[QGIS-trac] Re: [Quantum GIS] #3447: Grouping "add layer" toolbar buttons

[Quantum GIS]

#3447: Grouping "add layer" toolbar buttons
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   Reporter:  alexbruy          |              Owner:  timlinux     
       Type:  patch             |             Status:  assigned     
   Priority:  minor: annoyance  |          Milestone:  Version 1.7.0
  Component:  GUI               |            Version:               
   Keywords:  toolbar buttons   |   Platform_version:               
   Platform:  All               |           Must_fix:  No           
Status_info:  0                 |  
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Comment(by timlinux):

 Replying to [comment:5 wonder]:
 > Replying to [comment:4 jef]:
 > > Replying to [comment:3 timlinux]:
 > > > I was thinking we could have a QgisApp::addLayerLoaderAction(QAction
 *) that providers could call to have their icon dropped into the group.
 > >
 > > And also drop the "providers don't have a UI" rule?

 Sorry I had actually meant to write 'that a provider's gui plugin could
 call'.

 >
 > I remember we started this rule long time ago when it was normal that
 provider constructor or nextFeature call showed a message box :-)
 >
 > IMO we should move the "add layer" dialogs (which are specific to each
 provider) to the providers and add a new API method to provider modules
 that would create provider's add layer dialog.
 >
 > A next step could be an unified add layer dialog: main window would
 contain just one "add layer" action that would trigger a dialog having all
 the provider dialogs inside (dialogs would be switched with a stacked
 widget).
 >
 > (Pure imagination begins now) At some point, we could reach a situation
 where we have an integrated dialog with a file browser, database/web
 connections, "favorite" layers, "last used" layers and similar stuff, with
 good usability and minimized amount of necessary clicks per one layer.


 I think there is still a good reason to avoid GUI interaction at the
 provider level. For example if we are creating an embedded (e.g. android)
 version of QGIS it may be that we want a completely different UI for
 adding layers than the desktop one. Then it may be better / easier to
 simply replace / tweak the plugin implementations themselves and leave the
 providers untouched.

 @wonder Regards your other thoughts on a grand central station for
 provders, +1 from me - its quite cumbersome our current system (both to
 use and to explain to novices) and it would be nice to get them all
 together into a drawer etc paradigm.

 Regards

 Tim

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.osgeo.org/qgis/ticket/3447#comment:6>
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