[Digikam-devel] Reworking of image editor

[Mikolaj Machowski]

Reworking of image editor


Wealth of digikamimageplugins (DIPS) is awesome but it has also less
pleasant effect. First symptomps of gimpositis are creeping into digiKam
Image Editor (IE).

Menus are becoming so huge and nested it is hard to remember where
particular option is and what is it doing.

I'd like to suggest reworking IE.

1. Strictly separate core IE functionality and plugins. 

   a. Core plugins (not those forming digikamimageplugins) should stay
      in menus.
   b. DIPS should be put in panel similar to those in main digiKam
      window (Tags, Albums, Dates).
   c. Automatically add DIPS to this panel, don't enforce to use
      configuration dialog of digiKam.

2. DIPS panel should be configurable in two ways: 

   a. tree view with basic separation in categories
   b. flat list

   In both views should be provided live search which would scan DIPS
   not only by name but also for keywords and description defined in
   .desktop files like modules in KDE Control Center.

3. Working dialogs of DIPS should be embedded into IE window not create
   separate windows. Drawback here is it could practically enforce users
   to use IE in maximized state (personally don't see much harm but
   there can be complaints).


Summary:

- easier finding of not much often used DIPS
- no need to turning on plugins in DIPS configuration
- getting rid of one layer of windows (digiKam->IE->DIPS would be
  reduced to (digiKam->IE)