[OpenLayers-Users] Need for pan mode when digitizing a feature near map edge

[Tim Schaub]

Jeff Yutzler wrote:
> Personally, I feel the whole non-freehand digitizing control needs a 
> rewrite.  When you digitize a point now, when you click you get a 
> feature, full stop.  When you digitize a line now and double-click, you 
> get a feature, full stop.  There are three significant drawbacks to this:
> 
>    * Unless you are just doodling on your map, there is usually going
>      to be some sort of attribution associated with the geometry and
>      the way it is now, there is no clear way to link the geometry with
>      the attribution.    * There is no clear way to digitize multi-part 
> geometries (inner
>      ring, multiline, multipolygon) the way it is done now.    * A 
> geometry that you are digitizing should be selected and
>      draggable so that you can tweak the geometries after you draw them. 
> It is not a major change to change things from a drawing paradigm to an 
> editing paradigm.  It is certainly plausible to do this for 2.6.  All of 
> the functionality is there (DrawFeature, SelectFeature, ModifyFeature, 
> Drag, etc.).  It just needs to be combined into a single control with 
> slightly different behavior.  That way we can also do some other 
> intelligent things like allowing drag panning during digitizing and 
> using the cool insert-middle-vertex capability from the new 
> ModifyFeature control.

Hey Jeff-

Keep in mind that OpenLayers is a library.  The examples in the examples 
directory typically highlight one feature of the library at a time, and 
they don't pull in any other library/framework that you might typically 
use for building a web application.

So, while you might want drawing to immediately trigger attribute 
editing, another application developer may want drawing to immediately 
trigger something else.  Because of this, it is important that we expose 
bits of functionality that application developers can assemble in any 
way they want.  So, the draw controls draw a feature.  They are also 
equipped with what you need to get notified when the feature digitizing 
is done.  Then you might want to pop up a fancy spreadsheet Dojo widget 
to let your users play with feature attributes.

So, the suggestions for adding additional functionality are appreciated. 
  However, the suggestion that "the whole freehand digitizing control 
needs a rewrite" is a bit off.  Again, we can keep adding additional 
controls that application developers can piece together any way they 
want.  There is no smart reason to lump it all together.

Tim


> 
> -Jeff (who is still trying to become part of the solution, not just some 
> guy firing off e-mails)
> 
> users-request at openlayers.org wrote:
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2007 09:18:07 +0200
>> From: "Pierre GIRAUD" <bluecarto at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [OpenLayers-Users] Need for pan mode when digitizing a
>>     feature    near map edge
>> To: mcarsel <carsella11 at msn.com>
>> Cc: users at openlayers.org
>> Message-ID:
>>     <d50f50e60709150018w2700fd6ck2f5ab3184d96c6d6 at mail.gmail.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I agree with you that the best way to let the user digitizing outside
>> the current visible extent is to allow drag pan while digitizing.
>> We wrote this on top of the old sandbox vector code for a customer
>> specific project because the "automatic pan when cursor is close to
>> map edge" was actually too conflicting.
>>
>> As said by Chris, we are interested in having this functionnality in
>> the trunk someday. Though, it is not scheduled and not a priority.
>>
>> Feel free to open a ticket for that and patches are graciously accepted.
>> Developpers noe : this functionnality may be incompatible with 
>> freehand drawing.
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> Pierre
>>
>>  
> 
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