Author Topic: lmce-admin redesign ?  (Read 5752 times)

polly

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lmce-admin redesign ?
« on: November 09, 2012, 10:04:49 pm »
Hey ...

i just wanted to start a discussion about about the current state of lmce-admin.
i think it does a good job, but the interface looks old and web admin could be more fancy in the GUI point of view ...

posde pointed out that the architecture is great.

What i can do:
- jquery (javascript)
- css
- html ... a little php
- .... learn learn learn ....

The goal is to improve the interface of lmce-admin and give it better wizards with a more "human" description.
After installing, lmce-admin imo is the next step to simplify things, and make configuration a lot easier.

This does not mean i will/can do it... ;-)

cheers,
ochorocho

WhateverFits

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Re: lmce-admin redesign ?
« Reply #1 on: November 09, 2012, 10:33:54 pm »
Just a little thing, wizards are good for the first time or two through a system. After that they are an excise and an annoyance.

l3mce

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Re: lmce-admin redesign ?
« Reply #2 on: November 09, 2012, 10:34:39 pm »
Ain't broke, don't fix.

It's big, it's complicated, it's working.
Fix what's broke.

.02
I never quit... I just ping out.

Marie.O

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Re: lmce-admin redesign ?
« Reply #3 on: November 09, 2012, 11:59:55 pm »
polly (or ochorocho :) )

go through the web admin's code, and try to understand how it works. Look at the specific wizards what they already do. atm wizard is mainly a different view for the same the data one can find in advanced grouped by devices.

Once you understand how the current web admin really works, see if you can create a new wizard page. For example, atm any of the wizards displaying a huge amount of devices (like the Lights wizard) could need an overhaul. See how it works now, and make more useful.

In my humble opinion, it really is the presentation only that does not help. Try to extend the lights page to, for example, limit the list of devices by Room, or Device Type, or Controlled by. Things like that.

Do not expect to understand web admin easily, though :)

Randall

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Re: lmce-admin redesign ?
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2012, 02:48:22 am »
My immediate thoughts on the web-admin are:

1) The top and side menus are redundent in some areas, but not in others. That is, there are *sometimes* two ways to get to the same page, but in many cases you need to dig through the nested top menu. I found this confusing, especially initially. It makes the interface seem overwhelming.

2) I wish there were an easier way to override the web-admin. For example, I have a custom asterisk configuration that required manually tweaking a few of the asterisk config files. These modifications are outside the scope of the web-admin but it constantly tries to overwrite my manually tweaked files. Ditto with some of my firewall rules and my postfix config. I wish there were an simple check-box to allow the user to manually configure the associated configuration files.  I also would like the web-admin to verbosly list all of the config files that are being changed when you click the update/submit button.

dextaslab

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Re: lmce-admin redesign ?
« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2012, 02:59:57 pm »
Just a little thing, wizards are good for the first time or two through a system. After that they are an excise and an annoyance.
Agreed, although if they have a 'skip' or 'manual configure' button, everyone's happy :-)

l3mce

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Re: lmce-admin redesign ?
« Reply #6 on: November 10, 2012, 06:31:34 pm »
My immediate thoughts on the web-admin are:

1) The top and side menus are redundent in some areas, but not in others. That is, there are *sometimes* two ways to get to the same page, but in many cases you need to dig through the nested top menu. I found this confusing, especially initially. It makes the interface seem overwhelming.

More than one way to skin a cat isn't a bug imho... and the vast majority of links are unique.


2) I wish there were an easier way to override the web-admin. For example, I have a custom asterisk configuration that required manually tweaking a few of the asterisk config files. These modifications are outside the scope of the web-admin but it constantly tries to overwrite my manually tweaked files. Ditto with some of my firewall rules and my postfix config. I wish there were an simple check-box to allow the user to manually configure the associated configuration files.  I also would like the web-admin to verbosly list all of the config files that are being changed when you click the update/submit button.

Please tell me the config files which you need LMCE to leave alone, and I will try to add BlacklistConfFiles to whatever manipulates them... so that you lmce will ignore them if desired.
I never quit... I just ping out.