Proposal for a new internal panel-plugin : a "fake" handle

[Landry Breuil]

2007/6/23, Landry Breuil <landry.breuil at gmail.com>:
>
>
>
> 2007/6/23, Jasper Huijsmans <jasper at xfce.org>:
> >
> > Hey Landry,
> >
> > Landry Breuil wrote:
> > > Hello,
> > >
> > > i'm coming back here with a new version of a previous patch
> > > (http://foo-projects.org/pipermail/xfce/2007-January/020328.html )
> > which
> > > was discussed previously here :
> > > http://foo-projects.org/pipermail/xfce4-dev/2006-September/021354.html
> > >
> > > First, the code :
> > http://gruiik.info/stuff/handle-internal-panel-plugin.tgz
> > >
> > > It's a ripped-off version of separator.c internal plugin, (50 lines of
> >
> > > effective code) which only shows a "fake" handle. untar it in
> > > xfce4-panel/plugins, add the dir to plugins/Makefile.am, add the
> > > Makefile.am < http://Makefile.am> to configure.ac <http://configure.ac
> > >,
> > > ./autogen.sh && make, you're done (you have to restart panel to have
> > the
> > > handle drawn, dunno why). No options, no need for a dialog.
> > >
> > > I know several/some people wanted (on the wiki, on the users ml,..)
> > the
> > > little dots present in 4.2 back, so let's discuss it :
> > > - first, only for trunk/, no new features in 4.4.x bugfix branch.. it
> > > obviously adds only one string for translators in the desktop.in.in
> > > < http://desktop.in.in> file.
> > > - now, the pros and cons : it adds a new plugin, but it's redundant
> > with
> > > separator plugin. So, better modify existing separator, and add a
> > > radiobutton in configuration dialog to either set 'separator' or
> > > 'handle' (and more strings) ?
> > > - it "may" confuse users, they have a handle-like, but it can't move
> > the
> > > panel. Make it a real handle like the ones on panel's sides when
> > floating ?
> > >
> > > What to you think about it ?
> >
> > Well, since you took the time to create this and even looked up the
> > history of the discussion, I guess it must be an interesting feature ;-)
> >
> > I think the most appropriate implementation is to add a 'Separator
> > style' option to the existing plugin:
> >   - space
> >   - separator
> >   - handle
> >   - dots
>
>
> That was the other idea.. i was kinda "annoyed" to have a new plugin only
> for this :) So, i'll add a dropdown menu in configuration dialog, and patch
> the expose event handler. I'll have to look into 4.2 code to mimic the
> little dots manually drawn before :)
>
> If you could create an initial patch, I'd be happy to add it to the
> > panel. If there already is a patch and I forgot, feel free to point me
> > to it ;-)
>
>
> The previous patch only replaced the line with a handle - it was
> quick'n'dirty :)
> I'll work on a clean patch for existing separator.c.
>

Hacking on it, i don't really understand why expand and draw separator are
not exclusive... if i enable both, there is no separator drawn and plugin is
expanded.. my panel is not full-width, and expanding a separator makes my
iconbox disappear (it's set to "use available space"). If i unset this
option for iconbox, expanding a separator does nothing. Really weird
behaviour, i'm confused :)

If i understand, expand setting is here when you use full-width panel, to
force a plugin to be on the right of the panel .. but what is the supposed
behaviour with normal-width panels, where there is no extra space ?

So, maybe a good idea would be to have only _one_ setting for separator
plugin, set to either "expand", "empty", "line", "fake handle", "
pre-4.4-style dots" with a combobox or radiobutton in the cfg dialog ...
that would simplify the code. Or, even better, remove the "expand" option,
and make panel plugins freely droppable somewhere on the panel, not
"stacked" on the others (but that may require extensive hacking in panel
internals, dunno)

Ideas, comments ?
In what direction do i start my hacking on separator.c ? :)

Landry
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