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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: Easy to use components
From:       Kurt Granroth <kurt_granroth () email ! mot ! com>
Date:       1999-07-02 17:26:21
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Simon Hausmann wrote:
> But: Why not use the full-fledged HTMLView component from Konqueror
> directly? IMHO this is what components are for, and embedding a
> remote KonqHTMLView can be done in about 10 LOC.
> 
> Advantages are:
> - Use all features from Konqy, including Plugins (see tool-issue thread on
>   kfm-devel)
> - KonqHTMLView has nice features, just like "save document as..." for
>   example . Either call the method directly or use the GUI (next point)
> - Just send the HTMLView a special event with a reference to a
>   OpenPartsUI::Menu and it fills it with it's menu entries.
> 
> I think this is the 100% equivalent thing to the ActiveX component
> or IE.

This does indeed encapsulate the functionality of the IE component!  I kind of
expected that konqueror would have that kind of functionality..

HOWEVER, my point was more on the lines of "how do we make it easy for 3rd
party developers to *use* our components?"

Say I am developing an app called MapDemo.  It needs to have a 640x480 "web
browser" widget that will display the contents of a specific URL *completely*
formatted as if you were viewing it in the full-up web browser.  I don't care
about any menus or buttons or anything -- but it *must* be able to follow all
links and react to any web page "correctly".

I already detailed how easy it is to do this with VC++ and the IE ActiveX
component.  As soon as IE was installed on my system, it *immediately* become
one of the potential ActiveX components available for use.

Okay, now lets talk about what needs to be done with KDE:

1) When I install konqueror, it needs to "register" all of its Parts
   *somewhere* that can be accessed by IDEs or by geeks.  That is, an
   application can be made to "browse" a list of all the available Parts.

2) I must be able to use an individual Part *very* simply.  Your 10 LOC
   estimate sounds acceptable... but maybe we can make it even simpler?

Is this doable already?
-- 
Kurt Granroth            | granroth@kde.org
KDE Developer/Evangelist | http://www.pobox.com/~kurt_granroth
         KDE -- Putting a Friendly Face on Linux

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