Daniel Carrera wrote: > Mathias Bauer wrote: > > [snip: deployment should be easy] > >> End users should use the package manager dialog. I can't see a big barrier >> here, though of course UI is always a matter of taste. > > When I wrote my first macros, that package manager didn't exist. So that > was my experience. That if I wanted to deploy the add-on, I would have > to get people to install it "by hand", and that would be difficult for > the average end user.
Before we developed the PM, the usual way of deployment was to use pkgchk from a command line, but is was always possible to shield end users from this by adding a shell script or batch file containing the necessary command. This makes it comparable to a normal Windows installation process, instead of "setup.exe" you have "install.bat". On Linux you could even create a shell script containing the zip, so you only have one file you need to give to your users and let them execute (doubleclick) it. I wouldn't see this as a big problem. Maybe we should have explained that in our documentation - OTOH this is just normal business, nothing that is special for OOo. Sometimes it's not easy to find the right balance in what you write into the documentation: what can I assume as known to my readers (or what can I leave to them for their own ideas), what should I mention? > Either is fine for an end user. My experience with deployment was using > the command-line tools. /That/ is what I was talking about (because > that's all I knew when I wrote my email). It's always a good idea to have a look on the latest version of OOo before you complain about something you miss. :-) > I had a very hard time trying to figure out how pkgchk worked and how I > could use it (as an add-on developer). Could you point me to the > clearest documentation you know that explains how to use it? Remember > that though I "know how to program" I am at the amateur level. The best reference (as always) is the Developers Guide. The chapter 4.7 is about integration of components into OOo, chapter 4.9 is about deployment options for components. You should use the 2.0 Beta SDK to learn about the new and improved development tool called unopkg (pkgchk now is "deprecated", though still available). If this is too hard to understand for the average macro developer we perhaps should think about a description more focussed on that clientele, because they are an important target for our programmability effort. Perhaps we could have a feature that can be used from inside the BasicIDE and directly creates something that is ready for deployment. Currently we only have "Save Basic source". Why not having "Create Package"? > It's always possible that I asked the wrong people. I would love to try > a simple add-on right now, but I fear I have so little time... Maybe if > you can show me a hello-world example? I don't want to lose this > opportunity to learn how to make an OOo add-on. IIRC there are some simple examples using StarBasic, we definitely have some examples using Java or C++. I will send out a URL when I'm back in my office. > Yes, I think that's what I mean. XUL was an easier learning curve. I > could have "something" done very quickly, and I could learn gradually. > > This is also why I'm keen on add-ons. Because they could be a stepping > stone towards development. That's also my hope. This adds an "educational" component to the Add-On development, perhaps we should emphasize it a bit more. Best regards, Mathias -- Mathias Bauer - OpenOffice.org Application Framework Project Lead Please reply to the list only, [EMAIL PROTECTED] is a spam sink. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
