I like the idea, and we might also want to add the ability to roll
back the repository to a past version via the dialog -- a repository-
based undo, if you will.
On May 15, 2006, at 11:15 AM, Bryan Stearns wrote:
Recent Chandler issues have produced situations where a user has
needed to "interact directly" with his/her repository:
- The repository is damaged and can't be opened
- The repository isn't damaged, but the last Chandler run died and
left it with broken UI structures, such that Chandler gets confused
on startup and crashes. (I think the problem Sheila just showed me
falls into this case, which is why I'm sending this now.)
- A corrupt repository needs to be sent to us.
- Additionally, it's sometimes useful to tell Chandler to --create
a new repository, but the user doesn't normally start Chandler from
the command line -- figuring out how to do this is an extra hurdle
for the user to solve in a situation where we've let him/her down.
I propose we add a mechanism to put up a dialog on startup if the
user is holding down a metakey (to be named later; we can figure
one out that works on all platforms and doesn't interfere with
basic application launching); this dialog would offer this radio-
group of choices;
- Continue startup normally (the default, in case the metakey's
inadvertently down)
- Keep my data, but reset the UI information in my repository
- Discard my repository completely and start over
and optionally (a separate checkbox with two editfields)
- Send my repository to OSAF; here's my email address so OSAF can
ask me followup questions: [ ] and the number of the bug I
filed about this: [ ].
I proposed something like this a long time ago, and it generally
got boo'd down, I think because "we should just fix the bugs that
leave the repository in a bad state". I agree that we need to fix
bugs like this, but for a while yet we'll need a mechanism to help
users affected by these problems, other than "Just go find your
profile directory and delete it. Oh, you don't know what that is?
Just start Chandler with the --create option. Oh, you've never used
a command line?"...)
...Bryan
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