Line segments with text in the middle in TikZ

Question

Another exam, another image. I am trying to create the following image in TikZ

Now. I am looking for some feedback on my code. I am trying to learn TikZ as fast as I can, but still I feel I am doing things in an overly complicated or hugely inefficient way.

My main problem is finding the best way to create the line segments on the left. How do I do this? Breaking them up and placing text in between just is meh.

My attempt is below. Please pay little attention to it as it really sucks.

\documentclass[10pt,a4paper]{article}
\usepackage[dvipsnames*,svgnames]{xcolor}
\usepackage{tkz-euclide}
\usetkzobj{all}
\usepackage{mathtools}

\begin{document}

\begin{tikzpicture}[scale=5]
\tkzDefPoint(-0.1,0){P}
\tkzDefPoint(0,0){O}
\tkzDefPoint(1.2,0){A}
\tkzDefPoint(0,0.8){B}
\tkzDefPoint(0,1.6){C}
\tkzDefPoint(1.2,0){G}
\tkzDefPoint(1.2,.83){U}
\tkzDefPointBy[rotation= center B angle 110](C) \tkzGetPoint{D}
\tkzDefPointBy[rotation= center O angle  35](G) \tkzGetPoint{E}
\tkzDefMidPoint(B,E) \tkzGetPoint{M1}
\tkzDefMidPoint(C,E) \tkzGetPoint{M2}
\tkzMarkAngle[thick,scale=0.5,fill=black!20!white](A,O,E)
\tkzMarkAngle[thick,scale=0.4,fill=black!20!white](E,B,C)
\tkzDrawSegment[thick](P,A)
\draw[thick](-0.6,0)--(-0.4,0);\draw[thick](-0.6,1.6)--(-0.4,1.6);
\draw[thick](-0.1,0.8)--(-0.3,0.8);\draw[thick](-0.1,1.6)--(-0.3,1.6);
\draw[thick](-0.2,1.6)--(-0.2,1.3);\draw[thick](-0.2,0.8)--(-0.2,1.1);
\draw[thick](-0.5,0.0)--(-0.5,0.6);\draw[thick](-0.5,0.8)--(-0.5,1.6);
\tkzDrawSegment[ultra thick,Goldenrod,dashed](O,U)
\tkzDrawSegments[ultra thick](O,C B,E)
\tkzDrawSegment[ultra thick,Magenta](C,E)
\tkzLabelPoint[left=-.55](-0.2,1.2){$0.8$ m} ;
\tkzLabelPoint[left=-.65](-0.5,0.7){$\stackrel{\text{\large Vindu}}{1.6     \text{m}}$} ;
\tkzLabelPoint[above=0.2](M1){Arm} ;
\tkzLabelPoint[below left](M1){$0.8$m} ;
\tkzLabelPoint[above=0.2,right, Magenta](M2){$\mathit{\mathbf{L}}$} ;
\tkzLabelPoint[above=1,Magenta](M2){\bfseries Markiseduk} ;
\tkzLabelPoint[below=1.75,left,Goldenrod](E){\bfseries Solstr\aa le} ;
\tkzLabelAngle[pos=0.3](A,O,E){$u$}
\tkzLabelAngle[pos=0.225](E,B,C){$v$}
\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}  

My result...

Answer 1

With tkz-euclide but I remark a bug because I need to use pos=0.4 to place the label vertically (??)

version 2 with option `|-|``

\documentclass[10pt,a4paper]{article}
\usepackage[dvipsnames*,svgnames]{xcolor}
\usepackage{tkz-euclide}
\usetkzobj{all}
\usepackage{mathtools}

\begin{document}

\begin{tikzpicture}[scale=5]
\tkzDefPoint(-0.1,0){P}
\tkzDefPoint(0,0){O}
\tkzDefPoint(1.2,0){A}
\tkzDefPoint(0,0.8){B}
\tkzDefPoint(0,1.6){C}
\tkzDefPoint(1.2,0){G}
\tkzDefPoint(1.2,.83){U}
\tkzDefPointBy[rotation= center B angle 110](C) \tkzGetPoint{D}
\tkzDefPointBy[rotation= center O angle  35](G) \tkzGetPoint{E}
\tkzDefShiftPoint[B](-0.2,0){B'} 
\tkzDefShiftPoint[C](-0.2,0){C'} 
\tkzDefShiftPoint[O](-0.6,0){O''} 
\tkzDefShiftPoint[C](-0.6,0){C''} 

\tkzMarkAngle[thick,scale=0.5,fill=black!20!white](A,O,E)
\tkzMarkAngle[thick,scale=0.4,fill=black!20!white](E,B,C)
\tkzDrawSegment[thick](P,A)
\tkzDrawSegment[ultra thick,Goldenrod,dashed](O,U)
\tkzDrawSegments[ultra thick](O,C B,E)
\tkzDrawSegment[ultra thick,Magenta](C,E)     
\tkzDrawSegments[|-|](B',C' O'',C'') 

\tkzLabelSegment[above=0.2](B,E){Arm} 
\tkzLabelSegment[below left](B,E){$0.8$m} 
\tkzLabelSegment[above=0.2,right, Magenta](C,E){$\mathit{\mathbf{L}}$} 
\tkzLabelSegment[above=1,Magenta](C,E){\bfseries Markiseduk}  
\tkzLabelSegment[pos=.4,fill=white,inner sep=10pt](B',C'){$0.8$ m}
\tkzLabelSegment[pos=.4,fill=white,inner sep=10pt,align=center](O'',C''){\large Vindu\\$1.6$ m} 
\tkzLabelPoint[below=1.75,left,Goldenrod](E){\bfseries Solstr\aa le} 
\tkzLabelAngle[pos=0.3](A,O,E){$u$}
\tkzLabelAngle[pos=0.225](E,B,C){$v$}  
\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document} 

Answer 2

Another way to break the line is to draw it after the node and make it go via the node. When you do that, then TikZ breaks the line to "hop" over the node. As a simple example:

\node (a) at (0,0) {a};
\draw (-3,0) -- (a) -- (3,0);

will produce:

---- a ----

(okay, it'll look a bit nice than that!)

Answer 3

This is how I would have done it, but it is definitely a matter of taste. You can also play around with the angle -105 to get different outputs for your needs.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{calc,arrows}
\begin{document}    
\begin{tikzpicture}[every node/.style={inner sep=0cm,outer sep=0cm},scale=5]
\draw[thick]  (0,0) node (O) {} --  (0,0.8cm) node(M) {} -- (0,1.6cm) node (T) {} (0,0.8cm) -- ($(M)!1!-105:(T)$) node (tip){}; 
\draw (-2mm,0) -- node (justanode) {} (1.2cm,0);
\draw[magenta] (T) --node[near start,above right=2mm] {{\bfseries Markiseduk}} node[midway,above right=1mm] {L} (tip);
\draw[yellow!80!black,densely dashed] (O) -- node[midway,below right=1mm] {{\bfseries Solstr\aa le}} ($(O)!1.1!(tip)$);
\draw[|-|] ($(T) + (-2mm,0)$) -- node[fill=white,inner sep=1mm,midway] {0.8 m}($(M) + (-2mm,0)$);
\draw[|-|] ($(T) + (-4mm,0)$) -- node[fill=white,inner sep=1mm,text width=1cm,midway] {Vindu 1.6 m}($(O) + (-4mm,0)$);
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

The output:

Answer 4

A very crude way of making those lines with labels is with the following macro

\newcommand{\midlabelline}[3]{
   \node (midlabel) at ($ (#1)!.5!(#2) $) {#3};
   \draw[|-,thick] (#1) --  (midlabel);
   \draw[-|,thick] (midlabel) -- (#2);
}

which requires the calc library, i.e. \usetikzlibrary{calc}. This can obviously be improved, but it will do what you want with a command like:

\midlabelline{-20,80}{-20,160}{0.8\,m}

Answer 5

You can simply add the node with a white background. The line you are trying to create would be generated by:

\tikz\path[draw] (0,0) -- ++(1,0) ++(-0.5,0) -- ++(0,-5) node[pos=0.5,fill=white] {Vindu} ++(.5,0) -- ++(-1,0);

To get it to two lines, you need to add text alignment and width. If you want the white space to be a little greater, increase the inner sep with inner sep=6pt, for instance, on the node.