aboutcode/scancode-workbench

lakshay-angrish

@lakshay-angrish

I am a quick learner and I think I can pick up those technologies in the pre gsoc period.

In regard to the proposed number of tasks, I did think it wouldn't take as much time. I think I can search through issues and incorporate them in my proposal. Shall I do that? @majurg

Steven Esser

@steven-esser

@lakshay-angrish Yes. Also, if you have any original ideas please feel free to include those as well. The feedback loop for project proposals is there to iterate on ideas

lakshay-angrish

@lakshay-angrish

For nexB/scancode-workbench#346, what other metrics should be considered?

As described, currently we can display the query time using benchmark: true and the logging function

lakshay-angrish

@lakshay-angrish

I assume numbers like the time it takes to filter or sort should be displayed by coupling the time taken by the queries involved?

lakshay-angrish

@lakshay-angrish

And for that, I think an external logger like winston should be used? @majurg

Steven Esser

@steven-esser

@lakshay-angrish Sorry just saw this. Will respond in detail shortly.

lakshay-angrish

@lakshay-angrish

I also had another query regarding nexB/scancode-workbench#138

Would the structure of the report be a sub-table from the database?

Michael Herzog

@mjherzog

@lakshay-angrish I am not sure what you mean by sub-table from the database. The primary idea is to capture the results of a set of filter/search actions combined with the Column Visibility set. So it is effectively capturing the result of a query against the database where you construct the row set from search/filters and the column set from the visible columns.

lakshay-angrish

@lakshay-angrish

and the desired results(resulting rows) would be displayed, in say, a pdf format?

lakshay-angrish

@lakshay-angrish

@mjherzog I researched about this and found out that with by customizing the already implemented export options in the datatables module, we can achieve this for excel reports. We could customize it to report columns by visibilty too. Would that fulfill the purpose?

lakshay-angrish

@lakshay-angrish

@majurg As you suggested, I have added more tasks to my proposal. Please take a look: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RfLkBWmwQ3-FaTdxw1lBDTsQLi8CauP1OOjUQ07bA-8/edit?usp=sharing

Michael Herzog

@mjherzog

@lakshay-angrish the idea is to display the results and export them in CSV or similar portable format because the typical goal here is for someone to work with the data outside the Workbench. You can always create a PDF from a spreadsheet later

lakshay-angrish

@lakshay-angrish

@mjherzog I'd really appreciate your feedback on my proposal above

lakshay-angrish

@lakshay-angrish

@majurg I have shared my proposal draft through the GSoC website. Could you take a look at it?

Steven Esser

@steven-esser

@lakshay-angrish looking now

Steven Esser

@steven-esser

@lakshay-angrish comments left; Looking good so far :+1:

lakshay-angrish

@lakshay-angrish

@majurg Made the suggested changes. Thanks for the feedback!

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

Hello everyone! I am Nitin Singhal, a Product Designer, and an active contributor in Open Source Communities currently associated with CircuitVerse as a GSoC'20 Mentor. @pombredanne introduced me to Scancode-Workbench and I was hoping I could help to enhance the overall usability of this platform. I've been going through the Documentation and the application to understand Scancode and will start very soon by discussing the different aspects of the platform we could improve.

One more thing, I noticed that the current UI offered by the application is very minimalistic, so should it be given a certain colour them or should be kept as it is now. Comments?
cc: @majurg

Philippe Ombredanne

@pombredanne

@nitin10s welcome :wave:

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

The menu should have some sort of a hamburger button on the bottom so that new users could understand what all the options are [Just like we have one in hitter].

Icons of Welcome Page and File Info Dashboard can be replaced with better representing icons.

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

There are currently two Help Sections, on right menu and in the main menu, we should be combining them both. Also, the documentation presented in the application could be well formatted. For instance: In Basics: The Link "ScanCode Workbench" opens Views, "Building" and "Platform Support" are not so important for users and could be included in the wiki itself and not presented in the application exclusively [ @majurg could better comment on this].
The wiki opens from two different places - "Wiki" link and Learn More, that should be corrected.

I'll be working on minor improvisations in interfaces for the Welcome Screen and views next, will send the wireframes for reviewing. Meanwhile, should I be opening issues on Github for the above-mentioned problems?

Philippe Ombredanne

@pombredanne

@nitin10s yes, please open issues, that would be great.., Your notes make a lot of sense

:+1:

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

I was also thinking of a Step-By-Step Guide or Product Tour of the features and application for the first time installers. [Something like https://introjs.com/], so new users could know:

How to start using the application
What are all the features and views that users can utilize
Where are all the options located

Views?

I am opening an issue for the same, if anyone is willing to work on it, I would be very happy to discuss on what all to include in the guide, with them.

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

Also on the welcome screen: The "How to run a scan with ScanCode Toolkit" button redirects to https://github.com/nexB/scancode-toolkit/wiki/How-To:-Run-a-scan, which basically mentions 3 different links of Documentation. Rather the button should directly link to https://scancode-toolkit.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tutorials/how_to_run_a_scan.html, as the button says, if the Getting Started with ScanCode Toolkit Documentation is necessary to show, we can have a separate button for that.

Users expect getting shown, what they click on, without any confusions or friction.
Views?

Philippe Ombredanne

@pombredanne

@nitin10s sorry for the slow replies, everything is a tad slower these days :)
This all makes sense to me. Let's try to have a live session with @majurg (and possibly @mjherzog ) sometimes next week

I will reply too here in any case

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

Yes, definitely. Since the application is already made, I am actually following the approach of performing usability testings. So, the above changes and a few of those that I'll be suggesting next might sound like minor fixes to you, but they are indeed needed to enhance the usability.

I'll be suggesting structural changes once we are done with the small independent issues.

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

I was wondering if we have any kind of metrics for the application, like how many people are using it? how many times has it been downloaded?

Steven Esser

@steven-esser

@nitin10s No stats outside of github insights page

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

Oh ok, and do we have any kind of system that logs in every action that the users take? This can actually contribute to organize the layout of the application, know what all features (maybe columns in this case) are often used. This way we can arrange items on the application accordingly (like hiding less commonly used option and making the common ones easily available) to reduce the overall cognitive effect for the users. Because currently all the features are laid down for the users that may contribute to the friction in users' journey.

Application Telemetry/Analytics can really help us understand how the application is actually being used.

Steven Esser

@steven-esser

No we do not do any of that at the moment. It is a very good idea. Would we need some external infrastucture to store/view this information?

Michael Herzog

@mjherzog

@nitin10s I am struggling with how this type of data collection would be practical for a desktop application which we designed to work without internet access (after install)

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

I am honestly not sure how this works for remote applications, maybe sending such information if there is internet access available (after consent from the user). Found this article, it might help: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-dev-appconsult/add-telemetry-to-your-electron-application-with-application/ba-p/802091.
Basically, this can be done by using the Application Insights SDK by setting up for a free-tier of Azure.

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

Also, I opened an issue regarding a new feature. nexB/scancode-workbench#446. Let me know what do you think. I implemented a similar thing in my organization platform and we discovered countless minor issues, all thanks to this feature.

Steven Esser

@steven-esser

@nitin10s Thanks! I will take a look at this shortly. Sorry I have been lagging in feedback/chat, I have been busy lately :)

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

No worries :D

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

Created a welcome page. Let me know your reviews.

Steven Esser

@steven-esser

@nitin10s Wow looks great :+1:

Pratik Dey

@Pratikrocks

@nitin10s nice UI 🤓

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

Thanks :smile:

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

I had a minor query. Are the "Show All" and "HIde all" option in Table View even important enough (used by users) to be displayed?

Steven Esser

@steven-esser

I personally use "Hide All" regularly to reset the columns I want to see. I have not used "Show All" on purpose ever.

Nitin Singhal

@nitin10s

Would it be good if we shift both of these, inside the Column Visibility section? Currently, there are too many filters and options to process. But as you mentioned you use it regularly, we might want to leave the Hide All option outside. I'll try to come up with a solution

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