Re: Template system

[Alexander Larsson <alexl redhat com>]

On Fri, 2003-12-12 at 19:27, John McCutchan wrote:
________________________________________________________________________
> To: Alexander Larsson <alexl redhat com>
> Subject: Re: Template system
> Date: 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?

We intentionally avoided that, since it give a load of problems. First
of all all sort of editing gets extremely complicated with merged
directories. Both code-wise and conceptually for the user. Secondly
it'll mean everyone and his dog will install crap there, making a user
interface for removing or overriding system wide templates necessary to
even have a usable template menu.

If you really want system wide templates. Just make a symlink to the
sytem wide template folder and it'll appear as a submenu.

> 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. 

Ah, these are the problems i talked about in the initial mail that we
don't get, because apps aren't meant to install shit in the template
directory. So you'll never get crap "create XML-foobar document" 
entries in there that nobody will use. Instead you get to personally
pick exactly the templates you use. 

> 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?

Loose? The file will be on the desktop, so it won't appear in the
templates menu. This is conceptually extremely simple, there is no magic
about the template folder. Its just a folder. This is what makes this
solution so nice (and actually usable for many people).
 
> > 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. 

What are you talking about? Third party apps installing there?
Nothing should install anything there. Its a user directory. However, we
want to have an easy way for e.g. file-selectors to find the template
directory so that its easy to save templates from apps.

> 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?

That depends on you interpretation of clean and of easy access to
creating new file types. But yeah, if you want to use the template
functionallity of nautilus you'll have a Template directory in your
homedir (it'll show up translated in the ui though).

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 Alexander Larsson                                            Red Hat, Inc 
                   alexl redhat com    alla lysator liu se 
He's a deeply religious Republican househusband on the wrong side of the law. 
She's a violent streetsmart mechanic on the trail of a serial killer. They 
fight crime!