Difference between revisions of "Features/Notification System"

Latest revision as of 07:00, 18 July 2014

Summary

This adds a simple messages notification system for sugar that can be used by the system, journal and activities notifications.

Owner

Name: SAMdroid
Email: sam.parkinson3@gmail.com

Name: tch
Email: tch@sugarlabs.org

Current status

Targeted release: 0.102
Last updated: 8th of Feb
Percentage of completion: 90%

Detailed Description

When a notification is received it displays a pulsing icon, that is specified as part of the notification, at the top left corner of the screen. This icon stays in there for just a few seconds.

The received notification can be found at the activities tray. It is represented by a button with a notification badge.

The button's palette displays, at the bottom of the palette, all the notifications that are related to the same entity. Entities can be basically anything, ie., the journal, activities or even scripts running in background.

Every notification must belong to an entity. If one notification is sent, that notification should create a new icon if and only if there is not a previous icon for the same entity.

If one entity receives more than 5 notifications, scrolling will be used to limit the space.

The notification summary and body are limited in width, only 70 characters will be displayed.

Benefit to Sugar

This would be nice for chat, calenders, and any other kind of even that the user should be aware of. It would help bring us into line with the other desktop environs.

Scope

The current implementation covers most the building blocks that are required for journal, activities and system message notifications. At the moment, only system messages are implemented, using these same building blocks.

UI Design

Design Team/Proposals/Notifications

How To Test

For system notifications you can run this script, ie., from Terminal activity:

   import dbus
   BUS_NAME = 'org.freedesktop.Notifications'
   OBJ_PATH = '/org/freedesktop/Notifications'
   IFACE_NAME = 'org.freedesktop.Notifications'
   bus = dbus.SessionBus()
   notify_obj = bus.get_object(BUS_NAME,OBJ_PATH)
   notifications = dbus.Interface(notify_obj,IFACE_NAME)
   notifications.Notify("Software Update", 0, "", "New activities are available!", "Please check your activities list", [], {'x-sugar-icon-name': 'module-updater'}, -1)

From activities you can use this simplified method, (Gtk3 is required):

   self.notify_user('This is the summary','This is a much longer body... describing something...')

User Experience

These messages notifications should not distract the user, as they are displayed in each notification area.

Contingency Plan

WORK HARDER

Comments and Discussion

http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2014-February/047096.html

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[Category:FeatureLanded|Notification System]]
 == Summary ==
-This adds a simple notification system for sugar that can be used in activities and by the system/
+This adds a simple messages notification system for sugar that can be used by the system, journal and activities notifications.
 == Owner ==
-* Name: [[User:AcountName|SAMdroid]]
+* Name: [[User:SAMdroid|SAMdroid]]
 * Email: sam.parkinson3@gmail.com
+* Name: [[User:tch|tch]]
+* Email: tch@sugarlabs.org
 == Current status ==
-* Targeted release: Soon
+* Targeted release: 0.102
 * Last updated: 8th of Feb
 * Percentage of completion: 90%
 == Detailed Description ==
-Based off http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Design_Team/Proposals/Notifications
+[[File:Notifications-001.png | thumb | center | 640px |
+When a notification is received it displays a pulsing icon, that is specified as part of
+the notification, at the top left corner of the screen. This icon stays in there for just
+a few seconds.]]
-See some pictures:
+[[File:Notifications-002.png  | thumb | center | 640px |
-* http://pbrd.co/1ez277u
-* http://pbrd.co/1izNT4O
-'''A good video''': https://vidd.me/0Lv
+The received notification can be found at the activities tray. It is represented by a button with a
-So basically as the video shows there are 2 types of notifications. Both have a pulsing icon in the top left. Activity notifications show there notification under their icon. System notifications get their own icon per notification. Both modifications icons have a [!] icon.
+notification badge.]]
+[[File:Notifications-003.png  | thumb | center | 640px |
+The button's palette displays, at the bottom of the palette, all the notifications that are related to the same entity.
+Entities can be basically anything, ie., the journal, activities or even scripts running in background.]]
+[[File:Notifications-004.png   | thumb | center | 640px |
+Every notification must belong to an entity. If one notification is sent, that notification
+should create a new icon if and only if there is not a previous icon for the same entity.]]
+[[File:Notifications-005.png  | thumb | center | 640px |
+If one entity receives more than 5 notifications, scrolling will be used to limit the space.]]
+[[File:Notifications-006.png  | thumb | center | 640px |
+The notification summary and body are limited in width, only 70 characters will be displayed.]]
 == Benefit to Sugar ==
-This would be nice for chat, calenders...
+This would be nice for chat, calenders, and any other kind of even that the user should be aware
-It would help bring us into line with the other desktop environs.
+of. It would help bring us into line with the other desktop environs.
 == Scope ==
-The stuff in the shell is done. It probably needs to be improved.
+The current implementation covers most the building blocks that are required for journal, activities
+and system message notifications. At the moment, only system messages are implemented, using these
-I haven't mad any activities use it, so yeah.
+same building blocks.
 ==UI Design==
-http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Design_Team/Proposals/Notifications
+[[Design Team/Proposals/Notifications]]
 == How To Test ==
-Here is an example activity: https://git.sugarlabs.org/~samdroid/hello-world/hello-notification-world
+For system notifications you can run this script, ie., from Terminal activity:
-This shows you a notification after a delay.
-The docs for using notifications in activities are https://github.com/SAMdroid-apps/sugar-toolkit-gtk3/blob/bfadc8648bb0c594d9b12160affdd2c2c8819164/src/sugar3/activity/activity.py#L641
-For system notifications you can run this code:
      import dbus
@@ Line 49: / Line 72: @@
      notify_obj = bus.get_object(BUS_NAME,OBJ_PATH)
      notifications = dbus.Interface(notify_obj,IFACE_NAME)
-     notifications.Notify("HelloWorld", 0, '', "Summary", "Body", [], {'x-sugar-icon-name': 'activity-journal'}, -1)
+     notifications.Notify("Software Update", 0, "", "New activities are available!", "Please check your activities list", [], {'x-sugar-icon-name': 'module-updater'}, -1)
-     #You can change the icon above
+From activities you can use this simplified method, (Gtk3 is required):
+     self.notify_user('This is the summary','This is a much longer body... describing something...')
 == User Experience ==
-I think this is usable?
+These messages notifications should not distract the user, as they are displayed in each notification area.
 == Contingency Plan ==
 WORK HARDER
-== Documentation ==
-I've added the doc strings, see sugar3.activity.activity.notify
 == Comments and Discussion ==
 http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2014-February/047096.html