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Applications

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Rationale

The Applications place enables users to browse and search for installed applications, and to search for applications available in the Ubuntu Software Center.

The Applications place makes a significant contribution to the retailability of devices running Ubuntu Netbook Edition.

Default View

{{attachment:Default View.png}}

2.1 Search Hint

The search hint is "Search Applications".

2.2 Sections

Sections for non-empty application categories are displayed in the Sections Button. The application categories are the same categories displayed as "Departments" in the Ubuntu Software Center:

Sections are listed in alphabetical order by application category name, with the All Applications section first and the Other section last. A section is not shown when there are no installed applications belonging to the corresponding application category.

NoDisplayIn and NoDisplay settings in application .desktop files should be observed.

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System Tools Category

The System section does not correspond to an Ubuntu Software Center department. It includes applications that belong to the FreeDesktop category System but do not belong to the category Settings. The following System Tools applications are normally displayed in the System > Administration menu, and should be displayed in the System section:

2.3 Groups

The following groups are used to organize items within each section.

Most Used

This group consists of one row of the most used applications for that section. Items are displayed in decreasing order by frequency of use. This group is not displayed when empty (i.e. when no applications in the current section have been used). This group cannot be minimized or maximized, so maximize and minimize buttons are not shown.

Appearance of Items in Most Used Group

Application items in this section are represented by:

Installed

This group displays all available applications in the current section in alphabetical order by application name. It is expanded by default to show all applications it contains.

Appearance of Items in Installed Group

Applications items in this section are represented by:

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Search View

{{attachment:Search View.png}}

The search view filters the list of installed applications, and also displays search results for the Ubuntu Software Center. Users can easily view search results by category using the Section Button.

2.4 Groups

Installed

Displays installed applications matching the search query. Search results are determined by matching words in the search query against application names and descriptions.

Available (Ubuntu Software Center)

Displays applications matching the search query found in the Ubuntu Software Center. Search results are determined using the same search implementation used by the Ubuntu Software Center.

This group should not display results for applications that are already installed, as representations of the installed applications will be displayed in the "Installed" group.

Clicking on an item in this group opens the Ubuntu Software Center to that application's page in the Software Center to display detailed information about the application, and to allow the user to easily install the application.

Use Cases

2.5 Default Focus and Tab Order

{{{

Level Sea

Primary Actor Netbook User

Other Actors None

Trigger None

Preconditions None

Success End Condition The Netbook User has exercised a focus cycle including all major elements

Failure Conditions None

}}}

Primary Scenario

USE CASE ENDS

Notes

Shift+Tab walks the path in reverse.

2.6 Launching Sudoku

{{{

Level Fish

Primary Actor Netbook User

Other Actors None

Trigger None

Preconditions The Netbook User is viewing the default view

Success End Condition Sudoku is launched and focused

Failure Conditions The icon for Sudoku is below the fold because there are many games installed

}}}

Primary Scenario

attachment:UCLaunchSudoku.png(View wireframes)

1. The Netbook User clicks on the Games section in the Section Button.

2. Applications in the Games category are shown.

3. The Netbook User clicks on the Sudoku icon to launch the application.

USE CASE ENDS

2.b Variation: The icon for Sudoku is below the fold

attachment:UCLaunchSudoku_2.bpng(View wireframes)

1. Viewing the Games section, the Netbook User scrolls down to bring the Sudoku icon into view.

RETURN TO 3

3.b Variation: Sudoku is already running

1. The running instance of Sudoku is focused (a new instance of Sudoku is not launched). The Sudoku icon in the Launcher becomes focused.

USE CASE ENDS

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2.7 Adding Sudoku to the Launcher

{{{

Level Fish

Primary Actor Netbook User

Other Actors None

Trigger None

Preconditions Sudoku is installed

Success End Condition Sudoku is added to the Launcher

Failure Conditions None

}}}

Primary Scenario

1. The Netbook User drags Sudoku to the Launcher, and drops Sudoku in the desired position to add it to the Launcher.

USE CASE ENDS

Notes

The dragged representation of the application item is an opaque facsimile of the application icon as it appears in the Dash. When an application item is being dragged, its Dash icon (where the drag began) remains in its place and becomes semi-transparent during the drag.

For more details, see Launcher use cases.

2.8 Searching for Sudoku when it is installed

{{{

Level Fish

Primary Actor Netbook User

Other Actors None

Trigger None

Preconditions Sudoku is installed

Success End Condition The Netbook User finds Sudoku

Failure Conditions The Netbook User wants to search for games only

}}}

Primary Scenario

attachment:UCSearchSudoku.png(View wireframes)

1. Within the Applications place, the Netbook User begins to type "sudoku" to search for the game.

2. Sudoku appears in the Installed group in the search view.

USE CASE ENDS

2.b Variation: The Netbook User wants to search for games only

attachment:UCSearchSudoku_2.bpng(View wireframes)

1. The Netbook User clicks on the Games section in the Section Button to show only search results in the Games category.

RETURN TO 2

2.9 Searching for Sudoko when it is not installed

{{{

Level Fish

Primary Actor Netbook User

Other Actors None

Trigger None

Preconditions Sudoku is not installed

Success End Condition The Netbook User finds Sudoku in the Ubuntu Software Center

Failure Conditions None

}}}

Primary Scenario

attachment:UCSearchSudokuNotInstalled.png(View wireframes)

1. The Netbook User begins to type "sudoku" to search for the game.

2. Search results are displayed. The Installed group, which normally displays search results consisting of installed applications, is empty and therefore not shown. The Available group, which displays search results from the Ubuntu Software Center, finds 33 matching applications and displays them.

3. Clicking on the result for Sudoku opens Ubuntu Software Center to the application page for Sudoku, where the user can easily install the game.

USE CASE ENDS

Notes

(Not for Lucid) Search results in the Ubuntu Software Center cannot be dragged to the Launcher. Eventually, dragging an Ubuntu Software Center result to the Launcher will put a placeholder in the Launcher while the Ubuntu Software Center opens and invites the user to install the application; if the application is installed, the placeholder becomes an entry for the newly added application; if the application is not installed, the placeholder disappears from the Launcher.

2.10 Searching for Sudoku, then adding it to the Launcher

See Adding Sudoku to the Launcher. The use cases are almost identical, accept items are dragged from the search view to the Launcher in this case.

2.11 Filtering Search Results by Category

{{{

Level Sea

Primary Actor Netbook User

Other Actors None

Trigger None

Preconditions The Netbook User is viewing application search results

Success End Condition The Netbook User views application search results for

Failure Conditions There are no application search results for the chosen category

}}}

Primary Scenario

1. The Netbook User clicks a section labeled with an application category (e.g. "Games") to view application search results for that category.

2. Only application search results that match the chosen category are displayed.

USE CASE ENDS

2.b Variation: There are no application search results for the chosen category

1. When there are no search results available, the message "No results found" is displayed in the Dash.

USE CASE ENDS

2.12 Clearing the Search (Returning to the Default View)

{{{

Level Fish

Primary Actor Netbook User

Other Actors None

Trigger None

Preconditions The Netbook User is viewing search results

Success End Condition The Netbook User returns to the default view

Failure Conditions None

}}}

Primary Scenario

1. The Netbook User deletes the search query by any means (e.g. pressing backspace, pressing the clear button in the search field).

2. The default view of the Applications place is shown.

USE CASE ENDS

1.b Variation: The Netbook User clicks the Applications place icon in the places bar

1. The Netbook User clicks the Applications place icon in the places bar.

RETURN TO 2

Visual Design

2.13 Visual Treatment Needed

1. Application item in Most Used section.

2. Application item in Installed and Available sections.

2.14 Icons Needed

1. An abstract "potential application" icon for Ubuntu Software Center entries. Low-resolution applications icons will appear as badges on top of this icon when results from the Ubuntu Software Center are displayed. PREFER GETTING SCALABLE ICONS FOR ALL APPLICATIONS.

2. Icons for Most Used, Installed and Available sections.

User Stories

2.15 Celine

Celine performs a search for "photos". She is delighted to see a plethora of photo-related applications appear, and she sees an enticing result called "Picasa" in the Available group. She clicks on the Picasa icon, and the Ubuntu Software Center opens to the Picasa application entry, where Celine chooses to install the latest version with a single click.

2.16 Lola

Lola clicks on the Web activity on the Home screen, which takes her to the Internet section of the Applications place. She sees that she has Firefox, Skype, Empathy Instant Messenger, and other applications installed. Lola thinks she installed Pidgin but for some reason she doesn't see it. Lola types "pidgin" and the Applications place performs a search. She doesn't have any results on her machine, but there's a result named "Pidgin Internet Messenger" in the group of search results labeled "Available"! Lola clicks on the Pidgin icon to open its entry in the Software Center and installs the application. The next time she opens the Internet category, she finds "Pidgin Internet Messenger" immediately.

2.17 Joseph

Joseph thinks that the Application place's ability to recommend the right application for any task from among the thousands of applications available for Ubuntu is the most impressive thing he's ever seen a netbook do. He calls his friends Peter and Casper over to his netbook and says "name something you've always wanted to do on a computer, but have never tried." "Drive a tank!," Casper replies, half-joking. Joseph says "ok, watch this," and types "tanks" into the search field. A second later, eight tank games appear in the group of search results labeled "Available". Peter and Casper say "whoa" in unison, as Joseph picks a game called "Atomic Tanks", which he installs and runs in under thirty seconds.

2.18 Mikhail

Mikhail is beaming with pride after installing a new 128GB SSD in his netbook, something the folks at Dell clearly did not want anyone to do judging by the number of contortions needed to make the new drive fit. The first thing Mikhail does after installing the pre-release version of Ubuntu Netbook Edition is install his development tools and favorite utilities with a quick line in xterm. Afterwards, he opens the Other category in the Applications place and sees all of his system tools cleanly organized in a grid. Mikhail types "conky" and the search view cleanly filters itself down to one result (his favorite monitoring tool). Mikhail presses Enter to launch Conky. "I prefer the austere aesthetics of a virtual terminal, but that was sexy," admits Mikhail.

2.19 Federico

Federico opens the Applications place and browses the many applications he's installed in various sections, awestruck with the sheer number of social applications, media applications, and games now at his fingertips. To Federico, the application icons are precious gems, and he's the jeweler who carefully selected each one to be assembled into the perfect cutting-edge gadget. "I can't wait to show my sister (and tell her she can't play with it)," schemes Federico.