On my wishlist is one point without further explanation:
  • Scripting (JavaScript)


I mean the following: Xara Xtreme should be programmable with User-Scripts/Macros like Corel Draw or Gimp.

Programmable means to choose a free programming language (JavaScript, PHP, Python, ...), include it in Xara Xtreme and create a well designed API with methods like this:
  • New/Open/Save/Export drawings.
  • Methods to browse through the object tree of a current drawing.
  • Methods to create new objects (Lines, Splines, Rectangles, Text, ...).
  • Methods to manipulate objects (Transparency, Shadow, Bevel, Contour, Blend, Mould, assign a Live effect to object, ...)


My first Script would be a function to draw bar charts or pie charts on the fly on a Webserver under Linux:

  1. canvasXara.load(filename) - Opens a .XAR-File which already exists (perhaps with a nice background to position the bar charts)
  2. canvasXara.addObject('rectangle', x, y, width, height, fillcolor, ...) - creates bar #1 (the macro is also created on the fly - from a Web application which loads the current values/length of the bar chart from a sql database)
  3. canvasXara.addObject('rectangle', x, y, width, height, fillcolor, ...) - creates bar #2
  4. canvasXara.addObject('rectangle', x, y, width, height, fillcolor, ...) - creates bar #3
  5. canvasXara.export(filetype, filename, mode) - exports the generated images as PNG/JPG/GIF/...
  6. canvasXara.kill() - closes Xara Xtreme without saving in a .XAR-File


I've tried to automate the current version of Xara Xtreme under Windows together with the powerful automation tool "AutoHotkey", but it's a pain to create a mouse macro, which drags the handles of a spline or something else with dragging...

Regards,
Remi