Re: Template system

[John McCutchan <ttb tentacle dhs org>]

Forgot to send to the list.

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• To: Alexander Larsson <alexl redhat com>
• Subject: Re: Template system
• Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2003 13:26:45 -0500

On Fri, Dec 12, 2003 at 07:11:42PM +0100, Alexander Larsson wrote:
> We've actually decided to not add any more major features for 2.6 and
> focus on polish and fixes since the API freeze, however the other day we
> had a great idea when chatting on irc. It was just so cool that I had to
> implement it.
> 
> So, basically its a way to create new files from the file manager. But
> instead of a plugin system that gives you "New HTML document", "New SVG
> document" and eternal problems with every app in the system installing
> (possibly duplicated) document type plugins, we have a brutally simple,
> but very easy to understand system where you just copy files to the
> $HOME/Template directory (Locations -> Templates) and then you can go to
> some directory and do "File -> Create Document -> Monthly Sales Report"
> (or whatever document templates you normally to use).

What about a system wide templates folder?

How does this solve the problem of multiple apps implementing the same
type of template? Whats to stop two apps from installing a duplicate
entry. 

What happens when a user is in the Templates folder and drags a template
from the folder onto their desktop. The user will loose the template?

> 
> We're aware of the i18n issues with hardcoding an english directory name
> like that, however we've discussed this, and since we've already blown
> this with ~/Desktop, and there are some solutions possible (.directory
> files) we think that this is ok. Its also good for third party apps that
> wants to access these directories, since the hardcoded names are easy to
> find. There is also no need to have a Templates directory. Its not
> created automatically (unless you go there with nautilus), and
> everything works just fine without it, so the keep-homedir-clean people
> should be fine with this.

If third party apps are going to be installing their own templates it is
pretty much certain that people won't be able to get away without
template. Image loading up sodipod and it realising that its templates
aren't installed so it goes and installs them. 

Just because a ~/Desktop folder was created doesn't mean we should be
making more.

So a clean home directory and also having easy access to creating new
file types are mutually exclusive?

John

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