Re: [Axiom-developer] hyperlinked algebra

[C Y]

--- Ralf Hemmecke <address@hidden> wrote:

> C Y wrote:
> > --- Ralf Hemmecke <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
> > XYPic:  Can create hyperlinked diagrams without requiring
> > postscript specific logic, but result renders slowly in 
> > Acroread.  Command syntax is complex to say the least.  
> > Does not have many packages written using it.
> 
> My from the point of being independent from PostScript, I 
> would rather choose that package over pstricks. But as you
> say, it's quite a burden to learn it. And if the output 
> renders slowly with acroread, that's another point against it.

What I'm hoping will someday be the case is that we will have an
automated way to generate the TeX for all these diagrams when Axiom is
built.  At that point, we can implement output in whatever TeX style we
want, and I see no reason not to have multiple options available if
someone writes the code for them ;-).  For a "standard" way I think
pstricks has won the day, but XYpic can certainly be an option later if
there is interest, if we get to the point of autogenerating these
suckers.  (Which we really, really need to get to somehow.)

> > Neither way has yet demonstrated the ability to reproduce
> > these diagrams in HTML, and I am not at all sure how we 
> > would even want to proceed there.  Images of the diagrams 
> > with image maps defined?  Some sort of fixed text 
> > positioning?
> 
> You are somewhat right. As for the web I would rather like to
> see something more interactive, like, for example, zooming in
> and out, selecting certain branches I want to see, etc. In 
> fact, I am not sure whether I would want to see the graph 
> printed.

For the "Axiom volumes" we definitely want to print them.  That is in
fact one of the things that makes the layout problem so challenging. 
For the web however, we might not be as constrained.
 
> When I started to look a bit more into the Algebra library 
> shipped with Aldor, I took some time to produce a .fig of the
> categories, domains, and packages.
> 
> Click the "Graph" at http://www.hemmecke.de/aldor/

Unfortunately I don't have a fig viewer handy, but I'll try to check it
out later.

> There are in fact two problems.
> 1) Get the graph right, ie, reflect the actual dom/cat/pgk 
> in the library.
> 2) Show it in some form for humans.
> 
> The first point can certainly be done automatically some day.
> There should just be someone who would think of a nice format 
> (SVG?) and writes a script which does this.

Probably a little more involved, but I doubt too much - I would like to
see a lisp level solution that maps everything at compile time, but I
don't know if that's optimal either.

> The second point is nearly impossible for a program. 
> TouchGraph is not so bad, but I have the feeling that 
> I don't easily get an _overview_ of the packages etc.

I tend to agree.  Sometimes the inherent complexity of the problem
defies simple visualization.

> So getting a good Graph of the Algebra is not easy no matter
> whether we use pstricks or xypic.

Agreed.

> Is there someone who is interested in (1)?

Eventually :-).  It will need to wait for a while if I'm to do it, I
fear.

Cheers,
CY

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