SVG version of our IMWA symbols

[Sandy Fleming]

Val (when you get back!),

> There is the complication that not all symbols need 96  
> rotations...there are 8 Categories of symbols and each one's  
> rotations are handled differently, if you are going to program those  
> differences to get rid of the number of symbols...that programming  
> was developed by Rich Gleaves for SignWriter DOS years ago as you  
> know...so that we could cut down on the number of symbols  
> entered...he figured out all the ways things could flop and  
> rotate...for example...faces work differently than hands etc...each  
> Category has a different standard way of using Fills and Rotations on  
> the grid...

After some thought, I understand what you're saying in this
paragraph  :)

Yes, each category needs to be handled completely differently. On older
computers with older software engineering techniques that's one thing
(and a big problem) but in modern terms the way to deal with this is
quite clear.

Each category would be a different class of object within the program
(to use OO terminology) and each would be furnished with its own set of
attributes and behaviours that would be completely different from those
of the symbols in other categories.

In an interactive text editor (as I envisage it) the software would
always know which category the user wanted to type. This happens as I
described in other emails: it depends on where the cursor is in the
sign, or in the case of actions (movements, contacts, dynamics) on
whether the typist holds down the "shift" key. Or for stuff already
typed and stored, it depends on the symbol's category number. So the
software always knows what category of symbol it's dealing with and can
treat it accordingly.

Sandy