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Rationale
OS X has this nifty feature that automatically detects text fragments like appointments and addresses, and lets you choose smart actions with a click: create a new contact, map an address, or create an iCal event.
http://images.apple.com/macosx/features/images/300_mail_auto_address_20071016.p ng
GNOME should offer this functionality for all text fields, so that developers can enable this in Evolution, Pidgin, Firefox, etc.
This way every time I get an email with details of an event, I just hover over or select the text containing location and date information and choose "Add Appointment" from a drop down. This action would bring up the calendar with the information parsed from the text filled in. Similarly when my Pidgin buddy sends me his address info, I just right click it and select map location (this would pull up google maps for example) etc.
This is the kind of integration, ease of use and attention to detail that is direly needed in Ubuntu (and GNOME in particular).
Edit: See comments for more brainstorming :)
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Gnome-do is already capable of that...;)
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_alex_
wrote on the 4 Oct 08 at 20:08
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I have Gnome Do and the Text plugin. Unless I'm missing something it doesn't actually parse the selected text to let you create appointments/map locations/add contacts/etc.
Also, while I'm a huge fan of Gnome Do, it wouldn't be nearly as intuitive and easy to discover as what I describe above.
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and if that aplaction does that: it should be installed by default!
( i don't know the program, but the idea is good, +1 )
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cheesehead
(Brainstorm moderator)
wrote on the 4 Oct 08 at 23:26
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A daemon monitoring for such fragments would be cool...and occasionally useful.
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cheesehead
(Brainstorm moderator)
wrote on the 4 Oct 08 at 23:28
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Wait a second...that's just part of Apple Mail. That implementation is annoying to me. And I believe it's JUST within Mail.
We can do better.
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_alex_
wrote on the 5 Oct 08 at 02:08
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AFAIK it's also in Apple's iWork suite, though it doesn't seem to be exposed to 3rd party applications.
We can do better by providing this functionality for all text fields and simply let the developers enable it where it makes sense.
As to how it is presented to the end user: perhaps a context sensitive right click menu on selected text is slightly less intrusive than text highlighting on mouse hover in OS X, though it would be less discoverable by the end user. I'd love to hear your ideas.
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andruk
(Idea reviewer)
wrote on the 5 Oct 08 at 03:23
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This is a great idea. And, as far as I've used Ghome-Do, it has not had this functionality.
+1
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Trinix
wrote on the 5 Oct 08 at 03:37
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The word everyone is looking for is "Data Detectors." They were pioneered for extensive use during NeXT with Steve Jobs. The implementation back then was much better and more robust than what you see now. What you all are seeing in Leopard is the tip of the NeXT iceberg.
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Auzy
wrote on the 5 Oct 08 at 03:54
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Trinix is a smart guy and is totally correct.
Probably the most useful component for me is the data detection done by skype, so you can go to a contact us page, and click the number to call them. If we get Android integration working though, it could also add it to the phone book on your mobile.
+1
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Trinix
wrote on the 5 Oct 08 at 05:23
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@ Auzy
- Thanks Auzy. I took a look at the ideas you supported and created to find other worthy causes to support. (Obviously since we were having a discussion on Webkit) :-)
- I was considering what could be done in this regard for the Linux community and came to this conclusion.
1.) Gnome project needs to make this a fundamental feature for system wide access for all appropriate applications.
2.) There needs to be documentation and encouragement of developers to appropriately take advantage of data detectors in their own applications. This involves appending extra definitions to the system data detectors database.
3.) Gnome project needs a mail, calendaring, to-do application that can roll out with Gnome 3.0 that has support for this feature. This will further encourage everyone else to step up their game to at least match in support the feature. Apple has done this to great success.
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For Gnome-do you have to install Google Map plugin.
I use gnome-do and gnome-do-plugins 0.6 (0.4 is in universe).
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_alex_
wrote on the 6 Oct 08 at 16:54
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@Auzy and Trinix:
You guys got me thinking, and here's what I came up with:
Essentially we have a Data Detector daemon running, and any App can register with it to look for specific strings in data-detector enabled text fields.
So for example, Skype can tell the daemon: "Hey buddy, Skype here. Every time you see a string that looks like a phone number, add a smart action to make a call through me!"
Of course this isn't what the conversation would actually look like (though it'd be pretty awesome if it were) ;)
Skype would actually just pass a regular expression type parameter to the daemon that'll look for phone numbers, and tell the daemon what to call this smart action (e.g. "Call using Skype").
Similarly any calendar application could tell the daemon to look for date/location strings, and so on...
Finally, a GUI for configuring Data Detectors should be provided. The user would be able to disable data detectors entirely, or select a preferred application for a type of data (e.g., Skype vs. Ekiga for phone numbers).
I'm not sure if this is how OS X does it, but in any case, the kind of integration that this would allow is unprecedented on the linux desktop.
What do you guys think?
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Trinix
wrote on the 7 Oct 08 at 02:37
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• Your on the right track _alex_ and what you mention also points to a deficiency currently for Ubuntu. Note that making VLC default movie player involves editing a file with Gedit vs graphical interface for merely selecting it. They need a preference application, like the one you specified, to handle this sort of stuff.
• All interfaces need to be intuitive, easy to use, and have an advanced section for more advanced features accessible via GUI. The Apple model basically, and "It just works," in more ways than one! ;)
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Daemon parsing data to look for "text that looks like"?
I think you might be getting carried away.
He just wants something that parses selected data on right click and adds data aware "smart actions" there.
Basically, that would mean running a bunch of regular expressions on the selected text each time you right click on it.
Sorry, seems a bit useless. There's no way you can make a regular expression intelligent enough to know you are right clicking on an address or a telephone number. Everything eventually would depend on locale and from there it would just go to hell.
Use Gnome-Do. Know your Gnome-Do plugins. It can't really get much more intuitive.
You select some text. Hit the Gnome-Do shortcut. Type "sel t", "Selected Text" will come up. Hit Tab and type "ev". It brings up "New Event".
You will not even need to open a browser, but, it will return the event, so you just need to hit enter when it comes back and there you are, at Google Calendar, looking at your appointment, able to modify anything.
When you use it a couple of times, you will need to type just one letter and tab.
It will optionally allow you to choose a calendar.
Every calendar app can sync with Google Calendar.
I don't know, just seems simple.
Right clicking on text and having the context show you actions according to what you selected sounds cool, but you are probably asking to much from the Gnome Desktop right now, and, to be honest, the solutions available out-weight heavily the problem presented.
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