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Add RFC: Switch to Advanced Docking System
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‎text/0047-switch-to-advanced-docking-system.md‎

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# Summary
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- Switch main dock system to [ADS][1]
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- Make ADS dock state per profile
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- Allow the user to switch between pre-made layouts
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- Plugins could register their own
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- Users could save their own
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- Dock added by plugins with the old method are added as "*Legacy dock*"
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- Frontend API methods and events about ADS docks
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Note: The "central widget" design is kept.
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# Motivation
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Provide a better dock system to end-users.
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# Design
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**DISCLAIMER**: The "central widget" design is kept, switching to a non-"central widget" one is not part of this RFC.
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## Main window dock separation
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To make OBS Studio compatible with ADS, Controls, Transitions, Mixer, Sources, Scenes docks need to be separated from the main window.
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And the central widget of main window should also be separated as well to become the central dock.
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So the docks will be separated as widget class with their own UI class.
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Then those widget are inserted in OBSDock (QDockWidget) and the central widget and put as main window central widget.
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And then we switch to ADS, all those widget will become docks and added to the ADS dock manager.
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The OBSBasic heavily rely on some UI element from those docks, to resolve that the related code will be refactored to remove this dependance going toward a MVC pattern.
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Each widget class will be put as a friend class in OBSBasic to allow access to private slot and avoid moving them as public.
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### Controls widget
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*Future ADS Controls dock widget*
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All the buttons of this dock will be connected through signal and slots to OBSBasic.
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Some hotkeys and pause functions rely on UI buttons, so OBS Basic will be refactored to remove this dependance.
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### Transistions widget
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*Future ADS Transitions dock widget*
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Transitions will be stored in OBSBasic and selected through the combo box of the widget.
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The transition duration will become an attribute of OBSBasic, and signal and slots will be setup to synchromise it with the dock spinbox.
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Buttons for adding, removing and open settings will be connected through signals and slots to OBSBasic.
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### Mixer widget
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*Future ADS Mixer dock widget*
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The base dock is easily separable, but the VolControl class can be refactored (toward MVC) later because this is not a requirement for this RFC.
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### Sources widget
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*Future ADS Sources dock widget*
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OBSBasic heavily rely on the SourceTree from the widget, but a refactoring will not be considered as a requirement for this RFC. So the class of the sources widget will have OBSBasic as a friend class.
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### Scenes widget
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*Future ADS Scenes dock widget*
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OBSBasic heavily rely on the SceneTree from the widget, but a refactoring will not be considered as a requirement for this RFC. So the class of the scenes widget will have OBSBasic as a friend class.
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### Central widget
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*Future ADS Central dock widget*
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Some context bar, preview/program and nudge related code is moved to the central widget class.
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This class will have OBSBasicPreview as a friend class.
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This class will be a friend class of OBSBasic also to have access to some gs_vertbuffer_t type attributes.
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## ADS
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The Advanced Docking System, require to add a Dock Manager in the main window and then add the central widget and then add other docks.
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Some work on themes CSS will be required.
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### About obs-deps
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obs-deps already build Qt for macOS and Windows, so adding a ADS script to the Qt tarballs is not a problem.
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### Floating docks titlebar on X11
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On X11, ADS provide two type of titlebar for floating docks:
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- Native
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[![Native titlebar under GNOME](./0047-switch-to-advanced-docking-system/linux_native_floating_dock_titlebar.png)]()
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- QWidget based (WIP CSS)
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[![QWidget titlebar](./0047-switch-to-advanced-docking-system/linux_qwidget_floating_dock_titlebar.png)]()
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The QWidget one is used by default when using KWin based Desktop Environement like Plasma. And this titlebar requires some CSS in the themes to match it.
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So the QWidget based titlebar usage will be enforced thanks to a flag for the Dock Manager to "unify" experience between desktop environement.
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Theme makers may ignore to theme this bar.
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### Dock state
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*The per profile dock state feature is not taken into account to describe those changes.*
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In the global config (`global.ini`).
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- `"dockState"` is kept for for backward compatiblity and no longer overwitten. It will be used if the following state is not present.
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- `"windowState"` is the state of the main window, since it does not store only the state of legacy docks.
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- `"advDockState"` is the state of the dock manager which contain only the states of any ADS dock.
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Service integrations only save `"advDockProfile"`
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ADS dock state is compressed by default but behind the scene it's XML.
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### OBSAdvDock
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OBSAdvDock is a class which inherit `ads::CDockWidget` class.
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This class has a constructor which require a QWidget and setup some things arround the widget and set some connections.
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It adds a warning message when closing a dock from a close dock button.
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It allows to reset a dock position after a UI reset or a layout change with a possibility to reset the size if set beforehand.
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### Custom Browser docks and BrowserAdvDock
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The custom browser docks feature is modified to use BrowserAdvDock which inherit OBSAdvDock.
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Those docks are stored in the dock manager and their names is stored in a QStringList for browser docks to be able to get the dock from the manager to modify it like changing the URL.
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Each of those browser dock is named `extraBrowser_$UUID` where `$UUID` is replaced by the dock UUID to have a really unique name.
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### Service integration docks
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Like custom browser docks, those integration are modified to use BrowserAdvDock. But their names is stored in the QStringList for plugins extra docks.
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Those docks are named `obs-$SERVICE_$DOCK_NAME` where `$SERVICE` is the service name in lowercase and `$DOCK_NAME` the name of the dock.
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`"dockState"` will be imported from the integration config if `"windowState"` is not present.
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### Reset UI action
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1. Legacy dock are hidden
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2. The default state written in XML is applied
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3. Each not shown OBSAdvDock/BrowserAdvDock dock have its position and size reseted.
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## Legacy dock
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If switching to ADS is made at the same as switching to Qt 6. This feature will only concern builds that still use Qt 5 (e.g. Ubuntu 20.04).
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The frontend API method `obs_frontend_add_dock()` is put in deprecation. And if dual switch only Qt5 and on Qt 6 the method is removed or does nothing, this is possible because plugin will need to be rebuilt agaisnt Qt6.
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And dock added through this method are added to a sub-menu named `Legacy dock` of the Dock menu.
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[![Legacy dock menu](./0047-switch-to-advanced-docking-system/legacy_dock.png)]()
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When openning a legacy dock, a message will appear explaining that those docks will not meld wery well with "new" docks.
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The state of those are saved through `"windowState"` global config.
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## Per profile dock state
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Move the `"advDockState"` from global config to the profile and integration no longer store their own state. `"windowState"` is kept global.
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If a release happen between the switch to ADS and this feature, import the one from the integration service if the profile has one set up.
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## Layouts management
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Add the feature, to switch between registered/saved dock layouts:
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- Though a sub-menu in the dock menu
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- Through a hotkey
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- Through the frontend API
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OBS Studio could provide layouts, the default count as one.
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Plugins could also register their own XML layouts through the frontend API.
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Users could be able to save their own layouts. Those layouts will have their name prefixed with`user_` to avoid name conflicts.
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Note: ADS perspective feature is not directly used because it relies heavily on QSettings.
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## Frontend API
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Like said earlier, the method `obs_frontend_add_dock()` is put in deprecation.
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All add/remove methods related to ADS requiring a name will require the plugin module to be able to prefix the given name with the module name (`mod_name`) to avoid conflicts.
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So the following method will be added to libobs to access modules `mod_name`:
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```c++
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EXPORT const char *obs_get_module_mod_name(obs_module_t *module);
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```
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### Add a dock
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```c++
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/* takes QWidget */
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#define obs_frontend_add_dock_2(title, unique_name, widget) \
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obs_frontend_add_module_dock(obs_current_module(), title, \
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unique_name, widget)
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EXPORT void obs_frontend_add_module_dock(obs_module_t *module,
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const char *title,
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const char *unique_name,
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void *widget);
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```
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This allow to add a OBSAdvDock with the given QWidget. Those docks are stored in the Dock Manager and their names is stored in the QStringList for plugins extra docks.
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Default height and width would based on the widget actual size except if `"defaultWidth"` and `"defaultHeight"` properties are set with the [`setProperty()`][7] method on the widget.
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Minimum sizes used by the dock are based on the widget ones.
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### Remove a dock
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```c++
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#define obs_frontend_remove_dock(unique_name) \
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obs_frontend_remove_module_dock(obs_current_module(), unique_name)
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EXPORT void obs_frontend_remove_module_dock(obs_module_t *module,
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const char *unique_name);
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```
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This allow the plugin to remove a dock added earlier.
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### Add a browser dock
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```c++
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EXPORT bool obs_frontend_is_browser_available(void);
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```
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This allow to know if the running OBS Studio has browser feature enabled. So it return false if OBS Studio was built without browser or is running under Wayland.
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```c++
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#define obs_frontend_add_browser_dock(dock_params, browser_params) \
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obs_frontend_add_module_browser_dock(obs_current_module(), \
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dock_params, browser_params)
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EXPORT void obs_frontend_add_module_browser_dock(obs_module_t *module,
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struct obs_frontend_browser_dock_params *dock_params,
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struct obs_frontend_browser_params *browser_params);
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```
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This allow the plugin to add a dock with a QCefWidget as widget.
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If browser docks are added in the module load or post load steps, their parameter will be stored and those will be really added later.
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The QCefWidget will get parameters from this structure:
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```c++
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struct obs_frontend_browser_params {
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const char *url;
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bool enable_cookie;
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struct dstr startup_script;
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DARRAY(char *) force_popup_urls;
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};
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```
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- `bool enable_cookie`: if true `panel_cookie` will be used. The plugin maker will have to remove the dock the between profile change because the cookie manager is per profile.
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- `struct dstr startup_script` allow to set a startup script for the QCefWidget.
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- `DARRAY(char *) force_popup_urls` allow to set a list of url forced to popup.
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And the dock itself will get parameters from this structure:
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```c++
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struct obs_frontend_browser_dock_params {
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const char *unique_name;
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const char *title;
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int default_width;
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int default_height;
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int min_width;
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int min_height;
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};
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```
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`obs_frontend_remove_dock()` can be used to remove the browser dock.
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### Remove browser cookie
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Since enabling cookie is posible, allowing to delete those is required.
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```c++
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EXPORT void obs_frontend_delete_browser_cookie(const char *url);
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```
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This will remove cookie related to the given URL.
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### Add a dock layouts
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```c++
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#define obs_frontend_add_dock_layout(title, unique_name, xml_layout) \
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obs_frontend_add_module_dock_layout(obs_current_module(), \
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title, unique_name, xml_layout)
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EXPORT void obs_frontend_add_module_dock_layout(obs_module_t *module,
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const char *title,
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const char *unique_name,
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const char *xml_layout);
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```
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This allow the plugin to add a dock layouts in XML to the UI. ADS allow to test a layout (state/perspective) without applying it, so the layout will be tested before registering it.
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### Get a list of docks layouts
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```c++
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EXPORT char **obs_frontend_get_dock_layouts(void);
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```
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This allow the plugin to get a list of registered dock layouts from the UI.
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### Set a registered dock layout
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```c++
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EXPORT void obs_frontend_set_dock_layouts(const char *layout_name);
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```
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This allow the plugin to set a registered dock layouts to the UI, the asked name should come directly from the get list method.
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### Remove a dock layouts
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```c++
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#define obs_frontend_remove_dock_layout(unique_name) \
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obs_frontend_remove_module_dock_layout(obs_current_module(), \
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unique_name)
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EXPORT void obs_frontend_remove_module_dock_layout(obs_module_t *module,
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const char *unique_name);
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```
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This allow the plugin to remove a dock layouts from the UI.
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### Add a entirely custom dock
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```c++
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/* takes ads::CDockWidget */
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#define obs_frontend_add_custom_dock(unique_name, dock) \
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obs_frontend_add_module_custom_dock(obs_current_module(), \
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unique_name, dock)
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EXPORT void obs_frontend_add_module_custom_dock(obs_module_t *module,
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const char *unique_name,
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void *dock);
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```
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Some plugin like [Sources Dock][6], do not add their docks to the Dock menu.
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So this method allow to do this but requires the plugin to be link against ADS library.
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And the dock will not have OBSAdvDock features.
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Even if the plugin has the control over the dock, the the name is changed by the frontend API to be prefixed by the module name.
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`obs_frontend_remove_dock()` can be used to remove the reference stored in the Dock Manager. Because their names is stored in the QStringList for plugins custom extra docks.
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### Get the XML behind a registered dock layout
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*Method meant to allow a Dock Layout editor tool to exist*
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```c++
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EXPORT char *obs_frontend_get_dock_layout(const char *layout_name);
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```
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This allow the plugin to get a registered dock layouts XML, the asked name should come directly from the get list method.
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### Get the XML of the actual dock state
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*Method meant to allow a Dock Layout editor tool to exist*
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```c++
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EXPORT char *obs_frontend_get_current_dock_state(void);
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```
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This allow the plugin to get the dock states XML of the UI.
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### Events addition
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- An event before the startup restore dock state and `OBS_FRONTEND_EVENT_FINISHED_LOADING` to allow plugins to load their docks before the restore or redo a restore if the number of extra docks has changed. This event could possibly be emitted when profile is changed before restoring profile dock state and `OBS_FRONTEND_EVENT_PROFILE_CHANGED`.
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- An event when the a dock layout is applied (reset or not) to allow plugins to reset the positions of their customs docks, if they want to.
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## About making dock states future proof
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By default generated state are version 0. If one day we make a breaking change like remove the notion of central widget and so change the version.
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We could take the saved `"advDockState"` and uncompress to edit the XML, to make it compatible with the change.
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# Drawbacks
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We can't convert old `"dockState"` to the new dock system.
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# Additional Information
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About Wayland support, Qt and ADS docking system have very bad support because of Qt Wayland. The Wayland backend is apparently third-class on Qt's priorities.
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My WIP branches:
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- [Dock separation][2]
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- [Central widget separation][8]
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- [Switch to ADS][3]
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- [Frontend API to add ADS dock][4]
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- [Frontend API to add custom ADS dock][5]
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[1]: https://github.com/githubuser0xFFFF/Qt-Advanced-Docking-System
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[2]: https://github.com/tytan652/obs-studio/tree/dock_separation
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[3]: https://github.com/tytan652/obs-studio/tree/advanced_docking
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[4]: https://github.com/tytan652/obs-studio/tree/ads_frontend_api
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[5]: https://github.com/tytan652/obs-studio/tree/add_custom_dock
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[6]: https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/source-dock.1317/
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[7]: https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qobject.html#setProperty
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[8]: https://github.com/tytan652/obs-studio/tree/central_widget_separation

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