Projects/KNS2

KNewStuff 2

Who uses KNewStuff2

API Discussion

Classes will (mostly) be:

• A packager/uploader (Plasmagik)
• An Handler (Facility class created to manage files locally)
• A download GUI (Like the exixting one)
• A package manager (Like SK package manager)
• A class used to retrive *all* the information from a single entry (KNS::CompleteEntry)
• A model class to allow knewstuff integration into apps (It will contain all the informations availeable with the download dialog)

PolishingWeek-end

Bugs and regressions from 3.5

• Unsorted is not needed as there's no other option
• No feedback when something is downloaded, the user does not know when it is finished. => kmail-style progress bars
  • In CoreEngine::slotInstallationVerification(int result) signalInstallationFinished() and signalInstallationFailed() are emitted but not connected anywhere.
• No feedback in the dialog that some items are already present (was done in 3.5 in the app by writing in config stuff entries then KNS picked that and displayed a green tick in the list)
  • In KDE 3.5 this code is in void DownloadDialog::install(Entry *e) in downloaddialog.cpp
• The display of the list is slow, way slower than in KDE 3.5

To implement

• Upload
• Engine Interface
• fix blocking / simple API

Programs using KNS for KDE 4.0

• Edu progs: KAnagram, KHangMan, KLettres, KStars, Parley, KWordQuiz
• Kate
• System Settings: used it for background in KDE 3, there's no background module now because plasma came. Plasma's wallpaper configuration dialog integrates KNS2.
• Kopete is looking into a tight integration for KDE 4.1, KNS is disabled for 4.0 however.

Generic TODO

• Rename KNS::Entry, and, consequentially, KNS::CompleteEntry

What still needs to be done (getting rid of the above section)

• Merge DXS and GHNS download dialogs. Also check with usability guys.
• Add networking capabilities to Plasmagik.
• Finish the code for the metadata generation.
• The Handler, to locally manage packages.
• Write a cache removal strategy, that should be the last bit of the networking stuff.
• The CompleteEntry class, used also by the Handler, used to retrive all the availeable informations from an already downloaded package (needs to be written in a more detailed fashion)
• Anything else?

Other

KNewStuff2 will store all the files in a specific dir. The layout of this dir, and all the related information can be found here.

Results of the IRC meeting / Tasklist

TODO

• NN: link classes directly to tests to prevent unnecessary KNEWSTUFF_EXPORTs
• NN: use multi-threading in the download dialogue to speed up the display
• NN: explore KNS::Engine::cleanup() and why it isn't present
• Josef: indicate entry's status (e.g. installed) in the entry list

DONE

• Josef: branches/work/knewstuff2/knewstuff-polishing
• Josef: re-enable test apps using cmake TEST parameter
• Josef: move KDXSView class from the library to the tests
• Dennis: Improve argument parsing for InstallCommand directive in .knsrc files (don't break whitespaces) and quote filename arguments (%f)
• Josef: add kmail-style progress bars for async download indication
  • mostly finished (http://new.kstuff.org/~josef/kns-progress2.png) except for cancellation
• Jeremy: hardcode m_localregistrydir as configuring it through *.knsrc is not needed