OpenWetWare:Software/Image Editor
From OpenWetWare
Jump to navigationJump to search
Current wiki limitations with regards to images
- In MediaWiki, images are only handled as a bunch of pixels (through standards such as PNG, JPEG, GIF ...).
- MediaWiki is already providing a limited support for SVG; however it is based on a SVG->PNG rasterization (ImageMagic library). Also, as any other XML languages, SVG is really wordy and not so friendly to directly edit as an xml document. Graphical editors are needed.
- No easy way to update/edit an image from the wiki. It is a static piece of information if you don't have a suitable editor to modify the image.
- No way to have a look at differences between versions of a given image.
- No way to link pages to graphical objects in an image.
Practicals
Examples based on the current level of SVG support provided by mediaWiki (ImageMagik SVG-->PNG rasterization):
A new way to handle images/drawings
- Use a text-based drawing language to benefit from the wiki history mechanism.
- provide within the wiki a way to view/edit the image/drawing.
- Provide a way to link subregions of an image to wiki pages or URLs.
- Make computer-generated images feasible.
Proposed architecture
- Drawing description would be SVG based and stored on a standard Wiki page.
- PNG, JPEG, GIF images can be handled within SVG.
- A Java applet would implement an image viewer/editor.
- The applet would be embedded into a standard Wiki page where the image has to be shown.
- The applet can switch back and forth between two modes (Viewing/Editing). Once edited, the new SVG file can be saved on its Wiki page.
Benefits
- Can be used to replace powerpoint-like graph.
- Would enable collaborative annotations over real experimental data (gels, culture plates, random pictures).
Related projects
- inkscape: OpenSource SVG Editor
- Batik: SVG library
- iNote (not SVG compliant)
- glipsgraffiti: SVG editor
- Sketsa
Comments
- this xml-type/applet-based architecture could be easily extended to implement new features (graph, gene annotations, ...)
Road Map
Specifications for OWW Image Editor V1
features:
- Applet based.
- SVG handled by Batik library
- Display PNG, JPEG, GIF, Tiff images.
- Display SVG graphics.
- No animation handled.
- Read and display SVG files from a pre-existing OWW pages.
- No editing capabilities.
Specifications for OWW Image Editor V2
features:
- Based on Version 1.
- Define an editing mode to update SVG source file.
- Enable to add, delete, scale Ellipses.
- Enable to add, delete, scale Rectangles.
- Enable to add, delete, scale Text in a unique color.
- Can save changes on the OWW page.
Specifications for OWW Image Editor V3
features:
- Based on Version 2.
- Enable multiple colors.
- Can create OWW page if the SVG file doesn't exist yet