[GRASS-dev] ps.map consolidation

[Glynn Clements]

J-Báchym Čepický wrote:-A

> another point: How to write GUI for ps.map, so it is usable for the
> user. Several approaches are possible:
> 
> Drawing boxes for legend, measure, text and so on, so the user has at
> least idea about where and how the object will be placed on the paper.
> 
> Another sollution would be, if we would copy the map display approach:
> render separate layer for each map instruction in the temporary file
> and put them together in the map display. User could than take a mouse
> and position each object interactively.
> 
> We would need support of transparency for this... Does ps.map support
> creation of transparent files?

ps.map creates PostScript files. If you use Ghostscript's "pngalpha"
driver, the resulting PNG file will have a transparent background. But
then you would need to convert the PNG files to PPM/PGM (that's all
that g.pnmcomp understands), and you would need to manually
re-composite those files whenever the relative position changes.

Personally, I don't see the point in a ps.map GUI; this task is better
suited to general-purpose DTP software.

-- 
Glynn Clements <glynn at gclements.plus.com>