[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       debian-devel
Subject:    Re: Debian menu system update
From:       Colin Walters <walters () verbum ! org>
Date:       2003-06-06 1:46:00
[Download RAW message or body]

On Thu, 2003-06-05 at 03:43, Bill Allombert wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 04, 2003 at 10:55:50PM -0400, Colin Walters wrote:
> > On Wed, 2003-06-04 at 17:26, Bill Allombert wrote: 
> > > > I think the first logical step would just be to get our menu system to
> > > > parse .desktop files.
> > > 
> > > Let suppose it is done. What next ?
> > 
> > The next step after parsing is to try to actually convert them into
> > working Debian menu system entries.  This involves defining a mapping
> > from freedesktop.org categories to our menu system hints, and other
> > things like the TryExec to a package.  I think someone was already
> > working on this part actually, but I can't seem to find his post to this
> > thread.
> > 
> > This mapping will later help us define the reverse mapping: from the
> > Debian menu entries to known .desktop categories and fields.  This
> > mapping will be a part of the major step of converting from the Debian
> > menu system to the freedesktop one.
> 
> As I see it, the above is part of the 'Let suppose it is done' above. 
> What next ?

Well, after we've done the above, the next step as I see it is to start
switching over /etc/menu-methods to generating menus directly from
/usr/share/applications.  While we're doing that, we start converting
packages from .menu files into .desktop files, and start sending them
upstream.  Then we should be done.

As I see it, converting /etc/menu-methods is the hardest part.  At this
stage we'll likely want some sort of reusable library for parsing
/usr/share/applications.  What form that takes depends on whether menu
keeps having its own programming language (I think it shouldn't), and if
not whether we have menu methods written in Perl, Python, C with
bindings, or whatever.


-- 
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-devel-request@lists.debian.org
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org

[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]