Simple Inkscape Scripting v2.0.0

This is a major new release of Simple Inkscape Scripting. You'll definitely want to upgrade to pick up all the exciting new features!

Breaking API changes

The API has been made more consistent in terms of scalar versus tuple/list arguments. Items serving the same purpose are now consistently 2-tuples (for two of the same item) or lists (for varying numbers of items). For example, x and y radii are now specified as a single tuple, and lists of coordinates are now specified as a list rather than as an arbitrary number of individual arguments. These changes affect, in particular, ellipse, polyline, polygon, arc, and path. Please update your existing Simple Inkscape Scripting scripts accordingly.

For convenience, arc accepts a scalar radius as a shorthand for a tuple containing two of the same radii; and path can accept a single string in addition to a list of terms, as the former may be helpful when copying and pasting from an existing SVG path string.

Other improvements

There are a lot these. Look at all the good things you get when you upgrade to Simple Inkscape Scripting v2.0.0:

• The distribution includes an output extension that lets you save an SVG image as a Simple Inkscape Scripting script. Go to File → Save a Copy… and select Simple Inkscape Scripting script (*.py) from the pull-down menu.

• SVG filter effects can be defined using the new filter function.

• All Simple Inkscape Scripting shape objects provide a new bounding_box method.

• rect can additionally draw rounded rectangles.

• Simple Inkscape Scripting objects define a Python __str__ method that converts them to a string of the form url(#object-id). This enables them to be used as style values (which are automatically converted to strings). For example, text can be flowed into a frame with shape_inside=frame object.

• text accepts an optional path argument that typesets the text along a path.

• New linear_gradient and radial_gradient functions (and the corresponding add_stop method) support the creation of gradient patterns, which can be used as arguments to fill and stroke.

• Scripts no longer need to declare their own functions as global in order to invoke them.

• Simple Inkscape Scripting's print statement has been redefined to accept multiple arguments, just like Python's built-in print statement.

• For advanced users, the root of the SVG XML tree is made available via an svg_root variable.

• Layers can be created with the new layer function.

• The add method on group- and layer-produced objects accepts a list of objects in addition to a single object.

• All of inkex.paths is imported into the script's namespace. This provides convenient access to path-element constructors such as Move, Line, and Curve.

• Transform from inkex.transforms is imported into the script's namespace. This provides a rich mechanism for manipulating object transformations. Transform objects can be used as a shape-creation function's transform parameter.

Whew! More examples are included in the examples/ directory to demonstrate usage of these new features. There are also myriad improvements to the Simple Inkscape Scripting code itself, making it cleaner and more robust, but that are not visible to users.