[scribus-dev] Scripter2: Your feedback is required

[ale rimoldi]

hi

> > >> One of the major tasks we need to complete before the release of
> > >> the next stable Scribus version (1.6) is finishing the new
> > >> Scripter.
> > >>
> > >> During LGM, Andreas has fixed a build error that prevented
> > >> testing of Scripter2. During the LGM Team meetings we also
> > >> decided that we will create a wiki page, which allows us to
> > >> collect wishes of script authors and make sure they are included
> > >> in 1.6.
> >
> 
> It's worth mentionning that at LGM the whole Scribus team have had a
> meeting with Joao from GIMP who is the author of the scripter engine
> for Python in GIMP and he offered his help to review the actual
> scripter to see what was its current state and propose his views on
> what would be needed to complete the work.
> 
> We discussed about the opportunity of updating all the scripts
> currently running on old versions of Python, to Python 3 and this
> could be partly automated through scripts as well, if I got it clear.
> 
> Joao explained how this could be done in "layers" where the most used
> functions can be called up in a first level of commands while the
> less used functions are stored in a less visible layer, always
> available but not in the way, in a second level of commands, if I got
> it clear.
> 
> Joao had a first look at the code and mentionned he would need a
> couple weeks before getting back to us with his overview of the
> scripter.

as communicated in leipzig, the scriter is basically working but not
ready for production.

since i'm probably the only one having ever used it, i'm good position
to say that :-)


here is a summary of my knowledge on the topic...

# the editor

there are a few details which are wrong in the editor, but i really
wonder if we want to have such a complex editor...
(maybe, simplifying would be a better way than fixing bugs)

# commands

lot of commands are missing.
lot of work to be done there.

# documentation

we need a documentation framework, possibly one that can be easily
enriched and edited by the contributors who are using the scripter.
personally, i'd prefer a solution which is not tied to the scripter
code itself.
a proposition is here:
http://scribus-scripter.readthedocs.org/en/latest/

# API?

on top of it, having an API that is provided to the plugins and the
scripter would help avoiding plugins to fail to compile just because
some scribus code has changed somewhere... (and lead to the fact that
the new scripter could not be compiled anymore until andreas' fixes)
(well, that API would provide at least one point of failure and a way to
more easily detect what code has eventually to be modified after a
change or ways to deprecate commands...).




of course, joao's help is very welcome! most of all, his expertise in
the field!
but i'd really love, if the team tried to get jain to finish his work...
you know, as an external guy, i have not many ways to tell a team
member -- even a dormant one -- what he has to do...


also, henning, the original author of the new scripter was willing to
further contribute to the scriper and had some ideas for improvements.
another door, where the team could gently knock...


on my personal side, as long as the plans for the next stable
release are as unclear as the currently are, i have not the guts to get
in touch with people and ask them to work on the scribus code.
even after all the nice things i've seen before, during and after
leipzig.

but this is another topic...


have a wonderful day!
a.l.e


p.s.: and yesterday evening a guy told me about a script he wrote for
scribus :-) he will be emailing it to me...