[GRASS-dev] discussion: replacing ps.map

[Hamish]

roger wrote:
> ps.map does a better job of placing labels than does d.paint.labels,
> which is basically broken -- at least in 6.2.

please explain? bug #? what is broken with d.labels? (note rename)
If it is broken I will try and fix it. AFAIK it has been working well
since GRASS 6.1.0.


> ps.map uses the same icons that are used by the GRASS vector routines.
> This is not a problem in ps.map, but a limitation that effects all
> GRASS displays.

So are you saying here that GRASS icons(symbols) could be improved?
or asking another way: what is the limitation? what is bad about them?


> I hope that future GRASS distributions will have more comprehensive
> symbols sets.  A symbol-editing facility would be nice, but I would
> rather just have a good standard symbol set.

Improvements & new icons(symbols) are welcome.
  http://grass.gdf-hannover.de/wiki/IconSymbols

(note new extra/bridge symbol by Markus, not shown there)


the format is pretty easy, most vector graphics could be translated.
wanted: eps & svg to grass icon conversion tool (maybe as grass vector
to grass icon export tool?); ps.map already has direct .eps capability;
see also the note at the end of d.graph's help page [.eps safer drawn
with d.graph than a symbol-- or at least I don't know how fancy you can
get with the symbol lib before something breaks].  (new v.in.svg??)

TODO: finish symbol rotation code.

see qgis 0.8 point layer properties window for a nice symbol list.


> I agree that ps.map support for legends is not very good.

do you mean raster categorical legends, raster floating point legends,
or vector legends? what do you miss?



general: Please file bugs/wish requests if you have any, otherwise we
don't know to look. then make more noise if it doesn't get fixed after
months.


Hamish