Comments on: Why wasn't I using styles in diagrams? http://ptsefton.com/2008/06/07/why-wasnt-i-using-styles-in-diagrams.htm "As noble thoughts the inward being grace, So noble whiskers dignify the face." Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:31:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: David Ing http://ptsefton.com/2008/06/07/why-wasnt-i-using-styles-in-diagrams.htm#comment-1926 David Ing Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:19:21 +0000 http://ptsefton.com/2008/06/07/why-wasnt-i-using-styles-in-diagrams.htm#comment-1926 At the end of 2007, I spent a significant amount of time looking mind map / concept map tools. I wanted something more web-based, like a wiki, with potentially functionality at a desktop level. The result would be something like the <a href="http://www.genealogy.ams.org/" rel="nofollow">Mathematics Genealogy Project</a> except (a) the content is about the systems science community, and (b) the content on the arcs between nodes would have to be much richer. I started off with Freemind, but figured out that the tree structure in mind mapping isn't what I wanted. I then started looking into Cmaptools, as well as ontologies. Freemind's ability to expand/collapse and scroll I found lacking in Cmaptools. I eventually fell back to <a href="http://projects.isss.org/connections-conversations" rel="nofollow">using a basic wiki with text</a>, which is considerably less than I wanted to do ... but I really should be focused on content rather than tools. Along the way, considering SVG for the web, I looked at <a href="http://www.inkscape.org/" rel="nofollow">Inkscape</a> for drawing. I discovered that OO Draw produces a subset of SVG when exporting, which means that OO Draw --> Inkscape is feasible, but Inkscape --> OO Draw is a mess. The final solution has there been to create and maintain diagrams in OO Draw, with a potential future of exporting to SVG when needed, and cleaning up that SVG in Inkscape. On your suggestion, I'm going to have to look at Styles in OO Draw. I certainly use them in my writing (i.e. CSS on web pages), but hadn't considered them on vector graphics. At the end of 2007, I spent a significant amount of time looking mind map / concept map tools. I wanted something more web-based, like a wiki, with potentially functionality at a desktop level. The result would be something like the Mathematics Genealogy Project except (a) the content is about the systems science community, and (b) the content on the arcs between nodes would have to be much richer.

I started off with Freemind, but figured out that the tree structure in mind mapping isn’t what I wanted. I then started looking into Cmaptools, as well as ontologies. Freemind’s ability to expand/collapse and scroll I found lacking in Cmaptools. I eventually fell back to using a basic wiki with text, which is considerably less than I wanted to do … but I really should be focused on content rather than tools.

Along the way, considering SVG for the web, I looked at Inkscape for drawing. I discovered that OO Draw produces a subset of SVG when exporting, which means that OO Draw –> Inkscape is feasible, but Inkscape –> OO Draw is a mess. The final solution has there been to create and maintain diagrams in OO Draw, with a potential future of exporting to SVG when needed, and cleaning up that SVG in Inkscape.

On your suggestion, I’m going to have to look at Styles in OO Draw. I certainly use them in my writing (i.e. CSS on web pages), but hadn’t considered them on vector graphics.

]]> By: Rick Jelliffe http://ptsefton.com/2008/06/07/why-wasnt-i-using-styles-in-diagrams.htm#comment-1894 Rick Jelliffe Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:57:11 +0000 http://ptsefton.com/2008/06/07/why-wasnt-i-using-styles-in-diagrams.htm#comment-1894 What about SmartArt? That allows lists to be rendered as graphics according to some style which the user can (if they can be bothered) put together. What about SmartArt? That allows lists to be rendered as graphics according to some style which the user can (if they can be bothered) put together.

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