I think the following email came directly to me but was intended for the list. I invite everyone who is interested in this to also look at the recent thread by Soren on the dev list.

Aaron Spike

Maarten van der Velde wrote:

Inkscape users,

In response to Aarons' request, I´ve set up a page in the Inkscape WIKI that outlines my request.

http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/QuickDrawingAPI

This page is meant as a proposal and a discussion platform for outlining a "quick drawing API" in Python. The purpose of this page is to summarize the needs of end-users ("designers") for a collection of Python-functions to assist in the quick drawing and manipulation of graphical objects on the canvas.

This API should help everyday-users to quickly write a script to assist in the drawing of your works of art. :)

I´d like to encourage everybody to join the discussion and make changes if needed in this page.

Thanks!

Maarten

On 7/3/09 1:21 PM, "Aaron Spike" <aaron@...476...> wrote:

...

Maarten van der Velde wrote:

...

I hope you don't mind me sending you a personal message. I thought it might get too irrelevant for the email. If it isn't, we can post this message as well.

Why would designing the API hold people back? As I understand, it kind of involves listing the functions and the classes that would be usefull, together with the arguments they need, am I right. Can I do this without any real training as a programmer?

Well, I guess we're equals then, if you have no real training as a programmer. :-)

Designing a good API is indeed hard. But if you post it on the wiki and ask for feedback, others can comment on good or bad points.

I think desire and need are getting in the way. People who are good programmers, probably understand the XML handling or easily learn it. So those people most qualified to design an API don't want to because they don't need to. Even if the API would make things more convenient it isn't a life or death grade need.

You can ask for an API. People do ask. I'm sure I can dig up feature requests. But if no one goes through the trouble to specify exactly what they want in more detail then the developers can't know what is desired or needed. Who would want to take time to code something they don't personally need or want if there is a pretty large chance it isn't what other people want either. :-)

Without specifying the API its hard to know where your wants sit on the continuum between simple and reimplementing all of Inkscape in python in order to support all of the SVG spec. If you want simple that's great! Its probably doable. But as you get nearer to implementing all of SVG, as I said in my last email, I will want to hold out for live access to the Inkscape internals. Inkscape has already implemented Inkscape! It was an immense task that I wouldn't want to attempt again on my own.

Hope that better explains my thoughts.

Aaron Spike

---

Maarten van der Velde graphic designer

Powel ASA Klæbuveien 194, NO-7037 Trondheim, NORWAY Phone: +47 73 80 45 00 - Fax: +47 73 80 45 01 Direct line: +47 73 80 46 21 - Mobile: +47 48 16 46 21 / +31 (0) 6 30 80 95 91 Email: Maarten.van-der-Velde@...2171... http://www.powel.com/

---

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager.

This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses.

www.powel.no

---