Re: Starter help on gconf

[Emmanuele Bassi <bassi-e libero it>]

* Zoran Rilak <wayward tirion test net>:

> I've recently started learning GTK+/GNOME programming and my testbed
> project is a user-friendly interface to pppd, kinda like kppp. I'm not
> sure this is the right place to ask gconf-related questions so if I'm
> talking in the wrong room please direct me out. :)

The Right Place(tm) should be the gconf-list, but I do not think that
there should be any problem asking here.

> Anyway, I could use
> some advice about using gconf to store my application data. The
> information has to be stored on a per-user basis, with one permanent set
> of information (app. properties - modem config., some toggles etc.) and an
> array of zero or more sets describing connections.

GConf should be used for application settings only; user settings, such
as (in your case) username, password, telephone numbers (all sensible
data) should not be stored inside GConf.

For instance: if your application has two states, "Simple" and
"Advanced", you should use GConf to store the state code; you should
never *ever* put the username or (worse) the password of the PPP
connection inside GConf.  For these settings, a file in ~/.gnome2 should
be enough.

> 3. Do I need schemas?

Yes.  Schemas document key/value pairs, and setup a consistent state
before someone launches your application for the first time (thus, you
don't have to init every value on app startup).

Regards,
 Emmanuele.

-- 
Emmanuele Bassi (Zefram)                 [ http://www.emmanuelebassi.net ]
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