Re: [Gramps-devel] My clicky finger hurts!

[Douglas S. B. <db...@cs...>]

On Sun, December 31, 2006 5:06 am, ben...@ug... wrote:
> Douglas,
>
> your proposal is a different solution than I proposed to the problem of
> fast and
> large data input.
> The proposal I did is in the users part of the wiki:
> http://developers.gramps-project.org/tiki-index.php?page=FormedInput
>
> Please, feel free to add your proposal there too, or integrate it with the
> FormedInput suggestion.

Benny,

I like your idea of plugin-style data entry forms very much too, but I
think this idea should be considered different due to the difficulty of
writing the free-style parser. However, if the data entry form system was
in place, I might have been able to do a basic "family" form and saved
quite a bit of extra clicking and keyboarding. (You may want to look at
the "widgets" that I created for the Calendar report. I think you could
make a plugin-style form using the same idea, except the widgets would be
data entry objects. That would allow quick and easy form creation.)

> About your suggestion. I see two problems with it: First, normal users
> must be
> made aware of this special syntax, and how to use it. I have the
> impression
> what you suggest would only be for the die-hard gramps lover.

Yes, but it would be easier to learn than XML/HTML, and we already see
those popping up in places like this. YAML is getting popular for just
this reason.

> Second, I
> believe
> it would be very hard to program. Parsing the file might be easy, but then
> creating all the data consistently, is a different matter. Eg, how to add
> existing people in the mix, typo's of the user, ...

At first, no new information at all would be allowed. If the entry was
deemed useful, we could integrate existing elements by referring to their
gramps ID, maybe like:

name: [I0023]

> What you suggest could be done in a form too, which is easier to
> program as the
> developer decides what is possible beforehand.
> Another person suggested a workflow system: you have a form in which you
> enter
> basic data, and then screens pop up in a workflow way with data
> preentered.

Yes, but still a lot of keyboarding. This could set a record for entering
the data with he fewest number of keystrokes/clicks.

If it were successful, it might also be usable for an on screen format
which would allow people to cut and paste data from one tree to another.

I'll see if I can hack up a prototype.

-Doug

> Benny
>
> Quoting "Douglas S. Blank" <db...@cs...>:
>
>> Gramps developers,
>>
>> I have been using the new 2.2 gramps interface, and find it very nice,
>> pretty, consistent, and powerful. Kudos on getting all of the pieces
>> under
>> the hood to make it work so easily! I know it is hard to make it easy.
>>
>> I have been busy the last week really doing genealogy research, and I
>> have
>> never found so many new people in my tree all at once. It is very
>> exciting, and reminded me of why I like genealogy.
>>
>> But, my clicky finger is way over worked, and is really hurting. I don't
>> I
>> have ever clicked so many times in a short period of time. I know that
>> GRAMPS has been designed to not make users click any more than
>> necessary,
>> and I love that all of defaults make so much sense. But, I was left
>> wondering if it couldn't be better when one is entering a large amount
>> of
>> new data.
>>
>> So, I am thinking about a free style text area that would allow one to
>> enter data which would then be parsed. It would have to be some form of
>> "structured text" but not like XML or JSON. XML has too many brackets,
>> and
>> JSON still requires one to type too much (although it is valid Python
>> code).
>>
>> I think I one could use YAML, something like:
>>
>> name: Jones, Maria
>> born: 12 Dec 1876 in Ohio
>> died: around 1922
>>  note: According to diary
>> marriage:
>>  - name: Smith, Edward
>>    children:
>>     - name: Smith, Bubba
>>       born: 23 Nov 1900 in Cedar County, Utah
>>     - name: Smith, Tara
>>     - name: Smith, Terry
>>
>> (I'm not an expert on YAML, so this might not be correct). I'm thinking
>> something as simple as possible, for the user and the developer. YAML
>> exists for Python. It wouldn't have to do everything, but a standard
>> subset.
>>
>> There would be few keywords that could be translated to make it easy for
>> the user. Since all of the data would assumed to be new, there isn't any
>> people to match.
>>
>> What do you think?
>>
>> -Doug
>>
>>
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-- 
Douglas S. Blank
Associate Professor, Bryn Mawr College
http://cs.brynmawr.edu/~dblank/
Office: 610 526 601