LMMS/lmms

Implement directory watching / auto-refresh for file browser

Open

#2156 opened on Jul 4, 2015

View on GitHub
 (7 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)C++ (7,132 stars) (961 forks)batch import
enhancementgood first issue

Description

Under linux, there exists a tool called inotify which allows an application to watch a directory and be notified whenever something about it changes (new file added/deleted, existing file modified, etc).

A natural way to use such a tool is to monitor all the open folders in the file browser and update the UI in real-time as the folders are modified, saving the user from having to manually refresh the directory view, or forgetting to.

inotify is linux only, but a quick search reveals these equivalent cross-platform tools (though I know little of their reputation/usability):

The latter option looks to be better all-around (more actively developed, doesn't require calling "update()" on a regular basis, and it supports slightly more backends), except for the less-permissive license, but LMMS is licensed under the GPL anyway ( :-1: ) so that's pretty much moot.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
desktopfrontend
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
3-5 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
C++ knowledgeFile system eventsCross platform testing
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
40
Research direction
The issue suggests using inotify (Linux) or cross platform libraries like simplefilewatcher or libfswatch. Evaluate these libraries for compatibility with LMMS's build system and licensing. Identify the file browser implementation in the LMMS source code (likely in src/gui) and implement event based directory refresh.