[packagekit] Python GTK widgets and async client

[Tim Lauridsen]

Sebastian Heinlein wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I hacked on the PyGTK widgets recently. I run into the problem that I
> need a lot more async data than what the progress callback of the
> current client could provide. E.g. I would like to show reported
> packages immediately in the TreeView or show the status of a transaction
> as soon at it gets started.
>
> * Async methods
>
> So I added the PackageKitTransaction class to packagekit.client. If a
> client method is called with the async=True parameter the method will
> return a PackageKitTransaction instance which was not yet started
> instead of the results.
>
> PackageKitTransaction now does all the signal wrapping and holds a
> reference to the DBus interface of the corresponding transaction. This
> allows me to hook the widgets to a transaction before running it. The
> transaction can be started by calling run(). The run method also has got
> a wait parameter, which allows to still run the transaction
> synchronously. So I am not sure if the naming of the async parameter is
> correct. :)
>
> Do you agree with this approach? Is there a better name for the
> parameter async? Should I use different methods instead: e.b.
> SearchNameAsync?
>
> I haven't converted all client methods to the new API since I wanted to
> wait for feedback.
>
> * PyGTK widgets
>
> I introduced the python modules genums and widgets which are shipped in
> gnome-packagekit. The first one is an automatically created python
> version of gpk-enum.c. The later one contains the following widgets:
>
> * PackageKitCancelButton
>
> * PackageKitStatusIcon
>
> * PackageKitStatusAnimation
>
> * PackageKitStatusLabel
>
> * PackageKitProgressBar: The run method also runs the associated
> transaction.
>
> * PackageKitMessageDialog
>
> * PackageListStore :An enhanced gtk.ListStore which holds the
> corresponding PackageKitPackage instances of Package signals which have
> been emitted by a transaction.
>
> * PackageListView: Renders the content of the above PackageListStore.
>
> Except of the PackageListView all widgets are connected to a transaction
> by using the transaction parameter with a PackageKitTransaction instance
> at creation time or the set_transaction method afterwards.
>
> Here is a code example how to refresh the cache, show the progress in a
> dialog and handle errors in an error dialog:
>
> pk = PackageKitClient()
> trans = pk.RefreshCache(async=True)
> dialog = PackageKitProgressDialog(transaction=trans, parent=win)
> try:
>     dialog.run()
> except PackageKitError, e:
>     msg = PackageKitMessageDialog(enum=e.error, details=e.desc,
>                                   parent=win)
>     msg.run()
>     msg.hide()
> dialog.hide()
>
> The widgets module provides a fully working test application, which can
> search, refresh, get updates, install and remove packages.
>
> You can find the code in the async-client branch of PackageKit and the
> python-widgets branch of gnome-packagekit. The branches are some days
> behind master.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Sebastian
>
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>   
the  "async-client" look very nice to me, the async parameter is just 
fine, no need to make special methods.
+1 for merge it into master.

I will check out the gui parts soon.

Tim