Applets, desklets, extensions; how and where to find back

[gaetan-1960]

Is it possble to combine Applets, Desklets and Extensions in one workable screen; like the theming screen, with different tabs? I mean like that you have them in ONE place instead of being spread over the Cinnamon Settings screen.
More workable I think; easier to find back and manipulate.
Thanks

[claudiux]

Interesting idea. Do you think of a single Cinnamon setting named Spices, for example?

[gaetan-1960]

No, just add an icon to Cinnamon Settings, call it 'Add-Ons'; clicking on this gives you a 3-tab screen (like the Theme Settings one) with: Left tab: "Applets", Center tab: "Desklets", and right tab: "Extensions". Like that everything (installables) are located in one place.

[claudiux]

Apart from the name, that's how I imagined it would be.

[gaetan-1960]

Ah, ok, perfect, yes!
Thanks!

[cplittlfield]

Not sure how important this is, but the term "Spices" would have confused me when I was new. "Add-ons" is clearer for newcomers.

Don't get me wrong—I like that they are called Spices, but it took me a while to catch on to what they were.

On the whole, I approve of this idea, regardless of what you guys decide to call the option.

[gaetan-1960]

Add-ons, is the most 'recognizable' label I think... ;-)

[klangman]

I think there should be a "Spices" tab in the settings windows for just about all System-Settings applications (Backgrounds, Effects, Desktop, Windows, Keyboard, etc.). A desklet/applets/extension could add a new entry into the metadata.json that is used to specify which spices should show up in the "Spices" tab of each system settings window.

For example: The "Cinnamon Dynamic Wallpaper" extension should show up as a installable spice under the "Spices" tab in the "Backgrounds" settings window.

[claudiux]

In nemo -> Menu Edit -> Preferences, there is a Plugins button:

A Plugins tab could be accessible in these settings windows with Applets, Desklets, Extensions (we don't need scripts, it seems to me).

[claudiux]

A button is missing here to execute the command cinnamon-settings actions:

[claudiux]

The metadata.json new entry can be "category".

[gaetan-1960]

If you put 'Spices' in every 'part of Cinnamon' as one pleases, you give the impression the Spices are maintained by the (main) developers, which they are not. Spices are 'api's etc' added by individual developers NOT maintained NOR checked by the Linux Mint theme; I don't think they should appear everywhere 'applicable' all of a sudden. People will start making claims when stuff / spices don't work as expected.

[cplittlfield]

Spices are 'api's etc' added by individual developers NOT maintained NOR checked by the Linux Mint theme; I don't think they should appear everywhere 'applicable' all of a sudden. People will start making claims when stuff / spices don't work as expected.

I don't know about here on Github, but in the forums we get complaints all the time about "applets" not working as expected. I doubt it would make a difference if they knew them as "spices" instead.

I don't want to belittle these complainers; they have been trained by the Microsoft Customer Disservice department that all they can do is go on the support site and bitch. Most of them, fortunately, can be gently led to a better understanding of how things work in the FOSS world.