Review Request 129727: kdeconnect-kde: Add remotekeyboard plugin

[Holger Kaelberer]

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https://git.reviewboard.kde.org/r/129727/
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(Updated Jan. 13, 2017, 8:33 p.m.)


Review request for kdeconnect.


Changes
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- rename all packets to kdeconnect.mousepad.xxx, echo packets to type kdeconnect.mousepad.echo
- add and handle kdeconnect.mousepad.keyboardstate, pass it through to the plasmoid and gray out TextField onRemoteStateChanged to false
- update to recent rework of exposing plugins on dbus
- handle more echoed special keys in the plasmoid


Bugs: 370919
    http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=370919


Repository: kdeconnect-kde


Description
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Allow to inject keypress events to remote peers (most notably Android devices)

Notes / open issues / possible improvements:

- For the json-payload I used the syntax of the key-events as sent by mousepad-plugin with the addition of a "sendAck"-flag. If "sendAck" is set to true the remote peer should echo a key-event if it could be handled, thus allowing the local client to find out whether the key was accepted. For performance reasons, it's allowed to send multi-char strings in the "key" property (performs much better if you send a whole string via "echo '...' |  kdeconnect-cli ..." e.g.)

- kdeconnect-cli: For now takes a string and transforms it into single key-events for visible characters only. In a first implementation I used a kbhit() helper that used termios.h to catch and relay keypresses interactively (including some special-events), which was not optimal. A better approch might be to use linux input-api directly. Would this be an option regarding cross-platform compatibility or can I assume to develop for Linux only? Being a command-line guy, I'd really like to have a fully featured kdeconnect-cli interface ;-)

- Factor out the Qt::Key-to-internal keymap to some core-helper because it corresponds to the mapping in the mousepad-plugin?

- The plasmoid is not perfect as it is: A single line containing a non-echoing TextField (i.e. it eats all the KeyPress events), and only ack-ed keypress-packets from the peer device are injected if they contain visible keys. Advantage: the user sees whether his key-presses are accepted by the peer device. Disadvantage: The echoed text does not correspond 1:1 to what is shown on the peer's display, user might be confused when typing without success. I played around with different variations each of which with its proper shortcomings:
1. An echoing Textfield for typing: Has the advantage that the user can directly see what he is typing, which makes interaction in the typing field easier, BUT messes up interaction if the Editor on the peer is changed silently and does not notify the user if his keypresses are not handled by the peer.
2. A non-echoing TextField for typing PLUS a readonly one for printing visible echoed keys. Disadvantage: same as for the previous one and uses more space on the plasmoid.
Comments? Ideas?


Diffs (updated)
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  cli/kdeconnect-cli.cpp 1acb723 
  interfaces/CMakeLists.txt 19a9cdc 
  interfaces/dbusinterfaces.h 9848d0c 
  interfaces/dbusinterfaces.cpp aab3e05 
  plasmoid/declarativeplugin/kdeconnectdeclarativeplugin.cpp 282f2a9 
  plasmoid/package/contents/ui/DeviceDelegate.qml e90e021 
  plasmoid/package/contents/ui/RemoteKeyboard.qml PRE-CREATION 
  plugins/CMakeLists.txt 9d230ac 
  plugins/remotekeyboard/CMakeLists.txt PRE-CREATION 
  plugins/remotekeyboard/README PRE-CREATION 
  plugins/remotekeyboard/kdeconnect_remotekeyboard.json PRE-CREATION 
  plugins/remotekeyboard/remotekeyboardplugin.h PRE-CREATION 
  plugins/remotekeyboard/remotekeyboardplugin.cpp PRE-CREATION 

Diff: https://git.reviewboard.kde.org/r/129727/diff/


Testing
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A lot!


Thanks,

Holger Kaelberer

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