RE: [femm] features

["Robin Cornelius" <robin.cornelius@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>obin (and group),

>'ve been using the LUA stuff a lot over the last few day so a few comments
>or your lists.

I've found that many of the original LUA functions work as you would
expect, in particular the trig functions are useful. In have found a way
around the lack of edit_circuit by defining a LUA function which deletes
and then adds a new circuit of the same name. You can incidentally make a
file of functions and "include" it using dofile(".."), the functions have
to be at the start of a script.

Isn`t lua great !

>I can't find any way of pushing a filename onto the stack from inside a
>pre-processor script and popping it off in a post-processor script, has
>anyone managed this?

No you can't with the existing version as the pre and post processor use
different instances of lua, so they are seperate.
my development version allows you to pass variables over the command line in
the form varname=variable eg filename=bitmap04.bmp, then this is added to
the global variable scope of the post processor script.

>It may be useful to be able to input data from the keyboard to a
>pre-processor script while it is running, say via a little dialogue box.

A good idea.

>The problems with save_bitmap are really a pain, If you could put this high
>on your list it would do wonders for my frustration levels!

I have fixed bmp support on my developemnt version and added wmf support

>A little detail which may not seem important but really does make a
>difference when you are writing scripts. Is there any reason why some
>commands have underscores in them and some don't? For example add_material
>add_pointprop addarc addblocklabel. Would it be more logical if they were
>more consistent?

Yes it would, this is my fault, I am not a very consistent person !!!
what i may do is change all the names to one type or the other and write a
compatibility include script so save anybody with an already working script
the hassle of changing them all.

> I would agree with Carl about the windows - either refresh them (which
>would slow things down) or allow them to be minimised. The option would be
>nice in both pre- and post-processor. Thinking about this, could a
>"refresh" command be a simple fix for the save_bitmap problem?

My development version allows them to be compelty hidden!. This is still
experimental and I will add the same to the solver and mesher, a
simple -windowhide on the command line (which I will be wrapped bu lua
anyway) stops the windows appearing.
I have also implemented a refresh type command to do what you suggest. I
think it would be too slow to add this to every lua command as I believe
most people , once the script is debugged will just want the computer to get
on with things, so a manual refresh seems the ideal.

>And finally...

>Would it be out of the question with the save_bitmap command to save a
>section of the window rather than all of it?

Ahead of you there, I have been experimenting with it, I can get it done but
I am trying to do things in a way that minimises any changes to the main
femm and femmview code.

>>Keith.


Robin Cornelius
robin.cornelius@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx