Extensions feature ideas

This page is intended to collect ideas for future features of the Extensions Manager and Extensions.

1. Running OOo in safe mode
2. Support of licenses for extensions when they are installed together with OOo
3. Configuring extensions
4. Enhance system integration
5. Installing extensions by opening extensions in the office's file dialog
6. Language Packs for extensions
7. Solving dependencies when running the online update

1. Running OOo in safe mode

   A faulty extension may cause OOo to crash. When this happens for example at startup (or shortly after) it is difficult for the user to remove the extension. That is, the Extension Manager cannot be invoked anymore. By starting OOo in safe mode, all extensions would be disabled. Then the user could remove the faulty extension in the Extension Manager.

2. Support of licenses for extensions when they are installed together with OOo

   Extensions support a simple mechanism for showing a license to the user. This happens during installation. The user must agree to the license before the extension is installed. This works well when the extension is installed by the Extension Manager. However, when an extension is part of the installation set, that is, it is installed along with the office, then this mechanism does not work or integrates well. For example, when installing the rpms every extension with a license would require a user interaction on the console. When developing a solution one should bear in mind, that one has to make sure that an extension is not usable, does not leave any marks in the GUI, and best is not copied at all to the office installation when the user refuses to agree to the license.

3. Configuring extensions

An extension may need to be configured. In this case it could bring a dialog through which all necessary settings could be done. This dialog could for example be started after installation of an extension. It could also be integrated in the options dialog of OOo.

4. Enhance system integration

It should be possible to install an extension by double clicking them. This should even be possible in these scenarios:

• OOo is running, no extension manager running
• OOo and its extension manager are running
• another instance of unopkg gui is running
• another instance of unopkg is running

This would probably mean some interprocess communication between two unopkg instances.

5. Installing extensions by opening extensions in the office's file dialog

   For more user friendlyness it should be possible to install extensions by using the file open dialog of OOo. That is, the user need not open the Extension Manager to install an extension.

6. Language Packs for extensions

   One could deliver a "language pack" in a separate extension for another extension. The extension containing the code would then use the localized strings of the language pack. This would make localization of extensions easier, because a "language pack extension" would not contain any code or sophisticated configuration data.

7. Solving dependencies when running the online update

   The "Extension Update" dialog should make sure that dependencies are resolved. That is, a extension A version 2 depends on extension version 2. The user selects extension A v.2 but does not have B v.2 installed. If B v.2 is also available as update, then the user should not be allowed to unselect B v.2. Or in case the user used the context menu for A to invoke the "Extensions Update" dialog then the dialog should automatically offer B v.2 rather then showing that A v.2 cannot be installed because of an incompatibility.