Changes to the DBus XML interfaces

The XML descriptions of DBus interfaces and the actual C code that implements them have gone out of sync in the past. During the process of auditing the XML and C code to ensure they match each other, changes have been needed in the XML definitions.

Assumptions for toolkits: Regretfully, both the in-tree XML files and the introspected XML you get from DBus have been out of sync with the C code. We are fixing this so that they always stay in sync:

  • Make the XML files the single source of truth…

  • By making sure the XML matches the C code, which is the ground truth before this auditing project began…

  • And by making sure that the introspected XML matches the XML files in-tree.

  • Along the way, document all the XML interfaces properly.

This document is a list of changes that we’ve made to the XML interfaces since 2022/Jun (starting with version 2.45.90). If you generate code based on the XML, keep an eye on this document.

The changes here are about method signatures. Changes to the documentation are not listed, since they do not affect generated code. The changes are listed in reverse chronological order (newest first).

  • add8abce - 2022/12/09 - DeviceEventListener.xml - Remove unused signals DeviceListenerRegistered and DeviceListenerDeregistered.

  • 9096b760 - 2022/12/09 - DeviceEventController.xml - fix the signature of the types argument in the RegisterKeystrokeListener method; it’s u now as it is a bitmask, not an array.

  • 55934a59 - 2022/12/05 - DeviceEventController.xml - remove unused method DeregisterDeviceEventListener.

  • 9b96a257 - 2022/12/05 - DeviceEventController.xml - remove unused method RegisterDeviceEventListener.

  • cb10a4c9 - 2022/12/05 - DeviceEventController.xml - remove unused method GetDeviceEventListeners.

  • f0781465 - 2022/08/26 - Event.xml - Fix the signature of all signals. See https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/at-spi2-core/-/issues/74

  • 01d624b1 - 2022/08/11 - Application.xml - document the GetLocale method as not used.

  • 26835da29 - 2022/08/04 - Event.xml - Add an Announcement signal to the org.a11y.atspi.Event.Object interface.

  • 0412902f - 2022/07/01 - DeviceEventListener.xml: add missing signals KeystrokeListenerRegistered, KeystrokeListenerDeregistered

  • ae6eb3bd - 2022/07/01 - DeviceEventController.xml: add missing methods GetKeystrokeListeners.