[ka-Map-users] Re: yet another ka-map interface

[Paul Spencer]

Lorenzo,

I REALLY like this one.  You've done a great job.  And it appears to  
work in IE (I just did a quick test).  My vote is for this to replace  
the current index.html and associated css ASAP.

Paul

On 8-Aug-06, at 10:28 AM, Lorenzo Becchi wrote:

> In my recent experience I've seen that many persons were not used  
> to a custom layout interface as the one of version 0.2
>
> The winManager is still futuristic, so next link shows my   
> candidate to be the user interface for ka-Map version 1.0
>
> http://www.ominiverdi.org/ka-map/temp/ka-map-fao/htdocs/ 
> index_kaExplorer.html
> (temporary!)
>
> First of all I have to say that I have not yet the chance to test  
> it with Internet Explorer. I'm in a remote part of Dominican  
> Republic and have rare internet connections.
> I've stressed this code with Safari and Firefox.
>
> Many changes have been introduced so I try to explain them as they  
> arise in my mind:
>
>
> LAYOUT
> As it's simple to notice, I've tried to stick to a much more  
> "windows" friendly layout. Who's used to ESRI products can  
> naturally see a very close similarity to ArcReader/ArcExplorer  
> (quite explicit). Until I've maintained the Nomad icon set, I've  
> adapted it at a windows button style. I had to invent some more  
> buttons, hope that Aleks Herzog can once again come and help us.
> To be honest I have to say that I've never had a good feeling with  
> Windows layouts in general but I've understood how is easier for a  
> newbie to understand ka-Map features if the user interface in much  
> more "standard".
> Stats on my web server show that 80% of the people who's looking  
> at  our ka-Map implementations have Windows.
> More than newbies, I've seen that old GIS men are so Windows/ESRI  
> focused that have big problems to positive evaluate different  
> interfaces.
> Hope this layout will help to spread ka-Map to a wider audience.
>
>
> FUNCTIONS
> in the toolbar from left to right:
> 1) map selector -> no changes
> 2) Map Info -> the default selector. it shows the keymap and the  
> mouse geo coords. I've divided it form the legend to make it cleaner.
> 3) Legend -> always the same legend but I'm intended to change it a  
> bit in the next days to avoid HTML tables and to allow a more  
> customizable layout.
> 4) Print -> as easy as possible. Choose an output and the document  
> should be downloaded automatically. PDF layout is always the same  
> (sorry David, hope to have time to merge your code soon).
> 5) Zoom functions -> always the same. I've reintroduced the scale  
> select to stick to the interface.
> 6) Identify/query -> some improvements. First of all no more pop- 
> ups (I hate them). I've introduced raster identification but it  
> should be refined. The system now looks in LAYER METADATA, as  
> Andrea's query system, looking for this fields:
> 		"fields" "fiendname:Alias1,fieldname2:Alias2,fieldname3:Alias3"
> 		"searchfield" "field_to_be_searched"
> the syntax is used to determine which fields to show and which  
> alias to use in the printed table. As usual, LAYER needs a TEMPLATE  
> argument to be queryable for mapserver.
> Both tollerance and tolleranceunits are useful to refine the  
> system. es:
> 	 TOLERANCE 10
> 	  TOLERANCEUNITS meters
> I'm intended to add a button to "hilite" vectorial objects using  
> Andrea's system. This will take a while more maybe... still to decide.
> 7) Search system -> same layout that Identify. looking for same  
> fields in the metadata. Naturally it skips raster layers. That  
> should be refined to fulltext search and multiple field search but  
> I've fear that's not a mapserver skill (can somebody help with  
> this?). I'm sure I'll have to better study mapserver query and  
> search systems.
> 8)Link to this view -> I've decided to add a stupid function to  
> send links by e-mail. To be refined.
>
>
> VIEWPORT
> I've took away all panels except the scalebar that I've refined  
> with a different CSS to make it smaller (I've fear It's not working  
> fine with IE).
>
>
> THINGS I STILL DON'T LIKE
> 1)  Identify -> I've not yet decided the politic to limit output or  
> allow a full output control. At the moment it's limited to 20  
> record per layer. It would be nice to use a dynamic page selector  
> to show all data. No clear idea about it for the moment.
> 2) Search system -> too simple.
>
>
> WHAT'S MISSING
> 1) Tooltips -> I've not yet integrated the tooltip system. I'll  
> have to refine it.
> 2) Measure -> it should be implemented. no technology is convincing  
> me... it's a stupid feature that many want.
> 3) Navigation History -> it should be easily implemented. I have to  
> decide it's priority.
> 4) cache clean up for hilite and print system.
> 5) Search system - > missing all advanced features.
> 6) Identify system ->  missing all advanced features.
>
>
> DOUBTS
> I've fear there's a little bug in extent calculation. It seems to  
> me (still to confirm) that the viewport extent is calculated with  
> the browser margin as left margin instead that the viewport real  
> margin.
>
>
> NOTES
> to a more intimate view, all panels have been reported as HTML code  
> in the index_kaExplorer.html (service div) to easily allow some  
> text personalization.
>
>
> So after all this comments, I'm still convinced we are close to a  
> mature client.
> I will really appreciate all kind of comments and suggestions.   
> They will influence my priorities.
>
> thanks to all
> Lorenzo

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|Paul Spencer                           pspencer at dmsolutions.ca   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|Applications & Software Development                              |
|DM Solutions Group Inc                 http://www.dmsolutions.ca/|
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+