Other variant (function-based):

http://review.source.android.com/8451 (framework change - DO NOT PAY
ATTENTION TO THE IMPLEMENTATION ITSELF!)

http://review.source.android.com/8285
http://review.source.android.com/8454
http://review.source.android.com/8455 (call sites).

Comments welcome.

JBQ

On Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 7:48 PM, Jean-Baptiste Queru <[email protected]> wrote:
> There are definitely tradeoffs in both variants. I wanted to put quick
> implementations of both options together, so that we'd have something
> concrete to discuss. I'll prepare the other variant (function-based)
> tomorrow morning, as it'll take a tiny bit more time if I want the
> implementation to look like something that'd end up in production.
>
> JBQ
>
> On Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 7:15 PM, Joe Onorato <[email protected]> wrote:
>> I missed Dave's message in this thread.  The problem with putting constants
>> into Config.java is that it forces us to have one file with all possible
>> configuration values in it, which I think is a huge mistake.
>>
>> This mechanism needs to work for built-in apps, many of which won't be open
>> sourced, as well as the system.  I really don't want to pollute the platform
>> with all constants for all possible apps.
>>
>> -joe
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 4:49 PM, Jean-Baptiste Queru <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>> I've uploaded a proposed implementation with the following changes:
>>> http://review.source.android.com/8415
>>> http://review.source.android.com/8256
>>> http://review.source.android.com/8416
>>> http://review.source.android.com/8257
>>>
>>> Please don't pay too much attention to the fact that the parameter is
>>> backed by a system property, that's an implementation detail at this
>>> point. I'm mostly interested in knowing whether this approach is
>>> sustainable in the future.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> JBQ
>>>
>>> On Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 4:30 PM, Jean-Baptiste Queru <[email protected]>
>>> wrote:
>>> > Agreed. The explicitly goal here is to avoid the use of an additional
>>> > system property (well, undo it, or at least hide it behind an API that
>>> > we'll be able to re-implement some other way).
>>> >
>>> > JBQ
>>> >
>>> > On Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 4:18 PM, Brian Swetland <[email protected]>
>>> > wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >> As a side-note I'd like to try to reduce usage of the underlying system
>>> >> properties -- they're becoming a dumping ground for all kinds of random
>>> >> stuff, and they were not really intended as an open-ended registry of
>>> >> every possible thing we might think to dump in there....
>>> >>
>>> >> [Dave Bort <[email protected]>]
>>> >>> The major benefit of using static final fields that I see is that it
>>> >>> becomes very obvious who is using a given flag (e.g., "provisioned"),
>>> >>> we can track the existence of that flag using our existing API
>>> >>> checking tools, and the build breaks if a flag is removed but there
>>> >>> are users of it.
>>> >>>
>>> >>> A dictionary-style interface, on the other hand, provides no
>>> >>> possibility for static checking; there's no way to tell whether or not
>>> >>> anyone is using a particular flag.  This is the main reason we're
>>> >>> trying to kill the uses of the SystemProperties API.
>>> >>>
>>> >>> --dbort
>>> >>>
>>> >>> On Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 3:58 PM, Jean-Baptiste Queru <[email protected]>
>>> >>> wrote:
>>> >>> > As a follow-up to the thread about the "provisioned" bit, I'd like
>>> >>> > to
>>> >>> > look at the way some build-time-configurable aspects are exposed to
>>> >>> > applications.
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> > Right now, we're exposing android.os.Build ("Information about the
>>> >>> > current build, extracted from system properties."). It contains a
>>> >>> > dozen of fields (mostly strings) that contain information about the
>>> >>> > source code that was used, the build combo, and who built it, where,
>>> >>> > and when, i.e. what we often refer to as "the build".
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> > Next to that, we also have android.util.Config ("Build
>>> >>> > configuration.
>>> >>> > The constants in this class vary depending on [the] build."). It
>>> >>> > contains a handful of booleans, which were meant to be set according
>>> >>> > to the build configuration (e.g. DEBUG, PROFILE, LOGV). Given the
>>> >>> > way
>>> >>> > we now check API differences for compatibility breaks, we can't
>>> >>> > actually change those values without introducing what our
>>> >>> > api-checking
>>> >>> > tool considers an API breakage.
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> > I'd like to introduce a mechanism to allow the build-time side to
>>> >>> > pass
>>> >>> > parameters that can be checked at run-time at the SDK API level, for
>>> >>> > parameters like the "requires_provisioning" bit.
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> > Requirements:
>>> >>> > -Values must be read-only when seen from applications.
>>> >>> > -Must not involve any API change when the parameters change.
>>> >>> > -Must allow to document each possible value using the usual
>>> >>> > mechanism.
>>> >>> > -Must not involve build-time-generated (or build-dependent) source
>>> >>> > files written in the java programming language.
>>> >>> > -Performance and footprint are both important.
>>> >>> > -Must support at least booleans, integers (int and/or long?) and
>>> >>> > strings.
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> > I'm thinking that Config is a more appropriate location than Build
>>> >>> > for
>>> >>> > those parameters.
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> > One approach is to do something similar to Build: grab each
>>> >>> > parameter
>>> >>> > at init time (i.e. in a static final) from whichever location is
>>> >>> > appropriate (SystemProperties or any other place).
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> > Another approach is to not directly expose individual fields, but
>>> >>> > instead to expose functions that take string keys and return the
>>> >>> > values: e.g. boolean getBoolean(String key), int getInt(String key),
>>> >>> > and expose static final constant strings for the keys.
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> > The former feels like it'd be lighter-weight in terms of memory and
>>> >>> > CPU. The latter feels a lot more automated (so that we could just
>>> >>> > stick the values in a data file and parse that).
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> > What's the preferred option?
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> > Thanks,
>>> >>> > JBQ
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> > --
>>> >>> > Jean-Baptiste M. "JBQ" Queru
>>> >>> > Android Engineer, Google.
>>> >>> >
>>> >>
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> > Jean-Baptiste M. "JBQ" Queru
>>> > Android Engineer, Google.
>>> >
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Jean-Baptiste M. "JBQ" Queru
>>> Android Engineer, Google.
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Jean-Baptiste M. "JBQ" Queru
> Android Engineer, Google.
>



-- 
Jean-Baptiste M. "JBQ" Queru
Android Engineer, Google.

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