doc: Add a spec for Application State (#7972)
This commit introduces a specification for "cross-session" app state that isn't stored in the user's settings.json. Specs #8324
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author: Dustin Howett @DHowett
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created on: 2020-10-19
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last updated: 2020-11-18
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issue id: #8324
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---
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# Application State (in the Terminal Settings Model)
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## Abstract
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Terminal is going to need a place to store application "state", including:
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* Dialogs the user has chosen to hide with a `[ ] Do not ask again` checkbox, as proposed in [issue 6641]
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* Which dynamic profiles have been generated, as a way to resolve [user dissatisfaction] around profiles "coming back"
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* On-screen position of the window, active session state, layout, etc. for [eventual restoration]
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This specification provides for a place to store these things.
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## Inspiration
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Many other applications store cross-session state somewhere.
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## Solution Design
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It is the author's opinion that the above-mentioned settings are inappropriate for storage in the user's settings.json;
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they do not need to be propagated immediately to other instances of Windows Terminal, they are not intended to be
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edited, and storing them outside of settings.json defers the risk inherent in patching the user's settings file.
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Therefore, this document proposes that a separate application state archive (`state.json`) be stored next to
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`settings.json`.
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It would be accessed by way of an API hosted in the `Microsoft.Terminal.Settings` namespace.
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```idl
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namespace Microsoft.Terminal.Settings {
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[default_interface]
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runtimeclass ApplicationState {
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// GetForCurrentApplication will return an object deserialized from state.json.
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static ApplicationState GetForCurrentApplication();
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void Clear();
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IVector<guid> GeneratedProfiles;
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Boolean ShowCloseOnExitWarning;
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// ... further settings ...
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}
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}
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```
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> 📝 The sole motivation for exposing this from Microsoft.Terminal.Settings is to concentrate JSON de-/serialization in one
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place.
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Of note: there is no explicit `Save` or `Commit` mechanism. Changes to the application state are committed durably a
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short duration after they're made.
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## UI/UX Design
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This has no direct impact on the UI/UX; however, we may want to add a button to general settings page titled "reset all
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dialogs" or "don't not ask me again about those things that, some time ago, I told you to not ask me about".
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We do not intend this file to be edited by hand, so it does not have to be user-friendly or serialized with indentation.
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## Capabilities
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### Accessibility
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It is not expected that this proposal will impact accessibility.
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### Security
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It is not expected that this proposal will impact security, as it uses our _existing_ JSON parser in a new place.
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### Reliability
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[comment]: # Will the proposed change improve reliability? If not, why make the change?
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The comment in this section heavily suggests that we should only make changes that improve reliability, not ones that
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maintain it.
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### Compatibility
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Some users who were expecting profiles to keep coming back after they delete them will need to adjust their behavior.
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### Performance, Power, and Efficiency
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## Potential Issues
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Another file on disk is another file users might edit. We'll need to throw out the entire application state payload if
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it's been damaged, instead of trying to salvage it, so that we more often "do the right thing."
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## Future considerations
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This will allow us to implement a number of the features mentioned at the head of this document.
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## Resources
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[issue 6641]: https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/issues/6641
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[user dissatisfaction]: https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/issues/3231
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[eventual restoration]: https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/issues/961
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