Hi,
Rich wrote:
i'd like to ask for additional input (and votes ? :) ) to issue
http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=41251
once we have a clear target we can start splitting up parameters in beginner/advanced/[expert],
To do it this way requires coders who know the core OOo codebase sufficiently to implement this - which are still scarce. It also is far too late to be possible in the OOo 2.0 timeframe. Using config files and/or the config API directly has the advantage that it can be done by more people and independent of the main release cycle.
if the decision is to go with config files, some easily accessible format and location should be chosen, _every_ possible option clearly documented.
The location and file format of configuration files are documented at <http://util.openoffice.org>. Neither is particularly simple, because they support the complex but powerful OOo configuration system.
In addition to the files containg the configuration data itself, there are schema files, which enumerate all the settings there are and also include descriptive texts. Generally these texts are targeted towards developers or technically savvy administrators, so it might take some edits to make them useful for a wider audience.
In OOo 1.1.x these descriptions also were translated, so building a properly localized configuration tool would have been possible. In OOo 2.0 the translation has been disabled, because there currently is no such tool. But the file format permits reviving this rather quickly.
Both the schema and the data files use XML-based formats. This makes manual editing of the files more complicated. This is augmented by the fact that you need to find corresponding locations in multiple files (the schema, the default data, the user-specific data you are working on) to see the entire picture.
So the proper way to address this is to create a tool to browse and edit these configuration files. Such a tool would be similar to GNOME gconftool or windows regedit, but could be superior in that our schemas provide richer metainformation (descriptions, constraints, ...). Such tool could easily be made to also support editing shared default files, so you can use it to prepare settings for all users of an installation.
So all the needed data and infrastructure is there. But it needs someone to do it. Any volunteers are welcome. (And I promise to be supportive.)
Ciao, Joerg
-- Joerg Barfurth Sun Microsystems - Desktop - Hamburg >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> using std::disclaimer <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Software Engineer [EMAIL PROTECTED] OpenOffice.org Configuration http://util.openoffice.org
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