Default activities

[Chani]

On November 12, 2010 22:54:21 Aaron J. Seigo wrote:
> On Wednesday, November 10, 2010, Chani wrote:
> > the latter - what I was asking was, *what* scripting can do it?
> 
> there isn't anything in the javascript that can do this right now, no. it
> would be easy to add API for it, though, and i'm happy to do so as long as
> we have a use case .. which we do.
> 
> so. the start of a scope definition:
> 
> It should be possible to check for the existence of a given application or
> service.
> 
> questions, with my snap decision answers in parentheses afterwards:
> 
> * should it be necessary to search by keyword, category, etc? (i don't
> think so)

if I wanted to show a whole category, I'd want a plasmoid capable of 
displaying such a thing, and then there'd be no need for a search. (...hrm, 
can kickoff do that?)

> 
> * how about generic name? (perhaps)

I forget which name that is.

> 
> * the name in the .desktop file? (e.g. Battle Ship vs kbattleship)

only the untranslated, most stable one (kbattleship)

> 
> * case sensitive if refering to the executable name on disk? (i think so,
> though only because this makes the implementation trivial)

don't care

> 
> * how about get the default application (web browser, e.g.)?  (yes)

+1

> 
> * return the path to the executable found? (could be added, but i can't
> think of a valid use case for it at the moment)

is there anything you can do with the binary that you can't do with the 
.desktop?

> 
> so perhaps a small set of methods:
> 
> bool applicationExists(String name) -> searches $PATH as well as .desktop
> files
> 
> String defaultApplication(String kind) -> returns the desktop entry or the
> executable if none exists of the default app, if any (e.g. terminal, web
> browser, email, etc)

yes

> 
> Array[String] matchingApplications(String name, String category,
> Array[String] keywords) <-- not sure about this one, but maybe useful? hm.

not until someone actually wants to use them.

> 
> 
> as an aside: a variation on the icon  plasmoid that represents a default
> application would be very cool imho. imagine an instance of the plasmoid
> set to show the "web browser" which would change its icon and what it
> launches based on the desktop setting?

also a variation that's optimized for urls and works well for them (icon 
really sucked for that last time I tried)... and a variation that clones an 
app launcher, allowing you to customize settings (eg. konsole with certain 
options) without affecting the original launcher.

JJ anyone? :)

-- 
Chani
http://chani.ca
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