drawshape "deficiencies"

[Bernhard Reiter]

On Tue, Dec 28, 2004 at 11:14:54PM -0500, Russell Nelson wrote:
> Hmmm....  I see no reason why drawshape couldn't be extended to handle
> points and lines.  It just needs to understand whether the selected
> layer consists of points, lines, or polygons, as opposed to its
> current assumption of polygons.

Drawshape was a quick hack, but better a quick hack than nothing. ;)

> Also (and this is more serious) there needs to be a way to delete the
> most recent point.  The problem is not giving the user a way to do it.
> The problem is giving them a way to do it without forcing them to read
> the documentation.  For example, we could let Delete remove the most
> recent point.  How are they going to know that they should resort to
> the keyboard?  Perhaps we could make a sub-menu off Experimental/Shape
> Draw Tool that gives them a mouseable command, but which also tells
> them that Delete deletes.  Or we could let shift-click delete the most
> recent point?  Or maybe we need a generalized Edit menu, since we're
> adding editing?  

I think a general editing menu and undockable toolbar it the real
solution for this problem, but again a first attempt would be to
make deletion possible and then think about the best interface.

> What if we had a cursor, which was a little circle
> around the selected point(s)?  You could use the arrow to go from
> point to line segment (circling both points) to point to line
> segment.  If they clicked when only a point was selected, it would
> move the point.  If they clicked when a line segment was selected, it
> would split the line in half.
> 
> I have no idea of what is the best user interface for an editor.  All
> suggestions gladly entertained!  I think maybe I should prototype it
> in mapviewer.

I suggest looking at drawing applications like Skencil:
www.skencil.org.

	Bernhard
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