Machine type metadata

[rpavlik]

The main contents of this pull request is to allow machine type definitions to specify the x3g machine variant that they need. This means that my Replicator 2X machine defs can now automatically tell this plugin to make the right kind of x3g file.

(It also auto-detects when the -g parameter, for "MakerBot-style G-code", is required)

[Ghostkeeper]

Looks good. I'll test a bit in the weekend.

My plan is currently to merge this in so that we at least have a partial solution for the 3.3 release. My own solution was more extensive with all the extra machine settings, but judgement is still out on that. One coworker mentioned that he thought it added too much unnecessary communication between front-end and engine. I disagree with him, but someone else will eventually look at it... If that makes it in, we can work out a solution that is both powerful (with individual machine settings) and easy to use (with pre-selected configurations).

[ohrn]

Hi Ghostkeeper and rpavlik!

I'm not sure what the proper etiquette is here, but I'd hate to see this patch stall out since the newly added ZYYX Agile printer depends on it to get correct GPX settings.

I've pushed an updated branch here https://github.com/ohrn/X3GWriter/tree/machine-type-metadata with the cfg.ini file removed and also an update to the known machines list.

[Ghostkeeper]

The stalling was only due to my lack of time and attention. Sorry!

Originally I was planning to merge this as a temporary solution until this merge, since that merge makes the configuration more powerful/flexible than this. But now that branch has been merged. That means that this PR has no effect any more, since it only selects the correct preset but that preset is completely overwritten by the machine settings now.

I've talked with a few of you guys here on Github and on IRC and e-mail and you all seem to like this solution better though, because it's easier to write a printer definition file correctly then and prevents data duplication. So let me propose this:

• If the machine_x3d_variant metadata entry is present and a known printer, give that preset to GPX and don't write a configuration file, like this PR does now.
• Otherwise, don't give it the default configuration like this PR does now, but take the configuration from the printer definition, like the master branch does now.

That means that it's easy to configure a printer definition for the known printers and still as correct as we can be for the rest of the printers. Does that sound good?

If I can find the time I'm willing to build further on this PR to implement that. But feel free to help me out on this one. PRs like these are a nice way to collaborate.

[ohrn]

Sounds great.

I'll be away for a few days, if no one else beats me to it I'd be happy to help implement this towards the end of the week.

[ohrn]

I've just submitted a new PR #8 that supersedes this one.

[Ghostkeeper]

This PR has now been superseded. Thanks for the good work, guys.