[Kst] Re: Creating Datasource Reader

[Brisset, Nicolas]

Hi,

>      We've been using a package called Easyplot for all our plotting
> needs and we're now considering Kst 1.8 on Linux. (Can't use Kst 2.x
> series because we're on KDE 3.5 on RHEL 5).
Just a quick note in case you're not aware of it: kst2 has far less
dependencies than kst1 had. In particular, it is currently a pure Qt4
app, which means kdelibs and all of its dependencies are not required.
We are planning to offer optional KDE integration on the platforms where
it is available, but it will stay optional.
Qt4 is supported on such a broad range of platforms that I don't think
installing it on RHEL 5 would be an issue. Also note that you don't need
admin privileges, you can install Qt4 and kst2 anywhere you like. If you
don't know how that goes, ask here: we can provide instructions.
That being said, please be aware that kst2 is not (yet) on feature
parity with kst 1.x. It does have some features that kst 1.x does not
have (and never will have), but things like scripting are still missing.
Also loading kst 1.x files, but if you're new to kst this shouldn't be
much of an issue.
All in all, I'd tend towards kst2 unless you absolutely need scripting
and need it fast (it will be brought back at some point in time, though
not necessarily compatible with kst 1.x scripting).

> Our plot files are single independent files that contain ASCII header
> (that describe the number of columns, X & y vectors, formatting etc.)
> followed by ASCII or binary data. I'd like to know if I can make Kst
> open and use the same plot file by creating a custom datasource
reader.
Plain ASCII files hould be supported out of the box, kst is really very
configurable in that respect. Regarding binary files you'll probably
have to make some changes. Creating a custom datasource is always
possible and allows you anything. 
I'd recommend doing it in a generic way and contributing it to kst
(preferably 2), so that we are able to help and so that others also
benefit from your efforts. One thing which may be discussed is making
the change directly in the ASCII datasource: if the only difference
between your ASCII and binary options is the storage of the data, maybe
adding a checkbox "binary data" and using a different approach to parse
the file would make sense. To be discussed, here is the right place.

> My requirement is that by opening the file in Kst, the plot should
> appear, without the user needing to select more options or making more
> clicks. It's okay if I need to call Kst with some command line
options.
I believe what you're asking for is already available: you can create a
plot based on a data file, and reuse the same layout with another data
file. You can even easily compare the two files using the "Change Data
File" tool, be it kst 1.x or 2.x.

> Before I jump on creating a custom reader, I thought I should ask here
> if this is even possible with Kst 1.x.
Well, I hope I answered your questions. If you have more or I didn't
understand your questions correctly, please ask again.

Nicolas


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