[sugar] how does an activity connect to the journal?

[Paul Fox]

bert wrote:
 > On Feb 28, 2008, at 15:10 , Paul Fox wrote:
 > 
 > >
 > > i do feel like that there could be more of a broad-brush
 > > overview, something like a "Lifetime of an Activity" section,
 > > that would describe the interactions of an activity with the
 > > various other sugar services, from start to finish.  this would
 > > put the various piece parts of the api in context.  i've looked
 > > (mostly via backlinks from this page) for such an overview, but
 > > haven't found it.
 > 
 > Good point. I added an attempt to explain the life cycle of an  
 > activity to the "Overview" section.
 > 

just took a look -- that helps a lot.  thanks.

 > > maybe much of what i need is there and i'm just not seeing it.
 > > i get more from the wiki pages every time i read them, and i'm
 > > handicapped by not being a python guy -- remember that i'm
 > > porting an existing non-python, non-DBUS-aware app, and just
 > > trying to make it run the best it can.  but i also think it's
 > > typical of a wiki that it concentrate on the details.
 > 
 > That page is actually written by a "non-python guy" for fellow "non- 
 > python guys". It only uses pseudo-code (although that pseudo-code is  
 > inspired by Python).

i forgot to mention -- i'm also a non-Dbus guy.  :-)

 > 
 > > the "Dbus Methods" section starts with "An activity instance
 > > needs to create a DBus service", but there's no indication of
 > > "why?".  what specific user or system interactions will be
 > > enabled by creating this service?  what specific things won't
 > > work if i don't?  (also, a link to somehere describing how to
 > > [figure out how to] create this service for non-python activities
 > > might be useful here.)
 > 
 > The Sugar shell will (try to) call the methods listed in that  
 > section. The rationale for each method is given there, too.

okay.  i guess i thought there might again be a higher level view.
how do activate/passivate (nice word :-), screenshots, invitations,
fit into the lifetime-of-an-activity view of things?

 > 
 > For a basic understanding of what an activity is (in contrast to  
 > regular apps), you should read
 > 
 > 	http://wiki.laptop.org/go/HIG

yes, i certainly need to read that more completely.

 > > back to my logs:  naively, i thought that since my messages were
 > > already being stored under ~/.sugar/default/logs/org.x.RoadMap-3.log,
 > > that i'd be able to access them without much trouble from the
 > > Journal.  but apparently that's not the case?
 > 
 > Logs have nothing to do with the Datastore.

right.  i think i've been misled by by my own preconceptions. 
having said that, is there a way to view the contents of
~/.sugar/default/logs outside of the terminal?

paul
=---------------------
 paul fox, pgf at foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 22.8 degrees)