[Evolution] Re: [Evolution-hackers] How to incorporate and test changes to code - an overview??

[Evolution List <carlos gonzalez shaw ca>]

Hi Jon, 

Comments follow bottom posted...

On Wed, 2005-02-23 at 12:43 -0500, William Jon McCann wrote:
> Hello Carlos,
>
> You may find some good information here:
> http://gnome.org/projects/evolution/developer.shtml
>
> In short:
>
>   * Use jhbuild
>   * Learn how to use CVS commands
>   * Read the code and try to understand how it works (and there is 
> plenty of it)
>   * Follow the coding style of the file you change (evolution uses at 
> least two distinct styles)
>   * Always try to provide patches that apply to the very latest version 
> from CVS HEAD.
>   * Try to make your change affect as little code as possible
>   * Thoroughly test your changes
>   * The evolution hackers are, unfortunately, quite swamped so you may 
> have to be patient when requesting feedback.

Thanks for your input Jon.  I will definitely follow up on what you
mentioned above.  I understand Evolution hackers being quite swamped.
It seems like Evolution mailing lists in general are that way as I am
getting little by way of response anywhere regarding Evolution.  

I will see about making changes and learning to work in line with how
things are done by Evolution coders but my main interest is in making
changes for my own benefit.  Which means that, given the swamped nature
of my own time, I may have to sacrifice my corresponding desire to help
out by submitting changes through normal channels and not submit changes
at all. 

I want to do things like....

* Keep the Send/Receive box on pressing F9 from taking over the screen
and preventing me from being able to continue reading emails until IT is
done. 

* Streamline the very confusing nature of what is in current focus
through the GUI.  This entails making the "box" inside Evolution that is
in focus stand out clearly as such from the others.  Right now there is
a highlight bar that continues to show (but in black) when I switch to
another "box" where the highlight bar turns into blue. Sometimes I will
press a key such as the down arrow key, thinking I am in the message
list "box" (pane would be more appropriate) and the message folders move
down one (in other words the focus was still on the message folder
pane).  Very, very confusing and very, very frustrating.  

* Provide options to have filters process when mail is downloaded, on
manual command only, for both download and manual command, and so forth.
Right now all filters process on download, always.  Such that I am
forced to go after unread emails spread into the various folders I have
put them in through filters, instead of reading them all in the inbox
and THEN filtering them. 

All these quirks involve my having to work the way Evolution wants me to
work not having Evolution let me work the way I want to work (and which
quite frankly is a better way to work period).  

If and when I make such changes my foremost concern will be how to make
them applicable for me and my clients using Evolution not so much how I
can tie them into the existing process on getting changes into
Evolution. Some of my changes will take way too long to work their way
through the politics of making changes if you will to be very useful to
me and my clients unless I make the changes myself.  With or without
contributing those changes to the community. 

I hope that makes sense Jon. I will try to make changes in line with the
way changes are officially made.  But if I bump into too much in the way
of politics or delay I will have to branch off on my own and create a
sort of Evolution fork if you will.  For me and my business clients.  

Of course I will have to figure out if such a "fork" is allowable under
the GPL and whether I would have to post my changes or otherwise make
them available to the world.  Which is an entirely different matter of
course :).  

Carlos