Access messages quickly

[eriolloan]

Is there a way to allow direct access to the messaging window ?

currently if you want to start/read a conversation it requires three steps : opening the application window > select the device > select "Messages".

What about adding a .desktop file to open the message window directly (and potentially add it to the dash for easy access)?

[andyholmes]

That's a good idea, although I'm not sure how to do it exactly.

Each device is a GActionGroup (with an action to open the messaging window) and gets exported on D-Bus, but you'd have to know the devices, which supported messages and which to open.

Probably it makes sense to have a shared window, like with the media remote. The window could either organize all messages or have dropdown to switch between devices.

[andyholmes]

I threw up some changes that make some big moves towards the mock-up.

I'm leaning into TinySPARQL, which worked really well and let me avoid a lot of touch problems. It's pretty rough at the moment, but highlights are:

• All UI is now in the gnome plugin (i.e. the device page doesn't need to be dynamic anymore)
• There's a global manager for messaging sources (ValentMessages), like other components
• The messaging window is global with a dropdown for selecting device (see primary menu)

It's all very rough right now, but there's a little more interactive stuff to poke at now at least :)

[eriolloan]

Wow, you're going full speed on this ! I didn't think this was such a priority.
I'm here if you need someone to give feedback on a build at some point ;)

[andyholmes]

Well, it sort of looks like it :)

Switching to TinySPARQL is obviously something I should've done 2 years ago, because the plugin is pretty much finished (in high-level terms).

Something you can probably help with is all the extra UI bits that are missing. For example, you can attach and send files with messages, there's just no UI feedback for what you have attached or what size they are. If you poke around the UI you'll see where things should be and most of the features behind them are implemented.

I'd like keep it minimalist, but my priority is UX for a11y users (e.g. keyboard focus chain). It's obvious a desktop-to-phone SMS app is super cool and convenient for most people; I expect it could be a game changer for folks with e.g. mobility issues, so they're sort of the MVPs of this part of Valent.

[eriolloan]

Wow I didn't notice the update landed on my computer and it's awesome. And the conversation list uses the proper contact names.
I'll borrow a friend's phone to see how it all behaves with two devices and unknown contacts.

There are so many ways to deal with attachments... Right now I notice they're focusable in the message view but have no action associated (pressing space or enter) is that meant to change in the end ?

I'll take a look at what's done on similar applications as I can't think of more UI bits needing attention right now.

I'm currently focused on paid projects, but I'll get to it soon.

[andyholmes]

There are so many ways to deal with attachments... Right now I notice they're focusable in the message view but have no action associated (pressing space or enter) is that meant to change in the end ?

Oh yes, for those situations I'm planning on using the scaling-preview widget from Fractal (you can see it in their conversation list). I'm not sure about outgoing attachments; I think most messengers actually just send as soon as you attach, but I'll have to check.

I'm currently focused on paid projects, but I'll get to it soon.

No worries! I'll probably be doing mini-sprints as time is available, so back-and-forth iteration works well for me :)