Hi Jean, Please see my comments in line.
On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 8:48 AM, Jean-Sebastien Delfino < jsdelf...@apache.org> wrote: > On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 9:02 AM, Nirmal Fernando <nirmal070...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > Hi Jean, > > > > On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 10:49 AM, Jean-Sebastien Delfino > > <jsdelf...@apache.org> wrote: > >> > >> On Sun, May 8, 2011 at 10:21 AM, C.S. Nirmal J. Fernando (JIRA) > >> <dev@tuscany.apache.org> wrote: > >> > > >> > [ > >> > > https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/TUSCANY-3496?page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels:comment-tabpanel&focusedCommentId=13030511#comment-13030511 > >> > ] > >> > > >> > C.S. Nirmal J. Fernando commented on TUSCANY-3496: > >> > -------------------------------------------------- > >> > > >> > Hi, > >> > > >> > I'm looking at Graphviz API, playing around it and checking whether it > >> > can be used in this project ! > >> > Also watching few screen casts, reading the paper "Drawing graphs with > >> > dot" by Emden Gansner and Eleftherios Koutsoļ¬os and Stephen North to > learn > >> > "dot language", and experimenting :) > >> > > >> > >> Sounds good. > >> > >> I think it'd be interesting to try to generate the same diagram using > >> Batik, Graphviz, and 'nothing' (just print SVG directly in your code), > >> and then compare the three programs. There may be other options out > >> there too, but I'm suggesting to try the 'nothing' approach, as in my > >> experience SVG is easy enough to print without a complex object model > >> like Batik's. > > > > Don't you think that 'nothing' approach would need some significant work > on > > finding/implementing a > > layout building algorithm? If Graphviz implementation succeed, I am not > sure > > whether it is worth to put an effort on 'nothing' approach. > > > > What do you think? > > > > Thanks. > > I think the best way to know is to try. I didn't mean spending a lot > of time investigating the 'nothing' approach. Just enough to decide if > it's worth doing, or if it can be eliminated without a doubt... but > based on concrete data. > > I think there's different aspects in what you're trying to do: > a) walk an SCDL model and transforming it to a model from which you > can derive a layout easily > b) compute the layout of the composite diagram > c) generate SVG for that layout > d) allow a user to navigate it, zoom etc > > My guess is that Graphviz and Batik won't help with (a), may help with > (b), are probably over complicated for (c), and I don't know if they > can help or instead get in the way for (d). > I am experimenting with graphViz and it appears to be used for our tool. Will update you soon, about my conclusions on using graphViz. > The 'nothing' approach wouldn't change the situation for (a), would > require you to think hard and craft some algorithms for (b), and > wouldn't get in your way for (c) and (d). > True, depending on how graphViz reacts this approach will be considered. > > Another way to ask the question is: What if you spend time to master > Graphviz (1.6Mb) and Batik (1657 classes, 8Mb) and build something > nice with them, and then somebody else just tries without these big > dependencies, at the expense of some hard (but interesting) work to > craft and tune the necessary algorithms, and produces a similar result > with a few pages of lightweight code? Which one will be more > successful? > Reusing is good other than building one from scratch not knowing what will be the outcome, don't you think? > But again we won't know if that's possible without trying... If you're > already comfortable with Graphviz and Batik, I don't want to derail > your progress, it's really up to you to decide which way you prefer to > go here :) Thanks, I will update on how my journey with GraphViz goes. :) > Thoughts? > -- > Jean-Sebastien > -- Best Regards, Nirmal C.S.Nirmal J. Fernando Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Blog: http://nirmalfdo.blogspot.com/
