SystemConfig/TextUI

Text UI

Rational

Why a Text UI

• lots of servers don't have X11 installed
• serial console
• can't drop support (where there is one)

Requirements

• Python or Python bindings
• Unicode/UTF-8 support
• similar look and feel to the current (snack) UIs
• Managed Widgets
• Must cope with changing screen size (xterm)
• Must be simple to program
• must match paradigms found in the Gtk UIs

Urwid

We've looked at Urwid which

• has Unicode/UTF-8 support
• copes with changing screen size

Problems

• Constructor driven API makes dynamic interfaces difficult
• Some Callbacks are missing
• API is awkward and difficult to use
• Constructor driven
• Not all widgets fit into each other - needs a lot of care by the programmer
• Spacing is done in separate widgets (widget bloat)
• Lots of parameters needed to build widgets
• No sensitive default - because widgets are not smart enough to know
• Widgets are only partially managed
• Missing widget attributes
• sensitive
• visible (set_no_show_all?)
• No theming - only per widget colors (recursive)
• Some important widgets are missing (see below)
• Internal workflow is -- interesting

Widgets needed

• --- Not needed
• XXX missing/needs work

Gtk Widget	Urwid status
!GtkAlignment	Padding
!GtkButton	Button
!GtkEntry	Edit
!GtkEventBox	---
!GtkFrame	Frame
GtkHBox	Columns
GtkHButtonBox	XXX
GtkHPaned	XXX (Columns)
!GtkImage	---
!GtkImageMenuItem	---
!GtkLabel	Text
!GtkMenu	XXX
!GtkMenuBar	XXX
!GtkMenuItem	XXX
!GtkNotebook	XXX
!GtkRadioButton	!RadioButton
!GtkScrolledWindow	XXX
!GtkSeparatorMenuItem	XXX
!GtkStatusbar	Text
!GtkTable	!GridFlow
!GtkTextView	Edit (XXX)
!GtkTreeView	XXX browse.py
GtkVBox	Pile
!GtkViewport	Canvas?
!GtkWindow	??? - Window manager needed?

Other Text UIs

Other stuff we looked at

• Turbo Vision
• No Python bindings
• No unicode
• Not managed
• Snack
• Not Unicode capable
• Not managed
• Not much