Network Management Plasmoid TODOs

[Will Stephenson]

On Monday 09 November 2009 15:36:17 Sebastian Kügler wrote:
> On Monday 09 November 2009 14:20:26 Will Stephenson wrote:
> > On Monday 09 November 2009 14:06:40 Sebastian Kügler wrote:
> > > > * 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.

Can we come up with one design for these extra info overlays in the mails 
we're exchanging with ademmer and pinheiro that we can use in both KNM and the 
applet?

 
> > > 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").

IF you show unconfigured networks in the popup you should have 2 things
* scrollview instead of expanding the popup
* a searchline for use in densely populated areas

> > > > * (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.

I would try to plan for this now by having a list of interface UNIs that the 
popup knows about to display info for

> > > > * 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.

Ok then NM is re-issuing GetSecrets when you try to collect, look at the NM 
logs to see why it might be doing this.

Will