704566 - Support hover text description for natively installed Windows apps

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(Web Apps :: Extension, defect, P2)

Description

[Tim Abraldes [:TimAbraldes] [:tabraldes]]

We should use the app description specified in the app manifest as the description for various pieces of the natively-installed app (e.g. shortcuts - so when you hover over a shortcut it shows the app description)

Comment 1

[Ian Bicking (:ianbicking)]

I worry that we'll overuse the description such that it won't really fit into any of its intended contexts

For instance, consider a simple editing app.  Here's how I might write its description intended for some app index or store:

"FancyDocs is a great way to edit docs on the go and online, with WordPress integration and more!"

But for hover I might want:

"Edit docs online and on your blog"

Will they ever really overlap?  If this use case is important then we should add a new manifest key IMHO.

Comment 2

[Tim Abraldes [:TimAbraldes] [:tabraldes]]

I'm fine with adding another manifest key.  Maybe we should have "shortDescription" and "extendedDescription"?

Comment 3

[Ian Bicking (:ianbicking)]

Not to get all concrete and explicit, but what about "hover_description"?  It's still applicable in several contexts (e.g., usable in the dashboard), and yet entirely clear what it's to be used for.

Either way it should be clear whether the app should assume its name is displayed prominently, or if it should repeat its name in the description.  The [e-mail] list should be contacted if we're proposing a spec change.

Comment 4

[Ian Bicking (:ianbicking)]

To clarify my concern, I want to avoid a situation like I'm currently seeing with Ubuntu packages, where the package list shows:

"The fast and easy web browser from Mozilla
firefox 15.4Mb"

I.e., it leads with the tagline and not the application title.  And to make it worse "firefox" is in a distinctly smaller font to boot.  So if we expect to use this as a kind of extended title we should be clear on that, or if we plan to use it as an extension of the title (always to be displayed with the title itself) we should also be clear on that intention.

Comment 5

[Tim Abraldes [:TimAbraldes] [:tabraldes]]

Initial support for app descriptions:
https://github.com/mozilla/openwebapps/commit/16b688bf71bb964817a569943bb56903871b209a

This uses the "description" manifest key for now, but should be updated to use the "hover_description" key when it is added.  I'll fire off an email to [e-mail] to get the ball rolling on adding "hover_description"

Comment 6

[Bill Walker [:bwalker] [@wfwalker]]

Jen feels this is not a release blocker

Comment 7

[Tim Abraldes [:TimAbraldes] [:tabraldes]]

We support hover text in the developer release of the addon.  We're using the "description" field up until the first line break, or the first 253 characters and an ellipsis if there is no line break in that range of characters.  We can reopen this or open a new bug if we decide to change our hover text functionality or we discover issues.

Comment 8

[Jason Smith [:jsmith]]

Verified on Win XP, Vista, 7.