Network Management Plasmoid TODOs

[Sebastian Kügler]

On Monday 09 November 2009 14:20:26 Will Stephenson wrote:
> On Monday 09 November 2009 14:06:40 Sebastian Kügler wrote:
> > Status update...
> >
> > On Friday 06 November 2009 19:00:54 Will Stephenson wrote:
> > > Off the top of my head:
> > >
> > > * Check that RemoteVpnConnectionitem and
> > > RemoteHiddenWirelessNetworkConnectionitem are complete (service side)
> > > * Implement these including Disconnect button
> > > * Design the Plasma side graphicsitem family for minimum code
> > > duplication * Tooltips
> >
> > Should both be OK, modulo some smallish fixes that will creep in.
> >
> > > * Make main interface (not popup) able to show connecting, connected,
> > > VPN active states

I'd do it as follows:

- we have a progress bar sitting in the bottom (horizontal, seems visually more like 
a progress bar). That ones laid over the icon dynamically. This progress bar is used 
for connecting *any* connection. (For wireless you'll see it while 

- an overlay icon, possibly top-right, half-width and height of the "parent" icon:
	- it shows a checkmark for a couple of seconds after connections are established
   - it shows a permanent overlay (on top of the hardware icon) for connected VPNs
   - it shows a "(!)" when user interaction is required (for example a password 
     dialog waits to be filled in)

We'll have to see how much visual clutter this adds, though. In knetworkmanager, you 
have something similar (progress bar + overlay icon), I think that's OK visually, but 
"normally" I'd like to hide the progress bar.

> > Which main interface are you talking about?
> 
> What's the proper name for the plasmoid as it appears in a containment in
>  non- popped-up state?  That interface.

Let's call it "panel view" (yeah, just made that up). :)

> > > * A plasma-esque way to show the list of all wireless networks (not in
> > > the main popup, so this doesn't explode out of the screen).
> > > KNetworkManager uses a regular KDialog for this
> >
> > Again, what exactly do you mean?
> 
> I mean 'do what KNetworkManager does' and don't fill the popup with
> unconfigured wireless networks that we are not interested in most of the
>  time and just add noise.

I'll have a look at how knetworkmanager does it. Maybe some sort of toggle for the 
list of activatables for showing or hiding those unconfigured networks, possibly with 
some magic in the background (i.e. toggle to "show all" when there's no preconfigured 
network found).

> Instead show configured wireless networks (WirelessInterfaceConnections) in
> the popup, and show other WirelessNetworks and all HiddenWirelessNetworks
>  (so that people can connect to their configured hidden networks in a
>  second level dialog.

We should sort the "known" ones on top (note: need an icon for that, right now using 
the bookmarks one since that's semantically closest to "known network").

> > > * (Optional) icon per interface support
> 
> Is this off the table for 4.4?

I'd say no, though not a priority right now. It shouldn't be very hard to do now.

> > > * The service needs either properly kded-modulizing or splitting out
> > > into a separate process like kwalletd
> > >
> > > I'm sure we'll come up more in the meeting starting NOW in #plasma
> >
> > Over the weekend, I've done the following:
> >
> > - removed SVGs, use KIcon all over
> > - fix up tooltips and interface item's title
> > - less code duplication, new class UiUtils (in libs/ui now)
> >
> > Next to tackle:
> > 1 connection progress in the panel icon
> > 2 buglet in sorting connection list, an interface that is connecting
> > should be more important than an inactive one
> > 3 layouting bug where the activatablelist overflows its scrollwidget
> > (looks like a parenting problem)
> > 4 I'm asked more than once for the connection's password, I think
> >  knetworkmanager has the same problem
> 
> When exactly?  The known 'bug' is that since knetworkmanager, and the KCM,
>  are distinct apps, KWallet policy has to be set independently on those, so
>  you get one KWallet dialog when first creating a connection, and another
>  one when knetworkmanager (or the kded module, for the plasmoid) tries to
>  open the wallet to provide NM with the password.

After creating the account, it's trying to connect and then immediately it brings up 
the password dialog again (with password now filled in).

It's not a kwallet dialog.

> > I'd appreciate if someone could look into the latter two (3 and 4), I've
> >  been banging my head against the layoutwall enough already.
> >
> > Note that I can't test VPN or mobile broadband stuff. If nobody can do
> >  that, we should disable it before the release.
> 
> I can test those.  The main things to do for those are make sure there is a
> disconnect button shown when they are connected (doesn't need hardware or a
> VPN login) and check that the 'main UI' (as defined above) shows the right
> icon when those are active (needs hardware or a VPN login).

Ok, I'll take care of the disconnect button, for VPN, see above.
-- 
sebas

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