GSoC 2024: Final Project Report

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GSoC 2024 : Final Project Report | Vala



Project Title

Add support for the latest GIR attributes and GI-Docgen formatting to Valadoc.

Overview

GSoC 2024 has come to an end, so it's time to wrap up. I got the opportunity to contribute to the Vala Project which consists of an awesome programming language called Vala, and it gives me immense sense of accomplishment to know that my work will be beneficial for Vala programmers. I spent the 12 weeks working through the codebase of the Vala compiler, adding features and making the necessary changes to achieve the project goals. It was a valuable experience and I have learnt a lot by working with talented mentors and peers. This has undoubtedly shaped my journey as a developer and I plan to continue working on the project.

Project Summary

This project aimed to add support for the latest features of GObject Introspection to the Vala compiler and Valadoc. The plan was to ensure that the Vala compiler (which generates Vala bindings for the GIR files) parses and utilizes the newer GIR attributes from the introspection data of GObject based C libraries, and outputs them in the generation of Vala GIRs. In Valadoc, this was to be implemented by parsing the GI-Docgen documentation format, and rendering working GI-Docgen links in the HTML documentation generated by Valadoc. Another important step in improving Valadoc was to redesign https://valadoc.org and give it a modernized look, making this one of the milestones that was expected to be acheived in the project.

Contributions (Merge requests)

To acheive these objectives, I opened the following merge requests:
  • Support for sync-func, async-func, and finish-func attributes for method. (Draft) [!393]
  • Add support for default-value attribute for property. [394]
  • libvaladoc: Parse backticks in gi-docgen markdown and display the enclosed text as monospaced. [!402]
  • libvaladoc: Modernize the HTML documentation pages generated by valadoc. [!403]
  • Redesign https://valadoc.org and make it mobile-responsive. [#419]

Future Plans

Although the coding period of GSoC 2024 is now over, I feel that this is just the beginning of my contributions to GNOME. We still have to implement support for working GI-Docgen links and many other features of GI-Docgen markdown to Valadoc. I will continue working to meet the project objectives, contribute more, and be more involved within the GNOME community. I got to learn a lot over the past 12 weeks and this has certainly made me a better contributor. 

Mentor

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to my mentor Lorenz Wildberg for being a constant source of support and motivation throughout the internship. Their expertise and guidance helped me reach this far into the project and I hope to continue working on Vala and other GNOME projects in the coming months. 

GUADEC 2024

I got the opportunity to present my project and participate in the Intern Lightning Talks in GUADEC on 20 July 2024. I had a great experience explaining about my project and answering questions, you can watch my presentation here: https://youtu.be/chKVTgUUVpk?si=LE46ezQX6q3ZqcZ4&t=2220

After GSoC

As I look back and reflect on my journey over the last 12 weeks, I am filled with gratitude for this opportunity and excitement for future work on Vala and related GNOME projects. I want to learn more about GTK, Vala and the GNOME development process so that I can make more impactful contributions and be a valuable member of the community. I had many interactions with numerous GNOME contributors and I'm grateful to each and every one of them for always being ready to guide and for their prompt replies to my doubts. I was a Linux user for a long time but never really used it as a power user until I started contributing to GNOME. I'm glad to say that now Linux will always be my preferred choice of an operating system :). My favourite part of working on this project was being part of a community that is diverse, inclusive, and incredibly welcoming to newcomers. I look forward to being a better GNOME contributor and guiding new contributors in GNOME.

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