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50 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
50 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
# The Secret Life of Applets
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In the current model, life is simple: we have an `AppletManager` and we have
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`Applet`s.
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In this world, `Applet`s exist as separate processes running in the background
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on a user's desktop environment, parallel to the actual G13 Configurator
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process. These applets are generally expected to be running all the time, and
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maintain their registration status with the `AppletManager` via D-Bus.
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When the configurator is running, the `AppletManager` is expected to be exposed
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via D-Bus under the well-known bus name of `com.theonelab.g13.AppletManager`
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(name subject to change), and `Applets` are expected to try to register to this
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object as soon as they can.
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## Applet Lifecycle
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During normal operation, `Applet`s are mostly sleeping in the background,
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waiting for one of their three exposed methods to be called by the
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`AppletManager`. They don't render until told to by one of these methods, and
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once they are called, then the applet can `Present` new frames periodically to
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the `AppletManager` for display on the G13's LCD.
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In essence, each `Applet` runs in the background, until it is made the
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foreground applet by the user. Once there, it can push frames all it likes,
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until it receives an `Unpresent` call from the `AppletManager`, in which case
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then it's pushed into the background again. Further `Present` calls will fail
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once this happens.
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## AppletManager
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The `AppletManager` is a simple object that exposes two methods via D-Bus:
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`Register` and `Present`, while the `Applet`s are expected to expose three
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endpoints for the `AppletManager` to call periodically: `Present`, `Unpresent`,
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`KeyPressed` and `KeyReleased`.
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### `Present` and `Unpresent`
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These two methods essentially control the "foreground"/"background"-ness of the
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applet. `Present` tells the applet it has moved into the foreground, and it
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needs to return the first frame it plans to render immediately.
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`Unpresent`, on the other hand, tells the applet it is now in the background,
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and it should stop rendering.
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### `KeyPressed` and `KeyReleased`
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These two methods tell the applet which of the L1-L4 keys has been pressed. They
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will only fire after the `Present` call has been made.
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