Feature Testing
Commands Dockable

Commands Dockable

Visual grid interface for custom commands and plugins, providing a clickable macro palette that replaces complex keyboard shortcuts.

YouTube demonstration video.

Key Concepts and Definitions

  • Commands Dockable: A dockable dialog for managing custom commands and plugins
  • Command Editor: Editor for creating and modifying command items
  • Command Item: A stored command with metadata including name, description, icon, and language
  • Visual Grid: Grid view mode displaying commands as clickable icons for easy access

Core Features

Visual Grid Interface
Clickable macro palette replacing keyboard shortcuts with visual command grid.
Command Management
Create, duplicate, save, execute, and delete custom commands.
Visual Editor
Editor interface with text input and metadata management.
File Format Support
Standard .gcmd file format with serialization support.

Visual Grid Interface

Current Design: New Feature

Implementation: Grid view mode displaying commands as clickable icons, providing a visual macro palette for rapid access to frequently used operations.

Key Benefits:

  • Visual Access: Commands displayed as labeled icons in grid layout
  • Plugin Integration: Can execute any GIMP plugin or procedure through PDB calls
  • Macro Palette: Replace complex keyboard shortcuts with single clicks
  • Custom Workflows: Build personalized toolsets for specific tasks
  • Quick Execution: One-click access to frequently used commands and plugins

Use Cases: Create visual palettes for layer operations, filter sequences, export macros, custom brush setups, or any repetitive workflow that would normally require multiple menu navigations or keyboard shortcuts.

Command Management

Current Design: New Feature

Implementation: Command lifecycle management through a dockable dialog. Commands are stored as GimpCommandItem objects with properties for name, command code, description, icon, and language.

Core Operations:

  • New Command: Create empty command items
  • Duplicate Command: Clone existing commands
  • Save Command: Persist commands to .gcmd files
  • Execute Command: Run commands through appropriate interpreter
  • Delete Command: Remove commands with confirmation

Visual Editor

Current Design: New Feature

Implementation: GimpCommandEditor widget for command creation and modification.

Editor Components:

  • Name Entry: Command identification and display name
  • Command Text View: Multi-line text input widget for script content
  • Description Entry: Documentation and usage notes
  • Icon Picker: Icon selection from available GIMP icon set with custom image assignment capability
  • Language Property: Language setting (script-fu or python)

File Format Support

Current Design: New Feature

Implementation: .gcmd (GIMP Command) file format with GimpConfig serialization.

File Format Structure:

# GIMP command item
(name "Command Name")
(command "script content")
(description "Command description")
(icon-name "icon-identifier")
(language script-fu|python)
# end of GIMP command item

Storage:

  • User Directory: Commands stored in ~/.config/GIMP/commands/
  • System Commands: Pre-installed examples in application data directory
  • Auto-loading: Commands loaded on GIMP startup

Factory Integration

Current Design: New Feature

Implementation: Integration with GIMP’s data factory system through GimpCommandFactory.

Features:

  • Resource Loading: Discovery and loading of .gcmd files
  • Factory View: Visual command browser with hover states
  • Container Integration: Commands appear in standard GIMP resource containers
  • Menu Integration: Accessible through Windows > Dockable Dialogs menu
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