Stroking a stroke - beyond the basics though...

[TMadisson]

I am currently working on a large number of maps and would like to be able to create a single spline / stroke representing a road but to also have a darker stroke outlining it.

I know all this can be done outlining the stroke from the path menu along with using boolean operations etc and i am currently doing this for all the maps BUT it does take away some editting ease which i would like to rettain for later revisions.

I have a much more elaborate idea in my head but i think this may require an extension to add these further ideas into the mix and i dont have the skills for that - anyone interested in creating extensions, i'm happy to help explain further the idea.

[Moini]

You don't need an extension for this. Just use the power stroke LPE with a rectangular path, and set a stroke and a fill.

[brynn]

Posting to either the development or user mailing list would reach more people who have the right kind of skills.  One or both IRCs maybe, too.

Have you considered pattern along path for that?  With the extension, you can use a group for the pattern.  The shorter you make the pattern, the smoother it gets.  Also, a few extra nodes might help, if it looks chunky.

Or you could use the LPE, and duplicate the path.  The bottom and wider one would be colored with the outline color.  The top one would be a little thinner.  You have to add the color afterwards, with the LPE (and probably remove the automatic black stroke too).  Oh, let me add that to the SVG before I attach it.

(oh yeah, powerstroke even better -  was already making the file while Moini was posting, so I'll post anyway)

[Moini]

Actually, I had intended to write pattern along path... single, stretched. Powerstroke isn't necessarily better, but possible, too...

[Lazur]

Openstreetmaps achieves this by using two paths atop eachother with two different stroke widths and no fills.
If you make two clones of the core path with undefined stroke colour, the clone's attributes can be set to fit the needs.

Editing though may needs some considerations -the core path would be visible in outlines only rendering mode.
Maybe use layers for that and lock the layers with the clones, and edit the parents atop.

With lpe-s there is an option to link original, which can be another alternative -two linked paths with pattern along path lpe-s added. (Haven't tried the latter -I'd go by the first method as it should be more resource-friendly.)

Or use a bend lpe, that can stretch groups as well.

[TMadisson]

What brilliant input! Thank you, guys!

Funnily enough, Lazur I am already using Open Street Map data and have picked up on what you mentioned.

Thanks for the input all of you - looking forward to trying them out!

Where i thought an extensiin maybe needed though is when adding minor roads to the main but having them merge at the point of intersection and the outer stroke just sticking to the outside and not crossing the intersection.

[brynn]

Where i thought an extensiin maybe needed though is when adding minor roads to the main but having them merge at the point of intersection and the outer stroke just sticking to the outside and not crossing the intersection.

Path menu > Union should do that, but you could only do it on the top and bottom parts separately.  Unless....  Hhm, was just thinking about a Union version of the Multi-Boolean extensions.  Such an extensions would have to recognize which paths shared the same style, to be able to union them all at once.  I don't have the technical skills to guess whether that might actually be possible.

[TMadisson]

Thanks for you reply brynn, that's what i have found so far. I does work a treat and looks how i wish just doesn't have the functionality / ease of editing that would be an interesting 'upper hand' in terms of an Adobe Illustrator competitor.

Hey brynn (or anyone else), do you know where i might find a programmer to build this extension?

[brynn]

As I said before, the development mailing list would be the best place.  You could try the User mailing list (which would reach almost as many developers, but not as much mail in your inbox, compared to devel list).  You could also try the development IRC, but that would reach even fewer, at any given time, than the User mailing list.

To subscribe or find archives:  https://inkscape.org/en/community/mailing-lists/

Oh, or I guess the best place would be a new feature request on Launchpad.  https://launchpad.net/inkscape

(https://forum.inkscapecommunity.com/index.php?topic=628.0)

[TMadisson]

For any who are interested, I have found a way to achieve the exact sort of thing I was looking for here. Simply 'unify'the two objects and when they are pulled together the desired look is achieved