Upgrade to Extensions 1.0 API

[doctormo]

This is an issue for the future: We're working on a modified API for inkscape extensions the code for which can be found:

https://gitlab.com/inkscape/extensions/

We're likely to include backwards compatibility but with a boat load of warnings which may get in the way for users. If you have any suggestions for the new API, this is a great time to let us know your thoughts or even lend a hand with making it really awesome.

[jnweiger]

Hey, thanks for the heads up! Looking forward to python3 some day!

[doctormo]

It's all python3 tested, so that's the goal for Inkscape 1.0

[jnweiger]

@doctormo Do you have a good starting point that illustrates the intended changes for 1.0 -- The README.md at https://gitlab.com/inkscape/extensions/ tries to keep that secret, and http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Script_extensions#Parameters is still the old API :-)

[doctormo]

The intended API is going to have a compatibility layer, but so far I haven't committed to what the API is going to be because it's up in the air. Very agile. But this means I'd really like your help in getting it right, since it's at a stage where it can be changed. I am sorry if this means there isn't a fixed point to work from for you though.

What would you like to do? A lot of the pieces are there in code already if you'd like to have a look.

[jnweiger]

Many extensions draw something. Let's take my centerline-trace as an example. I'd like to access current stroke color, width, etc from inkscape, rather than implementing my own color and width chooser. Saying this, after having implemented a width entry field there today...

My general highlevel whining would go like this:
"As of now, extensions live as separate processes, so any introspection into the running inkscape instance is a challenge. I pretty much like the basic idea of defining the GUI as an XML file, but it should not be a GUI presented before the extension code starts, it should be updatable from the extension code and extension code should be able to query things from inkscape or even trigger actions in inkscape."

I guess, if you point me to existing pieces of code for the new API, that should do for a start. Oh, and then I should try a gitlab pull, compile, test, hack, cycle. That is probably what I could practice during hackfest... :-)