Hello,

I would like to create an Inkscape extension in Python. In order to learn how to deal with everything (especially the structure of self.document.getroot()), I would like to be able to get into an interactive Python shell when executing the plugin (as opposed to executing a Python file directly). I that possible?

I tried to modify the .inx-file line
<command reldir="extensions" interpreter="python">file.py</command>
to
<command reldir="extensions" interpreter="python"></command>
hoping that Python would be invoked without a file as argument (and thus opening the interactive shell). Didn't work.

Anyone an idea how to do this?

Thanks,

Gijs van Oort

One problem that you may run into is that inkscape reads you're python script's output as a complete svg document, rather than printing it to the screen for debugging...

I suspect that for learning purposes, you may be better off capturing a copy of inkscape's tmp document and command line parameters, and then loading those into your interactive shell for experimentation. I suspect that you could have a script do this saving, and forking of a shell environment that would (at that point) be detached from inkscape.

Another useful tool in learning your way around the svg document is the svg specification: http://www.w3.org/TR/SVG/, and your specific document's code in inkscape via the Edit > XML Editor menu choice.

I have written a very simple extension to Inkscape that may do what you want!
It allows 5 lines of python code to be typed in, via the GUI, and iterated over objects.
You can iterate over the selection, or over an XPath.
Best of all, you don't have to leave inkscape!
http://www.smanohar.com/inkscape.php

Hello
It's very interesting, but your download link is wrong, at least for me. It sends to you to your webpage.

Also, your examples, ...well, are not clear to me. I hope you could help.