Online utility - Dash pattern generator!!

[netsi]

Hi,

I had some time and found that one thing that Xara Xtreme is not so hot in is "dash patterns". It is a limited number of patterns you have at hand, so why not make an online webapplication which you can visually use to generate dash patterns? - I did!!!

Click on this image to visit the site - and please do come with some comments

http://www.netsi.dk/xara/getDashPattern.gif

(For the technical minded: The reason why it did not work in the first place was that I had forgot to change a reference to an ASP page. It pointed to my development Internet Information Server (localhost), which ofcause made it NOT work on any other maschines than mine... )

[netsi]

Now it is updated and should work :-)

[Egg Bramhill]

Hi Netsi
It looks neat. However I tried to create a line 32 dash pattern length using the morse code signal SOS (...---...). Unfortunately on d/l the line only consisted of -...
Any ideas?
Egg

[tonylondon]

It is fascinating that you can create dash patterns in AI format and import them into Xtreme even though you can't create them in Xtreme! I notice that most of the Xtreme patterns lengthen as you increase the stroke - all except the last one in the gallery which has a fixed length pattern just like Netsi's.
Tony

[netsi]

Hi Netsi
It looks neat. However I tried to create a line 32 dash pattern length using the morse code signal SOS (...---...). Unfortunately on d/l the line only consisted of -...
Any ideas?
Egg

Hi Egg,
This is version 1.0 of my online utility - I see some things which could/will be improved. I tried to do a SOS - I only needed 24 dots in length. I do something like this (x=on, o=off):
xoxoxoxxxoxxxoxxxoxoxoxo
123456789012345678901234

I am open for suggestions for the GUI. I myself have thought about various ways to improve the creation part of the Dash Patterns.

One could be a "quick expert field" where you could simply type "bwbwbwbbbwbbbwbbbwbwbwbw".

Another approach could be a more graphics aproach - where you could drag areas or... If you like you can post perphaps GIFs showing how you would like the interface to be

BTW I am not sure if there is an error in the examples on the page, I think about going for an advanced VML preview. VML is a pre-SVG format which can actually be shown in a Microsoft Internet Explorer 5+ (see an example of use of VML in your browser. All the graphics (execpt bitmaps) are dynamically created in your browser, view source to see for your self.).

Other applications
Webapplications could be a path for creating utilities for Xtreme. It is simply just a matter of getting the ideas and then doing it. The internal .Ai format is postscript which is not so difficult to create. I will be creating more examples and put links in this forum.

[Egg Bramhill]

Sten
The main problem currently is the ai import not importing the correct dash patterns. See the screen grab below:
Egg

[netsi]

Hi Egg,

I hate to come with a lot of technical excuses.... I am sorry my Dash pattern generator does not create the promised result - the examples are not the same as you the actual dash pattern result put in the .Ai file...
Thank you very much for pointing out this problem - I thing that I have figured out how dash patterns work - and I will come up with a version 1.1 of the Dash pattern generator soon - until then the name of my utility is: "Random Dash pattern generator"

Okay - here is a technical excuse:
Dash patterns is following an "on"/"off" path, sort of a "pen down"/"pen up" behaviour on a plotter. So if the pattern is say "5 4 3" the result will be:
5 4 3 5 4 3
*****____***_____****___
where as my example builds on a thought that the "pen" will allways go "down" on repeat. So I expected it to do something like:
5 4 3 5 4 3
*****____********____***
Get it? No more excures! Back to the Javascript!!!

[netsi]

Hi again,
Well it seems like dash patterns have some limitations which my "naive" little first try of an online utility does not apply to. I am working on a version 1.1 which will have a changed (simpler?) interface and a main target to actually give you what you see in the web application.

I am not sure if it is a limitation in Xtreme - I will look into that, when I get my Adobe Illustrator up and running (currently not working). The limitation seems to be that you can have only 8 "set/unset commands". If anyone from Xara can confirm this I would be happy

Next web utility
I will try to produce more online web application based utilities for doing things which are tedious to do in Xtreme, or perhaps impossibel (is there something which is that you ask. Well, setting the start offset in a dash pattern for example cannot be done in the GUI - not that it is very missed )

Do you have something you miss in the Xtreme GUI? I thought about a graph maker: Enter a set of label/value and the utility will create a graph for you to download/drag into Xtreme... That's one example... Well feel free to comment and write here about YOUR wishes! :-)

[jclements]

Netsi, my wish list:


1a- What about an extrusion utility to help make isometric extrusions?

1b- Isometric Nudge keys to move object along the X or Y or Z isometric axes.

See my tutorial for ideas:
http://www.xaraxone.com/guest/guest05/html/1.htm


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

2- A way to create and edit arrowheads whose pointed tip would END at an end-node (like CorelDraw) rather that extend past the the end-node (as Xara has always done). ... Or at least a way to move the end-nodes "inwards" (when the user presses and apply button) to compensate for the size of Xara's arrowheads.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

3- Spell check selected text or all text in a document

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

4- A way for a document to "remember" which Galleries and Dialogs (such as Object Align and Document Info) were opened and closed at the time the document was saved. Be very helpful when collaborating with or training a new Xara user or when several folks are collaborating on a project.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

5- Text Case Conversion: All upper case, All lower case, Book Title (first character of word Upper Case), Sentence case (first character of first word of a sentence Upper Case, and reverse case.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

6- A table maker utility: Ask for number of rows and columns (would created corresponding guides with an option to add simple line verticle and/or horizontal rules ... on a separate layers). Perhaps an option to load each "cell" with predefined column text or simple text, font type and size .... on a separate layer.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

7- Use the function built into Xara now for creating creating button bars to make a LABEL TOOL. This would allow rectangles or quick shape tools to expand with text placed inside them (text would have to grouped with the background object so that it could not be accidently moved from its background object). Perhaps the same function could be used to create rectangles with rounded corners which would maintain their radii when when rescaled.

John

[The Alien]

Hi, I've tried it and it's pretty good

As John said, it would be nice to make custom arrow shapes, because X1's arrowheads are not varied a lot. They all look pretty much the same to me.
Even MS word offers more different arrowheads :\