Item1371: Generalised external editor a la JHotDrawPlugin

Proposal

Create a new plugin to allow a helper application on the client to edit an attachment, and optionally provide a rendered version of the attachment and an image map if the rendering is an image.

Examples of usage are anything from using Gimp to edit graphics, SVG editors, to specialised apps such as electronic schematic editors or other diagram editors.

This is inspired by the JHotDrawPlugin which (in my naive view), is an application which downloads a group of (up to 3) related attachments, modifies them, and then uploads them again as new attachment revisions.

This proposed plugin would work similarly, but would save the files on the client, then launch the associated app to edit the file, then upload when finished.

Stage one would be a helper app that just downloaded the files, then displayed a dialog prompting the user to do the editing, and optionally rendering. Then the user would click a [Upload Changed] button on the helper app.

Stage two if possible would automate the launch of the app, and upload changed files on app exit.

Comments please

Right now I don't have the knowledge to implement such a plugin.

I am looking for comments from developers on whether this idea is feasible, how hard is it, and it desirable?

Is anyone interested in working on this, or helping me to do so?

-- EliotBlennerhassett - 26 Mar 2009

Just came across this, which looks something like what I was looking for.

http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:External_editors

-- EliotBlennerhassett - 06 Apr 2011

This is a problem we solve by using webdav and webdrive (on windows). This way, there's no special integration required (the user just navigates to the attachment of interest with their file browser).

-- PaulHarvey - 07 Apr 2011