Re: [guppi-list] Guppi as a mime-type handler

[Jon Trowbridge <trow gnu org>]

On Wed, Jan 31, 2001 at 06:43:55PM +0000, Neil J Pilgrim wrote:
> 
> The main question though, regards the 'bonobo-ification' of guppi, and
> what features/windows/etc does guppi expose in this process? The reason
> I ask is that I envisage a (probably too idealistic) system whereby
> you're using a file- (web-, URL-) browser, and find a set of data
> 'files'. You use the web-form to select the specific data you want and
> that data is then returned in the form of (one example) a NetCDF file.
> The browser figures that such files should be opened with guppi, for
> example, and the data is then automatically read-in to a new guppi
> session (currently with a new app, possibly 'in-line'?).

A few random thoughts:

* The idea of guppi as "helper app" for a browser is not implausible at
  all.  I'm not quite sure how mozilla handles helper apps, but it
  can't be too complicated.  IIRC, doesn't it just download the file to
  /tmp and then launch the app w/ the filename on the command line.
  At very worst, you'd need to add a few command-line args so that you
  could put "guppi --import %s" in mozilla's list of helpers for the
  NetCDF mime type.

* One feature I've meant to add to guppi for a while is "import data
  from network", where you could give a URL and guppi would download
  the appropriate file.  This is actually quite easy to do with
  gnome-vfs.  (This isn't exactly what you talked about, but I thought
  I'd mention it.)  This feature, when combined with scripting, could
  be very good for simplifying those nagging "collect and massage data
  from servers X, Y and Z" type tasks.
  

BTW, all of this would hinge on having a NetCDF import filter for
Guppi.  If anyone would want to volunteer to write such a beast, I'd
be more than happy to provide technical advice & general
encourangement.  (In fact, I'd suspect that there already is a nice
free NetCDF import/export lib out there somewhere.  Ideally, such an
import filter would just be "glue" between Guppi and that lib.)

-JT