[Qgis-user] Ecological toolbox for QGIS - collecting ideas

Thu Feb 24 01:47:40 PST 2011

There are several components here.
1. A system for sorting plugins into appropriate menus. This has been
discussed and is partly being implemented as we speak so that plugin
developers can specify which menus they want their plugin to show up in.
The most prominent new menu in the works is "Database" which will have
postgis, spatialite plugins all grouped together. Should be in the next
release.

2. A few idea have been tossed around regarding dependencies,
specifically as they pertain to additional python modules needed to make
a plugin work. We haven't figured out the best way to approach this yet
(my suggestion was to move to python eggs, but it's not clear how easy
that would be).

3. I would call your other idea Metapackages, where selecting the Eco
Toolbox would install a collection of pre-selected plugins. This will
actually be much easier to implement once the new plugin site is up and
we can better rely on it being a more comprehensive list of what's
possible. These metapackages will have to be hashed out though with
modifications to the plugin installer to grab plugins based on a list.
Shouldn't be too hard, in fact it could be a python plugin. The hardest
part of the puzzle is how to offer the option from the repos.

4. Complete custom menus, rearrangeable and save-able by the user. I
think this is a good wishlist item, possibly for 2.0.

I would recommend users more interested in this topic join the developer
mailing list and contribute to the plans for the upcoming code sprint in
April.

Thanks,
Alex

On 02/24/2011 01:35 AM, Rainer M Krug wrote:
> On Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 10:18 AM, Matt Boyd <mattslists at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I wouldn't find an ecological system very useful but....
>> Would it be possible to implement custom menu items and configurations. Ie,
>> someone could assemble the ecological tools in a logical way in one or more
>> menu items or toolbars and share this menu via the plug installer.
> 
> If you add the possibility to add dependencies to other plugins, then
> you have exactly what I suggested - with less words.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Rainer
> 
>>
>> On 24/02/2011 7:03 PM, "Rainer M Krug" <r.m.krug at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 6:52 AM, Dr. F. Patrick Graz <fgraz at unam.na>
>>> wrote:
>>>> Hi all,
>>>> I just had a quick look at the hyperlinks that were provided by the
>>>> original
>>>> posting. The collections seem quite useful. Many of these are, however,
>>>> already included in QGIS e.g. in the ftools or the home range manager.
>>>>
>>>> While an ecological toolbox would be quite a useful thing, it can also
>>>> lead
>>>> to some confusions / errors. For instance, using another GIS package I
>>>> obtained different results from two different buffering pluggins. So
>>>> which
>>>> one is correct? Also remember, that ArcGIS was (apparently) originally
>>>> produced because Arc/INFO (7.x) and ArcView 3.2 produced different
>>>> outcomes
>>>> in calculations.
>>>>
>>>> I would suggest as an alternative that a set of "how to's" is produced
>>>> (maybe in conjunction with the qgis web-site) that shows how the
>>>> different
>>>> analysis tasks are carried out. This way we a) increase the utility of
>>>> the
>>>> exiting pluggins is enhanced and b) if there are errors in a pluggin they
>>>> are more readily identified.
>>>
>>>
>>> You are raising good points - but I think with an howto, the problem
>>> is not solved for ecologists. I am an ecologist myself, so I am
>>> allowed to say that most of the ecologists I know would like to have
>>> one menu which gives them all routines for an analysis, without having
>>> to read through an howto, install several plugins, dig into different
>>> menus, ...
>>>
>>> But to avoid duplication, these already implemented routines should
>>> definitely not be re-implemented in a new plugin.
>>>
>>> But: I am not familiar with the plugin structure, but is it possible
>>> to create dependencies? I.e. my suggestion would then be tio have one
>>> "Ecological Toolbox" plugin, which consists of analysis methods not
>>> implemented already, plus is dependent (i.e. loads, installs, ...)
>>> several other plugins which contain ecological analysis methods. All
>>> these methods (internal and in other packages) are then all displayed
>>> under one menu "Ecological toolbox".
>>>
>>> This would avoid duplication and bring many different ecological
>>> methods in one menu.
>>>
>>> By the way: this approach could be used for creating other Toolboxes /
>>> Metaplugins which simply install other plugins and create menues in
>>> which these are grouped under one topic.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> Rainer
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> Patrick
>>>>
>>>> ------------------------------------------
>>>> Dr. F. Patrick Graz
>>>> Snr. Researcher,
>>>> Multidisciplinary Research Centre,
>>>> University of Namibia
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> **************************UNAM
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>>>> addressee unless otherwise indicated.*
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> NEW GERMAN FAX NUMBER!!!
>>>
>>> Rainer M. Krug, PhD (Conservation Ecology, SUN), MSc (Conservation
>>> Biology, UCT), Dipl. Phys. (Germany)
>>>
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>>>
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>>
> 
> 
> 