Re: [Foomatic] Printer driver UI [proposal]

[Michael Goffioul <goffioul imec be>]

> > The PPD file is always the same, but the UI is different, and
> > described in a XML structure.
> 
> Could you post the XML structure.
> This way I may be able to find a way how to intrgrate the
> necessary information  into a PPD file.

http://www.geocities.com/kdeprint/ppdui.xml (tabbed interface)
http://www.geocities.com/kdeprint/ppdui2.xml (reduced interface)

(use "View Source" of the browser to see it)
Note that I don't want to impose any syntax, but I needed at least
something to demonstrate it. The syntax is quite generic however.

> It is only syntactically compliant with PPD specs. but this
> way you could have any proprietary format and call it a PPD file
> because you could hide all information as comments.
> According to my understanding the PPD spec. describes a general
> way how to deal with various printer capabilities.
> Of course any printing system or application program (i.e. any
> software which must deal with various printer capabilities)
> must be able to understand the information which is specified
> in terms of a PPD file.
> Therefore hiding information as comments is not in compliance
> to the intention (i.e. the real meaning) of the PPD specs.

You're not "hiding" any PPD informations as all options are still
described in the standard way, thus accessible to any existing
PPD-aware software. Embedding the XML data into comments in the
PPD file has the advantage to be fully compatible with all existing
software out there. For example a client requesting the PPD file to
a CUPS daemon, will get for free additional data about the UI
that it may use or not. If it does not use them, then settings
will be presented in the standard hierarchical way. This additional
metadata does not contain any new information about the driver
itself, all driver options are still defined in a PPD compliant
way. The metadata only describes a smarter way to show PPD
content to the user, that's all.

Bye.
Michael.

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Michael Goffioul		IMEC-DESICS-MIRA
e-mail: goffioul imec be	(Mixed-Signal and RF Applications)
Tel:    +32/16/28-8510		Kapeldreef, 75
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