[Sugar-devel] [DESIGN] Examples objects support for activities.

[Martin Abente]

Anyone interested in this feature, please check my recent patch submission
as my fully functional proposal.

On Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 9:30 AM, Martin Abente <
martin.abente.lahaye at gmail.com> wrote:

> Very nice :) We still need to get this idea shaped/designed first so then
> we can continue with the hacking (fun) part!
>
> On Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 8:43 AM, Agustin Zubiaga Sanchez <
> aguz at sugarlabs.org> wrote:
>
>> Hi, some days ago I was talking with Walter also about it.
>> And I have started with the examplechooser, it isn't very difficult to
>> do, only using a treeview and modifying his base color to white, you can
>> obtain a very similar widget.
>> I sent my advance in the attachment, lacks a lot, but we can start from
>> here.
>>
>> Regards,
>> aguz.
>>
>>
>> 2012/7/20 Walter Bender <walter.bender at gmail.com>
>>
>>> On Thu, Jul 19, 2012 at 8:02 PM, Gonzalo Odiard <gonzalo at laptop.org>
>>> wrote:
>>> > Hello Tincho! Nice to read you here again :)
>>>
>>> Yes. Nice that Tincho is back.
>>>
>>> >
>>> > I agree this can be a very good addition, and I see think we need
>>> > solve two different parts:
>>> >
>>> > 1) Access the examples in the activities: using a widget similar to
>>> > the object chooser,
>>> > but showing files in a directory. I think Silbe said, the actual
>>> > Object Chooser can't do it,
>>> > due to limitations in the actual Journal implementation. (Sascha, can
>>> > you confirm?)
>>> > Probably we can create a a similar widget if is not possible use the
>>> > original ObjectChooser,
>>> > and should be great can show a preview if available.
>>> >
>>> > 2) Distribution of examples: This can be more controversial, but is
>>> > related and should be good
>>> > address in a related proposal. Today, there are activities as Turtle
>>> > Confusion or Amazonas Tortugas,
>>> > based on TurtleArt and may be can be data files added to TurtleArt.
>>> > Also, if we provide a way to distribute
>>> > examples, the deployments could generate them based in local needs.
>>> > Other activities can be enhanced
>>> > using examples, and if they have text should be difficult support i18n
>>> > in the data files.
>>> > May be we can create a variation of the infamous XOL files, with the
>>> > information about what activity
>>> > should manage them, and improve the installation to install them in a
>>> > different place than Library
>>> > (or the activities can look at the Library for examples)
>>> >
>>> > Gonzalo
>>> >
>>>
>>> Sounds dangerously close to the plugin mechanism I implemented for
>>> Turtle Art. Be nice to think that through in a more general way but I
>>> think that would be a different thread.
>>>
>>> regards.
>>>
>>> -walter
>>> > On Thu, Jul 19, 2012 at 2:40 PM, Martin Abente
>>> > <martin.abente.lahaye at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> >> Hello Everyone:
>>> >>
>>> >> In a recent conversation with Walter, he mentioned that it would be
>>> very
>>> >> useful if activities could include examples objects. From my
>>> experience in
>>> >> the field, I can tell this feature can be a really useful indeed.
>>> Therefore
>>> >> I would like to bring this idea to the general discussion and see what
>>> >> others think.
>>> >>
>>> >> The idea is  simple: Activities include examples objects that can be
>>> bundled
>>> >> with and accessed from the activity.
>>> >>
>>> >> For the ones that also think this could be useful: I am sure you must
>>> have
>>> >> your own vision of how this feature should work and look like, so
>>> please
>>> >> share it here.
>>> >>
>>> >> In general terms and from my POV it should be something:
>>> >>
>>> >> (a) simple to access.
>>> >> (b) with a familiar interface to the users.
>>> >> (c) low-cost for activities developers to include.
>>> >> (d) Safe.
>>> >>
>>> >> One of the ideas, that meets these requirements, is to include a
>>> standard
>>> >> "Examples" folder in the activities root directory that would be
>>> accessible
>>> >> through a regular ObjetChooser. The ObjectChooser is already capable
>>> of
>>> >> presenting any folder's contents, thanks to recent years improvement
>>> in the
>>> >> journal to present external-media and documents-folder contents.
>>> >>
>>> >> Accessing to these objects would be as easy as just opening a
>>> ObjectChooser
>>> >> instance, many activities already do this (but limited to journal
>>> content).
>>> >> As I just said, the ObjectChooser interface is widely used, therefore
>>> users
>>> >> are already familiar with it. To ease the costs for activities
>>> developers I
>>> >> think that having this standard folder approach is crucial. One open
>>> >> question I still have is how this ObjectChooser should  be opened
>>> from the
>>> >> activities in a standard way (suggestions?). By "safe" I mean that it
>>> should
>>> >> guarantee that it only presents this standard folder objects in
>>> read-only
>>> >> mode (at least from the GUI POV).
>>> >>
>>> >> I will stop here and I would like to hear what you guys think
>>> regarding the
>>> >> general idea first.
>>> >>
>>> >> Saludos.
>>> >> tincho.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> _______________________________________________
>>> >> Sugar-devel mailing list
>>> >> Sugar-devel at lists.sugarlabs.org
>>> >> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel
>>> >>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Walter Bender
>>> Sugar Labs
>>> http://www.sugarlabs.org
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Sugar-devel mailing list
>>> Sugar-devel at lists.sugarlabs.org
>>> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel
>>>
>>
>>
>
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