Okteta project
===================
made within the KDE community.

Copyright: 2003-2012 Friedrich W. H. Kossebau <kossebau@kde.org>

Author/Maintainer: Friedrich W. H. Kossebau <kossebau@kde.org>


Overview
--------
This directory holds the files of the Okteta project. This project is about
viewing and editing of data on the byte level.

It is divided into three parts, the first two are for developing and the last
one for users:
* basic libraries offering Qt-based classes for viewing/editing bytearrays
* Okteta elements for the Kasten framework
* program Okteta and Okteta KPart

The basic libraries, liboktetacore and liboktetagui, contain the classic simple
Qt/KDE widgets/classes others want to reuse in their code by linking to these
libraries. Additionally there is a Qt Designer plugin for the two Okteta widgets
from liboktetagui. This part is spread over the subdirs core/, gui/, and
designer/.

The Okteta elements for the Kasten framework are specific Okteta classes for
building programs and plugins with the Kasten framework. The elements are
divided into the libraries liboktetakastencore, liboktetakastengui, and
liboktetakastencontroller, all found in the subdir kasten/.
The foundation of the framework Kasten itself is currently found within the
Okteta sources, in the subdirectory libs/kasten/.

The end-user products are the stand-alone program also named Okteta and a KPart
useable e.g. for Konqueror. These are in the subdirs program/ and parts/.


What to find in which subdirectory:
--------------------------------
core:
  core library for Qt-based bytearray viewer/editor widgets, liboktetacore

gui:
  gui library for QWidget-based bytearray viewer/editor widgets, liboktetagui

designer:
  plugin for Qt Designer to add support for widgets from the Okteta gui library

kasten:
  Okteta elements for the Kasten framework (currently found in libs/kasten)

parts:
  collection of plugins based on the Okteta libraries

parts/kpart:
  plugin of the type KPart::ReadWritePart, with BrowserExtension

program:
  a standalone hex editor program, based on the Kasten framework

libs:
  neutral utility libs and frameworks, useful outside Okteta, e.g. Kasten

Okteta and the framework Kasten is designed in a very modular way, with a lot
of interfaces. So it should be easily extendable. While there isn't yet a real
plugin system, new plugins/modules can be simply added directly in the code for now.

Find below a list of places where Okteta can be extended:

= Basic Okteta libraries ======================

_AbstractByteArrayModel___
Not yet documented

_CharCodec/ValueCodec___
Not yet documented


= Okteta Kasten elements ======================

_Binary Filter___
See kasten/controllers/view/libbytearrayfilter/README.developers

_Checksum/Hashsum___
See kasten/controllers/view/libbytearraychecksum/README.developers

_Encoder (for Export)___
Not yet documented


= Kasten framework ============================

_AbstractModel/AbstractDocument/AbstractSynchronizer___
Not yet documented

_AbstractView___
Not yet documented

_AbstractXmlGuiController___
Not yet documented

_AbstractTool/AbstractTool(Inline)View___
Not yet documented

and some more...

PACKAGING RECOMMENDATIONS
-------------------------

You might want to create 4 basic sub-packages from a build of the Okteta
sources with all features enabled, besides the devel-packages.


1. Okteta libraries for QWidget-based hex editing widgets

LibOktetaCore and LibOktetaGui provide classes to have hex editing/viewing
QWidgets in Qt-based applications, similar to what is possible with QTextEdit
& QTextDocument.
Supplemented with a Qt Designer plugin for the Okteta widgets.

Proposed package description: "Hex editor/viewer QWidgets libraries"


2. Kasten libraries

Kasten is a WIP higher-level framework for composable document-centric
applications. LibKastenCore, LibKastenGui & LibKastenControllers are the
generic libraries. Due to its development state its still part of Okteta
sources and not used in other published software AFAIK. Except for KDevelop,
whose hex editor plugin is done using the Okteta Kasten libraries and
therefore also Kasten libraries.

So for now it makes sense to simply bundle both the generic Kasten libraries
with the Okteta specific Kasten libraries, LibOktetaKastenCore,
LibOktetaKastenGui, & LibOktetaKastenControllers.

All the data files for the Structures tool belong also to this, as well as the
s-m-i extension file.

Known public user of these libs:
* KDevelop for the hex editor plugin

Proposed package description: "High-level hex editor/viewer framework libraries"
Needs: 1.)


3. Okteta app

The actual hex editor program itself.

Proposed package description: "Editor for the raw data of files"
(please fix ancient package descriptions "editor for binary files" as this a bit wrongly limiting)
Needs: 1.) 2.)
(does _not_ use 4,)


4. KParts plugin

The oktetapart is a plugin for the KParts system. While KParts usage having
declined in Qt5/KF5 era, at least Krusader makes explicit use of the plugin,
other KParts software can get it when requesting a viewer for the MIME/media
type application/octet-stream.

Proposed package description: "Hex editing component for KParts"
Needs: 1.) 2.)