Use cases - repost

Hi all:

[snip whining about a third party app that bundles OPS]

Is it possible to create the following use case scenarios with OPS ?

1.- Bob fires up an application that shows him a table with a variable  
amount of rows, with 5 columns. The data on 3 of the columns is read-
only , but the fourth column is editable. He fills up the data on the  
fourth column of some of the rows and clicks a button labeled  
"Complete".

(somehow Alice get's notified of Bob's edit, and logs in to the same  
system)

Alice fires up an application that shows her the same table that Bob  
just edited. She edits the 5th column, which is the only column  
available for editing. Clicks complete. Ends.

2.- Bob, Rabah, Juan, Piotr, Izumi and Björn, all proud citizens of  
different countries around the world are logged into a web application  
where there's a form with a date field that needs to be filled. The  
system presents the same interface to all, but each of them is allowed  
to input the date in a localized format for their country. They fill  
out the form and click a "complete" button. The system interprets each  
localized date input into a unified, database-friendly and uniform  
format for later storage.

3.- Bob uses a web application with an optional date field. The  
application allows for that field to be filled or not. He clicks a  
"complete" button, the app accepts and continues.

4.- Bob is designing an xForm. He needs to decorate it with an  
external CSS stylesheet and add some specific javascript  
functionality. He is able to add those two things and still have a  
valid, executable xForms document.

5.- Bob is able to design an xForm document with data-aware widgets  
and fields, but that they are only intertwined for the current  
document; once the form is HTTP-submitted, the data arrives to a  
different HTTP server in a regular POST or GET request.

6.- Bob is using a form with a table comprised of read-only  
information in each cell. He is able to click a button or link and add  
another row to that table. The newly created row has the same fields  
as the other rows, but they are editable. Bob forgets to fill one and  
when he clicks the "complete" button, the form refuses to complete and  
sen, since one of the fields is required.

7.- Bob is designing an xForm but some of his users have very shaky  
connectivity. He is able to tune how much interactivity and heartbeat  
requests are sent to the central server from that segment of his  
network. At the same time, he is able to tune the same application on  
the same server to target another segment of the network that is brand  
new and has top-notch connectivity. Furthermore, he is able to tune  
which users will get full javascript support, and which ones won't.

[further sniping]

Thanks for yout input,
Rubén
p.s.:



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Rubén,

Rubén Marrero wrote

1.- Bob fires up an application that shows him a table with a variable  
amount of rows, with 5 columns. The data on 3 of the columns is read-
only , but the fourth column is editable. He fills up the data on the  
fourth column of some of the rows and clicks a button labeled  
"Complete".

(somehow Alice get's notified of Bob's edit, and logs in to the same  
system)

Alice fires up an application that shows her the same table that Bob  
just edited. She edits the 5th column, which is the only column  
available for editing. Clicks complete. Ends.
[...]

7.- Bob is designing an xForm but some of his users have very shaky  
connectivity. He is able to tune how much interactivity and heartbeat  
requests are sent to the central server from that segment of his  
network. At the same time, he is able to tune the same application on  
the same server to target another segment of the network that is brand  
new and has top-notch connectivity. Furthermore, he is able to tune  
which users will get full javascript support, and which ones won't.

I don't see any problem with doing points 1 to 6 in XForms and Orbeon Forms.

Point 7 is a bit more involved. You need to make a distinction between the following 3 cases:

1. No JavaScript support at all in the browser.
2. JavaScript support, limiting the amount of Ajax requests.
3. JavaScript support, no problem sending many Ajax requests.

Distinction between 1 and 2-3 is done with the noscript:
http://wiki.orbeon.com/forms/doc/developer-guide/configuration-properties#TOC-Noscript-and-Ajax-Modes

Distinction between 1-2 and 3 is done with deferred events:
http://wiki.orbeon.com/forms/doc/developer-guide/configuration-properties#TOC-When-Events-Are-Sent-to-Server

But if you are planning to build this, I'd recommend you first implement points 1 to 6 and then do 7 once 1 to 6 work well.

Alex