Justin B Rye wrote: > Inline commentary on my revisions: A couple of afterthoughts. [...] >| First impression That's a rather misleading section name, but I left it because I was hoping to be struck by inspiration later for some better alternative. All I can think of is "Appearance". [...] > The second group picks the main mode rgbPaint should enter. When it > is in Paint mode, the cursor will become a pencil symbol, while Fill > mode displays as a bucket being emptied. Selection mode is more > complicated, using more than one icon - see the section “Making > and using selections”. I missed the fact that the XSL automatically inserts the phrase "the section called" - which gets a bit repetitive; is that "called" really necessary? [...] >| Control sequences That's not a great name for the category, since it seems to imply that <f> is a sequence of control keys. For a contrast with "Movement" keys, I'd suggest "Actions". The ordering <End>, <f>, <Ins>, <p>, <q> is unintuitive; I'd shift <Ins> up to be with (probably before) before <End>. I suppose I'd also put <+>, <-> after rather than before the number keys. Attached are a revised patch of the XML and a copy of my version of the XHTML output. Some thoughts I haven't acted on in the patch: There's no FILES section - it would be a natural place to put the explanation about the SVG-icons directory, but might also say what the defaults are for -d <dir>. You could also use a SEE ALSO for the references to mtPaint. I was assuming that the phrase "originally intended for the Debian GNU/Linux system" in the colophon was something automated, but I see you define &debian; within rgbpaint.xml, so I should mention that Squeeze comes in more flavours than just Linux. On the other hand if you didn't have this fact in mind when you wrote the manual, that means it's accurate anyway... -- JBR with qualifications in linguistics, experience as a Debian sysadmin, and probably no clue about this particular package
--- rgbpaint.xml.orig 2010-12-03 21:13:18.000000000 +0000 +++ rgbpaint.xml.jbr 2010-12-04 18:15:55.000000000 +0000 @@ -98,10 +98,10 @@ &software; is a very basic painting program created by forking mtPaint at version 3.09, and then simplifying the user interface. - Colour handling is pixel-based with a small, but replaceable - palette. Saving and editing image files is done using ICO, - JPEG and PNG formats. Additional image formats can be loaded, - but not saved in the original format. + It relies on a small but modifiable palette for pixel-based + image editing. Images can be saved in ICO, JPEG and PNG + formats; files in other image formats can be loaded, but not + saved in the original format. </para> </refsect1> @@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ </term> <listitem> <para> - Grab a screen shot. + Grab a screen shot during launch. </para> </listitem> </varlistentry> @@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ <listitem> <para> Any file names remaining on the command line will be loaded - as stamp thumbnails. + as stamps. </para> </listitem> </varlistentry> @@ -168,9 +168,10 @@ </term> <listitem> <para> - Set largest width (equal to height) of any stamp thumbnail. - Permitted values for <replaceable>size</replaceable> are in - the range 32 to 256 pixels. Default is 40. + Set size in pixels that stamp thumbnails should be + reduced to (if larger). The default is 40 pixels + on a side; permitted values are in the range + 32–256. </para> </listitem> </varlistentry> @@ -180,9 +181,10 @@ </term> <listitem> <para> - Set the undo buffer to encompass - <replaceable>limit</replaceable> MB storage, in the - range from 1 MB to 500 MB. Default is 32 MB. + Set the maximum size of the undo buffer to + <replaceable>limit</replaceable> MB. The + default is 32 MB; permitted values are in the range + 1–500. </para> </listitem> </varlistentry> @@ -200,24 +202,24 @@ </refsect1> <refsect1> - <title>First impression</title> + <title>Appearance</title> <para> - When launched, &software; will present itself with a view - on a large <emphasis>Canvas</emphasis>, using most of the - available window area. At the top there will be a - <xref linkend="task.panel.en"/>, - and a <xref linkend="brush-colour.panel.en"/> will be at - the left edge. Possibly a rather - narrow <xref linkend="stamp.panel.en"/> can be inset - at the bottom edge, then containing iconized images. + When launched, &software; will use most of its available + window area to present a view of a large + <emphasis>Canvas</emphasis>. At the top + there will be a <xref linkend="task.panel.en"/>, and a + <xref linkend="brush-colour.panel.en"/> will be at the left + edge. It's also possible for a rather narrow + <xref linkend="stamp.panel.en"/> containing iconised images + to be inset at the bottom edge. </para> </refsect1> - <refsect1 id="task.panel.en" xreflabel="Task panel"> - <title>The task panel</title> + <refsect1 id="task.panel.en" xreflabel="Tasks panel"> + <title>The Tasks panel</title> <para> - In this panel an action is selected. The available actions are - best named in subgroups, according to character: + This panel is used for selecting actions. The available actions + can be classified into the following groups: </para> <itemizedlist spacing="compact"> <listitem> @@ -254,35 +256,35 @@ </listitem> </itemizedlist> <para> - The first group clearly alludes to the creation of a blank image, - and to storing or retrieving images, existing or new. Each action - conducts its own security check in order not to destroy any material - not yet saved. + The first group deals with creating new blank images and reading + from or writing to image files. Each action conducts its own safety + check in order not to lose unsaved data. </para> <para> - The second group determines a main mode upon which the program acts. - When in <emphasis>Paint</emphasis> mode, a pencil will act as pointer - symbol, while <emphasis>Fill</emphasis> mode displays as a bucket - being emptied. <emphasis>Selection</emphasis> mode uses more than - one icon and is compound, so it will be better explained in + The second group picks the main mode &software; should enter. When + it is in <emphasis>Paint</emphasis> mode, the cursor will become a + pencil symbol, while <emphasis>Fill</emphasis> mode displays as a + bucket being emptied. <emphasis>Selection</emphasis> mode is more + complicated, using more than one icon - see <xref linkend="select.mode.en"/>. </para> <para> - The third group encompasses actions that operate on a selected portion - of the canvas: <emphasis>Cutting</emphasis> out from the canvas, making a - <emphasis>Copy</emphasis> in memory of the content within the marked area, - <emphasis>Pasting</emphasis> the copy back from memory onto the canvas, - or opening a dialog window <emphasis>Text</emphasis>, that will deploy - a new selection area, exactly large enough to hold the text snippet - that is to be written using the dialog window. + The third group covers actions that operate on a selected portion of + the canvas: <emphasis>Cutting</emphasis> out a shape from the canvas, + making a <emphasis>Copy</emphasis> in memory of the content within the + marked area, <emphasis>Pasting</emphasis> the copy back from memory + onto the canvas, or opening a dialogue window for + <emphasis>Text</emphasis>, which will deploy a new selection area just + large enough to hold the snippet of text specified using the dialogue + window. </para> <para> - The final group lists the odd actions: <emphasis>Undo</emphasis> + The final group lists miscellaneous actions: <emphasis>Undo</emphasis> an editing step, <emphasis>Redo</emphasis> an undone step, <emphasis>Transform</emphasis> the overall colour settings, <emphasis>Pan</emphasis> the window across the canvas (a miniature window is shown with a pane whose movements are controlled - by the arrow keys), and finally, to set the <emphasis>Scaling</emphasis> + by the arrow keys), or finally, set the <emphasis>Scaling</emphasis> of the canvas. </para> </refsect1> @@ -290,15 +292,15 @@ <refsect1 id="select.mode.en"> <title>Making and using selections</title> <para> - The <emphasis>Selection</emphasis> main mode is intended to grab and to - manipulate portions of the full canvas. It can itself be thought of as - being divided into three further states: + The <emphasis>Selection</emphasis> main mode is intended for grabbing + and manipulating portions of the full canvas. It can itself be thought + of as being divided into three further states: <variablelist> <varlistentry> <term>Resting</term> <listitem> <para> - is indicated by a cross-wires icon and happens when no corner + is indicated by a cross-hairs icon and happens when no corner marker has been set. </para> </listitem> @@ -308,7 +310,7 @@ <listitem> <para> shows one out of four corner icons. They all indicate how the - next corner will be used to lay down a rectangle together with + next point selected will be used to lay down a rectangle together with the previously set corner. To get a feeling for this, it is best to experiment a little by moving the pointer around. </para> @@ -340,50 +342,44 @@ </para> </refsect1> - <refsect1 id="brush-colour.panel.en" xreflabel="Brush and colour panel"> - <title>The brush and colour panel</title> + <refsect1 id="brush-colour.panel.en" xreflabel="Brushes/Colours panel"> + <title>The Brushes/Colours panel</title> <para> - Here the user chooses brush and colour for painting, or colour only - for flood filling. There are ten different brushes, six solid and four - thin ones. A solid brush can give a square or a round outline, each in - one out of three differing thicknesses. The buttons for brushes are - collected at the upper part of the panel. - </para> - <para> - Out of the four available thin brushes, the smallest is so thin as - to paint one pixel at a time, making possible very accurate brush work. - The other three are of larger sizes, but they all colour pixels - in a random fashion within their outline, so they act somewhat like - staining a surface. - </para> - <para> - At the lower part of this panel there are twenty buttons displaying - a palette of available colours. By clicking on either of these, the - corresponding colour is chosen for painting, until it is replaced. - An elongated button, between the upper and the lower areas, will - always display the active colour. + Here the user chooses a brush and colour for painting, or colour only + for flood filling. The upper part of the panel holds the ten different + brushes, six solid and four thin ones. The solid brushes can give a + square or a round outline in any of three thicknesses. Out of the four + available thin brushes, the smallest is so thin as to paint one pixel + at a time, making possible very accurate brush work. The other three + are of larger sizes, but they all colour pixels in a random fashion + within their outline, so they act somewhat like staining a surface. + </para> + <para> + In the lower part of the panel there are twenty buttons displaying a + palette of available colours. Clicking on any of these chooses the + corresponding colour for painting, until it is replaced. </para> <para> - The colour displaying button, near mid panel, has a further useful - function. Clicking on the left mouse button will summon a colour - editor. This allows the user to blend a new colour, which will, - once accepted, replace the colour that was active before touching - the button. + An elongated button, between the upper and the lower areas, will + always display the active colour, and has a further useful function. + Clicking the left mouse button on it will summon a colour editor. + This allows the user to blend a new colour, which will, once accepted, + replace the colour that was previously active. </para> </refsect1> - <refsect1 id="stamp.panel.en" xreflabel="Stamp panel"> - <title>The stamp panel</title> + <refsect1 id="stamp.panel.en" xreflabel="Stamps panel"> + <title>The Stamps panel</title> <para> This extra panel, at the bottom of the program window, comes to - life only if <command>&prog;</command> was summoned using the - command line switch <option>-stamps</option>, and with existing - image files to follow. The displayed size of any thumbnail image - is determined by the switch <option>-thumb</option>, or is - set to 40 pixels, in width as well as in height. + life only if <command>&prog;</command> was launched using the + command line switch <option>-stamps</option>, followed by the + names of existing image files. The displayed size of any thumbnail + image is determined by the switch <option>-thumb</option>, or + set to 40 pixels in both width and height. </para> <para> - If the user left clicks on a thumbnail image, a copy of the + If the user left-clicks on a thumbnail image, a copy of the image will appear in the middle of the canvas, with the size of the original image, not that of the thumbnail. The copy is is fact only a marked area (see <xref linkend="select.mode.en"/>), @@ -397,14 +393,14 @@ <refsect1 id="keyboard.shortcuts.en"> <title>Keyboard shortcuts</title> <para> - There are some keyboard keys that come handy at times. - The digits change the image scaling in pre-determined steps. - The keys <keycap>+</keycap> and <keycap>-</keycap> give a fine - grained scaling up or down. + Some handy keyboard shortcuts are available. The keys + <keycap>1</keycap>–<keycap>9</keycap> change image scaling + in pre-determined steps. The keys <keycap>+</keycap> and + <keycap>-</keycap> give a fine-grained scaling up or down. </para> <para> - Any <keycap><arrow></keycap> key move the mouse pointer in small - steps across the canvas, steps which can be made larger by pressing + Any <keycap><Arrow></keycap> key moves the mouse pointer in small + steps across the canvas - steps which can be made larger by pressing <keycombo action="press"> <keycap>Shift</keycap><keycap>Arrow</keycap> </keycombo>. @@ -415,44 +411,44 @@ the whole canvas will shift in the implied direction. </para> <variablelist> - <title>Control sequences</title> + <title>Actions</title> <varlistentry> - <term><keycap>+</keycap>, <keycap>-</keycap></term> + <term><keycap>1</keycap>–<keycap>9</keycap></term> <listitem> <para> - Scale up, scale down. + Change scaling to fixed levels. </para> </listitem> </varlistentry> <varlistentry> - <term><keycap>1</keycap> .. <keycap>9</keycap></term> + <term><keycap>+</keycap>, <keycap>-</keycap></term> <listitem> <para> - Change scaling to fixed levels. + Scale up, scale down. </para> </listitem> </varlistentry> <varlistentry> - <term><keycap>End</keycap></term> + <term><keycap>Ins</keycap></term> <listitem> <para> - Summon the <emphasis>Pan Window</emphasis> dialog. + Summon the <emphasis>Transform colour</emphasis> dialogue. </para> </listitem> </varlistentry> <varlistentry> - <term><keycap>f</keycap></term> + <term><keycap>End</keycap></term> <listitem> <para> - Select <emphasis>Flood fill</emphasis> mode. + Summon the <emphasis>Pan Window</emphasis> dialogue. </para> </listitem> </varlistentry> <varlistentry> - <term><keycap>Ins</keycap></term> + <term><keycap>f</keycap></term> <listitem> <para> - Summon the <emphasis>Transform colour</emphasis> dialog. + Select <emphasis>Flood fill</emphasis> mode. </para> </listitem> </varlistentry> @@ -484,7 +480,7 @@ <term><keycap>t</keycap></term> <listitem> <para> - Open the dialog window <emphasis>Paste Text</emphasis>. + Summon the <emphasis>Text paste</emphasis> dialogue. </para> </listitem> </varlistentry> @@ -492,7 +488,7 @@ <variablelist> <title>Movement</title> <varlistentry> - <term><keycap><arrow></keycap></term> + <term><keycap>Arrow</keycap></term> <listitem> <para> Move pointer slightly. @@ -503,7 +499,7 @@ <term> <keycombo action="press"> <keycap>Shift</keycap> - <keycap><arrow></keycap> + <keycap>Arrow</keycap> </keycombo> </term> <listitem> @@ -516,12 +512,12 @@ <term> <keycombo action="press"> <keycap>Ctrl</keycap> - <keycap><arrow></keycap> + <keycap>Arrow</keycap> </keycombo> </term> <listitem> <para> - Move canvas with pointer staying behind. + Move canvas rather than pointer. </para> </listitem> </varlistentry> @@ -574,26 +570,25 @@ </variablelist> </refsect1> - <refsect1 id="tailored.icons.en"> - <title>Tailored task icons</title> + <refsect1 id="customised.icons.en"> + <title>Customised task icons</title> <para> - There is a built-in possibility to tailor the optics of the task icons, - as they appear in the <xref linkend="task.panel.en"/>. - This is mostly an issue for the administrator of a kiosk system or similar, - not a task for the casual user. It does make sense to use this in the - command string registered with the Debian menu system for - <command>&prog;</command>. At least for systems where users are - expected to access the program only that way. - </para> - <para> - The command line switch <option>-svg</option> allows the specification - of a directory, where particular vector image files are searched for. - Their names are all of the form "stock-XXX.svg", and as the - name imply, they must be of SVG format. The string XXX takes exactly - one of the following values: new, open, save, saveas, cut, copy, paste, - undo, redo, text, paint, fill, select, sun, or zoom. All these are - needed for the expected functionality. It is straightforward to deduce - the meaning of each name, simply by looking at the standard layout. + There is a built-in facility for customising the appearance of the task + icons as they appear in the <xref linkend="task.panel.en"/>. + This is mostly an issue for the administrators of kiosk systems or similar, + not for the casual user. It can also make sense to use this in the + <command>&prog;</command> command string registered with the Debian menu + system for systems where this is the only way users are expected to access + the program. + </para> + <para> + The command line switch <option>-svg</option> allows a directory to be + specified where &software; should look for particular vector image files + in SVG format. Their names must all be of the form "stock-XXX.svg", + where the <replaceable>XXX</replaceable> is one of the following words: + new, open, save, saveas, cut, copy, paste, undo, redo, text, paint, fill, + select, pan, or zoom. Each will provide an icon for the obvious + corresponding function, and all must be present. </para> </refsect1>Title: rgbpaint
rgbpaint — A simple pixel-based painting program.
rgbpaint [
options
] [
image-file
] [
-stamps
file ...
]
rgbPaint is a very basic painting program created by forking mtPaint at version 3.09, and then simplifying the user interface. It relies on a small but modifiable palette for pixel-based image editing. Images can be saved in ICO, JPEG and PNG formats; files in other image formats can be loaded, but not saved in the original format.
The program accepts the following options:
--help
Print usage information.
-d dir
Use dir as the default
directory for loading and saving image files.
-s
Grab a screen shot during launch.
-stamps
Any file names remaining on the command line will be loaded as stamps.
-svg dir
Load program icons in SVG format from the directory
dir.
-thumb size
Set size in pixels that stamp thumbnails should be reduced to (if larger). The default is 40 pixels on a side; permitted values are in the range 32–256.
-u limit
Set the maximum size of the undo buffer to
limit MB. The
default is 32 MB; permitted values are in the range
1–500.
--version
Print version information.
When launched, rgbPaint will use most of its available window area to present a view of a large Canvas. At the top there will be a Tasks panel, and a Brushes/Colours panel will be at the left edge. It's also possible for a rather narrow Stamps panel containing iconised images to be inset at the bottom edge.
This panel is used for selecting actions. The available actions can be classified into the following groups:
The first group deals with creating new blank images and reading from or writing to image files. Each action conducts its own safety check in order not to lose unsaved data.
The second group picks the main mode rgbPaint should enter. When it is in Paint mode, the cursor will become a pencil symbol, while Fill mode displays as a bucket being emptied. Selection mode is more complicated, using more than one icon - see the section called “Making and using selections”.
The third group covers actions that operate on a selected portion of the canvas: Cutting out a shape from the canvas, making a Copy in memory of the content within the marked area, Pasting the copy back from memory onto the canvas, or opening a dialogue window for Text, which will deploy a new selection area just large enough to hold the snippet of text specified using the dialogue window.
The final group lists miscellaneous actions: Undo an editing step, Redo an undone step, Transform the overall colour settings, Pan the window across the canvas (a miniature window is shown with a pane whose movements are controlled by the arrow keys), or finally, set the Scaling of the canvas.
The Selection main mode is intended for grabbing and manipulating portions of the full canvas. It can itself be thought of as being divided into three further states:
is indicated by a cross-hairs icon and happens when no corner marker has been set.
shows one out of four corner icons. They all indicate how the next point selected will be used to lay down a rectangle together with the previously set corner. To get a feeling for this, it is best to experiment a little by moving the pointer around.
A corner is set by left clicking, and two set corners show up as a rectangle outlined by dashed lines. A right click will cancel all corners, and will return to the resting state.
means that the pointer is hovering above a selected area, and that this area may be moved around. The icon consists of two crossed double-ended arrows, but can look similar to a diamond shape with four small, internal squares.
The selected area can be moved around using the keyboard shortcuts (see the section called “Keyboard shortcuts”), or by holding the left mouse button down and moving the pointer around.
Here the user chooses a brush and colour for painting, or colour only for flood filling. The upper part of the panel holds the ten different brushes, six solid and four thin ones. The solid brushes can give a square or a round outline in any of three thicknesses. Out of the four available thin brushes, the smallest is so thin as to paint one pixel at a time, making possible very accurate brush work. The other three are of larger sizes, but they all colour pixels in a random fashion within their outline, so they act somewhat like staining a surface.
In the lower part of the panel there are twenty buttons displaying a palette of available colours. Clicking on any of these chooses the corresponding colour for painting, until it is replaced.
An elongated button, between the upper and the lower areas, will always display the active colour, and has a further useful function. Clicking the left mouse button on it will summon a colour editor. This allows the user to blend a new colour, which will, once accepted, replace the colour that was previously active.
This extra panel, at the bottom of the program window, comes to
life only if rgbpaint was launched using the
command line switch -stamps, followed by the
names of existing image files. The displayed size of any thumbnail
image is determined by the switch -thumb, or
set to 40 pixels in both width and height.
If the user left-clicks on a thumbnail image, a copy of the image will appear in the middle of the canvas, with the size of the original image, not that of the thumbnail. The copy is is fact only a marked area (see the section called “Making and using selections”), and can be moved around at will with the left mouse button, until a final right click will deposit a copy on the canvas. The marked area is still sitting on top, so it may again be moved around to make additional imprints.
Some handy keyboard shortcuts are available. The keys 1–9 change image scaling in pre-determined steps. The keys + and - give a fine-grained scaling up or down.
Any <Arrow> key moves the mouse pointer in small steps across the canvas - steps which can be made larger by pressing Shift-Arrow. When instead using Ctrl-Arrow, the whole canvas will shift in the implied direction.
Actions
Change scaling to fixed levels.
Scale up, scale down.
Summon the Transform colour dialogue.
Summon the Pan Window dialogue.
Select Flood fill mode.
Select the Paint mode.
Quit the program.
Activate Make Selection mode.
Summon the Text paste dialogue.
Movement
Move pointer slightly.
Move pointer in larger steps.
Move canvas rather than pointer.
Go to the top of the canvas.
Go to the far left of the canvas.
Move the canvas up or down, one page at a time.
Move the canvas left or right, one page at a time.
There is a built-in facility for customising the appearance of the task icons as they appear in the Tasks panel. This is mostly an issue for the administrators of kiosk systems or similar, not for the casual user. It can also make sense to use this in the rgbpaint command string registered with the Debian menu system for systems where this is the only way users are expected to access the program.
The command line switch -svg allows a directory to be
specified where rgbPaint should look for particular vector image files
in SVG format. Their names must all be of the form "stock-XXX.svg",
where the XXX is one of the following words:
new, open, save, saveas, cut, copy, paste, undo, redo, text, paint, fill,
select, pan, or zoom. Each will provide an icon for the obvious
corresponding function, and all must be present.
The original manual page stub was taken as starting point for a
complete rewrite as Docbook source, and was substantially extended
by Mats Erik Andersson and Justin B Rye. The new format was chosen in order to simplify
translations, and was originally intended for the Debian GNU/Linux system,
but the text may be used by others. Permission is granted to copy,
distribute and/or modify this document under the same terms as
rgbPaint itself.