[reportlab-users] email problem, was RE: Amusement : SVG to ReportLab converter

[Andy Robinson]

> I'm also actually thinking about a modified Canvas class which would
> either output the PDF document (like now) or the corresponding
> "sequencialized" Python code, depending on an additional parameter
> passed at creation time, this would probably give an easily made
> RMLtoPython converter, at least partially, as far as I understand
> how RML works.
> 
> I always liked program generators :-)

In the old days of "Piddle", we had a thing called a 
"VCRCanvas" - Video Cassette Recorder - that could record
a sequence of drawing operations and play them back.
Such a beast could easily generate code too.

We are having many discussions lately about a 'version 2'.
I have to be very careful about complicating the object 
model.  What we really need is to refactor into a 
'BaseCanvas' which had the drawing operations, which
you could subclass into 
  (a) the main one which we have now
  (b) one which can make 'compiled PDF operators'
  (c) one which records stuff
  (d) whatever succeeds PDF one day :-)

The problem in my head is the timing of this; often
'doing the right thing' will massively exceed the time
we can afford to spend.    

In any event, we'd be happy to accept a modified canvas
class which did not necessarily inherit but implemented
all the drawing operations.

- Andy