Build a desktop widget simulator

[Matchstic]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe. Widget developers have to keep copying widgets to their device to test changes that rely on data from e.g. InfoStats 2. Coupled with #124 , a desktop-based widget simulator will allow for making changes in real-time, improving development time.

Describe the solution you'd like A desktop application, perhaps using Electron (to enable cross-platform compatibility), that allows rendering a widget of the developer's choice.

This should inject all widget data that will be available as part of #124 whilst also supporting typical backwards compatibility for widget data libraries. The widget data injected will be placeholder values that the widget developer should be able to customise.

Hot reloading should be supported. This may be achieved by monitoring all files and sub-directories of the root folder for the widget, and reloading it when anything is modified/added/deleted.

Another cool addition can be exporting a widget as a .deb, and keeping track of data needed for the control file outside of the widget.

Describe alternatives you've considered No alternatives exist... ;P

Additional context N/A

[tomaszpoliszuk]

Maybe just some small pack with assets (js, svg and whatever else is needed) to provide fake data from libwidgetinfo, InfoStats and possibly other extensions (and some module to read or fake data from .plist files)?

Webkit browser should be required then - Safari and Chrome (and chrome clones) are already have "responsive design mode"

[Matchstic]

That is another option for sure.

I want to build a UI where users can directly edit values, without having to delve into the resources for emulation. This is achievable in a browser for certain, however I also want to use it as an excuse to play around with Electron.

On 26 May 2020, at 17:16, Tomasz Poliszuk [email protected] wrote:

 Maybe just some small pack with assets (js, svg and whatever else is needed) to provide fake data from libwidgetinfo, InfoStats and possibly other extensions (and some module to read or fake data from .plist files)?

Webkit browser should be required then - Safari and Chrome (and chrome clones) are already have "responsive design mode"

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[strafe]

@Matchstic is the current development process documented anywhere? I see XenHTML itself has some documentation but in regards to the general process of creating and loading widgets from scratch I can't find any.

[Matchstic]

Creating from scratch isn’t something I’ve documented, but most of what you’ll need to do that is found here: https://incendo.ws/documentation/widget-api/

On 27 May 2020, at 16:26, strafe [email protected] wrote:

 @Matchstic is the current development process documented anywhere? I see XenHTML itself has some documentation but in regards to the general process of creating and loading widgets from scratch I can't find any.

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[0neGal]

If you ever need help with Electron apps I'm here and I actually planned to make something like this for myself anyway... Might still do it if I got the time.

You could even go further and make a straight up IDE, or at least a manager for widgets, if that makes any sense. The biggest issue I see here is the Options.plist, either there needs to be some weird fiddling when it comes to translating the .plist to json or something similar, or just straight up change how prefs are made and make it with .json or something like that.

Making an "IDE" could potentially automate a lot of things and in the end make stuff easier and less complicated.