[Pidgin] #298: Notify on birthdays (red balloon in the roster)

[Pidgin]

#298: Notify on birthdays (red balloon in the roster)
-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------
 Reporter:  lathspell  |       Type:  defect
   Status:  new        |   Priority:  minor 
Component:  libpurple  |    Version:  2.0   
 Keywords:             |  
-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------
 From the sourceforge gaim wishlist:

 > Initial Comment:
 > Hi!
 >
 > When I used licq I always got a little red balloon in
 > the roster next to the usernames of people who
 > have birthday on the current day. I want that for gaim,
 > too! :)
 >
 > For the implementation I can see two problems which
 > are both solvable, though:
 >
 > 1. The date format is probably not standardized in
 >    every protocol.
 >  - So every protocol handler (or how you call it)
 >    should have a contact->hasBirthday() function that
 >    simply may be implemented or not.
 >    It should recognize at least the following formats:
 >       yyyy-mm-dd (1977-11-15, ISO standard)
 >       dd.mm.     (15.11. common yearless format)
 >    The obsolete English/American dd/mm/yyyy and
 >    mm/dd/yyyy and other strange or ambiguous
 >    formats simply don't get the cool feature (or just
 >    if the author wants to hack around)
 >
 > 2. The check should at least be performed
 >    - when a contact changes its status (easy, the icon
 >      already changes)
 >    - on midnight, maybe within a already existing
 >      while(1) loop which could check for this or a
 >      thread which alwys sleeps until then.
 >
 > bye,
 >
 > -christian-
 >
 > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 >
 > Comment By: Christian Hammers (lathspell)
 > Date: 2006-06-15 14:59
 >
 > Message:
 > Logged In: YES
 > user_id=430697
 >
 > Improved ideas:
 > - The "red ballon" should not only pop up on the birthday
 >   but maybe as "half red ballon" or "third red ballon" 1-2
 >   days before.
 > - This could also remove the problem that it's hard to
 >   change the status exactly on midnight - at least in the
 >   first version, seeing a half-red ballon would be enough
 >   of a hint to remember to gratulate on midnight oneself.
 > - An older and closed bug proposed that all this should
 >   happen in a plugin and not in Gaim itself.
 >
 > bye,
 >
 > -christian-
 >
 > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 >
 > Comment By: alantay (alantay)
 > Date: 2006-06-11 14:20
 >
 > Message:
 > Logged In: YES
 > user_id=1538010
 >
 > Please try to implement this feature. It may seem not too
 > relevant but it is ! A couple of day ago it was my birthday
 > and I got many greetings from ICQ friends. Then I realized
 > that I never greeted them on their birthdays, while they
 > "know" that ICQ warns you and displays an icon when there is
 > a birthday (what they don't know is that I use Gaim and it
 > doesn't warn me!). So I guess it made them think I'm quite
 > rude not greting them... :(
 >
 > Since ICQ has this feature, it is important to have it too
 > (or Gaim users will lose friends every year :-/
 >
 > Thanks !
 >
 > ----------------------------------------------------------------------

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Ticket URL: <http://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/298>
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