NAME

Tk::AbstractCanvas - Canvas with Abstract center, zoom, and rotate methods

VERSION

This documentation refers to version 1.8 of Tk::AbstractCanvas, which was released on Sun Jul 9 09:27:50:55 -0500 2017.

SYNOPSIS

use        Tk;
use        Tk::AbstractCanvas;
my $mwin = Tk::MainWindow->new();
my $acnv = $mwin->AbstractCanvas()->pack('-expand' => 1,
                                                    '-fill'  =>  'both');
#$acnv->invertY(   1); # uncomment for inverted y-axis
 $acnv->controlNav(1); # advanced CtrlKey+MouseDrag Navigation
 $acnv->rectToPoly(1);
#$acnv->ovalToPoly(1); # uncomment for oval to rot8 with canvas
my $rect   = $acnv->createRectangle( 7,  8, 24, 23, '-fill'  =>   'red');
my $oval   = $acnv->createOval(     23, 24, 32, 27, '-fill'  => 'green');
my $line   = $acnv->createLine(      0,  1, 31, 32, '-fill'  =>  'blue',
                                                    '-arrow' =>  'last');
my $labl   = $mwin->Label('-text'  => 'Hello AbstractCanvas! =)');
my $wind   = $acnv->createWindow(15, 16, '-window' => $labl     );
$acnv->CanvasBind('<Button-1>' => sub { $acnv->zoom(1.04); });
$acnv->CanvasBind('<Button-3>' => sub { $acnv->zoom(0.97); });
$acnv->CanvasBind('<Button-2>' => sub {
  $acnv->rotate($rect,  5);
  $acnv->rotate($wind,  5); # this rot8 should do nothing because
  $acnv->rotate($oval, -5); #   window can't go around own center
  $acnv->rotate($line, -5);                                });
$acnv->viewAll();
MainLoop();                 # ... then click the 3 mouse buttons

DESCRIPTION

AbstractCanvas provides an alternative to a Tk::Canvas object which partially abstracts the coordinates of objects drawn onto itself. This allows the entire Canvas to be zoomed or rotated. Rotations modify the coordinates that the original object was placed at but zooming the whole canvas does not.

Tk::AbstractCanvas is derived from the excellent modules Tk::WorldCanvas by Joseph Skrovan <Joseph@Skrovan.Com> (which was itself based on a version by Rudy Albachten <Rudy@Albachten.Com>) and Tk::RotCanvas by Ala Qumsieh <AQumsieh@CPAN.Org>.

USAGE

DESCRIPTION

This module is a wrapper around the Canvas widget that maps the user's coordinate system to the now mostly hidden coordinate system of the Canvas widget. There is an option to make the abstract coordinates y-axis increase in the upward direction rather than the default downward.

AbstractCanvas is meant to be a useful alternative to a regular Canvas. Typically, you should call $acnv->viewAll() (or $acnv->viewArea(@box)) before calling MainLoop().

Most of the AbstractCanvas methods are the same as regular Canvas methods except that they accept and return abstract coordinates instead of widget coordinates.

AbstractCanvas also adds a new rotate() method to allow rotation of canvas objects by arbitrary angles.

NEW METHODS

$acnv->zoom(zoom factor)

Zooms the display by the specified amount. Example:

$acnv->CanvasBind('<i>' => sub {$acnv->zoom(1.25)});
$acnv->CanvasBind('<o>' => sub {$acnv->zoom(0.8 )});

# If you are using the 'Scrolled' constructor as in:
my $acnv = $mwin->Scrolled('AbstractCanvas', -scrollbars => 'nw',); # ...
#   you want to bind the key-presses to the 'AbstractCanvas' Subwidget of Scrolled.
my $scrolled_canvas = $acnv->Subwidget('abstractcanvas'); # note the lowercase
$scrolled_canvas->CanvasBind('<i>' => sub {$scrolled_canvas->zoom(1.25)});
$scrolled_canvas->CanvasBind('<o>' => sub {$scrolled_canvas->zoom(0.8 )});

# If you don't like the scrollbars taking the focus when you
#   <ctrl>-tab through the windows, you can:
$acnv->Subwidget('xscrollbar')->configure(-takefocus => 0);
$acnv->Subwidget('yscrollbar')->configure(-takefocus => 0);
$acnv->center(x, y)

Centers the display around abstract coordinates x, y. Example:

$acnv->CanvasBind('<2>' => sub {
  $acnv->CanvasFocus();
  $acnv->center($acnv->eventLocation());
});
$acnv->centerTags([-exact => {0 | 1}], TagOrID, [TagOrID, ...])

Centers the display around the center of the bounding box containing the specified TagOrIDs without changing the current magnification of the display.

'-exact => 1' will cause the canvas to be scaled twice to get an accurate bounding box. This will be an expensive computation if the canvas contains a large number of objects.

$acnv->eventLocation()

Returns the abstract coordinates (x, y) of the last Xevent.

$acnv->panAbstract(dx, dy)

Pans the display by the specified abstract distances. panAbstract is not meant to replace the xview/yview panning methods. Most user interfaces will want the arrow keys tied to the xview/yview panning methods (the default bindings), which pan in widget coordinates.

If you do want to change the arrow key-bindings to pan in abstract coordinates using panAbstract you must disable the default arrow key-bindings. Example:

$mwin->bind('AbstractCanvas',    '<Up>' => '');
$mwin->bind('AbstractCanvas',  '<Down>' => '');
$mwin->bind('AbstractCanvas',  '<Left>' => '');
$mwin->bind('AbstractCanvas', '<Right>' => '');

$acnv->CanvasBind(   '<Up>' => sub {$acnv->panAbstract(0,  100)});
$acnv->CanvasBind( '<Down>' => sub {$acnv->panAbstract(0, -100)});
$acnv->CanvasBind( '<Left>' => sub {$acnv->panAbstract(-100, 0)});
$acnv->CanvasBind('<Right>' => sub {$acnv->panAbstract( 100, 0)});

This is not usually desired, as the percentage of the display that is shifted will be dependent on the current display magnification.

$acnv->invertY([new_value])

Returns the state of whether the y-axis of the abstract coordinate system is inverted. The default of this value is 0. An optional parameter can be supplied to set the value.

$acnv->rectToPoly([new_value])

Returns the state of whether created rectangles should be auto-converted into polygons (so that they can be rotated about their center by the rotate() method). The default of this value is 0. An optional parameter can be supplied to set the value.

$acnv->ovalToPoly([new_value])

Returns the state of whether created ovals should be auto-converted into polygons (so that they can be rotated about their center by the rotate() method). The default of this value is 0. An optional parameter can be supplied to set the value.

$acnv->controlNav([new_value])

Returns the state of whether special Control+MouseButton drag navigation bindings are set. When true, Control-Button-1 mouse dragging rotates the whole AbstractCanvas, 2 pans, and 3 zooms. The default of this value is 0 but this option is very useful if you don't need Control-Button bindings for some other purpose. An optional parameter can be supplied to set the value.

$acnv->controlNavBusy([new_value])

Returns the state of whether special Control+MouseButton actions are busy handling events. An optional parameter can be supplied to set the value.

$acnv->controlZoomScale([new_value])

Returns the value of the special controlNav zoom scale (activated by Control-Button-3 dragging). The default value is -0.001. The zoom function takes the distance dragged in pixels across the positive x and y axes scaled by the zoom factor to determine the zoom result. If you make the scale positive, it will invert the directions which zoom in and out. If you make the number larger (e.g., -0.003 or 0.003), zooming will become more twitchy. If you make the number smaller (e.g., -0.0007 or 0.0007), zooming will happen more smoothly. An optional parameter can be supplied to set the value.

$acnv->controlRotScale([new_value])

Returns the value of the special controlNav rotation scale (activated by Control-Button-1 dragging). The default value is -0.3. The rotation function takes the distance dragged in pixels across the positive x and y axes scaled by the rotation factor to determine the rotation result. If you make the scale positive, it will invert the directions which rotate positive or negative degrees. If you make the number larger (e.g., -0.7 or 0.7), rotations will become more twitchy. If you make the number smaller (e.g., -0.07 or 0.07), rotations will happen more smoothly. An optional parameter can be supplied to set the value.

$acnv->controlRotMoCB([\&new_callback])

Returns the value of the special controlNav rotation motion callback. This will let a user tidy up whatever coordinates are necessary to keep sub-groups of widgets in certain orientations together while the whole canvas is rotated. An optional parameter can be supplied to set the value.

$acnv->controlRotRlCB([\&new_callback])

Returns the value of the special controlNav rotation release callback. This will let a user tidy up whatever coordinates are necessary to keep sub-groups of widgets in certain orientations together after the whole canvas is done being rotated. An optional parameter can be supplied to set the value.

$acnv->controlScale([new_value])

Returns the scale value of the AbstractCanvas relative to the underlying canvas. An optional parameter can be supplied to set the value although the zoom function should almost always be employed instead of manipulating the scale directly through this accessor.

$acnv->eventX([new_value])

Returns the x-coordinate of where the last special Control+MouseButton event occurred. An optional parameter can be supplied to set the value.

$acnv->eventY([new_value])

Returns the y-coordinate of where the last special Control+MouseButton event occurred. An optional parameter can be supplied to set the value.

$acnv->rotate(TagOrID, angle ?,x, y?)

This method rotates the object identified by TagOrID by angle. The angle is specified in degrees. If an x, y coordinate is specified, then the object is rotated about that point. Otherwise, the object is rotated about its center point, if that can be determined.

$acnv->pixelSize()

Returns the width (in abstract coordinates) of a pixel (at the current magnification).

$acnv->rubberBand({0|1|2})

Creates a rubber banding box that allows the user to graphically select a region. rubberBand is called with a step parameter '0', '1', or '2'. '0' to start a new box, '1' to stretch the box, and '2' to finish the box. When called with '2', the specified box is returned (x1, y1, x2, y2)

The band color is set with the AbstractCanvas option '-bandColor'. The default color is 'red'. Example specifying a region to delete:

$acnv->configure(-bandColor => 'purple');
$acnv->CanvasBind('<3>'               => sub {$acnv->CanvasFocus;
                                              $acnv->rubberBand(0)});
$acnv->CanvasBind('<B3-Motion>'       => sub {$acnv->rubberBand(1)});
$acnv->CanvasBind('<ButtonRelease-3>' => sub {
                                    my @box = $acnv->rubberBand(2);
                                    my @ids = $acnv->find('enclosed', @box);
                           for my $id (@ids) {$acnv->delete($id)} });
# Note: '<B3-ButtonRelease>' will be called for any ButtonRelease!
#      Use '<ButtonRelease-3>' instead.
# If you want the rubber band to look smooth during panning and zooming, add
#   rubberBand(1) update calls to the appropriate key-bindings:
$acnv->CanvasBind(   '<Up>' => sub {                   $acnv->rubberBand(1)});
$acnv->CanvasBind( '<Down>' => sub {                   $acnv->rubberBand(1)});
$acnv->CanvasBind( '<Left>' => sub {                   $acnv->rubberBand(1)});
$acnv->CanvasBind('<Right>' => sub {                   $acnv->rubberBand(1)});
$acnv->CanvasBind(    '<i>' => sub {$acnv->zoom(1.25); $acnv->rubberBand(1)});
$acnv->CanvasBind(    '<o>' => sub {$acnv->zoom(0.8 ); $acnv->rubberBand(1)});

This box avoids the overhead of bounding box calculations that can occur if you create your own rubberBand outside of AbstractCanvas.

$acnv->viewAll([-border => number])

Displays at maximum possible zoom all objects centered in the AbstractCanvas. The switch '-border' specifies, as a percentage of the screen, the minimum amount of white space to be left on the edges of the display. Default '-border' is 0.02.

$acnv->viewArea(x1, y1, x2, y2, [-border => number]))

Displays at maximum possible zoom the specified region centered in the AbstractCanvas.

$acnv->viewFit([-border => number], TagOrID, [TagOrID, ...])

Adjusts the AbstractCanvas to display all of the specified tags. The '-border' switch specifies (as a percentage) how much extra surrounding space should be shown.

$acnv->getView()

Returns the rectangle of the current view (x1, y1, x2, y2)

$acnv->widgetx(x)
$acnv->widgety(y)
$acnv->widgetxy(x, y)

Convert abstract coordinates to widget coordinates.

$acnv->abstractx(x)
$acnv->abstracty(y)
$acnv->abstractxy(x, y)

Convert widget coordinates to abstract coordinates.

CHANGED METHODS

Abstract coordinates are supplied and returned to AbstractCanvas methods instead of widget coordinates unless otherwise specified. (i.e., These methods take and return abstract coordinates: center, panAbstract, viewArea, find, coords, scale, move, bbox, rubberBand, eventLocation, pixelSize, and create*)

$acnv->bbox([-exact => {0 | 1}], TagOrID, [TagOrID, ...])

'-exact => 1' is only needed if the TagOrID is not 'all'. It will cause the canvas to be scaled twice to get an accurate bounding box. This will be expensive computationally if the canvas contains a large number of objects.

Neither setting of exact will produce exact results because the underlying canvas bbox method returns a slightly larger box to insure that everything is contained. It appears that a number close to '2' is added or subtracted. The '-exact => 1' zooms in to reduce this error.

If the underlying canvas bbox method returns a bounding box that is small (high error percentage) then '-exact => 1' is done automatically.

$acnv->scale('all', xOrigin, yOrigin, xScale, yScale)

Scale should not be used to 'zoom' the display in and out as it will change the abstract coordinates of the scaled objects. Methods zoom, viewArea, and viewAll should be used to change the scale of the display without affecting the dimensions of the objects.

VIEW AREA CHANGE CALLBACK

Tk::AbstractCanvas option '-changeView' can be used to specify a callback for a change of the view area. This is useful for updating a second AbstractCanvas which is displaying the view region of the first AbstractCanvas.

The callback subroutine will be passed the coordinates of the displayed box (x1, y1, x2, y2). These arguments are added after any extra arguments specifed by the user calling 'configure'. Example:

$acnv->configure(-changeView => [\&changeView, $acn2]);
# viewAll if 2nd AbstractCanvas widget is resized.
$acn2->CanvasBind('<Configure>' => sub {$acn2->viewAll});
{
  my $viewBox;
  sub changeView {
    my($canvas2, @coords) = @_;
    $canvas2->delete($viewBox) if $viewBox;
    $viewBox = $canvas2->createRectangle(@coords, -outline => 'orange');
  }
}

SCROLL REGION NOTES

(1) The underlying Tk::Canvas has a '-confine' option which is set to '1' by default there. With '-confine => 1' the canvas will not allow the display to go outside of the scroll region. This causes some methods not to work accurately, for example, the 'center' method will not be able to center on coordinates near to the edge of the scroll region and 'zoom out' near the edge will zoom out and pan towards the center.

Tk::AbstractCanvas sets '-confine => 0' by default to avoid these problems. You can change it back with:

$acnv->configure(-confine => 1);

(2) '-scrollregion' is maintained by AbstractCanvas to include all objects on the canvas. '-scrollregion' will be adjusted automatically as objects are added, deleted, scaled, moved, etc.. (You can create a static scrollregion by adding a border rectangle to the canvas.)

(3) The bounding box of all objects is required to set the scroll region. Calculating this bounding box is expensive if the canvas has a large number of objects. So for performance reasons these operations will not immediately change the bounding box if they potentially shrink it:

coords
delete
move
scale

Instead they will mark the bounding box as invalid, and it will be updated at the next zoom or pan operation. The only downside to this is that the scrollbars will be incorrect until the update.

If these operations increase the size of the box, changing the box is trivial and the update is immediate.

ROTATION LIMITATIONS

As it stands, the module can only rotate the following object types about their centers:

  • Lines

  • Polygons

  • Rectangles (if rectToPoly(1) is called)

  • Ovals (if ovalToPoly(1) is called)

All other object types (bitmap, image, arc, text, and window) can only be rotated about another point. A warning is issued if the user tries to rotate one of these object types about their center. Hopefully, more types will be able to center-rotate in the future.

ROTATION DETAILS

To be able to rotate rectangles and ovals, this module is capable of intercepting any calls to create(), createRectangle(), and createOval() to change them to polygons. The user should not be alarmed if type() returns polygon when a rectangle or oval was created. Additionally, if you call coords() on a polygonized object, expect to have to manipulate all the additionally generated coordinates.

TODO

- add Math::Geometry::Planar and others to polygonize, find_CM, test intersections, etc.
- maybe include Graph::Easy and some file serialization like DiagEMT XML but maybe more like a .Hrc format for the future
- maybe make Diag objects which can scale fonts or state-box sizes separately from uniform AC zooms, have EMT side scroll panel, input or output arrow ordering, state-box flags region and menu frameworks, overview with rubberBand of main view region, jointed arrows, arcs, splines, and pal8s
- abstract rotations fully away like zoom

CHANGES

Revision history for Perl extension Tk::AbstractCanvas:

- 1.8 H79M9Rot Sun Jul 9 09:27:50:55 -0500 2017

* added test skipping in 02acnv.t to resolve HTTPS://RT.CPAN.Org/Ticket/Display.html?id=122405. (Thanks again Slaven!)

* removed broken Build.PL to resolve HTTPS://RT.CPAN.Org/Ticket/Display.html?id=122404. (Thank you, Slaven.)

- 1.6 H78MEDIC Sat Jul 8 14:13:18:12 -0500 2017

* cleaned up examples and tested that grid works from HTTPS://RT.CPAN.Org/Ticket/Display.html?id=46655. (Thanks Josef!)

* replaced POD ampersands with 'and' and turned double-spaces after periods to single

- 1.4.A7QFZHF Mon Jul 26 15:35:17:15 2010

* updated license to GPLv3

- 1.2.75L75Nr Mon May 21 07:05:23:53 2007

* added ex/* examples and tidied everything up

* added Ctrl rot callbacks (mocb, rlcb) and limited Motion and Release to just Ctrl + one MouseButton events

- 1.0.56BHMOt Sat Jun 11 17:22:24:55 2005

* original version

INSTALL

Please run:

`perl -MCPAN -e "install Tk::AbstractCanvas"`

or uncompress the package and run the standard:

`perl Makefile.PL; make; make test; make install`

BUGS

Please report any bugs or feature requests to bug-Tk-AbstractCanvas at RT.CPAN.Org, or through the web interface at HTTPS://RT.CPAN.Org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html?Queue=Tk-AbstractCanvas. I will be notified, and then you can be updated of progress on your bug as I address fixes.

SUPPORT

You can find documentation for this module with the perldoc command (after it is installed).

`perldoc Tk::AbstractCanvas`

You can also look for information at:

  RT: CPAN's Request Tracker

HTTPS://RT.CPAN.Org/NoAuth/Bugs.html?Dist=Tk-AbstractCanvas

  AnnoCPAN: Annotated CPAN documentation

HTTP://AnnoCPAN.Org/dist/Tk-AbstractCanvas

  CPAN Ratings

HTTPS://CPANRatings.Perl.Org/d/Tk-AbstractCanvas

  Search CPAN

HTTP://Search.CPAN.Org/dist/Tk-AbstractCanvas

LICENSE

Most source code should be Free! Code I have lawful authority over is and shall be! Copyright: (c) 2005-2017, Pip Stuart. Copyleft : This software is licensed under the GNU General Public License (version 3 or later). Please consult HTTPS://GNU.Org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt for important information about your freedom. This is Free Software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. See HTTPS://FSF.Org for further information.

AUTHORS

Pip Stuart (Pip@CPAN.Org)

AbstractCanvas is derived from code by: Joseph Skrovan (Joseph@Skrovan.Com) Rudy Albachten (Rudy@Albachten.Com) Ala Qumsieh (AQumsieh@CPAN.Org)