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diff --git a/kicker/DESIGN b/kicker/DESIGN new file mode 100644 index 000000000..ca7fa7b2c --- /dev/null +++ b/kicker/DESIGN @@ -0,0 +1,180 @@ +This is the start of documentation for the design of Kicker. Add as motivated. + +Contents +-------- +1. Kicker Startup +2. The Extension Manager +3. The Plugin Manager +4. Files Important To Kicker That Aren't In kdebase/kicker +5. Top Level Directories +6. Class Overview +7. KIOSK features in Kicker + + +1. Kicker Startup + -------------- +NOTE: This is the design which we are working towards, not the design as it +currently is, but there's no point in documenting yesterday. + +The class Kicker is a subclass of KUniqueApplication and is where all the +fun begins. It is always available via the static Kicker::kicker() method. +Upon creation, Kicker::kicker() ensures that its resources are added to the +standard dirs. This includes tile, background and various plugin directories. + +Next the global keyboard accels are registered. When registering the "Popup +Launch Menu" accel, it then references the MenuManager. This creates the KMenu +and the facilities to update the KMenu when the installed .desktop files +change. This KMenu is shared by all items that provide access to it to keep +performance up and memory usage down. + +Next the ExtensionManager (EM), another singleton, is created. The EM loads +and manages all the KPanelExtension subclasses, or "panels". If +on load there are no extensions loaded by the EM, then Kicker creates a +default panel with a default setup. This default setup is based off of the +template file <TODO: decide where to store this file and what it is called>. + +Kicker then checks to see if the menubar panel has been selected and if so +sets up a panel at the top of the screen. It uses the kickermenubarrc +file for this panel, creating it if it does not exist. + +The individual extensions may end up loading various applets and even other +extensions, which they use the PluginManager (PM) and EM to do. + + +2. The Extension Manager + --------------------- + + +3. The Plugin Manager + ------------------ + + +4. Files Important To Kicker That Aren't In kdebase/kicker + ------------------------------------------------------- +There are two important sets of kicker-related files that aren't in this +source tree. The first is the kicker configuration panels, the second are +the applet and extentions classes. + +For historical reasons, the configuration panels can be found in +kdebase/kcontrol/kicker. When we move to a better RCS (e.g. subversion) +these files should be moved to kdebase/kicker/kcm + +(... add docu here about the structure of the kcm stuff and how it uses +DCOP to communicate with the panels ...) + +In kdelibs/kdeui there are two classes that are quite important to kicker. +The first is KPanelApplet, which is the base class of all kicker applets. +The other class is KPanelExtension, which is the base class of all kicker +extensions. + +These classes are in kdeui so that other applications besides kicker may +use these facilities, either to provide their own applet/extension +facilities or so as to provide kicker applets/extensions. This strategy +should be re-examined in KDE4 and the APIs of both classes cleaned up +extensively. + +5. Top Level Directories + --------------------- +applets/ +The basic set of applets. Everything here subclasses from KPanelApplet found +in kdelibs/kdeui. These can be assumed to exist at startup and are allowed, +if not encouraged to, access kicker internals. + +buttons/ +Anything button-like that you can click on in kicker. Includes the KMenu, +quickbrowsers and application buttons. + +core/ +As the name suggests, this is the main kicker code. This include the main() +and various containers and collection classes needed to glue everything +together. + +data/ +Icons, button tiles, backgrounds and the KMenu side images. + +extensions/ +Extensions, aka panels. Everything here subclasses from KPanelExtension. +Includes the external taskbar, kasbar, windowmaker doc applet bar, child +panel and universal sidebar. + +menuext/ +Like buttons, but also like menus. These are plugins that provide both +a button for the panel and a menu that appear in the KMenu. These are +generally encouraged over creating buttons in buttons/ that popup menus. + +proxy/ +Small applications that wrap applets and extensions allowing for out-of- +process execution of these items. This is used to safeguard kicker against +instiating an applet or extension that may crash, taking kicker with it if +they were loaded internally. + +share/ +Some basic classes that were meant for use beyond what is in core/. Should +probably be moved / consolidated with core/ eventually. + +ui/ +Menus and dialogs. Menus tend to contain "_mnu" in the file name. Kicker's +control panels are not found here, however. Those are in i +kdebase/kcontrol/kicker. + +taskbar/ +The code that implements the actual taskbar widget. This is wrapped by the +taskbar applet (applets/taskbar) and the taskbar extension (extensions/taskbar) + +taskmanager/ +Classes representing tasks and collections of tasks. Used by taskbar/ + + +6. Class Overview + -------------- + + +The Building Blocks Of A Panel +------------------------------ +Fittslawframe, Panner, ContainerArea, ContainerPanel + + +Applets +------- +KPanelApplet, AppletInfo, .desktop file description, PluginManager/PluginLoader + + +Extensions (aka "Panels") +------------------------- +KPanelExtension, .desktop file description, PluginLoader, ExtensionContainer, +ExtensionManager + + +7. KIOSK features in Kicker + ------------------------ + +Several aspects of the panel can be restricted: + +* Individual elements (buttons, applets, etc.) can be marked immutable. +This means that they can not be removed and their properties/configuration +can not be changed. + +How: The configuration group in kickerrc corresponding to the element is +marked immutable, OR, the configuration file associated with the element +(ConfigFile= entry, or additionally for Buttons FreeSpace2=) is marked +immutable. + +* The addition/removal of Applets, Application Buttons, Special Buttons +and Panels can be restricted. + +How: "General/Applets2" key is marked immutable. If this is done in the +kickerrc it applies to ALL panels. If done in a secondary panel's rc +it applies to that one panel only. + +* Panel configuration can be restricted. This affects appearance as wells +as menu-editing (see below) + +How: ??? "General" group in kickerrc is marked immutable (??? that would +imply that buttons can't be added either, loss of flexibility) +How: Use "kde-panel.desktop" control module restriction. + +* Menu editing can be restricted. Kicker offers several menu items in the +KDE menu beyond the applications menu itself. See "Configure Panel -> Menus" +How: Restrict action/menuedit (??? Are their cases where you would want to +restrict editing of the applications menu but not the other elements in +the KDE menu? |