Improve usability of line markers (change colour)

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bepi
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2010 6:54 pm

Improve usability of line markers (change colour)

Postby bepi » Thu Oct 28, 2010 7:15 pm

Hi to all.

I use inkscape for improve image used in documentation of my works. In general it work fine. But there is a function that is not so natural to do especially for noobs of inkscape: make arrow head’s colour match that of its body.

The actual solution is:

- draw a line
- add a marker
- set the colour of the line, for example to red
- menu Effects -> Modify Path -> Color Markers to Match Stroke (this is the step that I not find easy and not natural)

My question is, why not integrate a simply button in the panel used to set the markers? Or add a specific panel where one can set the colour of the marker?

Thank you :)

Mazui
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 10:07 pm

Re: Improve usability of line markers (change colour)

Postby Mazui » Thu Oct 28, 2010 9:09 pm

I agree. Or why not just make it default to the colour of the line?

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prkos
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Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 8:45 am
Location: Croatia

Re: Improve usability of line markers (change colour)

Postby prkos » Thu Oct 28, 2010 9:24 pm

It's an old request markers must take object's stroke color (SVG 1.2 feature) https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/165865
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bepi
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2010 6:54 pm

Re: Improve usability of line markers (change colour)

Postby bepi » Thu Oct 28, 2010 10:22 pm

prkos wrote:It's an old request markers must take object's stroke color (SVG 1.2 feature) https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/165865

This bug is open since 2004-07-22, is one of the bug that make people think that inkscape is a toy, where you are not able to change a colour of a simply line marker. Perhaps his priority can be rose after 6 years.

A quick and dirt solution can be add an check box (use same colour of the object) in the marker section, where under the hood call the plug-in Color Markers to Match Stroke.

:tool_pencil:

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Grobe
Posts: 411
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:20 am

Re: Improve usability of line markers (change colour)

Postby Grobe » Mon Nov 08, 2010 7:20 am

I have another aproach to this problem.

Let say you have a line, a straight line. Then you draw something that looks like an arrow, same size, direction (*1) and color (fill+stroke) as the line. Then just manually align the arrow-aliked object (hereafter AAO) to the end (*2) of the line. Now, there should be some extension that would bound the aao to the line. Also, the aao angle should be the same to the line as the end node handle is to the line. That way, it will act just the same way as a end marker, but it can look like anything you want - not just arrows.

Also, there should be an extra field in Stroke dialog box that make it possible to scale the aao manually, or scale it propotional to lenght/size of path.

*1 Same as path direction.
*2 Can also be aplied to mid and beginning of a line.
:lol:

dvlierop
Posts: 139
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:25 am

Re: Improve usability of line markers (change colour)

Postby dvlierop » Fri Dec 24, 2010 10:14 pm

Some improvements have been made with respect to the colour of markers, see

http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~inkscape.d ... ision/9982

So this issue has been recognized by others too, which might be soothing your pain somewhat ;-)

~suv
Posts: 2272
Joined: Sun May 10, 2009 2:07 am

Re: Improve usability of line markers (change colour)

Postby ~suv » Fri Dec 24, 2010 10:46 pm

dvlierop wrote:Some improvements have been made with respect to the colour of markers, see
http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~inkscape.dev/inkscape/trunk/revision/9982
You need r9983 (or later) - there's a bug in r9982 when matching the color of markers of an unfilled path to its stroke.

See also Bug #692582 in Inkscape: “Color markers to match stroke extension does not copy the fill mode” on how this enhanced version of the extension 'Color markers to match stroke' developed.

Those who want to test the enhanced extension without getting a checkout of development branch, here are the download links to the updated extension files:


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