Grass GUI (was Re: [GRASS5] Problems with vector import, and a suggestion)

[Carl Worth]

On Feb 7, Roger Miller wrote:
 > >From the command line--at least as of pre2--when the user creates a
 > monitor window, the focus is passed to the monitor (or is this just a
 > 
 > Is there some way to keep a newly-created monitor from grabbing the
 > focus?

You'll have to configure your window manager for this.

 > I'd also like it if the active monitor were alway "on top" of the display
 > and if it were possible to select a monitor (as with d.mon select=x*) with
 > the mouse just by clicking it to give it the input focus.  That is, the
 > "top" monitor is always selected, and the selected monitor is always "on
 > top".  Again, this may be behavior specific to the window manager.  If so,
 > then too bad.

The notions of focus and stacking are controlled by the window
manager. While it is technically possible that some X-aware GRASS
program could search up and down the window stack to find the top-most
monitor and draw to it, this would be a very bad idea for several
reasons, (including the fact that many window managers allow "active"
windows that are under other windows).

 > Even better, could we give the monitor windows a default action in
 > response to mouse clicks, double clicks, drags and so on?  I'd like it if
 > the monitor came up with the functionality of d.where, d.zoom, d.erase or
 > d.what.* already running and available with just a mouse action on the
 > monitor.

I think something like this would be a great idea. As far as
implementation, it probably makes sense to leave the monitors as "dumb
displays", but a new program could be written that provides a window
for a GRASS monitor and also provides this kind of functionality.

I plan to start experimenting with such programs right away.

-Carl

-- 
Carl Worth                                        
USC Information Sciences Institute                 cworth at east.isi.edu
3811 N. Fairfax Dr. #200, Arlington VA 22203		  703-812-3725