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

Tue Aug 8 13:41:53 EDT 2006

In Firefox in Linux, there is a horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of
the left frame nav, but other than that, it's fantastic. This is
definitely a vast improvement on the UI. Good job, Lorenzo.

Daniel

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
> _______________________________________________
> ka-Map-users mailing list
> ka-Map-users at lists.maptools.org
> http://lists.maptools.org/mailman/listinfo/ka-map-users