The other item is a one-click "sign up for this channel" functionality -- basically just a metadata file on our Web server containing URL, depth and follow/nofollow directives, probably in XML. This requires some more work on the desktop app and installer.I think it's a fantastic idea, if we extrapolate to the next obvious level. We could, once we put this structure in place, allow the same data to be downloaded from the Plucker website that David has redesigned so effectively for any channels listed. (i.e. users could simply point-and-load rather than having to configure the channel using the data on the website about each channel.) This could also eventually extend or replace the "Showcase" arena, which I'm ashamed to say I've never used.
Since channel data winds up in the INI file, this is not inherently a Desktop function although the comment author assumed it was, but some form of interface (not necessarily graphical) is needed to simplify this to the level of windows users or to automate it for the convenience of everyone else.
Quite a lot of words for the premise. Here's my proposal, which, as I said, doesn't require Desktop work.
We have a pretty good definition of channel data in the form of the .ini sections. Some of this is clearly user-specific, such as "User", "no_urlinfo", the "try_reduce" options, etc. If we (meaning Rob, David, etc.) can agree on a subset of this data and an easily human-writable format (because humans will often be writing it) such as, perhaps, the same format as the INI file...
I will write a utility to parse the data and store it in the Plucker INI file. This would have three functions...
1. Installer - would update the Windows registry or the Linux /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc/register to recognize the unique extension (.plkrdata ? something else) so that it can be launched from any browser. Also asks for or confirms defaults for the non-site-specific data.
2. Parser - Read one of these files, converting to ini format and storing the data in plucker.ini
3. Creator (if needed) - given a channel name, convert that into the appropriate format (e.g. .plkrdata file). This could be as simple as grabbing the relevant fields from the relevant channel section of the INI file or it could require packaging of that up to a different format.
So questions for the group...
Is this a good idea? Would we use it ourselves? Would it help others?
If so, what subset of INI data should be used and what file format if not the INI format?
And what language (C++, Java, Python) would be best for it? I'm able to do it in any of them, generally personally preferring C++, but would rather do it in the language most compatible with other team members because others may want to modify it after I'm gone.
-Tony McNamara-
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