Re: desktop schemas review [was: Re: GSettings migration status]

[Vincent Untz <vuntz gnome org>]

Hi,

Le samedi 03 juillet 2010, à 13:37 +0200, Christian Persch a écrit :
> Hi;
> 
> I think we should use the opportunity of converting to gsettings to
> redesign the desktop schemas, not just do a 1:1 translation from gconf.
> 
> Let me make some remarks about the gsettings desktop schemas as
> they right now are in gsettings-desktop-schemas module.

Thanks, it's good that someone takes time to review the schemas! I
merely converted them so people couldn't use the excuse we don't have
them yet to not port their code to GSettings ;-)

On a general note: I think you should feel free to commit most of your
proposed changes.

> --------------------------------------------
> 
> org.gnome.desktop.background.gschema.xml.in:
> 
>     <key name="picture-options"
> enum="org.gnome.desktop.GDesktopBackgroundStyle">
> <default>'zoom'</default> <summary>Picture Options</summary>
>       <description>Determines how the image set by wallpaper_filename
> is rendered.  Possible values are "none", "wallpaper", "centered",
> "scaled", "stretched", "zoom", "spanned".</description> </key>
> 
> I don't think we need to enumerate all choices in the <description>
> here. With gsettings, the valid values are stored in the schema via the
> enum, so this is unnecessary work for translators, and superflous.

Agree.

> Coincidentally, taking a look at all the <summary> and <description>
> strings, it seems to me that once these value enumerations are taken
> out, not too much remains that justifies the split between two strings.
> IMHO we should consider dropping <summary> from gschema and only
> provide for the one <description> strings.

Hrm, I don't know; I can't think of any major objection right now,
except that we're used to this way ;-) Ryan, what's your opinion?

>     <key name="picture-filename" type="s">
>       <default>'@datadir@/pixmaps/backgrounds/gnome/background-default.jpg'</default>
>       <summary>Picture Filename</summary>
>       <description>File to use for the background image.</description>
>     </key>
> 
> This is a common error. Filenames need to be stored as "ay" and *NOT*
> "s" (since "s" is UTF-8). (I think this needs some enhancement in
> glib-compile-schemas to be able to still put a string in <default>.)

Ryan?

>     <key name="picture-opacity" type="i">
>       <range min="0" max="100"/>
>       <default>100</default>
>       <summary>Picture Opacity</summary>
>       <description>Opacity with which to draw the background
>     picture.</description> </key>
> 
> IMHO, should be a "d" with <range min=0.0 max=1.0> instead.

Works for me.

> Also, I wonder if all the picture-* keys should be inside a child schema
> here.

They probably should, indeed.

> ---------------------------------------------------
> 
> org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.gschema.xml:
> 
> Looks like this should use a settings list, with a base schema
> containing "exec", "needs-term" (should be "needs-terminal" as below)
> keys, and an extended schema for the browser settings adding the
> "nremote" key.
> 
>     <key name="exec" type="s">
>       <default>'mozilla'</default>
>       <summary>Default browser</summary>
>       <description>Default browser for all URLs.</description>
>     </key>
> 
> I wonder if we should support "as" as argv here, instead.

IMHO, the sane thing to do here is to store .desktop filenames instead
of what we do right now.

> Also, whether this should be "ay" (or "aay") since technically,
> programme names need not be UTF-8.
> 
> ---------------------------------------
> 
> org.gnome.desktop.interface.gschema.xml: 
> 
> Looks ok, but maybe the keys could be named more consistently.
> 
> ---------------------------------------
> 
> org.gnome.desktop.lockdown.gschema.xml:
> 
> I wonder if this schema should simply contain a flag setting, instead
> of several boolean lockdown settings?

Does it really make things easier?

> ------------------------------------------
> 
> org.gnome.desktop.url-handlers.gschema.xml: 
> 
> This should be a settings list, with a base schema for the "enabled",
> "exec" and "needs-terminal" keys; actually the same base schema as the
> default-applications schemas above.

Nod.

> -----------------------------------
> 
> org.gnome.system.proxy.gschema.xml: 
> 
> Should use a settings list for the various (http/https/ftp/socks)
> proxies.

Nod.

> Maybe the developers working on GIO proxy support could look at this
> schema and see if it maps nicely to what their code supports ?
> 
>     <key name="host" type="s">
>       <default>''</default>
>       <summary>HTTP proxy host name</summary>
>       <description>The machine name to proxy HTTP through.</description>
>     </key>
>     <key name="port" type="i">
>       <range min="0" max="65535"/>
>       <default>8080</default>
>       <summary>HTTP proxy port</summary>
>       <description>The port on the machine defined by
>     "/system/proxy/http/host" that you proxy through.</description>
>     </key>
> 
> IMHO this is _one_ setting that belongs together, as a "(sq)" tuple
> (string, uint16).

Works for me.

> -----------------------------------------------------
> 
> Finally, I'd like to suggest that gsettings-desktop-schemas install a
> header file containing #define's for each schema ID, schema, path and
> all the key names.

There's already a header file in git. I don't think Ryan put all those
defines. If not, feel free to do it :-)

(and you can win a maintainer hat for this module by just adding your
name in MAINTAINERS and the .doap ;-))

Cheers,

Vincent

-- 
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