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New open-source project annoucement.

"magic wrapping"

Magic Wrapping is an attempt to put a modern GUI onto Magic
without changing the underlying code at all.
It will work will all versions of magic hosted on *nix OS
This will then be extended to wrap a schematic capture program
(log or Xcircuit), a spice wrapper (we've got a lot of this
done already) to make a simple but usefull
VLSI edit system for high speed analogue design.

It borrows from lots of old and new code around the internet.
TkSteal - provides routines to 'fake' X events into another application
BLT - for embedding one X window inside a Tcl/Tk window
+ Tabs + Hierarchy.
KTK - "Fake" KDE visual style for Tcl/Tk
Expect - To send and recieve (eavesdrop) on the output of magic
The example program starts up an Xterm, Magic and a BLT-enhanced Tcl/Tk
script.
The menus on the right work like magic paint (you can middle-click on them
to paint) or can left-click to turn the layer on or off.
Not shown is ballon help which pops up to show you what's happening.
Magic is running with OpenGL extensions within the 'stolen' window.
The Xterm still works 100% as normal to issue commands to magic,
the GUI and console are both active at the same time.

The tcl/tk script 'listens' to what magic outputs to the console using
the Expect package. It can tell when the user changes from
box-wiring-netlist and update the GUI accordingly.
At the moment, zoom, undo redo etc are mapped but soon we will have
GUIs onto all the Magic commands, and plan to do
wizards for cif-out etc. 

A Wizard for transistor generation will be coming v.soon.
Online help might happen eventually, 

Obviously we would welcome help from the Open-source
and Magic hackers to finish this thing off.

As an approach it's not very elegant, but it works, and at least 
it's quick to build and can be adapted to take control 
of any public domain tool .

Tcl/Tk we find is easy to learn and use, especially
for non-programmer electronics engineers.
See attached screenshot.

best regards,
John Wood

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