Topic: It's about freakin' time !!!

[James]

This has nothing to do with XML.

You'll see. This really is going to be good and useful.

Not just another pipe dream either!

Once again, this represents a real, useful utility for all laserists.

In case you haven't figured it out yet....

If you're not already using LaserBoy for something, you are missing out!

It does things that no other application can do!

James. 

[Fanny Pack]

XML is the hip way of representing data in text format these days.  Especially if you want to make it extensible and object oriented.

[James]

Just wait till you see it.

Saving data as formatted ASCII text is not exactly a new idea.

There are many examples of file formats that come from the *NIX world that are just that; plain text. As a matter of fact, that is the usual way of doing things.

The idea of obfuscating information in the form of pure binary came out of the "personal computing" community.

XML is text, but it's bloated nonsense for this purpose.

The idea is to make it as easy as possible to either write it by hand or generate it with code.

All we need is the data.

Formatted ASCII data will be the universal translation in-to and out-of ALL KINDS of applications.

You will be able to do things like use text search and replace to change every vertex of one color to another.

The utility of this new format will be limited only by your imagination for its use.

James. 

PS. Here's a 3D dodecahedron!

Code: [Select]

# This file was generated by LaserBoy! (LaserBoy 07-18-2009)
# http://akrobiz.com/laserboy
# txt file version : LaserBoy-txt-07-08-2009

frame xyz rgb short
    19103   -26293     6207     -1     -1     -1
    11806   -26293   -16249    255    255    255
   -11806   -26293   -16249    255    255    255
   -19103   -26293     6207     -1     -1     -1
   -30909    -6206    10042    255    255    255
   -30909     6206   -10042    255    255    255
   -19103    -6206   -26292    255    255    255
   -11806   -26293   -16249    255    255    255
   -19103   -26293     6207    255    255    255
        0   -26293    20086    255    255    255
    19103   -26293     6207    255    255    255
    30909    -6206    10042    255    255    255
    19103     6206    26292    255    255    255
        0    -6293    32499    255    255    255
        0   -26293    20086     -1     -1     -1
        0    -6293    32499    255    255    255
   -19103     6206    26292    255    255    255
   -30909    -6206    10042    255    255    255
   -30909     6206   -10042     -1     -1     -1
   -19103    26293    -6207    255    255    255
   -11806    26293    16249    255    255    255
   -19103     6206    26292    255    255    255
   -11806    26293    16249     -1     -1     -1
    11806    26293    16249    255    255    255
    19103    26293    -6207    255    255    255
    30909     6206   -10042    255    255    255
    19103    -6206   -26292    255    255    255
        0     6206   -32499    255    255    255
        0    26293   -20086    255    255    255
   -19103    26293    -6207    255    255    255
        0    26293   -20086     -1     -1     -1
    19103    26293    -6207    255    255    255
    11806    26293    16249     -1     -1     -1
    19103     6206    26292    255    255    255
    30909    -6206    10042     -1     -1     -1
    30909     6206   -10042    255    255    255
    19103    -6206   -26292     -1     -1     -1
    11806   -26293   -16249    255    255    255
   -19103    -6206   -26292     -1     -1     -1
        0     6206   -32499    255    255    255



[Fanny Pack]

If the idea is to make it as easy as possible to generate then XML is a better answer.  With a schema I can run a tool that will generate the code I need to put the file into object form.  Then with a couple lines of code I can read and write the data to the file.  No custom parsing required whatsoever.  Not only that but I can add my own data to your file without making the file unreadable by other peoples parsers.  You can't do that with just a CSV file.  Why invent a new file format?

[James]

Take a look at the LaserBoy code.

You will see that I do not rely on much of anything but generic C++.

Yes, I use libSDL to get a pointer to an area of the display screen and to get the Unicode from the key that was just hit, but that's it!

EVERYTHING else is done in the code that you can read with your own eyes.

With a schema I can run a tool that will generate the code...

I don't have that stuff. I don't want that stuff. I'm not going to write any of that stuff myself. It has its place. But not here.

How hard is it to write an application that creates a set of vertex values in order and writes them out, one per line of text?

Why invent a new file format?

It's not really a new format. It is based heavily on the ILDA format, except it is in plain text and doesn't suffer from a legacy of being poorly designed and implemented.

Plus, I came up with it, so that makes it totally cool! 

James. 

[Fanny Pack]

Well, I guess that is a jump from the early 1980s to the late 1980s at least. 

[James]

Silly me! I keep using old-fashioned numbers and math. 

When will I ever learn? 

James. 

[Fanny Pack]

Well, as long as it does what your "users" want you are golden.

[James]

LaserBoy is good-for-nothing!

It even says so! 

Code: [Select]

// LaserBoy is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
// but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
// MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
// GNU General Public License for more details.

James. 

[James]

Woooooooo Hooooooooooo

I can now properly read palettes and tables and associate them with the correct frame data!

I'm almost done!

UPDATE:

I think I got it! 

Must test! 


James. 

[BlinkenLights]

well its plain text, it compresses nicely and opens up some doors in the expression evaluation arena as well...