[whatwg] Processing the zoom level - MS extensions to window.screen

[Robert O'Callahan]

On Mon, Nov 22, 2010 at 8:49 PM, Charles Pritchard <chuck at jumis.com> wrote:

>  On 11/21/10 10:51 PM, Robert O'Callahan wrote:
>
> On Mon, Nov 22, 2010 at 6:22 PM, Charles Pritchard <chuck at jumis.com>wrote:
>
>> I've a deep and detailed understanding of the SVG, HTML, DOM and CSS
>> specs.
>>
>
> Just out of interest, why aren't you using SVG?
>
> Many thanks for the SVG Filter Effect CSS extension.
> I'd like to see that catch on with other vendors.
>
> Implementations of SVG are uneven and/or slow:
>
> Example: SVG Filter Effect + with an animated rotate in FF 3 (excuse me if
> this is dated)
> was quite slow, though the SVG FE implementation is faster than
> CanvasPixelArray.
> It's also tricky, getting SVG FE turned on (for me anyway), with the xhtml
> mime requirements.
>

That doesn't really explain why you're using canvas, if SVG is faster than
canvas for your effect.

For both performance and compatibility reasons, we've had to write low level
> code anyway.
> Actual display calls (be they SVG-able or not) are a relatively small part
> of our app.
>
> I'm currently focused on interchangeability of our HTML and Canvas
> profiles.
> Many SVG features are available via CSS now: paint servers and gradients,
> rounded rectangles, some text effects.
>
> Because of that, we're focused on HTML.
> SVG FE is definitely in our code base as a rendering option.
> We store our iconography in SVG, and some basic glyphs.
> We use canvas to render the glyphs, and we pre-render our iconography into
> png.
>

It's important to separate the issues that are fixable implementation
limitations from those issues that are fundamental to the design of Web
standards. There is no point in adding new platform features to work around
implementation limitations; we get a simpler platform if implementors just
fix the existing features.

So, for example, I wouldn't want to add canvas features to address use-cases
for which SVG would work well if it was a bit better implemented.


>  I understand the need to make canvas backing store pixels map to device
> pixels when possible. Suppose that, on clearing the canvas (e.g. by setting
> the width or height attribute), the browser automatically set the canvas
> backing store density so that canvas backing store pixels map to device
> pixels (taking into account the current zoom settings). Suppose further that
> browsers fired the 'resize' event when they zoom in a way that changes the
> window size (as they should, even if they currently don't). Then on 'resize'
> you could clear your canvas and redraw it, and automatically get a canvas
> backing store with the right resolution with no further code changes. Would
> that address your use case?
>
> I appreciate your understanding, and your brainstorming.
>
> We currently use downsampled images within our application, and this
> proposal would override them We use them where filter effects are live, and
> are too expensive for the host to process quickly. Sampling is also useful
> as a memory management technique. On a resource constrained device, for
> whatever reason, it can make sense to draw the canvas at a smaller size,
> even though upscaling is noticable.
>
> With a complex gui / canvas drawing, redrawing the image may take some
> time. During zoom events, I can use a setTimeout to wait for the browser to
> settle before redrawing at higher resolution. CSS automates everything for
> me. It works wonderfully.
>
> Generally, with Canvas, things should not be automated. It's the CSS that's
> automated.
> Think of CSS as sending GPU instructions, and Canvas as simply updating a
> texture within the GPU.
>
> AFAIK, it is standard in practice, to send a resize event, as the page
> layout does change (innerWidth changes). I'd like to see this mentioned in a
> standards document. I think we all agree that 'zoom' should send a resize
> event, and currently does.
>
> For ease of use, it's as easy in canvas as it is in CSS to handle scaling:
>
> myDrawFunc = function() {
>  ctx.save();
>  ctx.scale(dpiScale,dpiScale);
>  runMyRepainterCommands();
>  ctx.restore();
> }
> window.onresize = myDrawFunc;
>
> I was able to support resolution scaling on a complex application with less
> than an hour of work. It took me longer to test compatibility between
> browsers,
> for the hacks I used to try and get the DPI Scale values.
>

It sounds to me like the approach I described would work for you.

Rob
-- 
"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for
they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures
every day to see if what Paul said was true." [Acts 17:11]
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