Hello As discussed on IRC before, I've prepared document which should make clear how new task / dock management library would work etc.
First, current library won't go to trash, instead, most of it's components would be reused in task management engine. So no worry that it will be dumped and all work spend on it will be lost. But this doesn't mean that it will be binary compatible with current API or it will be possible to easy create kind of abstraction layer to make porting easier. Main aim is to make using it as easy as possible, developers will only need to create visualization and connect signals to check for updates and propagate some events (for example to show context menu, activate item etc.). Key concepts are: - modularity, each engine could be replaced by other, or disabled, and it should be easy to add new (it's only important that it will create objects with specified type and send signals when these items are changed / removed); - reuse existing code, it should be easy to use already existing solutions as data sources, something like data engines; - flexibility, new approach for sorting and gouping will allow to create very advanced strategies using QtScript; - easy to use, main role of developer is to create visualization, all items will be managed by manager using options specified by user. How it will work? Main manager object will notify user (for example task manager applet) that there is new task / job / launcher / whatever (will send signal with pointer to new item). This item will have some properties, like title, description, icon, type and some common methods, like contextMenu, activate etc. Each item will implement interface but can add some specific methods or properties (for example task will expose methods for minimizing or moving windows). Items could be grouped using another item (also implementing that interface, thus providing title etc., generated using special algorithm from data supplied from it's subitems). Basic items will be: - launcher (for creating tasks); - task (representing window(s) or startup(s)); - job (for example file that is currently copied). There could be also for example notifications etc. User will decide using options (could be hardcoded in visualization) which things should be displayed and how arranged, for example where each launcher should be placed, where task should be shown etc. Items could be grouped and sorted (respectively) using strategies written in QtScript and basic ones (currently available) would be shipped with library. Script would use properties (title, window id, class etc.) to apply strategy for items send to it in form of list / array and return list of grouped items or sorted list / array or both. This will allow for great flexibility for more advanced users and allow everything what they want with managed items. It could also decide which items should be shown (for example only these from current screen or maximized etc.). For example hierarchy of items could look like: item launcher item launcher item (empty) separator item (group with launcher and jobs) launcher task task task job job item task item task notification item job item item task launcher launcher Additions to task management Additionally it can use some magic provided by ksysguards libs to determine task's command and use services to find which launcher was used to run it or create new - read: option to pin running task as launcher to dock. Also we could, if user wants to, track most used applications and suggest to add them to dock. Also it could try to add feature requested by many users, merge status icons from systray with task (new source for icon and new submenu for options), of course these implementing new spec. Why we need it? Dock like applications are more common now, especially if we look at other OSes, now even Windows has built in dock... This of course doesn't mean that will need too, but why not provide library that will allow to do it easily? Default, classic, task manager will not benefit too much from these new additions but other creations will (I've discussed this with other dock developers). This is a bit chaotic (I've written it in fifteen minutes, I'm busy right now...) but should show more or less how it will work. I can show current API draft or current implementation if needed. I've already done some parts (task management part with command identification nearly done) some months ago but I need some review / suggestions / invectives to finish it. ;-) And I would like to do it as GSoC project, it could include example dock implementation (visualization), as I'm working for one year on Fancy Tasks applet and it will be one of users of it (maybe also STasks and Daisy). I'll unavailable before Tuesday, so if someone reply then will need to wait for my reaction... Best regards, Michal _______________________________________________ Plasma-devel mailing list Plasma-devel@kde.org https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/plasma-devel
