[GSOC 2010] Calendar functionality summary

[panna]

Hello!

Some time ago I posted on dw-dev some words about the calendar functionality (suggested in DwGSoC2010 projects page)(It can be found here:) ).
I'm really sorry for not posting this as I assumed - at least a few days ago:( My family spend Easter (and other holidays) very familial and I malestimated the time I intended to spend on preparing next calendar's outline. I'm very sorry for being imprecise.

I'd be very glad to receive some guidelines and comments and answers for the proposition of Dw calendar and all the below:)

I reconsidered the set of functionalities I've proposed and tried to organize them.

I generally very like presenting my view with images, (tables and tree structures as well:P) as they seem for me to be easier to read and show the organization of a concept ( "I love scheduling." (libitina) - me too!) and maybe though images leave greater field for interpretation - but in the same time seem to me more precise:P

1. General description
   The calendar I'd like to implement is a functionality that would allow Dw Users to
   
   
   
   1. Organize their own time
      
   2. Inform/obtain information about events that are public or shared with other users
      
   3. Search through date
      
   4. I'd like to propose here something more than some basic calendar functionalities - something that maybe isn't crucial for this tool, but gives it a different, special meaning:)
      
   
   
   
2. The focus
   I'd like to draw the special attention in the project to:
   
   
   
   1. User friendliness
      
      
      
      • Releasing alpha-versions of calendar functionalities for obtaining Dw Users opinions
        
      • Trying to make the most popular functionalities set in as little clicks as possible
        
      • Possibilities to personalize the calendar look
        
      
      
   2. Draw special attention to security aspect (as I was already suggested to do:) )
      
   3. Extensible code design
      
      
      
      • While implementing, I'd do my best to create the code according to so-called the "good practices" that I've already learned and I very (very) hope to learn during the project. I'd try to prepare the code for any possible future extensions.
        
      • Well… I'd do my best to stick to http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/Programming_Guidelines and other suggestions
        
   
   
   
3. Main features
   There are some essential features that I find the calendar/organizer should undoubtfully have (cause otherwise it couldn't be called so:P)
   
   I've divided the into three categories:
   
   
   
   • The blue ones - basic calendar functionalities
     
   • The green ones - some functionalities my family members, friends and I found useful
     
   • The pink ones -thoughts that may not be exact description of a calendar/organizer, but are some personal (created in cooperation with my friends) imaginations, visions of making a practical tool a kind of thing that could intersperse it's casualty
     
   
   
   
   
   I'd like to describe more precisely the pink ones - the ones that (I'd love if) give the calendar the THING :) (but this are very-very drafts that I'd like to extend in the nearest hours) :
   
   Weather calendar:
   Displaying the weather (it now would see it as an icon) for the nearest days, regarding e.g. Dw User profile's location - according to information achieved from web service.
   A (very:P) draft:
   
   
   Idea calendar: organize your time chaotically:P
   This is a concept of a calendar that randomly could suggest ideas from the categories set - which could be e.g.: activities, quotations, interesting topic, movies, music, book, etc.
   There are, I think, various activities, titles, thoughts that we even don't have idea of or we forgot that it is an interesting thing:) I may call it one-look idea giver, thoughts reminder (like: oh! I read this book in my childhood! It was great! Maybe I can present it to my friend!).
   
   Sms notifications:
   This seems to me as a bit of challenge. I don't know yet anything about the solutions for this issue and it may overwhelm me, but if Dw Users would find it important and if the the time let's I'd enjoy at least searching the subject and present possible (maybe in future implementation - or maybe in this summer's) ways:)
   
   
   
4. Security issue
   --I'm about to sum up everything I've already learned about this issue and write it down.
   

---

Questions:

1. I'd very welcome any comment on which functionalities Dw Users find at least practical, which one (including of course -as I've already learned - security:P) are really important and which may seem a dud;)
   
   
   
2. This is a quote from Dw GSoC propositions: "Bonus points if the user can schedule events through their application of choice and have those events show up on the web site."
   
   
   
   • I would like to ask for some examples of this "applications of choice". The way I see it now is that those applications can export the data a format that I should put consideration into implementing; like XML, iCalendar, etc.
     
   • If it is so, which formats should be supported?
     
   
   
3. Well… I'm not familiar with Perl (my experience yet are some lectures on it, but I do have already some experience in script languages:) ), (but I can assure that I'd put down to both language learning and trying to take advantages of good practices of it!) and I'd be very thankful for some suggestions on the libraries that I should put greater consideration to while trying to suggest some technical solutions for the features.
   
   
4. I wonder if I could know how important is the calendar functionality for the Community:) There are e.g. also client applications that I'd really enjoy designing of, especially as there was already a "Desktop/mobile client brainstorm post"
   thread set up by Denise. However, I don't know if I should propose more than one proposition.
   
   
5. Should I post my posts (like this one) in some other place(s)?
   

Comments

[exor674]

For #2, I'd look into CalDAV

[zvi]

I'm a little concerned, since you say you like images and tables, about how accessible your calendar presentation is going to be. Accessibility should not be an afterthought with the calendar, either in its presentation or in the tools for controlling it.

Let me know if you need some references on accessible forms control and accessible table presentations.

[panna]

Yes, if you still are willing to, I'd be grateful for such references.

[azurelunatic]

For SMS notifications, you could/should hook the calendar into the existing Dreamwidth Event/Subscription/Notification system, which either already has SMS notifications, or will be getting them in the future.

ESN integration would mean that the user could choose how they wanted the notifications: email, Dreamwidth inbox, SMS, IM, or whatever alternate means of notification happens in the future.

A user would then be able to globally subscribe/unsubscribe to all notifications of their own calendar, all notifications of a paid community calendar (I think a community calendar is a safe thing to have all members able to subscribe to, less controversial than comments), and any individual event of another user/community that they have the security access to see.

[denise]

I actually doubt we will have SMS notifications anytime in the future, as it's very very very expensive for us to offer and takes a ridiculous amount of code/administrative/etc overhead. :( So we're pretty much stuck with email.

[azurelunatic]

Alas! Ah well. *head in wrong codebase*

[denise]

I wanted to remind you to make sure you get your application in at the Summer of Code website as soon as possible! Applications close today at 1900 UTC. I don't see an application from you for this project yet, and I'd hate to see you miss out on being considered after you've done so much work :)

[panna]

Thanks very much!
I'm still editing and polishing it - but not sending the application would definitely be my very bad idea:P

[denise]

Oh, good! You can keep editing the application after you submit it, so you might want to submit once and then go back and keep editing, just to make sure you're in the system. I expect that it will start to get more and more busy as the day goes on, and I'd hate to have you locked out because the system wouldn't load.

[panna]

Ok, I think you're right. I'd like to see the whole thing done there, ut at least I need to make sure -as You said- I'm in the system:)

[yvi]

Oh, I like this!

As for styles, it would probably be good to tie the new calendar into the existing Dreamwidth Styles system, S2. S2 can easily be overriden/changed by user-input CSS and we have a lot of users who do basic customizations with it.

And as for 4) I'd rather have a calendar than a client :)

[panna]

Thanks! -I'd mark the styles issue in the application

[denise]

Also, to answer your questions #1 and #4: I think this is absolutely something that would be used by a lot of people! If we accept your proposal, I'll ask you to write a short summary of what features you want to include in the calendar and post it to dw_biz, asking people to brainstorm what else they would want (and not want!) included in the feature. You wouldn't have to make all the decisions yourself! We wouldn't make you do that.

And dw_dev is the right place to post entries like this about feature design, don't worry.

[panna]

I also didn't want to start new threads, but in the same time I wanted te post to be noticed.
And so it is:)

[denise]

In general, people are reading through their reading page (like http://panna.dreamwidth.org/read). Unless they track the entry, which means they get emailed a copy of the comment every time someone makes a comment, most people don't come back to the entry after it scrolls off their reading page. So, if it's more than a day or so since you posted it, it's better to post a new entry to the community!

If you're worried about taking up too much space on peoples' reading lists, just put most of your entry behind a <cut> tag. That way people can scroll by quickly if they're not interested.

[panna]

Yes, the idea is the one I very like. I've learned this concept from Kartik post

[martyna]

I really like the "Idea calendar".
I do not know if and how I'd use such a calendar, but the "idea calender" strikes me as a very interesting point.

Adding to "Idea calendar"

[martyna]

It would be nice to be able to associate journal entries to those ideas. As an example I stumbled on a wonderful recipe on boilingwater today, but will not make it anytime soon. The same would maybe be nice for prompts that have no time limit. You might forget about those and if the idea calendar could pick those up...

Re: Adding to "Idea calendar"

[panna]

:)
Yes, if the idea of "idea calendar" (:P) would be ok, I'd very like to know what kind of information could be that "idea". I firstly thought about the database of labels, but the link to the post really seems to be a better solution, as we don't know e.g. the recipe for the meal-we need to link it:)

And the aim of this functionality is-just as You said- remind about the thing we do not plan to do now, but we'd like to be reminded of in some future:)

Despite meals, I also thought about such ideas as "watch the stars tonight" or "sit down with grandmother(relative) and watch her old photos (or that ones, where you're together)". (I did that one week ago with my 99 years old uncle. It's a thing I wanted to do for a very, very, veeeery long time - but I've done so no sooner He went to the hospital. He died that night. I know I should have done so (and a lot more) before...)

Re: Adding to "Idea calendar"

[martyna]

Ojej, przykro mi. *virtual hug*
Jest tyle rzeczy co sie chcialoby zrobic a w koncu to tak jestesmy w naszym "rat race" dziennym (jakos nie moge sobie przypomniec jak to najlepeiej powiedziec po polsku) ze gubimy czas na inne rzeczy - albo nawet nie widzimy jak czas pedzi i ze trzebaby sie zatrzymac na chwile i zrobic cos innego, to co sie chcialo.

Re: Adding to "Idea calendar"

[denise]

i'm so very sorry for your uncle's loss.

Re: Adding to "Idea calendar"

[lady_ganesh]

Oh, yes, that's a wonderful idea.

[pprahul]

Congrats !! Really kwl job !! All the best for your GSoC Summer :)

[brownbetty]

One point, you mention the ability to turn TODOs into events, and I think it's also helpful be able to turn events into TODOs. Ideally one would realize ahead of time which a thing would be, but in practice I sometimes go “OH WAIT.”

[panna]

Thank You - indeed I personaly would find it very useful too:)