Sugar Labs - User contributions [en]

Talk:Activity Library/FAQ

2010-03-02T14:45:57Z

Davewa: /* */

<noinclude>{{TeamHeader|Activity Team}}</noinclude>

==<Your Question Here>==
I'm a developer. I've created a working activity. How do I get it listed in the Activity Library?
: <An answer here>

Development Team/Almanac/sugar.activity.activity

2008-05-29T18:03:39Z

Davewa: /* What is the standard toolbar needed in most activities and how do I create it? */

The sugar.activity.activity package includes several important classes that are needed to run a basic activity.

== Class: Activity ==
=== How do I create a new activity that is derived from the base Activity class? ===

All activities must implement a class derived from the 'Activity' class. The convention is to call it ActivitynameActivity, but this is not required as the activity.info file associated with your activity will tell the sugar-shell which class to start.

from sugar.activity import activity
...
class ToolbarExample(activity.Activity):

def __init__(self, handle):
activity.Activity.__init__(self, handle)

== Class: ActivityToolbar, ActivityToolbox ==

=== What is the standard toolbar needed in most activities and how do I create it? ===
The Activity toolbar with the Journal entry title, sharing, Keep and Stop buttons is the most basic toolbar. All activities should have this toolbar. It is easiest to add it to your Activity by using the ActivityToolbox.

(this code would go in your Activity's __init__ method):

#### CREATE TOOLBOX
# Creates the Toolbox. It contains the Activity Toolbar, which is the
# bar that appears on every Sugar window and contains essential
# functionalities, such as the 'Collaborate' and 'Close' buttons.
toolbox = activity.ActivityToolbox(self)
self.set_toolbox(toolbox)
toolbox.show()

== Class: EditToolbar ==

=== How do I add a standard edit toolbar to my activity? ===
The activity package has a standard edit toolbar with the following members:
* undo -- the undo button
* redo -- the redo button
* copy -- the copy button
* paste -- the paste button
* separator -- A separator between undo/redo and copy/paste

You can create a standard edit tool bar using code similar to the following in the __init__ method of your activity's class after you have created a toolbox:

#### EDIT TOOLBAR
# Create the edit toolbar:
self._edit_toolbar = activity.EditToolbar()
# Add the edit toolbar:
toolbox.add_toolbar(_('Edit'), self._edit_toolbar)
# And make it visible:
self._edit_toolbar.show()

=== How do I hide a button in the edit toolbar that is not needed in my activity? ===
The following code shows how to hide the undo button. You can also apply similar code to hide the redo, copy and paste buttons.

#hide the undo button
self._edit_toolbar.undo.props.visible=False

=== How do I disable and enable a button on the edit toolbar? ===
Some buttons, such as copy, may need to be disabled under certain circumstances (eg. there is nothing to copy). This can be done by changing the sensitivity of the widget, as the following code shows:

#disable the use of the copy button for now.
self._edit_toolbar.copy.set_sensitive(False)

Request New Features

2008-05-23T19:23:24Z

Davewa: /* Sugar Control Panel */

== Please describe new feature requests here ==
(Developers: please continue to file feature requests in the [http://dev.laptop.org Trac system].)
----

=== File System ===

I love the Journal function. It's great. But it's near impossible to store and find files in Sugar, and name/locate files on other devices. We need a drag & drop system, and the ability to move files between storage devices easily. Give people the choice of either (Journal is very handy to track activity and, similar to the _open recent_ function in many OS X/Windows apps, lets you find recent stuff easily. I think this needs to be a new icon on the home view, alongside journal, and when you access it, or Journal, it's intuitive and easy to move between either view.

:The new journal design call for some of what you described above: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Designs#Journal [[User:Tomeu|Tomeu]] 10:47, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, it's better. But I still want to see the files I have created/saved in a list, by storage device. File name. Type. Size. Date last used.

=== Sugarize Firefox ===

It would be greatly appreciated if someone can develop a Sugarized version of Firefox! I don't think the collaboration tools are necessary (since the built in browser already does this), but people keep bringing it up as an issue why they don't like Sugar. Help, someone! That, or add tabs to the browse activity and a better Bookmarking mechanism.

* I use a "sugar coated" version of SeaMonkey; which is a full suite (browser, email, etc). Might Seamonkey be a better option due to its (as I understand) smaller footprint & greate number of options? -- [[User:AuntiMame]] 22 May 2008 16:05

AuntiMame - Can this be added to [[Activities & Software]] where we can compile a list of all available applications, installation instructions, and links to download? -- [[User:Graham|Graham]]

* The Sugar Browser is actually based on the Firefox guts (xulrunner), but the UI has been developed for Sugar. You can find more details [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Browse#Summary here.] There have been many requests, like yours, to improve it by supporting more features that "normal" browsers have. I agree that tabs and bookmarks would be welcome additions and useful for children. -- [[User:Ridderman|Ridderman]] 20:53, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

=== Sugar Control Panel ===

I would like to see a GUI control panel... I am discovering new features to customize through terminal, however, a lot of them could be easily accessible through a simple control panel GUI. I think this would help newer users a great deal.

<ol>
*Date, Time & Timezone
*Language
*User Accounts
*WiFi settings
*Jabber server(s) - ability to input multiple servers for different user groups (schools, cities, countries, etc.).
*Add/Remove Programs
*System Updates
*Desktop GUI settings
*Name SD card and USB media drives, etc.
*Running Linux Applications Under Sugar - A script has been written to Sugar Coat Linux apps to make them run under Sugar desktop (i.e. making them to run in the Sugar interface, without the collaboration and other Sugar integration programmed into them). Can this be made more user-friendly and incorporated into a Sugar Control Panel GUI, to make adding applications easier?
*What else?
How about also getting latitude and longitude from the "nearby city" selected in the timezone setting dialog? -- [[User:Davewa|davewa]] 19:23, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
</ol>

-- [[User:Graham|Graham]]

:This is a great idea, and it's actually already being developed. You can find more details [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Sugar_Control_Panel#GUI_for_the_command_line_tool_.28work_in_progress.29 here] or in the sugar mailing lists. I'm not sure whether this will be available for the next Sucrose release, 0.82. -- [[User:Ridderman|Ridderman]] 21:02, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

: What is Sucrose, exactly?
:: See [[Taxonomy#Sucrose:_The_interface.2C_plus_a_set_of_demonstration_activities|Sucrose]]; which suggests we may want a [[Glossary]] of (un)common terms. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 23:12, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

=== Chat (Jabber) ===

Ability to add multiple Jabber servers (connect with functionality detailed above) and switch between them in the chat program.

:From Wiki:

:But what if you wish to connect to one of several jabber servers because you belong to several communities/SIGs? I can live with one-at-a-time, but it would be wonderful if I could pick from a list I've created. Or at least a list of jabber servers I've previously connected to. How about a syntax for "choice <n> from file <x>" and "show me choices in file <x>"? -- davewa

=== Browse ===

I cannot copy a link, I can't save a jpg, the Sugar OS changes the filename of a file which it does not recognise, the directory system is hidden, there is no predictive text when typing URL's or usernames, there's no tabbed browsing, there's no cookie, proxy or popup control.

=== Printer Support ===

I don't need to detail this very much - it's self evident. Support for generic USB printer drivers, and School Server printing? -- [[User:Graham|Graham]]
:<tt>yum install cups</tt> works out of the box so you can easily add network printers. But printing is not exposed in the Sugar UI. There was work going on at the OSU Open Systems labs... I'll ping them to find out if they have been making headway. --[[User:Walter|Walter]] 12:19, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. We await news with baited breath. -- [[User:Graham|Graham]]

[[Category:General public]]

User:Davewa

2008-05-23T19:19:50Z

Davewa: New page: davewa can be contacted at wa1gsf -at- comcast -dot- net (that's wa-numeral_one-gsf) He is working on a StarChart Activity (http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Activities/StarChart), which ...

davewa can be contacted at wa1gsf -at- comcast -dot- net (that's wa-numeral_one-gsf)

He is working on a StarChart Activity (http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Activities/StarChart), which is currently in an advanced beta release stage.

davewa has a bio at www.wa1gsf.net along with ramblings about retrocomputing, astronomy, 3D modeling and a whole bunch of vacation photos from Hawaii.

How to connect Sugar to a Jabber network

2008-05-22T16:53:20Z

Davewa:

[[Category:Jabber]]

*See also [[A list of Jabber networks around the world]]

=== Connecting to a community jabber server ===
If you want to connect quickly, simply open terminal. Then type the following commands :

sugar-control-panel -s jabber jabber.server.url

''replace jabber.server.url with the jabber server you with to use''

then restart Sugar (warning: close activities first to save) by pressing ctrl+alt+erase, then go to the neighborhood view and have fun!

But what if you wish to connect to one of several jabber servers because you
belong to several communities/SIGs? I can live with one-at-a-time, but it
would be wonderful if I could pick from a list I've created. Or at least a
list of jabber servers I've previously connected to. How about a syntax for
"choice <n> from file <x>" and "show me choices in file <x>"? -- davewa

Taxonomy

2008-05-21T14:35:58Z

Davewa:

Benjamin M. Schwartz has proposed a taxonomy for the various Sugar components to remedy an ongoing naming problem.

"I think Sugar has a naming problem. There are a lot of different digital
objects being produced by this project, and referring to all of them as
Sugar is becoming increasingly confusing. For example, the discussion
about "Sugar on Windows" has been all but incomprehensible, because each
author means something entirely different by the term "Sugar". Similarly,
the recent proposals for "inclusion in Sugar" are extremely confusing,
since these components will not be required to run Sugar.

"To resolve this, I am going to attempt to list a number of important,
distinct digital objects that this work has produced. I will also
introduce cutesy codenames. I hope that the Sugar developers will adopt a
clear set of distinct names, and I do not care if they choose these names
or other names."

==Sweet: The abstract design of the interface==

''(the taste of sugar)''

Description: "Sweet" is the abstract design of the interface's appearance
and behavior, independent of any code actually implementing this style.
The mockups at http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Designs represent this
component's second major release, or perhaps 2.0-alpha.

==Glucose: The base Sugar environment==

''(the fundamental, simple sugar used by all life forms)''

Description: Glucose is the minimal system that must be added to a
standard Linux distribution in order to enable Activities to run. This
includes all the python code and graphics files that implement the shell,
as well as the Journal. Glucose's dependencies may include xorg-server,
xulrunner, squeakvm, rainbow, etc. Some of these dependencies may be
marked optional by distributions. Glucose does not include any Activities
except those like the Journal that are non-optional.

==Fructose: A set of demonstration activities==

''(the main sugar in fruit, which is how we're supposed to get our sugar)''

Description: The Sugar developers will need some example set of
activities with which to demonstrate Sugar. This set is Fructose. The
packages in Fructose should be selected to make the resulting environment
as impressive as possible for a potential client or user. Packages should
therefore be stable, polished, and exercise the widest possible range of
features. Fructose may also serve as an example for people constructing
their own Activity sets.

==Sucrose: The interface, plus a set of demonstration activities==

''("table sugar", the kind you buy in the store. It consists of glucose and fructose, combined)''

Description: Sucrose consists of both Glucose and Fructose. It therefore
represents a complete example Sugar environment, ready to be installed
through a package manager. The purpose of Sucrose is so that prospective
deployers can install the "sugar-sucrose" package, and immediately say
"Wow! Look at all the cool capabilities that this system has!".

==Ribose: The base Linux distribution being used by Sugar==

''(the sugar used by all lifeforms to control their hardware, in the form of RNA. It's important, but not sweet)''

Description: Ribose is the set of hardware-centric software components
that have been developed throughout this project. It includes the XO
kernels, OHM, any init-script customizations, etc. Ribose should be
construed as including all components necessary to boot the system, enough
to install Glucose if it has not yet been installed.

==Starch(es): A complete disk image for Sugar==

''(starch is composed of multiple sugars bonded together)''

Description: We often distribute complete disk images for Sugar, ready to
boot. These images are composed of multiple elements of the above stack.
~ For example, the current Joyride images are composed of Ribose (the
non-graphical work) and Glucose (the shell) but not Fructose (the activity
package). Each image series should be named separately, to minimize
confusion. For cutesy codenames, we could have a development build
("glycogen", a starch used to produce Glucose) and a stable build
("cellulose", an extremely stable starch).

== The SUGAR stack: block diagram view==

+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| SWEET: The abstract design of the interface |
| |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+

+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| STARCH: A complete disk image for Sugar |
| |
| +---------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | SUCROSE: The interface, plus a set | |
| | of demonstration activities | |
| | | |
| | +------------------------------+ +--------------------+ | |
| | | FRUCTOSE: A set of demo | | | | |
| | | activities | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | +------------------------------+ | | | |
| | +--------------------------------+ | | |
| | | GLUCOSE: The base Sugar environment | | |
| | | | | |
| | +-----------------------------------------------------+ | |
| +---------------------------------------------------------+ |
| |
| +--------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | OPERATING SYSTEM +-----------------+ | |
| | | RIBOSE | | |
| | | | | |
| | +-----------------+ | |
| +--------------------------------------------------------+ |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+

+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| HARDWARE |
| |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+

Note: See discussion for details about the OS/Ribose stacking

Current implementations of Sugar elements can be found at [[Supported systems]]

==Deepening the concept==
===Lead acetate: An implementation of Sweet on Windows===

''(often called '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_of_lead sugar of lead]''', lead acetate tastes better than sugar but isn't good for children)''

Description: "Lead acetate" is the proposed implementation
of Sweet on Windows XP. Lead acetate may provide better performance
than Glucose, but it is obsolete and
[http://www.healthychildrenproject.org/pdf/PPLEAD.pdf toxic to young brains].
It causes learning disability, behavioral tendencies
toward violence, and even brain damage.

:I know this is tongue-in-cheek, but how about [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy aspartame] - once thought better than sugar, but possibly connected with brain tumors... --[[User:Morgs|Morgs]] 11:44, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

===Honey: activities developed by 'in the wild' vendors===

''a sweet fluid made by bees, mostly Fructose''

Description: Activities that are packaged by outside developers, sometimes ports of activities to Sugar from other OS. It might enhance Sugar and the Sweet experience, but "honey frequently contains dormant endospores of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which can be dangerous to infants" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey Wikipedia].
~ For example, Skype, printer capability, IM software
: as a former beekeeper I can tell you that not all honey is organic, though we all wish it were so (antibiotics taint a lot of it, especially in developing countries) [[User:Yamaplos|Yamaplos]] 15:04, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

===One-liners===
''So you're saying Sugar is now suite? ''
Kevin Cole

''Caramel: a "feature freeze" on Sucrose''

''Diabetic OS: an OS that cannot handle Sugar yet''
Yama Ploskonka

''Molasses: a beta, unfinished release of Sugar''

''High Fructose Corn Syrup: Apparently similar, but made of patented materials''
Morgan Collett

''How sweet it is!'' Jackie Gleason

''Insulin: what Microsoft needs to make Sugar go away.'' davewa

Talk:Documentation Team

2008-05-19T20:03:57Z

Davewa:

One programmer's opinion:

I believe it is a mistake to rely on "read the code" as a solution to sugar documentation. There needs to be a document for each class this organization invents. The document should contain at least the following:

1. What the class is for and when it's appropriate for the developer to use it.

2. What the class is derived from (if anything), what base-class methods/attributes it overrides/extends/hides and what new methods/attributes are provided. *

3. Methods and attributes reference (it could be appropriate for this part to be generated from the code).

(*) Pardon me if that's not Python-speak: I'm new to the Python language. Methods are the things in a class that start with "def"; attributes are the class's data.

Finally, there needs to be both an index to classes and a "roadmap" showing how the classes relate to each other. Examples would be nice to have, too, but this "developers' reference guide" is essential -- otherwise the learning curve is too steep and third-party developers will go devote their time to some easier-understood project.

I hate to hold Microsoft up as a good example (they aren't -- they're only so-so when it comes to documentation), but the hyperlinked documentation for the Microsoft Foundation Class library is fairly decent. The documentation for the Swing library in Java is nearly as good, though the class library reference part could use a better layout.

A nice-to-have in all of this would be the ability to call up the relevent documentation while coding, as can be done in Visual Studio.
[[User:Davewa|dave]] 20:03, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Talk:Documentation Team

2008-05-19T17:14:28Z

Davewa: New page: One programmer's opinion: I believe it is a mistake to rely on "read the code" as a solution to sugar documentation. There needs to be a document for each class this organization invents...

One programmer's opinion:

I believe it is a mistake to rely on "read the code" as a solution to sugar documentation. There needs to be a document for each class this organization invents. The document should contain at least the following:

1. What the class is for and when it's appropriate for the developer to use it.
2. What the class is derived from (if anything), what base-class methods/attributes it overrides/extends/hides and what new methods/attributes are provided. *
3. Methods and attributes reference (it could be appropriate for this part to be generated from the code).

* Pardon me if that's not Python-speak: I'm new to the Python language. Methods are the things in a class that start with "def"; attributes are the class's data.

Finally, there needs to be both an index to classes and a "roadmap" showing how the classes relate to each other. Examples would be nice to have, too, but this "developers' reference guide" is essential -- otherwise the learning curve is too steep and third-party developers will go devote their time to some easier-understood project.

I hate to hold Microsoft up as a good example (they aren't -- they're only so-so when it comes to documentation), but the hyperlinked documentation for the Microsoft Foundation Class library is fairly decent. The documentation for the Swing library in Java is nearly as good, though the class library reference part could use a better layout.

A nice-to-have in all of this would be the ability to call up the relevent documentation while coding, as can be done in Visual Studio.