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

[Martin Abente]

The design I implemented works like this:

a. activity developers or deployments add a new "examples" folder inside
the activity bundle with their examples objects.
b. when the activity starts, the example folder will be accessible through
the journal as new volume option, and also from __any__ ObjectChooser.
c. Only one volume button will be shown, even when many instances of the
activity are running.
d. The example folder will disappear from the journal when the last
instance is closed.

Notes I took from the discussion @ #sugar-meeting. (garymartin, gonzalo_,
tch___)

1. Example folders visible from journal.
**pros: (a) it does not require changing the activities at all. (b)
Possibility to access bundle files (?).
**cons: since these folders are only visible when the activity is opened,
it could be confusing when another instance of the activity is opened from
these journal examples.

2. Showing all activities examples folders from any ObjectChooser.
**cons: examples folders should be private.

3. Showing examples on the home menu activities palette.
**cons: it would limit the number of examples, in order to avoid visual
spam (?).

Partial conclusion: (a) do not show the examples folders in the journal,
(b) only show examples for the activity that opened the ObjectChooser.

Waiting for more feedback... :)

On Tue, Aug 21, 2012 at 3:39 AM, Martin Abente <
martin.abente.lahaye at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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