Re: DevHelp: docset bundles support

[Aleksander Morgado <aleksander aleksander es>]

Hey

> > > There is a feature request on launchpad
> > > https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/devhelp/+bug/1242467
> > >
> > > I think it's a really good idea. I've implemented some basic docset
> > > bundles
> > > support, played with it on my local machine for a week, and found it
> > > extremely useful. So I've submitted a pull request to the DevHelp
> > > repository
> > > on GitHub:
> > > https://github.com/GNOME/devhelp/pull/2
> > > But the repository looks like a mirror of the gnome repo and is not
> > > actively
> > > used.
> > >
> > > So what is the right way to contribute patches?
> >
> > Bugzilla! :)
>
> Ok, I'll submit an issue.

Sure, please also attach patches there, if any.

> > https://bugzilla.gnome.org/browse.cgi?product=devhelp
> >
> > > In addition, I used my own FOSS library to implement the feature
> > > (https://github.com/roman-kashitsyn/libdocset). And now I'm in doubts
> > > regarding the best way to join the library and the DevHelp together.
> > > Should
> > > I create a PPA and distribute the library through it? I'm a newbie in the
> > > Debian package distribution and appreciate any help.
> > >
> > > Thank you in advance.
> >
> > Interestingly, I already talked to the Dash developer last week about
> > something related. The idea is that Devhelp could have a set of
> > 'external sources', of which one could be the ones exposed by Dash at
> > http://kapeli.com/dash. Now, the idea was not to include docset
> > support in Devhelp, but instead expose all the Dash docsets as
> > docbooks that Devhelp can consume. In addition to that, another
> > 'external source' could be a bundle of documentation built for each
> > new GNOME release, so that the user can then choose which set of
> > documentation to be managed by Devhelp at a given time (kind of
> > profiles). So you could have a 'local' profile for the docbooks in
> > your system (i.e. API of the libraries that you have installed) plus
> > different profiles for e.g. "GNOME 3.10" and "GNOME 3.12". Plus
> > another e.g. "Dash" profile if you configure the Dash docbooks as
> > external sources.
>
> The profiles idea is nice and there are people who want such kind of stuff
> (see https://github.com/jkozera/zeal/issues/77 for example). But I don't
> quite understand how it's possible to configure Dash docsets as external
> source without the actual docsets supports :)

The Dash developer agreed that he would actually be able to convert
the docsets to docbooks, and also expose the docbooks in his website.
I.e. Devhelp would not need to convert from docset to docbook.

> My implementation is actually converts docset into a DhBook at runtime,
> which (I suppose) is quite close to what you've described.

Instead of doing it at runtime, it would really be done once, and
published in the website for everyone to get.

> > Wanted to ask, because I don't know much about docsets, where else are
> > docsets used, apart from e.g. Dash?
> It seems that the XCode (IDE for Mac OS) is also uses a variation of those
> bundles. Doxygen supports generation of the docset bundles.
> The Zeal cross-platform application (http://zealdocs.org/) was created to
> work with docset bundles and it's quite popular (but I don't like it's
> appearance on my GNOME desktop and it's really hard to modify the source
> because of immature code base). I'm sure there are more examples.
>
> The main advantages of docset bundles is that there are many of them and
> most of them are ready for use :)

I see. The first thing to do in Devhelp would be to enable different
profiles. If we don't have that we won't be able to move forward. I'll
look into that in the following weeks.

-- 
Aleksander