Feature requests etc.

[fekhner]

After going through the requests in this post, I would say that most of them are implemented by now in a very satisfactory way through Mackx's hack of the rc3 update and his port of Xournal for instance. Of course for some (most?) users, that is probably a bit late. In addition, there is the for me crucial djvuplugin by luite and FBreader can read most of the other formats. Same thing on the DR800 with Iñigo's hacks and ports.

For me, the only remaining issue on the DR1000 is the somewhat slow boot time, as compared for instance to the DR800 and of course battery life. But charging it every couple of days is not such a big deal for me after all, especially considering that one really can read and work with those A4 pdf's. Reading epub's on the DR800 is a real pleasure and pdf's can be dealt with in a satisfactory way, but of course it is a bit more cumbersome than on the DR1000.

A minor request not really relevant for reading, and not directed to irex obviously but to those developers out there, would be to make usbnet ported by GregorRichards for the DR800S(G) work on the DR1000 as well.

On the DR800SG, it is of course a pity that the 3G cannot be used, especially since midori has been ported by now. So, the only request, which I also have seen formulated in some of the other threads, would be to be able to control and connect through a SIM card bought from a local provider. Imagine being able to check mail on the train on the DR800 ...

With usbnet and the terminal emulator ported, the often requested feature to be able to use the DR's as a wacom tablet for the PC also seems within reach.

[Mackx]

Originally Posted by fekhner

A minor request not really relevant for reading, and not directed to irex obviously but to those developers out there, would be to make usbnet ported by GregorRichards for the DR800S(G) work on the DR1000 as well.

I would also want this, I put some effort in it, but I am not a linux (kernel) expert. What I have learned is that the kernel used for the DR1000 is slightly different then the kernel in DR800 (missing some important modules for usb). For me it is not clear if this is only a software problem (update of kernel) or if there are also hardware limitations. So we would need a "GregorRichards'' with a DR1000 and a lot of free time to have a look at this ....

[Iñigo]

Originally Posted by fekhner

After going through the requests in this post, I would say that most of them are implemented by now in a very satisfactory way through Mackx's hack of the rc3 update and his port of Xournal for instance. Of course for some (most?) users, that is probably a bit late. In addition, there is the for me crucial djvuplugin by luite and FBreader can read most of the other formats. Same thing on the DR800 with Iñigo's hacks and ports.

Oh, perfect!... where is our paycheck from IREX? Oh, better not to ask
Well, in fact it was Mackx who started all, he launched the first ideas I took to develop DR800+, and IREX people helped too.
Btw, I have some ideas for future versions of DR800+ but I have no free time these days, I'm spending all of it on developing an ebook manager ;-) </end_of_autopromotion>.

Originally Posted by fekhner

[...]
Imagine being able to check mail on the train on the DR800 ...

Well, some time ago I was thinking on this, but I finally bought an android phone (a Nexus One if you are curious), much better screen type for internet use. I have to always carry a phone anyway.

A feature I miss is to be able to prepare some file on the computer (url, ebook, pdf file with RSS feeds...) and send it automatically to the DR by wireless, something like [1] and [2] for android phones or those popular internet-based storage services.

EDIT later: I also find lacking the way to manage new files on the DR.
Imagine the above scenary: I sync some new file to an INBOX folder on the DR, then I have a application in the DR which lets me to move to any folder on the SD card or create a Shortcut (this is the way I use to "mark" those files as "to-read-first").

What I do now is to send to a special folder on my computer that it's sync-ed manually (with rsync command) when I connnect the DR800 with USB.... but I need to connect with a cable...

[1] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir...a-sendtophone/
[2] https://chrome.google.com/extensions...fjbfekfjcgkhco

Except fot this (and a DR800 specific UDS program which could allow to customize completely the icons/actions) I find that the DR800 is still the best ereader out there.

Originally Posted by fekhner

With usbnet and the terminal emulator ported, the often requested feature to be able to use the DR's as a wacom tablet for the PC also seems within reach.

There are previous similar work for the iLiad, I think it shouldn't be too dificult to translate it to DRxxx devices.

Iñigo

[Mackx]

Originally Posted by Iñigo

EDIT later: I also find lacking the way to manage new files on the DR.
Imagine the above scenary: I sync some new file to an INBOX folder on the DR, then I have a application in the DR which lets me to move to any folder on the SD card or create a Shortcut (this is the way I use to "mark" those files as "to-read-first").

For the Shortcut-part of the story I am working on a new hack that is similar to the MustRead-functionality that I had on the R1.7.1. This allows to tag new documents that will show in the MustRead-view and once they are read are removed from it. (Sometimes you add a document to the DR that you want to read when you have some time in the future, so you add it to a 'mustread'-view and can quickly find it later.

Moving files on the DR would indeed be a cool extension. The problem is that the current file-dialogs on the DR are a little cumbersome, so a dedicated DR folder/file selection widget would be nice to have to create the move-file feature.

I am also working on a hack that allows you change the title and author on the DR AND to block UDS from updating title and author each time you open a (pdf-)document that has embedded author and title properties.

All to follow somewhere in the future...

Marcel.

[fekhner]

Originally Posted by Mackx

I am also working on a hack that allows you change the title and author on the DR AND to block UDS from updating title and author each time you open a (pdf-)document that has embedded author and title properties.

All to follow somewhere in the future...

Marcel.

That would be great, the only efficient workaround I have for this problem right now is to access all files through the SD card icon ...

[Iñigo]

Originally Posted by Mackx

For the Shortcut-part of the story I am working on a new hack that is similar to the MustRead-functionality that I had on the R1.7.1. This allows to tag new documents that will show in the MustRead-view and once they are read are removed from it. (Sometimes you add a document to the DR that you want to read when you have some time in the future, so you add it to a 'mustread'-view and can quickly find it later.

Moving files on the DR would indeed be a cool extension. The problem is that the current file-dialogs on the DR are a little cumbersome, so a dedicated DR folder/file selection widget would be nice to have to create the move-file feature.

I am also working on a hack that allows you change the title and author on the DR AND to block UDS from updating title and author each time you open a (pdf-)document that has embedded author and title properties.

All to follow somewhere in the future...

Marcel.

That would be the best way, of course, but to use it on a DR800 I'd have to port/translate all your other changes... That's something that I have in my TODO list, but not at top...

I tend to use shorcuts as MustRead (or favourite) view, so I was thinking on a simple external application, "INBOX Manager":

1. read <sd_card>/INBOX folder contents (files or directories)
2. create a treeview with 4 columns: 
    - chosen_destination? toggle or icon (not editable, false by default)
    - file/directory name (not editable)
    - create_shorcut? toggle or icon (editable)
    - destination path (null by default, hidden)
3. if user tap over a row a destination selection dialog is showed, which would fill 
    the 4th column with the selected path and mark the 1st one
4. before closing, loop over the files/dirs
    - if chosen_destination is marked:
      . move file/dir from INBOX to its destination path
      . if create_shortcut -> create shorcut
    . run mdbindex to reindex files. It would remove old entried from INBOX indeeed (so no need to play with the DB

I think I can code it in Lua in a few hours.

What do you think?
Iñigo

[Mackx]

Originally Posted by Iñigo

I tend to use shorcuts as MustRead (or favourite) view, so I was thinking on a simple external application, "INBOX Manager":

1. read <sd_card>/INBOX folder contents (files or directories)
2. create a treeview with 4 columns: 
    - chosen_destination? toggle or icon (not editable, false by default)
    - file/directory name (not editable)
    - create_shorcut? toggle or icon (editable)
    - destination path (null by default, hidden)
3. if user tap over a row a destination selection dialog is showed, which would fill 
    the 4th column with the selected path and mark the 1st one
4. before closing, loop over the files/dirs
    - if chosen_destination is marked:
      . move file/dir from INBOX to its destination path
      . if create_shortcut -> create shorcut
    . run mdbindex to reindex files. It would remove old entried from INBOX indeeed (so no need to play with the DB

I think I can code it in Lua in a few hours.

What do you think?
Iñigo

Sound great, since I do not have much experience with Lua I tend to forget that you ported it. This would be great to show the strength of Lua (and inspire other people to write more apps/utilities :-).

An extension I could think of (for a later version) is to add a tag-field that would update the tag of an file (after copying and mdindexing).

Marcel.

[rvs]

I'm quite satisfied with the features on the DR1000 (love the lastapps feature), except for one thing. I'd like the DR1000 to remember sensor locking after shutdown. I pretty much always have the sensors on both sides locked (to be able to comfortly hold it in my hands), so I need to lock the sensors everytime I boot the device.

The feature where you can block UDS from reading author and title would be welcome too (if I understand it correctly). I'd like it to just show the filename, the way it does in SD-Card mode.

[Mackx]

Hi rvs,

Originally Posted by rvs

I'd like the DR1000 to remember sensor locking after shutdown. I pretty much always have the sensors on both sides locked (to be able to comfortly hold it in my hands), so I need to lock the sensors everytime I boot the device.

You have been asking for this feature for some time now, I think I should put it higher on my todo-list

Originally Posted by rvs

The feature where you can block UDS from reading author and title would be welcome too (if I understand it correctly). I'd like it to just show the filename, the way it does in SD-Card mode.

The feature I implemented now will be a little bit different, it will allow you to correct title and author on the target, when they are wrong in the metadata of the document and lock any overwrites of them by UDS.
Showing filenames in other views, just like in the SD-Card view is not that difficult, however, making it optional with an entry in a settings dialog takes a lot of work. I will put this on my 'future-feature'-list, but keep the priority low for now.

[rvs]

Originally Posted by Mackx

You have been asking for this feature for some time now, I think I should put it higher on my todo-list

Somehow it bugs me, I don't know why exactly I tried to see if I could make a small hack myself, but didn't get much further than installing the VMWare-image with the developing environment some forum member was so kind to post. After that I quickly got confused

The feature I implemented now will be a little bit different, it will allow you to correct title and author on the target, when they are wrong in the metadata of the document and lock any overwrites of them by UDS.
Showing filenames in other views, just like in the SD-Card view is not that difficult, however, making it optional with an entry in a settings dialog takes a lot of work. I will put this on my 'future-feature'-list, but keep the priority low for now.

All right. I wasn't sure beforehand if I understood it correctly. It's not a feature that I really need, I can easily manage without it, so if you have no use for it you can take it off your list if you like.

[Mackx]

Originally Posted by rvs

All right. I wasn't sure beforehand if I understood it correctly. It's not a feature that I really need, I can easily manage without it, so if you have no use for it you can take it off your list if you like.

'Unfortunately', it is already implemented

[rvs]

Originally Posted by Mackx

'Unfortunately', it is already implemented

I meant the thing with showing the filenames in the other views, not the other thing you implemented

[Iñigo]

Originally Posted by Mackx

Sound great, since I do not have much experience with Lua I tend to forget that you ported it. This would be great to show the strength of Lua (and inspire other people to write more apps/utilities :-).

Done ;-)

Uncompress the attached filed, copy the 3 .png files into <SD card>/Programs/_lua/share/pixmaps, the inbox-manager.lua file into <SD card>/Programs/_lua/scripts (fixed) and the .desktop file into <SD card>/Programs.

You'll need to create a new folder called "INBOX" at the root of your SD card.
Note that if your card is formatted as ext2 or ext3 you'll need "INBOX" to be uppercase as these file systems are case-sensitive.

Lua is quite powerful and easy enough if you know other languages, but I'm afraid there aren't many DR users with programming skills.
Take a look at this script, it's easy to understand.

Lua is easily embeded in C programs, so one of the ideas on my mind is to embed lua into ctb... and call some lua script as ctb extensions... well, too many ideas, no time...

Iñigo

PS: this script will be added to next release of lua bindings

[fekhner]

you guys are really motivated

for the moment, I am not really able to make it work though, on the DR800SG, error message: application cannot be opened, possibly already open etc.

on the DR1000, it does not start

but of course it is late and I might have done something stupid, will try again tomorrow ...

small addition to the instructions: it seems to me that the "share" directory should be removed from the path where the inbox-manager.lua file goes ....

[Mackx]

Hi fekhner,

I had the same problem when I first ran the program, with rxvt, I discovered that it is important that you create a INBOX-folder in the root of the SD-card, otherwise the program stops.

Marcel.