[Xastir] Maps, Defaults, and Chooser

[Tom Russo]

On Wed, Dec 06, 2006 at 06:03:20AM -0800, we recorded a bogon-computron collision of the <archer at eskimo.com> flavor, containing:
> > 2. The default configuration of the worldhi.map is that it is
> > Automaps=yes and Layer=1000. I am good with the first option but not
> > the second. The idea behind the default map is to help those who have
> > no maps (i.e., just starting out), not to hurt those who are just
> > updating. By selecting a layer of 1000 it is consistently the top-
> > most map. So I have ugly and inaccurate map lines drawn over my
> > preferred maps until I take action. On the other hand, if the layer
> > was defaulted to -999 then newbies would see it and we wouldn't
> > (unless we wanted to see it).
> 
> Once your config problem is sorted out you shouldn't ever have it
> get auto-selected again.  Oh, perhaps you have Auto Maps still
> turned on.  Once map levels got implemented I've never used that
> option.  We should perhaps consider entirely removing it from the
> code.

I personally never use automaps, as I prefer map levels and the min/max
level setting deal.  In fact, it annoys me that automaps defaults on in 
a new build, and that upon adding a new map it gets the "Use Automaps=Yes" 
attribute until I manually change it.

Since people *do* use automaps then we shouldn't just remove the feature.
But I think that changing the default for a first-time install makes sense,
and that we should start trying to deprecate it.  Automaps is a relic of
a day when xastir didn't provide the user a way of configuring map display,

> I disagree on the level 1000 thing BTW.  The idea is that raster
> maps would populate the bottom level, filled vector maps the next
> level up, non-filled vector maps the next, point maps above that,
> and weather alerts on top.  If you go by 100's or 1000's between
> levels then this allows one to custom tweak how things look by
> adding maps in-between if they like.

Absolutely agreed.  Except when automaps is turned on, the new world map
should not even show up when updating an existing install.  Vector maps should
usually have high numbers, rasters low.  

Perhaps if the new world map were not added with "use automaps=yes" by a 
first-time install, and if the map indexer didn't automatically set the 
"use automaps" flag when adding a new map, this wouldn't be an issue.

> Auto Maps should perhaps be turned off by default though 

Yes.


> (or removed
> from the code).  

Not yet --- people use it, and removing it would hurt them.


-- 
Tom Russo    KM5VY   SAR502   DM64ux          http://www.swcp.com/~russo/
Tijeras, NM  QRPL#1592 K2#398  SOC#236 AHTB#1 http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?DDTNM
"And, isn't sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway? I mean all you get is
 one trick, rational thinking, but when you're good and crazy, oooh, oooh,
 oooh, the sky is the limit!"  --- The Tick