[Gradle Plugin] Feedback

[egorikftp]

Community feedback and evaluation

[kingg22]

Hi, I'm testing the new Gradle plugin to migrate Material icons, however, I have a different layout than the standard and I don't see an option to provide my configuration to the plugin. I don't think I'm the only one who has changed their layout; for example, KTOR has a flat layout Please provide an option to pass a directory or something similar for source sets

In android app plugin is:

sourceSets {
  val main by getting {
      java.srcDirs("src")
      manifest.srcFile("src/AndroidManifest.xml")
      res.srcDirs("res")
      assets.srcDirs("assets")
  }

  val test by getting {
      java.srcDirs("test")
  }

  val androidTest by getting {
      java.srcDirs("androidTest")
  }
}

For KMP you can see ktor config.

Current ouput:

> Task :app:generateValkyrieImageVectorDebugAndroidTest SKIPPED
file or directory '/home/kingg22/IdeaProjects/vibrion/app/src/debugAndroidTest/valkyrieResources', not found
Skipping task ':app:generateValkyrieImageVectorDebugAndroidTest' as task onlyIf 'Needs at least one input file or iconPack' is false.

> Task :app:generateValkyrieImageVectorTestFixtures SKIPPED
file or directory '/home/kingg22/IdeaProjects/vibrion/app/src/testFixtures/valkyrieResources', not found
Skipping task ':app:generateValkyrieImageVectorTestFixtures' as task onlyIf 'Needs at least one input file or iconPack' is false.

> Task :app:generateValkyrieImageVectorAndroidTest SKIPPED
file or directory '/home/kingg22/IdeaProjects/vibrion/app/src/androidTest/valkyrieResources', not found
Skipping task ':app:generateValkyrieImageVectorAndroidTest' as task onlyIf 'Needs at least one input file or iconPack' is false.
Build a25f6d14-531d-47da-8297-0c4e1da88524 is started

> Task :app:generateValkyrieImageVectorDebugUnitTest SKIPPED
file or directory '/home/kingg22/IdeaProjects/vibrion/app/src/debugUnitTest/valkyrieResources', not found
Skipping task ':app:generateValkyrieImageVectorDebugUnitTest' as task onlyIf 'Needs at least one input file or iconPack' is false.

> Task :app:generateValkyrieImageVectorTest SKIPPED
file or directory '/home/kingg22/IdeaProjects/vibrion/app/src/test/valkyrieResources', not found
Skipping task ':app:generateValkyrieImageVectorTest' as task onlyIf 'Needs at least one input file or iconPack' is false.

> Task :app:generateValkyrieImageVectorReleaseUnitTest SKIPPED
file or directory '/home/kingg22/IdeaProjects/vibrion/app/src/releaseUnitTest/valkyrieResources', not found
Skipping task ':app:generateValkyrieImageVectorReleaseUnitTest' as task onlyIf 'Needs at least one input file or iconPack' is false.

> Task :app:generateValkyrieImageVectorDebug SKIPPED
file or directory '/home/kingg22/IdeaProjects/vibrion/app/src/debug/valkyrieResources', not found
Skipping task ':app:generateValkyrieImageVectorDebug' as task onlyIf 'Needs at least one input file or iconPack' is false.

> Task :app:generateValkyrieImageVectorTestFixturesRelease SKIPPED
file or directory '/home/kingg22/IdeaProjects/vibrion/app/src/testFixturesRelease/valkyrieResources', not found
Skipping task ':app:generateValkyrieImageVectorTestFixturesRelease' as task onlyIf 'Needs at least one input file or iconPack' is false.

> Task :app:generateValkyrieImageVectorAndroidTestDebug SKIPPED
file or directory '/home/kingg22/IdeaProjects/vibrion/app/src/androidTestDebug/valkyrieResources', not found
Skipping task ':app:generateValkyrieImageVectorAndroidTestDebug' as task onlyIf 'Needs at least one input file or iconPack' is false.

> Task :app:generateValkyrieImageVectorMain SKIPPED
file or directory '/home/kingg22/IdeaProjects/vibrion/app/src/main/valkyrieResources', not found
Skipping task ':app:generateValkyrieImageVectorMain' as task onlyIf 'Needs at least one input file or iconPack' is false.

> Task :app:generateValkyrieImageVectorTestFixturesDebug SKIPPED
file or directory '/home/kingg22/IdeaProjects/vibrion/app/src/testFixturesDebug/valkyrieResources', not found
Skipping task ':app:generateValkyrieImageVectorTestFixturesDebug' as task onlyIf 'Needs at least one input file or iconPack' is false.

> Task :app:generateValkyrieImageVectorRelease SKIPPED
file or directory '/home/kingg22/IdeaProjects/vibrion/app/src/release/valkyrieResources', not found
Skipping task ':app:generateValkyrieImageVectorRelease' as task onlyIf 'Needs at least one input file or iconPack' is false.

> Task :app:generateValkyrieImageVectorTestRelease SKIPPED
file or directory '/home/kingg22/IdeaProjects/vibrion/app/src/testRelease/valkyrieResources', not found
Skipping task ':app:generateValkyrieImageVectorTestRelease' as task onlyIf 'Needs at least one input file or iconPack' is false.

> Task :app:generateValkyrieImageVectorAndroidTestRelease SKIPPED
file or directory '/home/kingg22/IdeaProjects/vibrion/app/src/androidTestRelease/valkyrieResources', not found
Skipping task ':app:generateValkyrieImageVectorAndroidTestRelease' as task onlyIf 'Needs at least one input file or iconPack' is false.

[egorikftp]

Will check it separately. Is it possible to provide small demo project?

[kingg22]

Yes, soon. I don't have that exact project ready yet, you just need to paste the above sourceSets code into an android application project and that's it, you can look the behavior

[kingg22]

Provide an option to generate member properties instead of extension functions

[egorikftp]

I have support two export variants: https://github.com/ComposeGears/Valkyrie?tab=readme-ov-file#export-formats

What do you mean exactly?

[kingg22]

No, those are how the initialization is generated, but both are top level properties I want a member property inside the generated object of icons pack

For example:

object Icons {
   // inside the object == member property
    val Add: ImageVector
        get() {
            if (_Add != null) {
                return _Add!!
            }
            _Add = ImageVector.Builder(
                name = "Outlined.Add",
                defaultWidth = 24.dp,
                defaultHeight = 24.dp,
                viewportWidth = 24f,
                viewportHeight = 24f,
            ).apply {
                path(fill = SolidColor(Color(0xFF232F34))) {
                    moveTo(19f, 13f)
                    lineTo(13f, 13f)
                    lineTo(13f, 19f)
                    lineTo(11f, 19f)
                    lineTo(11f, 13f)
                    lineTo(5f, 13f)
                    lineTo(5f, 11f)
                    lineTo(11f, 11f)
                    lineTo(11f, 5f)
                    lineTo(13f, 5f)
                    lineTo(13f, 11f)
                    lineTo(19f, 11f)
                    lineTo(19f, 13f)
                    close()
                }
            }.build()

            return _Add!!
        }

    @Suppress("ObjectPropertyName")
    private var _Add: ImageVector? = null

    object Outlined {
        // nested object with member property
        val Add: ImageVector by lazy(LazyThreadSafetyMode.NONE) {
            ImageVector.Builder(
                name = "Outlined.Add",
                defaultWidth = 24.dp,
                defaultHeight = 24.dp,
                viewportWidth = 24f,
                viewportHeight = 24f,
            ).apply {
                path(fill = SolidColor(Color(0xFF232F34))) {
                    moveTo(19f, 13f)
                    lineTo(13f, 13f)
                    lineTo(13f, 19f)
                    lineTo(11f, 19f)
                    lineTo(11f, 13f)
                    lineTo(5f, 13f)
                    lineTo(5f, 11f)
                    lineTo(11f, 11f)
                    lineTo(11f, 5f)
                    lineTo(13f, 5f)
                    lineTo(13f, 11f)
                    lineTo(19f, 11f)
                    lineTo(19f, 13f)
                    close()
                }
            }.build()
        }
    }
}

[egorikftp]

We are not supporting this structure for several reasons:

1. For large icon sets, you can face Kotlin compile exception "Method too large".
2. Worse IDE performance.
3. You lose embedded previewer functionality.

[kingg22]

I understand, I hadn't considered very long classes. But why would I lose the preview functionality and have worse performance?
If you're saying that because the previews need to be at the top level to function, it's just a matter of leaving them as needed outside of the class.
Never mind, this whole idea that Valkyrie attacks is something I was thinking about and I found that it already existed

[egorikftp]

Preview is working the same as for XML or SVG icons: you open some file and see an interactive preview.
If you place all icons into a single object, you will see a preview for the first icon (at best).

[kingg22]

Consider porting this feature #189 to gradle plugin with offline mode and caching handler, similar to dependency caching

[kingg22]

Something like this:

valkyrie {
    packageName = "com.example.app.icons"

    // New config block
    onDemand {
        // directory to save raw xml files after download (default this for example)
        cacheDirectory = layout.projectDirectory.dir(".gradle/valkyrie/cache")

        fetchPolicy = FetchPolicy.CACHE_FIRST // NETWORK_FIRST, NEVER, etc

        // USERS REGISTER ICONS USING EXPLICIT URLs
        icon(name = "home") {
            url = "https://example.com/icons/home.svg" // required
        }

        icon("star") {
            // Google Material Icons (URL raw)
            url = "https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/i/materialiconsoutlined/star/v8/24px.svg"
        }

        icon("github") {
            // GitHub raw
            url = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tabler/tabler-icons/master/icons/brand-github.svg"
        }

        // Group by packs (the configuration of packs can be here or in IconPacks DSL
        pack(name = "outlined") {
            icon(name = "warning") {
                url = "https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/i/materialiconsoutlined/warning/v6/24px.svg"
            }
        }

        pack("customHumanIcons") {
            icon("doctor") {
                url = "https://cdn.mycompany.com/human-icons/doctor.xml"
            }
        }

        // CUSTOM PROVIDER ROUTING
        provider(name = "googleMaterial") {
            baseUrl = "https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/i/materialicons" // required
            buildUrl { iconName: String, style: String -> // requires explicit configuration of the URL because can be different between providers
                "$baseUrl/${style.lowercase()}/$iconName/v1/24px.svg" // baseUrl can be skipped if the plugin concatenate it before call this
            }
        }

        // use custom provider
        icon("smartphone") {
            provider = "googleMaterial" // in replacement of url, this is required
            args["style"] = "outlined" // args can be a mutable map of string - string or any
        }

        // FallBack policy (not found, errors, rate limit, offline mode, etc)
        fallback {
            generateStubOnFailure = true
            failBuildOnFailure = false
            // others policy idk
        }
    }
}

[egorikftp]

I don't understand the use case. Why spend time setting up links to specific icons that most likely will never change?

It seems like it would be faster and more convenient to do it with a plugin. Please take a look demo: #664

[kingg22]

I understand. My idea is to avoid including all those XML files in the repository if the plugin only needs them the first time you generate the code.
The IDE plugin does an excellent job with the user experience, but how do you integrate the output from the IDE plugin into the Gradle plugin? The idea behind this new Gradle plugin is to not carry the code with you, but rather leave it as generated code.

[kingg22]

Using a global cache like in Gradle's user home (similar to downloading a dependency) would be extremely beneficial if a developer has multiple projects and reuses icons, using Valkyrie of course.

[egorikftp]

Here's my take on this plugin's purpose. 🙂

I see it mainly automating repeating the process of converting icons from the source into the destination folder. I wouldn't expect it to handle downloading icons using a Gradle plugin or anything like that for the project.

The provided configuration with hardcoded URLs for material icons requires a lot of manual work from the user to find the link on the site. And all this work is just so that the plugin downloads it and puts it ONCE in the right folder. 

I would probably choose a different path: either I would use a plugin or just download the icons I needed on the site by hand and convert.

In case you need to download icons from some network storage I suggest to split task into two steps:

1. Download icons with script and place as files into specific folder with correct names
2. Execute valkyrie plugin or other available solutions and get result