[xwiki-devs] [Idea] XClass Preferences
Hi devs, I have an XWiki application that has a template provider which allows the users to create application entries anywhere on the wiki using the Create Page menu. I would like to control entirely how application entries are displayed to the user. I can do this partially from my sheet but: * I can't control the panels. I would like to display panels that are specific to my application whenever a user is viewing an application entry, no matter where the application entry is located. * I can't control the color theme or the icon theme. I would like to use a custom color theme and icon theme without affecting the other pages from the wiki. * I can't control the layout (the skin). I can hide the extra tabs from the sheet but I can't hide a panel column or control the panel column width. One solution to fix my problem is to introduce XClass Preferences, same as we have page and wiki preferences. XClass preferences would have priority over page and wiki preferences, inheriting from them. We can implement it using either a naming convention, <ClassName>Preferences, or using some xobject on the XClass, similar to the ClassSheetBinding xobject. Do you see any problem with solution? I can think of one: access rights. Does it make sense to have access rights specific to an XClass? E.g. "only this group can edit instances of this XClass". Do you think it is worth implementing? Another solution would be to allow the sheet to overwrite some of the preferences, but the problem is that the sheet is executed after the page HTML has started to be written to the response. Thanks, Marius
On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 9:47 AM, Marius Dumitru Florea <mariusdumitru.florea@xwiki.com> wrote:
Hi devs,
I have an XWiki application that has a template provider which allows the users to create application entries anywhere on the wiki using the Create Page menu. I would like to control entirely how application entries are displayed to the user. I can do this partially from my sheet but:
* I can't control the panels. I would like to display panels that are specific to my application whenever a user is viewing an application entry, no matter where the application entry is located. * I can't control the color theme or the icon theme. I would like to use a custom color theme and icon theme without affecting the other pages from the wiki. * I can't control the layout (the skin). I can hide the extra tabs from the sheet but I can't hide a panel column or control the panel column width.
One solution to fix my problem is to introduce XClass Preferences, same as we have page and wiki preferences. XClass preferences would have priority
over page and wiki preferences, inheriting from them. We can implement it
I guess technically you mean space and wiki preferences.
using either a naming convention, <ClassName>Preferences, or using some xobject on the XClass, similar to the ClassSheetBinding xobject.
What kind of object ? XWikiPreferences or a special kind ?
Do you see any problem with solution? I can think of one: access rights. Does it make sense to have access rights specific to an XClass? E.g. "only this group can edit instances of this XClass".
Do you think it is worth implementing? Another solution would be to allow the sheet to overwrite some of the preferences, but the problem is that the sheet is executed after the page HTML has started to be written to the response.
Thanks, Marius
-- Thomas Mortagne
On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 11:02 AM, Thomas Mortagne <thomas.mortagne@xwiki.com
wrote:
On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 9:47 AM, Marius Dumitru Florea <mariusdumitru.florea@xwiki.com> wrote:
Hi devs,
I have an XWiki application that has a template provider which allows the users to create application entries anywhere on the wiki using the Create Page menu. I would like to control entirely how application entries are displayed to the user. I can do this partially from my sheet but:
* I can't control the panels. I would like to display panels that are specific to my application whenever a user is viewing an application entry, no matter where the application entry is located. * I can't control the color theme or the icon theme. I would like to use a custom color theme and icon theme without affecting the other pages from the wiki. * I can't control the layout (the skin). I can hide the extra tabs from the sheet but I can't hide a panel column or control the panel column width.
One solution to fix my problem is to introduce XClass Preferences, same as we have page and wiki preferences. XClass preferences would have priority
over page and wiki preferences, inheriting from them. We can implement it
I guess technically you mean space and wiki preferences.
Yes.
using either a naming convention, <ClassName>Preferences, or using some xobject on the XClass, similar to the ClassSheetBinding xobject.
What kind of object ? XWikiPreferences or a special kind ?
The XClass Preferences page would have a XWikiPreferences object, just like page (space) and wiki preferences pages. In the paragraph above I was actually indicating how the XClass Preferences page can be determined: either using a naming convention or using configuration (similar to the way the XClass sheet is configured).
Do you see any problem with solution? I can think of one: access rights. Does it make sense to have access rights specific to an XClass? E.g.
"only
this group can edit instances of this XClass".
Do you think it is worth implementing? Another solution would be to allow the sheet to overwrite some of the preferences, but the problem is that the sheet is executed after the page HTML has started to be written to the response.
Thanks, Marius
-- Thomas Mortagne
On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 10:27 AM, Marius Dumitru Florea <mariusdumitru.florea@xwiki.com> wrote:
On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 11:02 AM, Thomas Mortagne <thomas.mortagne@xwiki.com
wrote:
On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 9:47 AM, Marius Dumitru Florea <mariusdumitru.florea@xwiki.com> wrote:
Hi devs,
I have an XWiki application that has a template provider which allows the users to create application entries anywhere on the wiki using the Create Page menu. I would like to control entirely how application entries are displayed to the user. I can do this partially from my sheet but:
* I can't control the panels. I would like to display panels that are specific to my application whenever a user is viewing an application entry, no matter where the application entry is located. * I can't control the color theme or the icon theme. I would like to use a custom color theme and icon theme without affecting the other pages from the wiki. * I can't control the layout (the skin). I can hide the extra tabs from the sheet but I can't hide a panel column or control the panel column width.
One solution to fix my problem is to introduce XClass Preferences, same as we have page and wiki preferences. XClass preferences would have priority
over page and wiki preferences, inheriting from them. We can implement it
I guess technically you mean space and wiki preferences.
Yes.
using either a naming convention, <ClassName>Preferences, or using some xobject on the XClass, similar to the ClassSheetBinding xobject.
What kind of object ? XWikiPreferences or a special kind ?
The XClass Preferences page would have a XWikiPreferences object, just like page (space) and wiki preferences pages. In the paragraph above I was actually indicating how the XClass Preferences page can be determined: either using a naming convention or using configuration (similar to the way the XClass sheet is configured).
Just wanted to be sure you wanted to use the same class and not introduce a new one. Sounds good to me. Don't really have any issue in mind.
Do you see any problem with solution? I can think of one: access rights. Does it make sense to have access rights specific to an XClass? E.g.
"only
this group can edit instances of this XClass".
Do you think it is worth implementing? Another solution would be to allow the sheet to overwrite some of the preferences, but the problem is that the sheet is executed after the page HTML has started to be written to the response.
Thanks, Marius
-- Thomas Mortagne
-- Thomas Mortagne
Interesting stuff. Will raise the complexity of XWiki overall and the number of places to check when debugging an issue, but will also give app devs much more customization power. We would probably also need to look into the current limitation we have for Nested Pages Administration (since WebPreferences requires the "admin" right) and how this would impact this proposal. +1 from my side. Thanks, Eduard On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 11:39 AM, Thomas Mortagne <thomas.mortagne@xwiki.com
wrote:
On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 10:27 AM, Marius Dumitru Florea <mariusdumitru.florea@xwiki.com> wrote:
On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 11:02 AM, Thomas Mortagne < thomas.mortagne@xwiki.com
wrote:
On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 9:47 AM, Marius Dumitru Florea <mariusdumitru.florea@xwiki.com> wrote:
Hi devs,
I have an XWiki application that has a template provider which allows the users to create application entries anywhere on the wiki using the Create Page menu. I would like to control entirely how application entries are displayed to the user. I can do this partially from my sheet but:
* I can't control the panels. I would like to display panels that are specific to my application whenever a user is viewing an application entry, no matter where the application entry is located. * I can't control the color theme or the icon theme. I would like to use a custom color theme and icon theme without affecting the other pages from the wiki. * I can't control the layout (the skin). I can hide the extra tabs from the sheet but I can't hide a panel column or control the panel column width.
One solution to fix my problem is to introduce XClass Preferences, same as we have page and wiki preferences. XClass preferences would have priority
over page and wiki preferences, inheriting from them. We can implement it
I guess technically you mean space and wiki preferences.
Yes.
using either a naming convention, <ClassName>Preferences, or using
some
xobject on the XClass, similar to the ClassSheetBinding xobject.
What kind of object ? XWikiPreferences or a special kind ?
The XClass Preferences page would have a XWikiPreferences object, just like page (space) and wiki preferences pages. In the paragraph above I was actually indicating how the XClass Preferences page can be determined: either using a naming convention or using configuration (similar to the way the XClass sheet is configured).
Just wanted to be sure you wanted to use the same class and not introduce a new one.
Sounds good to me. Don't really have any issue in mind.
Do you see any problem with solution? I can think of one: access
rights.
Does it make sense to have access rights specific to an XClass? E.g. "only this group can edit instances of this XClass".
Do you think it is worth implementing? Another solution would be to allow the sheet to overwrite some of the preferences, but the problem is that the sheet is executed after the page HTML has started to be written to the response.
Thanks, Marius
-- Thomas Mortagne
-- Thomas Mortagne
+1 interesting, although nice to have Using it we would be able also to have some panels that provide future actions if the application is not valid, or we could use it to add some custom rights in the same XClassPreferences page. Thanks, Caty On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 12:36 PM, Eduard Moraru <enygma2002@gmail.com> wrote:
Interesting stuff.
Will raise the complexity of XWiki overall and the number of places to check when debugging an issue, but will also give app devs much more customization power.
We would probably also need to look into the current limitation we have for Nested Pages Administration (since WebPreferences requires the "admin" right) and how this would impact this proposal.
+1 from my side.
Thanks, Eduard
On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 11:39 AM, Thomas Mortagne < thomas.mortagne@xwiki.com
wrote:
On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 10:27 AM, Marius Dumitru Florea <mariusdumitru.florea@xwiki.com> wrote:
On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 11:02 AM, Thomas Mortagne < thomas.mortagne@xwiki.com
wrote:
On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 9:47 AM, Marius Dumitru Florea <mariusdumitru.florea@xwiki.com> wrote:
Hi devs,
I have an XWiki application that has a template provider which allows the users to create application entries anywhere on the wiki using the Create Page menu. I would like to control entirely how application entries are displayed to the user. I can do this partially from my sheet but:
* I can't control the panels. I would like to display panels that are specific to my application whenever a user is viewing an application entry, no matter where the application entry is located. * I can't control the color theme or the icon theme. I would like to use a custom color theme and icon theme without affecting the other pages from the wiki. * I can't control the layout (the skin). I can hide the extra tabs from the sheet but I can't hide a panel column or control the panel column width.
One solution to fix my problem is to introduce XClass Preferences, same as we have page and wiki preferences. XClass preferences would have priority
over page and wiki preferences, inheriting from them. We can implement it
I guess technically you mean space and wiki preferences.
Yes.
using either a naming convention, <ClassName>Preferences, or using
some
xobject on the XClass, similar to the ClassSheetBinding xobject.
What kind of object ? XWikiPreferences or a special kind ?
The XClass Preferences page would have a XWikiPreferences object, just like page (space) and wiki preferences pages. In the paragraph above I was actually indicating how the XClass Preferences page can be determined: either using a naming convention or using configuration (similar to the way the XClass sheet is configured).
Just wanted to be sure you wanted to use the same class and not introduce a new one.
Sounds good to me. Don't really have any issue in mind.
Do you see any problem with solution? I can think of one: access
rights.
Does it make sense to have access rights specific to an XClass? E.g. "only this group can edit instances of this XClass".
Do you think it is worth implementing? Another solution would be to allow the sheet to overwrite some of the preferences, but the problem is that the sheet is executed after the page HTML has started to be written to the response.
Thanks, Marius
-- Thomas Mortagne
-- Thomas Mortagne
Hello all, On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 9:47 AM, Marius Dumitru Florea < mariusdumitru.florea@xwiki.com> wrote:
Hi devs,
I have an XWiki application that has a template provider which allows the users to create application entries anywhere on the wiki using the Create Page menu. I would like to control entirely how application entries are displayed to the user. I can do this partially from my sheet but:
* I can't control the panels. I would like to display panels that are specific to my application whenever a user is viewing an application entry, no matter where the application entry is located.
Note that this was possible, until http://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-8269 was implemented (you'd set a variable in the sheet of the page, containing a list of panels, just like we do for docextra tabs). I would have liked that feature to stay as well. I see usecases for it, but I also remember we had problems with an application arriving on the wiki and imposing its panels, the Blog app. At some point, the Blog app was setting both panel sets, left and right, and we had an issue with that because we had setup the applications panel navigation for the whole wiki as a panel in the left panels, and the fact that the Blog app was overwriting it was a problem. * I can't control the color theme or the icon theme. I would like to use a
custom color theme and icon theme without affecting the other pages from the wiki.
I'm not sure I like that much the idea of changing the colors of the whole UI whenever the type of page changes in the wiki, although I see a usecase. I am wondering if a little color adjustment could not be handled through an SSX, pulled by the proper sheet at the proper moment.
* I can't control the layout (the skin). I can hide the extra tabs from the sheet but I can't hide a panel column or control the panel column width.
The examples you gave are still related to panels. I would be curious what other elements of the skin could be customizable by an application.
One solution to fix my problem is to introduce XClass Preferences, same as we have page and wiki preferences. XClass preferences would have priority over page and wiki preferences, inheriting from them. We can implement it using either a naming convention, <ClassName>Preferences, or using some xobject on the XClass, similar to the ClassSheetBinding xobject.
Do you see any problem with solution? I can think of one: access rights. Does it make sense to have access rights specific to an XClass? E.g. "only this group can edit instances of this XClass".
Of course it does, but the other case makes sense as well (having the rights be controlled classically, by the place where the page is rather than by its type).
Do you think it is worth implementing? Another solution would be to allow the sheet to overwrite some of the preferences, but the problem is that the sheet is executed after the page HTML has started to be written to the response.
What I don't like too much about these ideas is that we would basically be adding a mechanism that would allow a page type to influence the whole UI / wiki. Note that this is how currently the languages work (seeing a page in french also changes the languague of the whole UI to french), and we're not that convinced it's a good thing (I've heard it seen as a feature almost as many times as I've heard it seen as a bug). So, to me, it is good to have developement tools that would allow to customize these, and we need to be able to control these as a developer, but I think that an extra mechanism would add extra complexity (as Edi said) and still not be as generic enough as the development solutions we currently have (e.g. you wouldn't be able to remove the extra tabs conditionally, say, depending on the current user role). So I would be more for giving more control to the sheet (if we could improve some vms evaluation in the skin, for example), but keeping these customizable in the sheet rather than with an additional preference mechanism. I am still thinking, I see the pros and cons for this as well... Thanks, Anca
Thanks, Marius
Hi Marius, I have a very similar opinion to Anca and Edy. I am afraid by the complexity this could add, not necessarily in the implementation, but in the usage of it, in particular for us developer. I am not sure the use case is fully true, and my feeling is that the sheet mechanism could be improved in a way that allow a more interesting customisation. Changing the whole UI when the page is of a given type/from a given app looks to me too invasive, what you probably need is adapting the UI based on both your application, and the location in the wiki. If you really want a full customisation, why not better locating your page, in particular now that we have nested documents, and use the current preferences. So, I am close to -1 on this currently, but I am not close to further discussion and would like them to include alternatives related to the usage of the sheet mechanism. Regards, -- Denis Gervalle SOFTEC sa - CEO On Wed, Nov 30, 2016 at 10:14, denis.gervalle@softec.lu <denis.gervalle@softec.lu> wrote: Hi Marius, I have a very similar opinion to Anca and Edy. I am afraid by the complexity this could add, not necessarily in the implementation, but in the usage of it, in particular for us developer. I am not sure the use case is fully true, and my feeling is that the sheet mechanism could be improved in a way that allow a more interesting customisation. Changing the whole UI when the page is of a given type/from a given app looks to me too invasive, what you probably need is adapting the UI based on both your application, and the location in the wiki. If you really want a full customisation, why not better locating your page, in particular now that we have nested documents, and use the current preferences. So, I am close to -1 on this currently, but I am not close to further discussion and would like them to include alternatives related to the usage of the sheet mechanism. Regards, -- Denis Gervalle SOFTEC sa - CEO On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 14:57, Anca Luca <lucaa@xwiki.com> wrote: Hello all, On Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 9:47 AM, Marius Dumitru Florea < mariusdumitru.florea@xwiki.com> wrote:
Hi devs,
I have an XWiki application that has a template provider which allows the users to create application entries anywhere on the wiki using the Create Page menu. I would like to control entirely how application entries are displayed to the user. I can do this partially from my sheet but:
* I can't control the panels. I would like to display panels that are specific to my application whenever a user is viewing an application entry, no matter where the application entry is located.
Note that this was possible, until http://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-8269 was implemented (you'd set a variable in the sheet of the page, containing a list of panels, just like we do for docextra tabs). I would have liked that feature to stay as well. I see usecases for it, but I also remember we had problems with an application arriving on the wiki and imposing its panels, the Blog app. At some point, the Blog app was setting both panel sets, left and right, and we had an issue with that because we had setup the applications panel navigation for the whole wiki as a panel in the left panels, and the fact that the Blog app was overwriting it was a problem. * I can't control the color theme or the icon theme. I would like to use a
custom color theme and icon theme without affecting the other pages from the wiki.
I'm not sure I like that much the idea of changing the colors of the whole UI whenever the type of page changes in the wiki, although I see a usecase. I am wondering if a little color adjustment could not be handled through an SSX, pulled by the proper sheet at the proper moment.
* I can't control the layout (the skin). I can hide the extra tabs from the sheet but I can't hide a panel column or control the panel column width.
The examples you gave are still related to panels. I would be curious what other elements of the skin could be customizable by an application.
One solution to fix my problem is to introduce XClass Preferences, same
as
we have page and wiki preferences. XClass preferences would have priority over page and wiki preferences, inheriting from them. We can implement it using either a naming convention, <ClassName>Preferences, or using some xobject on the XClass, similar to the ClassSheetBinding xobject.
Do you see any problem with solution? I can think of one: access rights. Does it make sense to have access rights specific to an XClass? E.g. "only this group can edit instances of this XClass".
Of course it does, but the other case makes sense as well (having the rights be controlled classically, by the place where the page is rather than by its type).
Do you think it is worth implementing? Another solution would be to
allow
the sheet to overwrite some of the preferences, but the problem is that the sheet is executed after the page HTML has started to be written to the response.
What I don't like too much about these ideas is that we would basically be adding a mechanism that would allow a page type to influence the whole UI / wiki. Note that this is how currently the languages work (seeing a page in french also changes the languague of the whole UI to french), and we're not that convinced it's a good thing (I've heard it seen as a feature almost as many times as I've heard it seen as a bug). So, to me, it is good to have developement tools that would allow to customize these, and we need to be able to control these as a developer, but I think that an extra mechanism would add extra complexity (as Edi said) and still not be as generic enough as the development solutions we currently have (e.g. you wouldn't be able to remove the extra tabs conditionally, say, depending on the current user role). So I would be more for giving more control to the sheet (if we could improve some vms evaluation in the skin, for example), but keeping these customizable in the sheet rather than with an additional preference mechanism. I am still thinking, I see the pros and cons for this as well... Thanks, Anca
Thanks, Marius
participants (6)
-
Anca Luca -
Denis Gervalle -
Ecaterina Moraru (Valica) -
Eduard Moraru -
Marius Dumitru Florea -
Thomas Mortagne