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 --- john.wood AT multigig DOT com a écrit : > 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.

there is _a lot_ of space in the window not used.(in
the atachment you send). We used to make a little
window for commands and a very large window for layout
because we must see as much layout as possible without
using details.

TclTk is slower than pure X routines.
One of the good things about magic is that it can be
run on old, low memory machines (but in new versions
this is hard to achieve).

> Not shown is ballon help which pops up to show you
> what's happening.
> Magic is running with OpenGL extensions within the
> 'stolen' window.

old machines don't have native OpenGL, and not every
university in the world has money to buy the latest
computer technology every year

> 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.

there is a scheme interpreter in magic. 

The company where I work didn't use magic for layout
because of the lack of a free hierarhical scematic
editor for linux.

To integrate magic in a kind of EDA is a Good Thing
but adding a lot of libraries and shiny things makes
things slow and i think it should be avoided. A better
interface is a choice if it it not much slower than
the existing one, and should be tested on slow
machines (or let as a compile time option).
 
Magic is allready a very fast layout editor. With
macros you can do great things at "a touch of a
button". 

> 
> best regards,
> John Wood
> 
> 

Calin 

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