Hildon-Desktop: added Widget not shown

(Resent with correct time/date)

Hello all

I've uploaded an alpha version of my "shutter" home widget (IR shutter for Nikon DSLR) to extras-devel.
Functionaly, it works. But now I have a small problem in my installer that I'm unable to resolve:
After running the deb, the widget gets installed. It can then be added to the desktop by the user through the normal Desktop Config > Add Widget process. It shows up in the list and is selectable. But then it does not show up on the desktop!

However, once the device is rebooted, the added widget is cleary visible and works well.

Now I really don't want to forece my users to reboot just because of a widget.
Therefore my question: what am I missing? Any special postinstall script to run?

Or is it a problem of my .desktop file?

[Desktop Entry]
Name=shutter
Comment=Issues a single IR command using LIRC
Type=python
X-Path=shutter.py
X-Multiple=true


Thanks for any help
-Tom

>
> (Resent with correct time/date)
>
> Hello all
>
> I've uploaded an alpha version of my "shutter" home widget (IR shutter for Nikon DSLR) to extras-devel.
> Functionaly, it works. But now I have a small problem in my installer that I'm unable to resolve:
> After running the deb, the widget gets installed. It can then be added to the desktop by the user through the normal Desktop Config > Add Widget process. It shows up in the list and is selectable. But then it does not show up on the desktop!
>
> However, once the device is rebooted, the added widget is cleary visible and works well.
>
> Now I really don't want to forece my users to reboot just because of a widget.
> Therefore my question: what am I missing? Any special postinstall script to run?


I think it's still possible that hildon-desktop
python-loader doesn't work after it's insalled
until device (or hildon-desktop) is restarted.
I've seen similar reports related to other python
based widgets.

Since it happens only once it's hard to really
notice. Does any python developer know anything
about this?

--
Mikko Vartiainen

On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 4:47 PM, Mikko Vartiainen <mvartiainen@gmail.com> wrote:
> I think it's still possible that hildon-desktop
> python-loader doesn't work after it's insalled
> until device (or hildon-desktop) is restarted.
> I've seen similar reports related to other python
> based widgets.
>
> Since it happens only once it's hard to really
> notice. Does any python developer know anything
> about this?

Well, we have never got reports on this (it's the first report I see
about this). If you could point to the other reports of python widgets
not working without a reboot that would be nice.

Regards,
--
Anderson Lizardo
OpenBossa Labs - INdT
Manaus - Brazil

It could indeed be that python-loader does not startup correctly after
its installation. I get the following errors, once right at the end of
the installation, a second time when trying to add the widget to the
desktop:

hildon-home[14183]: GLIB WARNING ** default - Unknown Plugin Loader type: python
hildon-home[14183]: GLIB WARNING ** default - Error loading plugin:
/usr/share/applications/hildon-home/shutter.desktop

On both the test device and the scratchbox it failed, and on both I
didn't have any python widgets installed before.

My widget has the following dependencies: lirc (>=
0.8.4b-1fremantle30), python2.5, python-hildondesktop (>=
0.1.0-1maemo2), hildon-desktop-python-loader (>= 0.1.0-1maemo2),
python-gtk2, python-hildon

Thanks and best regards
-Tom


On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 21:51, Anderson Lizardo
<anderson.lizardo@openbossa.org> wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 4:47 PM, Mikko Vartiainen <mvartiainen@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I think it's still possible that hildon-desktop
>> python-loader doesn't work after it's insalled
>> until device (or hildon-desktop) is restarted.
>> I've seen similar reports related to other python
>> based widgets.
>>
>> Since it happens only once it's hard to really
>> notice. Does any python developer know anything
>> about this?
>
> Well, we have never got reports on this (it's the first report I see
> about this). If you could point to the other reports of python widgets
> not working without a reboot that would be nice.
>
> Regards,
> --
> Anderson Lizardo
> OpenBossa Labs - INdT
> Manaus - Brazil

On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 10:51 PM, Anderson Lizardo
<anderson.lizardo@openbossa.org> wrote:
>
> Well, we have never got reports on this (it's the first report I see
> about this). If you could point to the other reports of python widgets
> not working without a reboot that would be nice.
>

Problem is that there isn't reliable bug reports (about openvpn-applet
and touchsearch for example), just random forum messages. But I've
experienced it myself, but I thought that it was fixed with the latest
versions. To make a reliable test I would need to reflash whole device
(rootfs+emmc) and I'm not very keen to do that.

--
Mikko Vartiainen

I have had this issue reported for TouchSearch in both forums and formally
as bug #6264: https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6264

It was also my thought that the Python -> HildonDesktop interface is
responsible for this.


--
Best Regards,

Brent Chiodo

On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 6:06 PM, Brent Chiodo <bchiodo@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have had this issue reported for TouchSearch in both forums and formally
> as bug #6264: https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6264

Thanks, it is now easier to try to reproduce it (I have a spare N900
that can be reflashed).

> It was also my thought that the Python -> HildonDesktop interface is
> responsible for this.

A possibility is that the the just installed Python loader
(/usr/lib/hildon-desktop/loaders/libpythonpluginloader.so) only
becomes active when hildon-desktop is restarted (which I suppose only
occurs when the device is rebooted).

If that's the case, I don't know a way to force hildon-desktop to
detect the new loader. Also it will probably happen only when
hildon-desktop-python-loader is first installed, other applets
installed after (or the same applet being reinstalled) will not show
the problem.

Can some Hildon Desktop developer confirm this is the case? And if so,
is there any way of avoiding a reboot (e.g. by sending some signal to
the hildon-desktop process maybe?)

Regards,
--
Anderson Lizardo
OpenBossa Labs - INdT
Manaus - Brazil

On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 5:00 PM, Thomas Wälti <twaelti@gmail.com> wrote:
> It could indeed be that python-loader does not startup correctly after
> its installation. I get the following errors, once right at the end of
> the installation, a second time when trying to add the widget to the
> desktop:
>
> hildon-home[14183]: GLIB WARNING ** default - Unknown Plugin Loader type: python
> hildon-home[14183]: GLIB WARNING ** default - Error loading plugin:
> /usr/share/applications/hildon-home/shutter.desktop
>
> On both the test device and the scratchbox it failed, and on both I
> didn't have any python widgets installed before.

This is the expected behavior. You need the Python loader (provided by
the hildon-desktop-python-loader) installed *and* loaded in order to
have Python applets recognized. The problem (as I mentioned on the
other message) is probably that the hildon-desktop process is not
being aware of the new loader until it is restarted.

A possible test case (which I cannot test ATM) is:

1) apt-get remove hildon-desktop-python-loader
2) Restart N900
3) apt-get install hildon-desktop-python-loader
4) Install some Python applet

The let us know if the applet is shown or not.

Regards,
--
Anderson Lizardo
OpenBossa Labs - INdT
Manaus - Brazil

On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 5:08 PM, Mikko Vartiainen <mvartiainen@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 10:51 PM, Anderson Lizardo
> <anderson.lizardo@openbossa.org> wrote:
> Problem is that there isn't reliable bug reports (about openvpn-applet
> and touchsearch for example), just random forum messages.

I've been following talk.maemo.org, but it is hard to notice if some
application is written in Python or not (just by looking at the thread
subject). It would be nice if the people following the threads
properly tag then with the "python" tag so it can be easily found in
searches.

> But I've
> experienced it myself, but I thought that it was fixed with the latest
> versions. To make a reliable test I would need to reflash whole device
> (rootfs+emmc) and I'm not very keen to do that.

I posted on another message a possible test case which does not
require a reboot. Could you try that?

Thanks,
--
Anderson Lizardo
OpenBossa Labs - INdT
Manaus - Brazil

On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 8:22 PM, Anderson Lizardo
<anderson.lizardo@openbossa.org> wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 5:08 PM, Mikko Vartiainen <mvartiainen@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 10:51 PM, Anderson Lizardo
>> <anderson.lizardo@openbossa.org> wrote:
>> Problem is that there isn't reliable bug reports (about openvpn-applet
>> and touchsearch for example), just random forum messages.
>
> I've been following talk.maemo.org, but it is hard to notice if some
> application is written in Python or not (just by looking at the thread
> subject). It would be nice if the people following the threads
> properly tag then with the "python" tag so it can be easily found in
> searches.

BTW, It is very simple to see any Python related threads, if properly tagged:

http://talk.maemo.org/tags.php?tag=python

Unfortunately, only a few people use this feature.

Regards,
--
Anderson Lizardo
OpenBossa Labs - INdT
Manaus - Brazil