[QST] Unify The Color for Latex and SVG Print

[reed-lau]

What is your question?

With the release of Cutlass 3.6, the print_latex function now allows users to specify colors using a template parameter. However, the print_svg function's color is still hardcoded. To enhance its usability, we should extend the color parameterization feature to print_svg.

We'll first examine how print_latex handles color. It uses the TikzColorFn class as the template parameter for print_latex, which provides a color string for LaTeX TikZ format (e.g., {rgb,255:red,175;green,175;blue,255}) through the TikzColor_TV structure's operator() function.

I propose two approaches:

1. Define SvgColorFn and SvgColor_TV similar to TikzColorFn and TikzColor_TV, returning SVG-compatible color strings (e.g., rgb(255,175,175)). Pros: Easy to code; can be implemented by copying and modifying existing code. Cons: Color definitions would be duplicated for LaTeX and SVG.
2. Create a unified ColorFn and ColorTV that return RGB values (int values, not color strings specific to TikZ or SVG). The print_latex/svg functions would then construct the color strings for LaTeX and SVG. Pros: A unified color representation (RGB tuple with int type), making it easier for future users. Cons: More complex coding required:
   • Change TikzColor_TV to Color_TV.
   • Convert TikzColor_TV's color strings to pure RGB tuples.
   • Modify the operator() function to return RGB values(eg. void operator(int tid, int vid, int &r, int &g, int &b)).
   • Have print_latex and print_svg construct their own color strings.
   • Rename the template parameter from TikzColorFn to ColorFn.
   • Unify TikzColorWhite and TikzColorBWx8 to RGB tuple representations.

I advocate for the second approach. What are your thoughts?

Reference: https://github.com/NVIDIA/cutlass/pull/1733