Feature Request: Session ID for Sigil Plugin Cache Invalidation

Sigil_SessionID.md

Session ID for Plugin Cache Invalidation

Problem

Plugins have no way to detect if Sigil has restarted between invocations. If it did, then plugins could create a persistent cache that would be available for successive plugin invocations in the same Sigil invocation.

Proposed Solution

Add a unique session identifier that Sigil generates once at startup and makes available to plugins.

Format: {timestamp_milliseconds}_{process_id}

Example: 1703261234567_3892

Implementation could be through one or both of these options:

Option 1 (sigil.cfg): Sigil writes the session ID to a file that the plugin reads Option 2 (BookContainer API): Sigil passes the session ID through the Python API directly

How Each Works Technically

Option 1: Via sigil.cfg

1. Sigil generates session ID at startup: 1703261234567_3892

2. For each plugin invocation, Sigil writes sigil.cfg:

OEBPS/content.opf
SIGIL_SESSION_ID=1703261234567_3892

Option 2: Via BookContainer API

1. Sigil generates session ID at startup: 1703261234567_3892

2. Sigil's plugin wrapper code adds a method to BookContainer:

class BookContainer:
	def get_sigil_session_id(self):
		return self._w.sigil_session_id # Passed from Sigil

3. Plugin calls it directly:

def get_session_id(bk):
	return bk.get_sigil_session_id()

Implementation

Option 1:

1. In the class header (MainWindow.h):

class MainWindow : public QMainWindow {
    // ... other members ...
    
private:
    QString m_sessionId;  // Session ID for this Sigil instance
};

2. Main Window Initialization (MainWindow.cpp)

MainWindow::MainWindow() {
    // ... other initialization ...
    
    // Generate session ID once at startup
    m_sessionId = QString::number(QDateTime::currentMSecsSinceEpoch()) + 
                  "_" + QString::number(QCoreApplication::applicationPid());
}

3. Plugin Launcher (PluginDB.cpp)

// Add session ID line when writing sigil.cfg
// (Access m_sessionId via your existing MainWindow access pattern)
config_file << "OEBPS/content.opf\n";
config_file << "SIGIL_SESSION_ID=" << m_sessionId << "\n";

Option 2:

1. In the class header (MainWindow.h):

class MainWindow : public QMainWindow {
    // ... other members ...
    
private:
    QString m_sessionId;  // Session ID for this Sigil instance
};

2. Main Window Initialization (MainWindow.cpp)

MainWindow::MainWindow() {
    // ... other initialization ...
    
    // Generate session ID once at startup
    m_sessionId = QString::number(QDateTime::currentMSecsSinceEpoch()) + 
                  "_" + QString::number(QCoreApplication::applicationPid());
}

3. Plugin Launcher (PluginDB.cpp)

// Pass session ID via environment variable
// (Access m_sessionId via your existing MainWindow access pattern)
QProcessEnvironment env = QProcessEnvironment::systemEnvironment();
env.insert("SIGIL_SESSION_ID", m_sessionId);
pluginProcess.setProcessEnvironment(env);

4. Python Wrapper (wrapper.py)

class Wrapper:
    def __init__(self):
        self.plugin_dir = ...
        self.plugin_name = ...
        self.sigil_session_id = os.environ.get('SIGIL_SESSION_ID', '')  # ADD THIS
        # etc.

class BookContainer:
    def __init__(self, wrapper):
        self._w = wrapper
    
    def readfile(self, id):
        # existing method
        ...
    
    def writefile(self, id, data):
        # existing method
        ...
    
    def get_sigil_session_id(self):  # ADD THIS METHOD
        """Returns unique session ID for this Sigil instance."""
        return self._w.sigil_session_id

Plugin Usage Example

def get_session_id(bk):
    # Option 2: Via API (if available)
    if hasattr(bk, 'get_sigil_session_id'):
        return bk.get_sigil_session_id()
    
    # Option 1: Via sigil.cfg
    cfg_path = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), 'sigil.cfg')
    with open(cfg_path) as f:
        for line in f:
            if line.startswith('SIGIL_SESSION_ID='):
                return line.split('=')[1].strip()
    return None