[Kst] New Idea for Filters

[George Staikos]

I've been thinking about filters a bit more and I think I have an idea that 
will make it both easier to integrate them into Kst, and both easier and more 
powerful to develop them.  Right now we have a node <filter> that indicates 
that a plugin can be used as a filter.  However it doesn't allow any 
flexibility in which vector is input, which is output, etc.  I think this 
node should be removed, and we should put attributes on the input and output 
nodes instead.  Then it will be clear where the filter happens (from input X 
to output Y).  It makes it easier to use plugins in equations too, since 
plugins there are effectively filters and nothing more (though I do see a 
usage case for "scalar filters").  The code would be able to automatically 
determine which parameter should be filled and read back, and the rest could 
even be filled or sent as null when operating in filter mode (except for 
scalars).  Does this sound like a good idea?

-- 
George Staikos
KDE Developer				http://www.kde.org/
Staikos Computing Services Inc.		http://www.staikos.net/