Just a note – if you get larger than normal CPU usage when using Kopete and Lancelot at the same time in KDE 4.3, visit the BUG:196809

This should be fixed in 4.3.1. In the meanwhile you can disable the Kopete integration by doing the following:

open lancelotrc file (~/.kde/share/config/lancelotrc) with your favourite text editor and add the following line to the [Main] section

imPlugins=disabled

I’ve had a few busy days closing Lancelot bug reports. There is only one left that is relevant for KDE 4.3, that is only one that is confirmed and not a feature request.

There are quite a few other fixes that somebody could even consider as new features. But realizing that we are in the hard feature freeze period, logically, those are only bug fixes, and not (and I repeat NOT) new features.

Kopete integration

The first one is that the Kopete integration works better than before. I’ve just submitted my first patch to Kopete’s code-base fixing a glitch in the D-Bus interface that was stopping Lancelot from accessing the online contacts. (There were some important changes in Kopete that had a side-effect of making its D-Bus interface useless) This has also fixed Lancelot bug 170437: Lancelot-Kopete integration breaks if ocntacts are sync’d with KAddressbook

The parts applet

The parts applet handles the applications:/ KIO much better, so no more wrong icons and application titles. The other great news concerning the Parts applet is that it no longer shows its ugly icon when you add it to the panel. Now, unless you have set a custom icon, it uses the icon representing the data-model in it. So, for example, if you drag the ‘[KMail] Unread messages’ to the panel, you’ll get KMail icon.

GMail

I’ve got a request to explain how to use the new GMail data engine with Lancelot.

Before that, I just need to state that it doesn’t work well, and that it is just a proof of the concept at the moment. And that is the reason behind the fact it is located in the Playground.

Step1: compile and install plasma playground

Step2: open ~/.kde/share/config/lancelotrc file

Step3: add mailPlugins=lancelot_gmail or imPlugins=lancelot_gmail to the [Main] section of the file depending on where you want to show the unread GMail messages (mailPlugins is the left column)

Step4: restart lancelot (kquitapp lancelot && lancelot)

Step5: enter the username and password (and set it to be saved in KWallet)

Step6: don’t report missing features, or bugs

That’s it.

Although my intention was not to make the Contacts section for 4.1 (that is to disable it) and to wait for Telepathy and Akonadi to be integrated into KDE PIM, I just couldn’t wait.

Lancelot now shows on-line contacts from Kopete, altogether with contact pictures. Unfortunately, the D-Bus interface to Kopete is underpowered so the list updating is pooling-based. Alternative would be to make a Lancelot plug-in for Kopete, but that will have to wait for post-4.1 period (if the need for that remains).

No other IM applications are going to be supported for the time being. I intend to make the IM connections pluggable… but it will not be done for 4.1.

The next step will be to populate the left side of the window with e-mail related stuff such as unread messages from KMail.