[tahoe-lafs-trac-stream] [tahoe-lafs] #1265: Brian's New Visualizer is insufficiently labelled/documented (plus layout problem)

[tahoe-lafs]

#1265: Brian's New Visualizer is insufficiently labelled/documented (plus layout
problem)
-------------------------+-------------------------------------------------
     Reporter:  zooko    |      Owner:  drewp
         Type:  defect   |     Status:  new
     Priority:  major    |  Milestone:  undecided
    Component:  unknown  |    Version:  1.8.0
   Resolution:           |   Keywords:  documentation usability
Launchpad Bug:           |  visualization transparency download
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Changes (by drewp):

 * owner:  zooko => drewp
 * status:  assigned => new


Comment:

 Here is my plan:

 1. Extend the event_json payload to include all the strings that
 DownloadStatusTimelinePage is generating for its template, so that the
 /timeline page doesn't have to be a template at all. This makes the page
 render use fewer technologies, and it simplifies the other things I'm
 going to try.

 2. Make another /timeline page that doesn't use protovis. I believe that
 with plain old divs and some jquery magic, I can render a similar timeline
 but have an easier time doing more elaborate layout. I intend to model it
 after the firebug 'net' tab, where each event is on its own row (which may
 be subdivided into the "phases" of the event as appropriate). The rows can
 be expanded to show details underneath. I also intend to mimic the
 mouseover behavior of the firebug timeline bars. Firebug has immediate,
 multi-line tooltips that should be more usable than simple
 'title'-attribute tooltips.

 3. Depending on the success of #2, I'll see about folding the good parts
 into the protovis timeline, replacing it, providing links to both, etc.

 4. I hope for my all-javascript normal-divs timeline page to be a model
 for people who want to try other displays, such as a node-centric one
 showing all the blocks I'm giving out, or a super-compact one that can be
 superimposed on normal directory pages as a fancy status bar.

 I'm trying not to be NIH about this, but after doing a project with D3
 (protovis successor) and many other charts with divs, I think I can be
 much more effective if I port the protovis piece. As a small bonus, the
 divs layout will work on more browsers.

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://tahoe-lafs.org/trac/tahoe-lafs/ticket/1265#comment:6>
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