[Carto] Requesting Tentative Consensus on MRI File Format - Version 0.12

[Laurent Jégou]

Hello Landon, if i understand the MRI xml file well, it regroups the three
functional blocs of the wiki diagram (Styling, Output and Layout) in a
single file.

The map described by this file seems to be very precisely designed, or its
layout described.

It may be theoretical, but can't we think about a more flexible layout
definition ? For example the inner frames could be positioned relatively to
the sides of the document and dimensioned proportionally (like it's done in
the flexbuilder design tool, or netbeans java editor). On the wiki page i
read the possibility of a "Graphical Style & Layout Editor".

What i propose is to leave the possibility to help the user to design the
map, by letting him or her place and dimension the elements without going
into the details. Perhaps it's better done upstream, into the mapping
application / designing, than into the "better print" step ? In other words
is the layout to be precisely fixed before the map rendering engine enter
into action ?

Another idea, perhaps more useful : can we imagine levels of transparency
applied to the frames ? It's useful when legends are in several frames and
not embedded into the map layers frame, and when the user wants to add
textual frames above the map. (There are several types of transparency and
merging types, think about photoshop blending modes).

The "stripped down" MRI file seems ok to me, but on the other hand the
specifications should be developped.

Thanks,

-- 
Laurent Jégou
Cartographe et enseignant
UTM - Dépt. Géographie
31058 TOULOUSE Cedex 9 - 05.61.50.43.89
http://www.univ-tlse2.fr/geoprdc
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