Martin Wynne
Admin
- Location
- West of the Severn UK
- Info
@Alistair Ward @graeme
Hi Alistair, Graeme,
Did one of you, or did I dream it, post to say that you had a new 64-bit float file format working for saving template box files from T3?
The reason for asking is that I'm wondering what to do about the .mecbox format which I created for interchange of data between T2 and T3. It's based on the old Windows .ini text-based format.
I've been doing a lot of work recently in math_unit.pas on creating DXF and STL exports for 3D printing and laser cutting, which you have probably seen:
https://85a.uk/templot/club/index.php?forums/plug-track.34/
There are many consequent additions to the latest .box files which I haven't yet added to the mecbox files. I'm wondering whether there is any point in doing so, bearing in mind:
it is a lot of tedious work, and
the ability to read and/or make use of the changes is missing from T3.
I'm wondering if it would be possible to continue using the 80-bit extended float format in T3? And therefore be able to read .box files directly from T2? I could find no easy way of doing that originally for T3, hence the mecbox format. But it has dawned on me very late in the day, that Linux+Wine handles the 80-bit extended format just fine. The .box files from T2 on Windows are loaded and used just fine in T2 running on Linux+Wine, with Microsoft and Windows nowhere in sight. If Linux can do it, why not T3?
If it is possible, the entire mecbox format can be ditched, thank goodness. I know binary files are frowned on, but they are just so much easier to code than writing for XML or other text-based formats.
Talking of math_unit.pas, it is next on my alphabetical list for posting the T1 files. I've been holding back because at present I'm making changes to it on an almost daily basis. But on that basis I never will get it posted, so maybe I should just post it as-is at some arbitrary cut-off point, such as 31st December?
Also dxf_unit.pas and dxf_unit.dfm have seen massive changes since I originally posted them as T1 files, with many more changes to come, so it would be best to ignore those, and wait for a similar arbitrary cut-off for them too.
cheers,
Martin.
Hi Alistair, Graeme,
Did one of you, or did I dream it, post to say that you had a new 64-bit float file format working for saving template box files from T3?
The reason for asking is that I'm wondering what to do about the .mecbox format which I created for interchange of data between T2 and T3. It's based on the old Windows .ini text-based format.
I've been doing a lot of work recently in math_unit.pas on creating DXF and STL exports for 3D printing and laser cutting, which you have probably seen:
https://85a.uk/templot/club/index.php?forums/plug-track.34/
There are many consequent additions to the latest .box files which I haven't yet added to the mecbox files. I'm wondering whether there is any point in doing so, bearing in mind:
it is a lot of tedious work, and
the ability to read and/or make use of the changes is missing from T3.
I'm wondering if it would be possible to continue using the 80-bit extended float format in T3? And therefore be able to read .box files directly from T2? I could find no easy way of doing that originally for T3, hence the mecbox format. But it has dawned on me very late in the day, that Linux+Wine handles the 80-bit extended format just fine. The .box files from T2 on Windows are loaded and used just fine in T2 running on Linux+Wine, with Microsoft and Windows nowhere in sight. If Linux can do it, why not T3?
If it is possible, the entire mecbox format can be ditched, thank goodness. I know binary files are frowned on, but they are just so much easier to code than writing for XML or other text-based formats.
Talking of math_unit.pas, it is next on my alphabetical list for posting the T1 files. I've been holding back because at present I'm making changes to it on an almost daily basis. But on that basis I never will get it posted, so maybe I should just post it as-is at some arbitrary cut-off point, such as 31st December?
Also dxf_unit.pas and dxf_unit.dfm have seen massive changes since I originally posted them as T1 files, with many more changes to come, so it would be best to ignore those, and wait for a similar arbitrary cut-off for them too.
cheers,
Martin.
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