[vtk-developers] IMPORTANT: Attribute data changes (vtkScalar s, vtkVectors etc)

[Lorensen, William E (CRD)]

There are changes made in code that is not covered by the current test suite. We should cover the new
code before deprecating the old. We could use better coverage anyway.

Bill


-----Original Message-----
From: Berk Geveci [mailto:berk.geveci at kitware.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2001 2:31 PM
To: Prabhu Ramachandran
Cc: vtk-developers
Subject: Re: [vtk-developers] IMPORTANT: Attribute data changes
(vtkScalars, vtkVectors etc)


VTK 4.0 is coming. If I don't do this by November 1st, there will not be enough 
time to test the changes. Putting warning messages is not enough because things 
can be missed if the old code is still functioning. I know this because, 
although I was trying to keep things functioning,  when I removed the classes 
from my local build, a lot of things broke.
Also, people keep adding code which use vtkScalars etc. I have been maintaining 
a separate VTK for a long time (I started making these changes almost 8 months 
ago) and I want to be able to merge all my changes at least a month before 4.0 
is close to be released.

-Berk

Prabhu Ramachandran wrote:
> hi,
> 
> 
>>>>>>"BG" == Berk Geveci <berk.geveci at kitware.com> writes:
>>>>>>
> 
>     BG> As of VTK 4.0, vtkAttributeData and it's subclasses
>     BG> (vtkScalars, vtkVectors, vtkNormals, vtkTensors, vtkTCoords)
>     BG> will be deprecated. vtkDataArray and it's subclasses will
>     BG> replace these classes. For more information, download
>     BG> http://public.kitware.com/files/AttributeChanges.zip and look
>     BG> at the pdf documents. The perl script included in that package
>     BG> can be used to find out what kind of changes will have to be
>     BG> made to port programs from VTK 3.2 or older to VTK 4.0.
> 
> If possible please dont do this.  It would be hard to expect users and
> developers to deal with this.  If I develop code with 4.x I can no
> longer expect 3.x users to be able to use VTK.  VTK 4.0 is not
> released yet (atleast I see no announcement to that effect).  Doing
> this will force developers to have two CVS trees and cause backward
> compatibility hell.  Why not generate warning messages when someone
> does use it.  Once 4.x becomes available (in terms of useable binaries
> and source) you can remove it.
> 
> This will also trouble folks who create applications that are used by
> others.  It is no easy task to expect everyone to just change their
> release esp. when there arent readily available binaries/source.
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> prabhu
> _______________________________________________
> vtk-developers mailing list
> vtk-developers at public.kitware.com
> http://public.kitware.com/mailman/listinfo/vtk-developers
> 
> 



_______________________________________________
vtk-developers mailing list
vtk-developers at public.kitware.com
http://public.kitware.com/mailman/listinfo/vtk-developers