02_agl_compositor.md: How to change default ref UI

02_agl_compositor.md: Add simple client examples + how to
incorporate/integrate a different UI.

Bug-AGL: SPEC-4832
Signed-off-by: Marius Vlad <marius.vlad@collabora.com>
Change-Id: I5750c309dc36f5a87bbeab492efa730e7e0c708a
Reviewed-on: https://gerrit.automotivelinux.org/gerrit/c/AGL/documentation/+/29724
Reviewed-by: Lisandro Perez Meyer <lpmeyer@ics.com>
Reviewed-by: Jan-Simon Moeller <jsmoeller@linuxfoundation.org>
Tested-by: Jan-Simon Moeller <jsmoeller@linuxfoundation.org>

diff --git a/docs/06_Component_Documentation/02_agl_compositor.md b/docs/06_Component_Documentation/02_agl_compositor.md
index 583dedc..67b73da 100644 (file)
--- a/docs/06_Component_Documentation/02_agl_compositor.md
+++ b/docs/06_Component_Documentation/02_agl_compositor.md
@@ -265,7 +265,6 @@ and new activated window will be put in front. Making the split window sticky
 would avoid doing that. Obviously trying to activate a window already active,
 which has the sticky role won't be possible (it is already displayed).
 
-
 ### agl-shell-desktop (deprecated, will be removed in future, see gRPC proxy)
 
 This extension is targeted at keeping some of the functionally already
@@ -523,6 +522,48 @@ communication and interaction takes place. Support for the private extension
 was done at the Ozone interface abstraction, which Chromium projects uses now
 to handle the display/graphical interaction with the lower stack levels.
 
+## How to integrate or incorporate your own UI
+
+The Minimum Viable Product (MV) to be able to switch/change/replace the current
+UI, depending on toolkit is to call `set_background()` and `set_ready()` requests
+from the agl-shell client protocol.
+
+This means that the toolkits need to provides access to Wayland primitives,
+exposing them in a such that they can reach the client code. For instance,
+Qt uses [QPA](https://wiki.qt.io/Qt_Platform_Abstraction), while
+GTK can also expose it through similar ways.
+Chromium/CEF and flutter platform do not explicitly expose the windowing system
+(and implictly Wayland) and have that implemented at a lower level.
+
+Further more, depending on the needs, one would also need to either use the
+gRPC proxy API or just agl-shell protocol on its own. For instance for Qt and
+flutter we now use a combination of both. In Qt, we use QPA and Wayland native
+code to set the [background surface](https://gerrit.automotivelinux.org/gerrit/gitweb?p=apps/homescreen.git;a=blob;f=homescreen/src/main.cpp;h=a98a15bb0113f3b28c1766e79c5d3f2d0b20fac4;hb=refs/heads/master#l255),
+while activation/deactivation and anything else is handled using gRPC API,
+but in the [same application](https://gerrit.automotivelinux.org/gerrit/gitweb?p=apps/homescreen.git;a=blob;f=homescreen/src/main.cpp;h=a98a15bb0113f3b28c1766e79c5d3f2d0b20fac4;hb=refs/heads/master#l355).
+
+In flutter because we can't reach Wayland code
+from within the client, we handle the Wayland part in the
+[flutter embedder](https://github.com/toyota-connected/ivi-homescreen/blob/agl/shell/wayland/window.cc#L95-L121)
+whereas the activation is handled in [flutter-ics-homescreen](https://gerrit.automotivelinux.org/gerrit/gitweb?p=apps/flutter-ics-homescreen.git;a=blob;f=lib/data/data_providers/app_launcher.dart;h=8762643dba7f5a6e3ad2051749e30239743e759a;hb=HEAD)
+
+Similarly, CEF/Chromium has the same thing, the background and ready to present
+request is handled at the lower levels.
+
+### Simple shell client examples
+
+An alternative to using toolkits is to avoid using any of them and
+instead use native Wayland C code to create a simple shell client. This
+means the client needs to manage everything, including redrawing the
+background surface.
+
+An example of that is
+[native-shell-client](https://gerrit.automotivelinux.org/gerrit/gitweb?p=src/native-shell-client.git;a=summary)
+that is being used in the kvm images as a barebone shell client. Because that
+just sets a black background matching the entire output you can have a
+dedicated client that basically displays or mimics being fullscreen
+(although technically it's set to maximized).
+
 ## Streaming buffers and receiving events to and from remote outputs
 
 Quite a common feature, in the infotainment market, is the ability to stream