[Pidgin] #13577: Feature request: Search API for account plugins ans supporting preferences in pidgin

[Pidgin]

#13577: Feature request: Search API for account plugins ans supporting preferences
in pidgin
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 Reporter:  alanwevans          |     Owner:  rekkanoryo
     Type:  enhancement         |    Status:  new       
Component:  unclassified        |   Version:  2.7.11    
 Keywords:  account search api  |  
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 I sent over a request to the SIPE plugin developers but it occurs to me
 that my request could be bigger.

 What about adding to the API a search API that can be called by the IM
 pidgin to search all (or selected accounts) for contacts.

 Imagine on the pidgin interface a search box at the top or bottom of the
 buddy list where a user types in a name, title, email address or some
 other searchable item then presses enter.  Pidgin would then call a search
 API on all connected Accounts and aggregate the results into one list.

 Each account plugin could selectively implement the API and pidgin could
 be made to have preferences.  I.e. I as a user could decide that I don't
 want to search gmail, or AIM, or ICQ but I do want to search two other
 xmpp servers and my OCS server for a contact.

 API should provide
 - A normalized set of searchable attributes that each account plugin could
 translate to implementation specific attributes
   - API might refer to "First Name" and "Last Name" but a particular
 account plugin may know "Given Name" and "Surname" attributes

 Account Plugin Should
 - Indicate whether or not it supports search
 - Indicate which normalized attributes it supports searching
 - Implement a search function
 - Return search results asynchronously

 Pidgin Should Provide
 - A global/universal search that searches user customizable attributes by
 account plugin
 - An advanced search that allows searching of one normalized attribute
 across all plugins
 - Should collect search results and display according to user preferences
 as results come in
 - Implement a preferences tab that controls which accounts are searchable
 in the universal/global search and which attributes to search in each
 account

 That's what I've got at the moment.  Please excuse my spelling/grammar and
 off the cuff writing style.  I just wanted to get my idea out and into
 discussion.

 I am not familiar with the libpurple library or the specifics of pidgin
 but I would be glad to work with anyone to flesh this idea out in a
 conceptual manner and test/qa should it move forward.

 Regards,
 -Alan

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Ticket URL: <http://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/13577>
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