a: Invalid operation dh_strip: command returned error code 256 make[2]: *** [binary-arch] Error 1 make[2]: Leaving directory `/alt/foo/pkg/cvs/inkscape/WORKING/inkscape' make[1]: *** [buildpackage] Error 2 make[1]: Leaving directory `/alt/foo/pkg/cvs/inkscape/WORKING/inkscape' -- -trent Look -- a diversion! It's shiny! -- Daniel Stone

2 1

outputting gradients
by Ben Crowell 21 Dec '04

21 Dec '04

>Gradients without transparency are doable in PS level 3, but we output >only level 2 so far. Fixing this would require an expert in PS because >level 3 differs significantly from previous levels. However, I don't >think it's worth the trouble, because transparency is not possible >even in level 3. It is however possible in PDF starting from version >1.4, so we better spend the same resources on supporting PDF instead. >For now, the best alternative that I know of is to import Inkscape SVG >into Scribus and save as PDF 1.4. Thanks for the rapid reply! Scribus actually didn't work on the example I tried. It didn't render the gradients correctly, and it also munged the fonts I was using (made Vera into a monospaced font). I guess I can render everything as png instead of pdf. (Pdftex can accept either as input.) Is anybody working actively on direct PDF output? The inability to output gradients to PS or PDF is a serious limitation that will probably be enough to prevent an awful lot of users from using Inkscape. Maybe my perceptions and priorities are different from other people's but it surprises me that people would be working on, e.g., Perl and Python extensions when a really basic feature like this is not yet implemented. Maybe it's just the nature of OSS: developers want to work on stuff that interests them personally, so that determines which features get added.

5 5

Satisfied user
by Alan Horkan 21 Dec '04

21 Dec '04

Thought I'd share this comment from a new satisfied Inkscape user: http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=133308&cid=11135973

3 2

Textbox
by Imre Vida 21 Dec '04

21 Dec '04

Hi i've only recently discovered Inkscape and found it very promising. However, there is a feature that i miss a lot: the possility to define a frame for text with 1) dynamic line wrapping and 2) "local" formating options (e.g to mix various types of fonts, to use bold, italic, superscripts, subscripts in the text etc.). I have looked at the list of requested features and i found several related entries (e.g. 863325, 1084658 and 1080623) some of them dating back to last year. But there seems to be very little response to these requests. Without this feature inkscape is not a real alternative for me, unfortunately. Do you plan to implement such a feature? thanks imre

4 3

-users -developers test please ignore
by vellum 20 Dec '04

20 Dec '04

1 0

test ignore
by vellum 20 Dec '04

20 Dec '04

1 0

Re: applying a common style Re: [Inkscape-devel] Re: Font size after scaling?
by vellum 20 Dec '04

20 Dec '04

vellum said: > On Thu, 16 Dec 2004 22:11:16 +1100, vellum <kaver@...45...> wrote: > > However, with non-uniform scaling all hell breaks loose. > > First. Scaling vertically changes the font size as I would expect. However > > if I then try to change the font size to the original size then the font > > dialog font size is correct but the screen presentation is not. bulia said: > Yes, because non-uniform scaling cannot be expressed via font size > change. Thus it is factored into two parts, as I explained. When you > reset font size to original, you remove only the uniform component of > the scale; the non-uniform one remains. I think this is logical. ... > So, can you just explain the final result you're trying to achieve? 1. I want to be able to turn a piece of text that has been scaled uniformly or non-uniformly, back to its original state. ie. as it was written. OK. Your changes allow this to be done with uniformly scaled text. So my original problem is solved. However, I do not understand what is happening with non-uniform scaling, and it worries me that it simply may be giving the wrong result. The simplest case is where the text is stretched or compressed with no vertical change. The present code changes the font size. Why? I just cannot find anywhere that this is the correct result. As far as I can see the font size should be the same after as before. XaraX1 operates in the way that I see as correct. It shows two windows for a text object. 1. The font size. 2. The Aspect Ratio which is Width/Height as a percentage. The AR is 100.00 for any font size as initially written. With non-uniform scaling. The new font size is shown and the AR goes >100 or <100% depending on the scaling. When a piece of text is reselected the new AR and the font size are shown. It is straightforward to set the AR to 100 and the font size to your original font size and you get the original sized text back. Inkscape cannot not do this. With horizontal stretching or compressing. With Xarax1 there is no change in font size no matter how much the text width is changed. This is consistent with font size based on letter height. With Inkscape the font size changes with the text width. I think this is wrong. I do not know the details of what the programs are doing but Xarax seems consistent with > > David Bergs idea of "A button "set as 100%" for height and width will then > > adjust the font-size according to the skewed/streched width or the height > > respectively. I think this way all needs are served ;)" seems like a good > > one. Perhaps this could also go in the font dialog ultimately. I would leave skewed text further down the priority list since I ceratinly do not use it routinely and nobody else has chimed in with this as a need or problem. If I can get non-uniform scaling sorted I'll be happy. > > P.S. Perhaps you noticed the bug: the font size reported in the > statusbar in selector for a text object is wrong (unchanged) after > scale. This is completely unrelated to the above discussion. Just > deselect and reselect it again to see the correct font size. yes. vellum

1 0

outputting gradients
by Ben Crowell 19 Dec '04

19 Dec '04

Bulia wrote: >Personally, I would much prefer to have standard system-wide >high-quality SVG->PDF and PS->SVG converters that we could use, >without having to code them into Inkscape. Such a modular approach >would be the best for everyone. The idea that every single design app >must import and export all common formats is, IMHO, a harmful >misconception originated on proprietary platforms where each app has >to be self-sustaining and cannot count on cooperation from other >programs. We can save a lot of resources by not following this model. >I see no problem in having to run Inkscape files through Scribus or >some other converter [1] when I need PDF, provided it is as >cross-platform as we are and produces good output. I agree with you in principle that it might be good design to have a whole different piece of software whose job was SVG->PS or SVG->PDF. However, as far as I can tell, Scribus isn't going to fill that role, and I'm not aware of any other project that will. Scribus isn't cross-platform, it has no command-line interface AFAICT, at the moment it does not do a very good job on SVG->PDF, and I don't see any signs that they consider it to be part of their core mission to act as an automatic behind-the-scenes SVG->PDF converter that other programs can use library-fashion. To me, it would be much more logical for such functionality to be in Inkscape, rather than Scribus; but then, that's easy for me to say, since I don't have the C++ skills or the time that would be needed to do the necessary work on Inkscape :-)

2 1

outputting gradients
by Ben Crowell 19 Dec '04

19 Dec '04

This bug http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=984043&group_id=93… refers to a problem with outputting gradients to postscript. Is there any workaround for this problem? I'm trying to produce PDF output, and have been doing it by doing a Save As, followed by epstopdf.

2 1

Centering odd shapes
by Chris 19 Dec '04

19 Dec '04

Is there any way to center odd shaped objects? (A triangle for example) The current implementation seems to center on the bounding box rather than the average of the vertexes. This makes it impossible to properly center odd shaped objects. Unless I'm missing something? -- // Chris

6 12