On Fri, 15 Feb 2002, Jules Bean wrote: > On Fri, Feb 15, 2002 at 12:08:45PM +1000, Allan Rae wrote: [...]
> > This would indeed be a fantastic inset. It could in fact be fairly > > easy to arrange -- the document preamble and class settings are taken > > from the document being edited; the contents of the insets raw tex > > buffer is placed in the file and the resulting dvi is then viewed > > (hopefully cropped to just the resulting virtual ink -- or let the > > user define this in a separate xdvi window). > > Wow. Now that also isn't what I'm asking for, but is actually rather > good, and it seems to me wouldn't be too hard to implement. Let's say it was what I decided you really wanted based on my reading of both threads and no doubt influenced by other commenters in the threads (and a need to be realistic about what could be achievable). > In fact, it would be the Kastrup preview-latex idea, implemented in > LyX. We know it's feasible to crop the virtual ink, because Kastrup > does [1]. > > It really seems to me that this would be an easy inset: just > straightforward text-editing in its expanded form, much like > InsertERT, but its 'collapsed' form would have the novel effect of > making a mini-TeX document, executing dvips -E, and embedding a > gs-rendering of the produced eps. > > > However, just to repeat myself silly, this *isn't* what I was asking > for. I was asking for the ability to define a new type of inset. My > particular example inset would look like a Table, but all the cells > would be automatically mathed (like a mathed array). I want to have > mathed's editing power inside it. It would also have arrows between > elements of the arrow, and mathed boxes above the arrows to label > them. Yes but what if someone wants something slightly different? If we make this InsetJulesBean we also need to support InsetJoeBloggs. Of course, you have only asked for supporting a plugin. Python plugins would definitely be a nice thing indeed. But as was mentioned we don't have all the necessary LFUNs to support arbitrary plugins. Hmmm... it may be simpler to have an InsetPython similar to InsetExternal but where a simple interface is satisfied by some Python script. > But none of that was the point. The point was just to make it easier > to do such constructs, and other ones (proofs, for example, or trees). But from what you were saying you wrote macros and all sorts of other things to help you so an inset with math and arrows stuff didn't seem feasible IMHO. > Anyhow, I love the InsetLaTeX idea... > > Jules > > > [1]: http://preview-latex.sourceforge.net/ Hmmm... Seems simple enough. Although I really don't think it offers the wonderful features (or supposed advantages over LyX) that he was preaching about. Allan. (ARRae)
