[gephi-dev] how to implement a selection tool?

[Yi Du(杜一)]

Hi all,
  I have some questions on implementing a tool. The tool is a kind of
selection tool, which can let user to draw a certain shape and select nodes
in the shape. I call it lasso tool.

  The question is: how can I implement such feature?

  I think there might be two ways to implement it.
  *The first is using the Tool API, and implement the lasso as a tool plugin
just as the other tool plugins. If I do this way, I should focus on the
process method of ToolEventListener. But now I didn't find any
ToolEventListener supporting the mouse press and drag on the background of
the window in the Tool API. If I do this way, should I implement the press
and drag event listener myself? Besides, I should
modified DesktopToolController and add a MouseDragHandler, because all the
 event handlers are here.
  *Second, In fact the tool is a kind of selection. I found the implemented
Cylinder and Rectangle are similar as the lasso.  But I don't know how to
add a new selection tool here. In the CompatibilityEngine->initSelection(),
there are only three kinds of selections(custom, rectangle, cylinder). Seems
I shouldn't implement such tool as Cylinder and Rectangle do.

  Sincerely.

-- 
杜一 Yi Du (Yestin)
IEL, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Software.
TEL: +86-15810134970
email&gtalk: duyi001 at gmail.com
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