Life In 19x19

What do people think about revamping the graphics for the images generated for the go diagrams? Right now we use a kind of standard, since Senseis Library, for example, uses the same type of code.

But the diagrams look kind of old to me. I wonder if it'd be cooler to get some better graphics for the images (but keep the diagram code input format the same).

What do L19ers think?

Kirby, how about an option for people who want to keep the current graphics completely unchanged (default),
and a new option for prettier graphics (could be a setting under User Preferences) ?

I like the current graphics. They are very clear, which is the main thing.

Rather than an improvement in the appearance, I would ask whether it is possible to add some sort of widget to construct a diagram. Making diagrams from scratch isn't much fun, but I find diagrams much easier to discuss than SGF files. It would be great to create diagrams with a mouse (not to mention a touch screen)!

ez4u wrote:Rather than an improvement in the appearance, I would ask whether it is possible to add some sort of widget to construct a diagram. Making diagrams from scratch isn't much fun, but I find diagrams much easier to discuss than SGF files. It would be great to create diagrams with a mouse (not to mention a touch screen)!

This is a very interesting idea. I am thinking about how this could work. Currently, the main method of input when a user makes a post is to use a text box. We have buttons for various options, but it comes down to making a text box.

To make something interactive might mean adjusting this method of input.

I'll have to think about this a little bit more.

Honestly a stand-alone editor on a separate page that spits out the diagram code or something might be enough.

Yeah, I was messing around with code to pop up an eidogo window and use it to create diagrams. What you want is also the ability to use an existing diagram as the base--that is, open the editor with that diagram's stones already entered.

hyperpape wrote:Yeah, I was messing around with code to pop up an eidogo window and use it to create diagrams. What you want is also the ability to use an existing diagram as the base--that is, open the editor with that diagram's stones already entered.

That kind of feature sounds a lot easier to implement. You could have a button to reply to a diagram, for example, which would be the same as a reply, but have the text of the diagram already populated.

Sensei's already has this tool:

http://senseis.xmp.net/tools/sgf2diagram.php

Maybe what we want is a tag like [sgf2diagram] that will take an sgf file and spit out the diagram? That wouldn't be as helpful for editing other people's diagrams, or making diagrams from scratch, but it seems like ez4u originally had in mind situations where he wanted to create a variation in an sgf and then display it as a diagram.

jts wrote:Sensei's already has this tool:

http://senseis.xmp.net/tools/sgf2diagram.php

Maybe what we want is a tag like [sgf2diagram] that will take an sgf file and spit out the diagram? That wouldn't be as helpful for editing other people's diagrams, or making diagrams from scratch, but it seems like ez4u originally had in mind situations where he wanted to create a variation in an sgf and then display it as a diagram.

People may have noticed that of late I have relied more and more on SGFs and less and less on diagrams. At first, it was a practical matter. Starting from an SGF file, instead of converting it to one or more diagrams, it was quicker and easier just to embed the SGF file. I like the look of diagrams better, though. But once I had started doing that, I felt freer to include more variations and comments in the SGF files. Now I go back and forth, depending mostly on what I want to show and how, but also on convenience. For instance, I presented my recent tsumego problem in an SGF file, but discussed it with diagrams.

On a vaguely related point, if a post contains more than one diagram, it is sometimes not clear whether a paragraph of text relates to the previous diagram, or the next one. Is there a way of linking a diagram to a paragraph, such as captioning it, or aligning the paragraph to the right of the diagram?

PeterPeter wrote:On a vaguely related point, if a post contains more than one diagram, it is sometimes not clear whether a paragraph of text relates to the previous diagram, or the next one. Is there a way of linking a diagram to a paragraph, such as captioning it, or aligning the paragraph to the right of the diagram?

You meaning something like this?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c Hey PeterPeter! This is a label for the diagram.\nYou can even put newlines in it!
$$ -------------
$$ | . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . .
$$ | . . . , . .
$$ | . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . .[/go]

Not everyone uses this method, though, because it's a little easier to just put the text outside the diagrams. Mostly comes down to a conventions thing. But I do understand your request. "Does this person put the comments after the diagram? Or before? Wait...which diagram are we talking about?"

schultz wrote:

PeterPeter wrote:On a vaguely related point, if a post contains more than one diagram, it is sometimes not clear whether a paragraph of text relates to the previous diagram, or the next one. Is there a way of linking a diagram to a paragraph, such as captioning it, or aligning the paragraph to the right of the diagram?

You meaning something like this?

$$c Hey PeterPeter! This is a label for the diagram.\nYou can even put newlines in it!
$$ -------------
$$ | . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . .
$$ | . . . , . .
$$ | . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . .

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c Hey PeterPeter! This is a label for the diagram.\nYou can even put newlines in it!
$$ -------------
$$ | . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . .
$$ | . . . , . .
$$ | . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . .[/go]

Not everyone uses this method, though, because it's a little easier to just put the text outside the diagrams. Mostly comes down to a conventions thing. But I do understand your request. "Does this person put the comments after the diagram? Or before? Wait...which diagram are we talking about?"

I sometimes use it for short comments "Black is better", but I don't think it works nicely for long comments like we often wish to make.

hyperpape wrote:

schultz wrote:...

Not everyone uses this method, though, because it's a little easier to just put the text outside the diagrams. Mostly comes down to a conventions thing. But I do understand your request. "Does this person put the comments after the diagram? Or before? Wait...which diagram are we talking about?"

I sometimes use it for short comments "Black is better", but I don't think it works nicely for long comments like we often wish to make.

I agree, just trying to help show some of the features that PeterPeter may not have been aware of.

From his initial question, I'm still not sure if he's talking about his own diagrams, or seeking change within the entirety of the forums to make it easier to associate other peoples paragraph explanations and their diagrams. I'm assuming the latter - and that's not an easy fix. That comes down more to the conventions of how people format their own posts.

schultz wrote:From his initial question, I'm still not sure if he's talking about his own diagrams, or seeking change within the entirety of the forums to make it easier to associate other peoples paragraph explanations and their diagrams. I'm assuming the latter - and that's not an easy fix. That comes down more to the conventions of how people format their own posts.

Yes, the latter.

I suspect the technical side of it is much easier than everyone remembering to use it.