SuggestedPackagesForFiletypesSpec

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 * maybe use update-desktop-database to build the database (if possible?) The information about the supported filetypes is part of the desktop file for the applications. We generate a cached version (pickle?) of the desktop-files database that contains the required information for gnome-app-install.
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 * user clicks on a unsupported file: If a user clicks on a unsupported filetype with nautilus it should talk to gnome-app-install (either via dbus or the commandline) and make it show a dialog of the applications that could possibly open that file-type. Those applications should be ranked with the popcon information and it should be a subset of the normal gnome-app-install window (without the sections on the left and the search field on the top). Nautilus needs to pass the mime-type and the actual path to the file to gnome-app-install. When the user selects "install" and it is installed, g-a-i should open the file with the just installed application.
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  - dialog opens and asks gnome-app-install if it has support for it == Implementation ==
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  - it needs to be very fast so we need to cache the data (probably just pickle it) and pre-cache it when the package is build == Open issues ==

The lookup if the mime-type can be supported needs to be very fast (and pre-cached) because if we actually do not have any package that supports the given mime-type we need to tell nautilus so that it can display a error dialog. That one should be better worded than the current: "Couldn't display '%s'". Something like "There is no application available to view: '%s'" is more appropriate.

== BOF discussion bits ==
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 * make a nicer dialog if a unknown file-type comes up (instead of the current "Couldn't display '%s'"). Probably "there is no application available to view: '%s'")  * make a nicer dialog if a unknown file-type comes up (instead of the current
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== Outstanding issues ==

== BoF agenda and discussion ==

Summary

Ubuntu does not install packages for every file type there is but if a user wants to open a document that is not supported out-of-the-box there should be a option to install the required package(s) to work with that file type.

Rationale

We have the information about the suppported mime-types for most packages via the desktop files already. This information should be used to present a user-friendly way to install packages.

Use cases

  1. Alice clicks on a .xxx document and gets a error message that this file-stype is not supported. She is frustrated by the lack of options.

Scope

Modifications to gnome-app-install and nautilus packages needs to be done.

Design

The information about the supported filetypes is part of the desktop file for the applications. We generate a cached version (pickle?) of the desktop-files database that contains the required information for gnome-app-install.

If a user clicks on a unsupported filetype with nautilus it should talk to gnome-app-install (either via dbus or the commandline) and make it show a dialog of the applications that could possibly open that file-type. Those applications should be ranked with the popcon information and it should be a subset of the normal gnome-app-install window (without the sections on the left and the search field on the top). Nautilus needs to pass the mime-type and the actual path to the file to gnome-app-install. When the user selects "install" and it is installed, g-a-i should open the file with the just installed application.

Implementation

Open issues

The lookup if the mime-type can be supported needs to be very fast (and pre-cached) because if we actually do not have any package that supports the given mime-type we need to tell nautilus so that it can display a error dialog. That one should be better worded than the current: "Couldn't display '%s'". Something like "There is no application available to view: '%s'" is more appropriate.

BOF discussion bits

  • - if we have something to install display a dialog with the information and ask the user if he wants to install it - this should most likely bring up gnome-app-install in a special mode without "sections" and "search" and a header with a explaination. open issue: what to do when there is only something in "unsupported" but "unsupported" is unchecked in the g-a-i checkbox. we bring up a text that explains that a component is not checked and expand/show when the checkbox is checked - make sure that commerial stuff (vmware-player, realplayer) does the right thing (display license uri etc) - the dialog invokes gnome-app-install via dbus/commandline and installs the stuff - sort by popularity ranking! - when the application is installed, it is launched with the file that was requested (so g-a-i needs the filename too) - we need a commandline interface (for e.g. firefox that does not use dbus) and optionally a dbus interface
  • make a nicer dialog if a unknown file-type comes up (instead of the current

Implementation

Code

Data preservation and migration

CategorySpec

SuggestedPackagesForFiletypesSpec (last edited 2008-08-06 16:37:32 by localhost)