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

[Martin Abente]

On Thu, Jul 19, 2012 at 8:02 PM, Gonzalo Odiard <gonzalo at laptop.org> wrote:

> Hello Tincho! Nice to read you here again :)
>
>
Thanks, is good to be 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.
>
>
As it is right now, the ObjectChooser will only allow the user to select
objects from the DS, the documents folders and any external device mounted
at that moment, but it could be extended to also (or maybe exclusively)
show objects from any particular path. The journal is capable of that
already, is just a matter of associating the Examples path to the
ObjectChooser instance.

I already copy-paste-hacked the volumestoolbar.py code to see it for
myself. Try http://pastebin.com/ZUKCY82j  and change the hardcoded path to
see it for yourself :). There are still many technical issues to be solved,
even with this breakthrough.



> 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)
>
>
I admit that this opens new doors regarding distribution of content, but I
guess is something we can work out.


> Gonzalo
>
> 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
> >
>
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