I've now nearly completed my project to implement 
the International Orienteering Federation mapping standards in Inkscape - three 
mapping standards, one of which has two symbol scales - which has resulted in a 
large number of extension files.
 
In order to simplify things, I'd like to be able to 
have, for a given subset of the symbols, four separate INX files each calling 
the same PY file where a parameter is passed to the PY file, not user 
selected, indicating which INX file has made the call.  Is this 
possible?  Is it possible to specify a variable in an INX file and ascribe 
a value to it without presenting the user with some form of parameter 
input?
 
Also, I'd like to be able to produce a routine to 
fill an inkscape closed shape with randomly sized (between a lower and upper 
size) and positioned dots where the user can alter the density of dots and where 
dots will not overlap / touch / be closer than a specified distance between 
them.  This raises a number of questions:
 
1)    Is it possible to specify a 
slider-type input tool in an INX file?
2)    Is there a Python command or a 
routine in one of the Python extension supporting files (simplepath, etc.) to 
detect whether a point lies within the bounds of a closed shape?
3)    Is there an available routine 
to determine the area of a closed shape?
3)    Are there any simple ways to 
detect collision / distance between dots?  I'd like to implement 
something similar to the 'Remove Overlaps' capability available within the 
'Align and Distribute' dialog as part of the routine generating the dots, but 
with a single (polar - sqrt(x^2 * y^2)) variable related to the 
user-selected dot density determining how close the dots can be placed to each 
other.  I can see this getting complex when the area, and hence the number 
of dots, gets large.
4)    Getting more complex, would it 
be possible to have a gradient-filled shape and vary the density of dots 
dependent on the gradient?
 
-----
Jon