[GRASS5] a set of wishes for GRASS 5.7

[Radim Blazek]

On Monday 10 May 2004 07:52, you wrote:
> 1. This is the biggest. I wish there was some way in GRASS itself to
> manage attribute data--especially for vectors. (I'm referring to the
> new GRASS native dbf format, not the external databases to which GRASS
> can connect.) v.reclass no-longer has any interactive component. The
> only way to edit values is to 1) use d.what.vect (which is still buggy
> and doesn't work after the first time in a GRASS session) on one
> feature at a time, or 2) use v.digit, again one feature at a time.
> There is no easy way to even see what values are in the linked
> attribute table for a vector map now that v.report is gone. I'd like to
> see v.report come back with options to select fields to report on.
> However, even more, I'd like to have some kind of simple table display
> and edit functions in GRASS. The ArcView model of a spreadsheet-like
> table view, with basic editing and query functions, seems desirable.
> The lack of any way to manage GRASS attribute data is made worse by the
> fact that GRASS now has the potential for much richer attribute data
> and much better query tools, coupled by the strange lack of open-source
> dbf management tools (like phpMyAdmin for MySQL). Perhaps someone can
> create a db.manage module.

It was intention. We have enough problems to maintain GRASS as it is.
We should concentrate on 'geo' part and do not re-invent the wheel.
There are more DB clients available:
- OpenOffice: many databases
- pgaccess: Postgres
- MySQLGUI: MySQL
Is it a problem to use OpenOffice for DBF tables? I use OO.
There is also a simple table (like in ArcVIew) in QGIS
(selected features are highlighted in the map).

Everything (?) reported by v.report can be printed by v.to.db.
I don't believe that anybody can add the output form v.report 
to a report nowadays. Output from v.to.db may be later formated 
according to user needs, or DB connection from OO may be used
and output formated in OO.

> 2. A flag that sets a default database connection (using the standard
> GRASS dbf files) for commands that have a database connection option.
> I'm still having trouble specifying the correct syntax to connect to
> the database in the new Spearfish data set for 5.7. The flag would make
> the connection to the database located in
> $GISBASE/$LOCATION_NAME/$MAPSET/dbf/. Obviously there is more to it
> than simply specifying this path. I've done that and still am getting a
> DBMI protocol error. For the GRASS native format, this should be
> largely seamless.

$GISBASE/$LOCATION_NAME/$MAPSET/dbf/ is correct. Does the directory exist?
Does it fail always, also db.tables -p?

> d.what.vect (which is still buggy 
> and doesn't work after the first time in a GRASS session) on one 
> feature at a time, or 2) use v.digit, again one feature at a time.

> 3. Select buttons for colors, icons, column name, and field value in d.vect.

> 4. A 'clear' button for all the tcltk autogenerated dialogs.

I would like to remove all TclTk related code (except NVIZ),
once QGIS, GTKGRASS or whatever are ready. At least lib/form, 
db/drivers/dialog, Tk part from g.parser, lib/gtcltk, v.digit and d.m
(and revert R_get_location_with_*). 

Radim