6.3 What To Do Next?

• Before version 0.2: Get an up-to-date GIMP running to test resolution/unit support.
• After version 0.2: Make the library a shared one. This is closely related to the next item.
• After version 0.2: Separate the psp-library and the GIMP plugin including documentation but keep version numbering.
• Before version 0.3: Change the error reporting interface.
• Before version 0.3: Implement PSPStrError.
• Before version 0.3: Character string based access to all creator fields. This means that Application and Date information will be converted to text from the PSP File data-type (and back when write support is available) (partially finished).
• Before or after version 0.3: Write programs to automatically detect endianness/type of integers and doubles. This can be used to automatically set correct endianness and double conversion (or disabling of the resolution feature).
• Before or after version 0.3: Find out how to use autoconf/automake and make use of this for the library.
• Find out what `invert mask on blend' really means and implement it. (delayed because no information available.)
• Find out if there is one single system where time_t is not a standard 32bit integer, and what could be done about this fact. Another way could be to include this in checks for endianness, ...
• Around version 0.3-0.4?: Decide which GIMP-parasites (apart from gimp-comment which I decided to make the PSP Image Creator Description) to use. I submitted a request for comments on my ideas on this to the gimp-developer list (See also: FAQ Question 8).
• Unsure: Get conversion for double precision floats for systems not supported by the auto-detecting algorithm done?

The Paint Shop Pro file-format is well documented (see www.jasc.com/specs/psp.html) to get the original document), so getting a basic implementation done for the most essential parts should be no problem as a lot source for GIMP file-plugins is available to get code from. However, there are parts in the specification which are not well-documented and some more detailed information might be needed in order to get the best support in the plugin.

I have decided to write the psp format related routines to be independent from the plugin, thus making it possible to create a library for the psp format. I know that this makes work harder but it will hopefully enable support for other applications without (substantially) rewriting the actual file-format code.