Discussion:
[Bf-python] Blender Cloud Sync Add-on
Catalin Moldovan
2015-05-11 13:25:59 UTC
Permalink
Hi,

I want to implement an add-on for Blender to synchronize user preferences
and start-up file to the user's Dropbox account. I already have experience
with Dropbox API as I implemented a full client for Symbian in the past (
cuteBox <http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/reviews/item/12888_cuteBox.php>)
but I would like some guidance to the Python API for Blender and writing
Blender add-ons in the first place. Is it possible to be notified inside
the add-on when the settings have been changed by the user and trigger a
sync? (is there a callback or hook or something?)

Thanks,
Catalin
Todd McIntosh
2015-05-11 13:31:22 UTC
Permalink
Do you think and addon is necessary to do that? I know some people
already that just put their userpref.blend file in dropbox and then put
an alias/shortcut/symlink in their Blender folder. That way it syncs
every time Blender is started.



Thanks,


Todd McIntosh
Resonance Media + Design
Phone: +1 (905) 471-5048
Email: ***@resonancemedia.ca
Skype: toddmcintosh
<http://www.getpostbox.com>
May 11, 2015 at 9:25 AM
Hi,
I want to implement an add-on for Blender to synchronize user
preferences and start-up file to the user's Dropbox account. I already
have experience with Dropbox API as I implemented a full client for
Symbian in the past (cuteBox
<http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/reviews/item/12888_cuteBox.php>) but I
would like some guidance to the Python API for Blender and writing
Blender add-ons in the first place. Is it possible to be notified
inside the add-on when the settings have been changed by the user and
trigger a sync? (is there a callback or hook or something?)
Thanks,
Catalin
_______________________________________________
Bf-python mailing list
http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-python
Jonathan Giroux
2015-05-11 14:33:50 UTC
Permalink
Some large applications have switched towards putting user prefs "on the
cloud" for UX purposes. It makes sense to make such a system for Blender.
However I believe Blender cultivates the hack spirit, and trying to put
user information remotely would be seen as a strong privacy violation,
especially in these days.

Personally I'm using ownCloud to do this, I'm even thinking about
versioning it with git.
Do you think and addon is necessary to do that? I know some people already
that just put their userpref.blend file in dropbox and then put an
alias/shortcut/symlink in their Blender folder. That way it syncs every
time Blender is started.
Thanks,
Todd McIntosh
Resonance Media + Design
Phone: +1 (905) 471-5048
Skype: toddmcintosh
<http://www.getpostbox.com>
May 11, 2015 at 9:25 AM
Hi,
I want to implement an add-on for Blender to synchronize user preferences
and start-up file to the user's Dropbox account. I already have experience
with Dropbox API as I implemented a full client for Symbian in the past (
cuteBox <http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/reviews/item/12888_cuteBox.php>)
but I would like some guidance to the Python API for Blender and writing
Blender add-ons in the first place. Is it possible to be notified inside
the add-on when the settings have been changed by the user and trigger a
sync? (is there a callback or hook or something?)
Thanks,
Catalin
_______________________________________________
Bf-python mailing list
http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-python
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http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-python
Catalin Moldovan
2015-05-11 16:43:06 UTC
Permalink
As Jonathan Giroux said many users prefer to save their preferences on the
cloud for convenience. I use Blender on two computers and every time I
update to a new version I need to add again my custom layouts, my custom
start-up file and change a lot of settings. I know I could use symlinks, I
used junction in the past for that but that's just hacking and not all
users have the skills or the time to do that and they shouldn't have to. At
work I cannot use the Dropbox client, I use only the web version so
symlinks not an option. So the whole symlink solution is just a workaround
for the "problem" not a proper solution from may point of view.
I don't think it is should be seen as a strong privacy violation either,
users are using Dropbox or other cloud storing services again for the
convenience they provide and it is their choice to do so. If we enable them
to use and add-on to do that (or even provide the option in settings) it is
their choice to use it or not.
What I'm doing right now is investigating what this undertaking involves.
Frankly I am surprised that no one has already implemented something like
that, or maybe I didn't searched enough?!
For convenience still, I believe that Blender needs a nice integrated
add-on store or repository but that's another topic I will raise later :)
Post by Jonathan Giroux
Some large applications have switched towards putting user prefs "on the
cloud" for UX purposes. It makes sense to make such a system for Blender.
However I believe Blender cultivates the hack spirit, and trying to put
user information remotely would be seen as a strong privacy violation,
especially in these days.
Personally I'm using ownCloud to do this, I'm even thinking about
versioning it with git.
Post by Todd McIntosh
Do you think and addon is necessary to do that? I know some people
already that just put their userpref.blend file in dropbox and then put an
alias/shortcut/symlink in their Blender folder. That way it syncs every
time Blender is started.
Thanks,
Todd McIntosh
Resonance Media + Design
Phone: +1 (905) 471-5048
Skype: toddmcintosh
<http://www.getpostbox.com>
May 11, 2015 at 9:25 AM
Hi,
I want to implement an add-on for Blender to synchronize user
preferences and start-up file to the user's Dropbox account. I already have
experience with Dropbox API as I implemented a full client for Symbian in
the past (cuteBox
<http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/reviews/item/12888_cuteBox.php>) but I
would like some guidance to the Python API for Blender and writing Blender
add-ons in the first place. Is it possible to be notified inside the add-on
when the settings have been changed by the user and trigger a sync? (is
there a callback or hook or something?)
Thanks,
Catalin
_______________________________________________
Bf-python mailing list
http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-python
_______________________________________________
Bf-python mailing list
http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-python
_______________________________________________
Bf-python mailing list
http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-python
Carsten Wartmann
2015-05-11 16:51:45 UTC
Permalink
I would use this!

;-)

Carsten
Post by Catalin Moldovan
Hi,
I want to implement an add-on for Blender to synchronize user
preferences and start-up file to the user's Dropbox account. I already
have experience with Dropbox API as I implemented a full client for
Symbian in the past (cuteBox
<http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/reviews/item/12888_cuteBox.php>) but I
would like some guidance to the Python API for Blender and writing
Blender add-ons in the first place. Is it possible to be notified
inside the add-on when the settings have been changed by the user and
trigger a sync? (is there a callback or hook or something?)
Thanks,
Catalin
_______________________________________________
Bf-python mailing list
http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-python
--
Carsten Wartmann: Autor - Dozent - 3D - Grafik
Homepage: http://blenderbuch.de/
Das Blender-Buch: http://blenderbuch.de/redirect.html
Jonathan Giroux
2015-05-12 00:06:54 UTC
Permalink
I do believe too that Blender deserves a nice addon store system, in fact I
made a proof of concept. My idea was to integrate it with a website like
https://addons.blender.org the same way that https://www.npmjs.com/ or
https://crates.io but I didn't advertised much about it. You can get
inspiration from it for your network layer.
https://github.com/Bloutiouf/blender-addon-registry

I'm afraid of one thing for the user prefs. You'll have the same problems
that any other storage service has. I imagine that once it'll work, people
will want to upload some other .blend as well since it's the same. So...
you'll end up writing another storage service, kind of "generic but only
for Blender", which can be seen both as an advantage and a drawback.

I'd suggest instead that you patch the sources in order to add a "User
path" to the paths in the Blender User Preferences, so that people can give
a path to a dropbox dir, a USB drive, a NFS drive... and you won't have to
deal with the network layer by leaving to Dropbox which has a lot of payed
engineers to do so. This would also resolve the fact that each time there's
a new version of Blender, we have to copy/rename the user directory, that's
very annoying.
Post by Carsten Wartmann
I would use this!
;-)
Carsten
Post by Catalin Moldovan
Hi,
I want to implement an add-on for Blender to synchronize user
preferences and start-up file to the user's Dropbox account. I already
have experience with Dropbox API as I implemented a full client for
Symbian in the past (cuteBox
<http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/reviews/item/12888_cuteBox.php>) but I
would like some guidance to the Python API for Blender and writing
Blender add-ons in the first place. Is it possible to be notified
inside the add-on when the settings have been changed by the user and
trigger a sync? (is there a callback or hook or something?)
Thanks,
Catalin
_______________________________________________
Bf-python mailing list
http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-python
--
Carsten Wartmann: Autor - Dozent - 3D - Grafik
Homepage: http://blenderbuch.de/
Das Blender-Buch: http://blenderbuch.de/redirect.html
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Bf-python mailing list
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