[Soc-coordination] Report 2 : improving the online package review interface for mentors.d.n

[Baptiste Mouterde]

Dear Mailing list,

Here is the second report on improving the online package review
interface for mentors.debian.net (debexpo),

_So what's done yet?_

__mailing stuff__
   The first work off last weeks was to end mail feature, it's done,
not perfect but working and ready for team integration.
Mail are pretty ugly because of field that will take only 4 or 5 character
where the same field take about 20 character, so this have to be
fixed. (on todo list)


__database stuff__

    The second work was on database, we (clemux and I) need to change
the database
and we have to know what we will need, so it's ready. We need to
change about 10 lines on the models files.

    I didn't know how debexpo was working for users, I do a lot of work to
understand how it's work, I finally try to build a workflow, and it
was not really...
taking care of anything.. but now it's done and working (adding it to
the doc is on todo list)

__code browser__
   Now some hard stuff, I start the code browser, as usual I start by
trying to imagine how it will work, it will be a simple but powerful
tool, one of the main objectif (showing the code exclude) was
to let poeple interact on it.

___comments part___
  Users will be able to add comment on line(s),
word, or on a file. this comment will be dived in 4 part, questions,
notes ( additionnal info)
bad point, and also good point! Underline good point help other dev to have
the same good behaviours.
    I looked at what is already here, I was watching github [1],
but github doesn'tbhandle comment on single words.. or on few
lines selection. but the design is pretty.
    I look at how I will show comments? I looked at soundcloud[2],
 and I find it... dirty as hell, of course, it handle large selection and
 multiple comments on the same part but... this is very ugly and I
don't want to have a such thing!
    Finally I think I will show comment as in github, on the side with
number of comment/interaction, it will list all comments dealing with
this line (multiple lines comments/single lines comments/ words comments).
    As other comment everywhere in debexpo (one of my goal) it will
have stamina (+1 / -1) system and indentation for answer
    also you will have a highlighting when coting the code (and link
to the line).

___Viewer Part___
   Imagine it was easier than the comment part,
it will show folder and files, handling not all type of file (avoid
binary files)
   I plan to do 2 versions, the first for modern browser using Ajax and Json
and the other one for older browser (I'm still wondering if I can consider
Internet explorer as a browser..).

   I was working on the controllers for the viewer
and I was creating a check up for if the file is visible
for the user (if the file is part of the source code or
of the debexpo files...) and I was handling the
error and I notice that there isn't any message service
for debexpo, using or not ajax.
   That's why I create it and I will push it as soon as
I end the how to.

__git backend__
    The last part and the most hard one was to find
out how I will read files and from where, we decided
that we will use git as a way to keep sources files
Git is one of the lightweight way to do that
(lighter than a home made solution.. :) )
and git will make the work for me with the history feature.

    I first try some work using python-git but...
I didn't find any useful doc for it. I gave up and try looking
at python-dulwich[3]. It have docs and how to, perfect.
I try few feature on it, creating a repository, commit, find history
and it work pretty good and it's quite easy.

    And now... where do I have to create this feature...
Today I still don't know. last time I spend about a day on it
and I gave up. I was lost in source code and even if I
find where we handle upload, source files are not here,
 I found a plug-in that handle the research of the sources
but it doesn't help me to find the storage part... and again
and again for about 10 others times...
That's why I give up for the moment, I'm sure that I will
find the way to do it but I have to do other stuff before
and search it again with a new mind.

__database stuff (in dev environment)
    Also I had to test mailing stuff, it's done thanks to a
hard work on database, I had a db but as a dump,
so I had to remove and install a lot of stuff
in order to have a database running, and today it's running
fine as a psql db not as a sqlite db (I wanted to have the
same thing as the original debexpo).

__other more "useless" stuff__
    I fix my website and today, it's really simple (who say empty?)
but you will be able to find what I'm currently working on
and my active statue (there isn't historic feature yet)
There is also a blog at the same place : kolo.fr (post will come...
I still have hope :) )
    exams and oral exams are over \o/

__awesome, but show evidences!__
All the work I did, and I will do is on allioth git (debexpo branch improvexpo)

_what is missing?_

   The commit for the msg_service controllers, it is waiting
after the how to. (should be fix in few days)
   Git storage for debexpo
   Pretty mail


_what was main difficulties?_

   As I said about the git storage, I was completly lost,
and I lost too many hours on it..
   Exams that take a lot of time, and project especially when
other student give up.

_What is next?

   I will try (I said try because I'm not sure at all) to have
a working alpha code browser before the end of the week.
but It will exist before the next report.
   Fix the backend with git
   Work on DataBase with clemux
   make some blog post... (optionnal but good)
   I'm currently thinking of hosting a redmine tool on my server
but it's maybe useless if I use allioth. I keep it in mind

Thanks for reading!
Feel free to query me on Irc for any question, idea, or information!
Good luck!
ko_lo

[1] git comment official sample :
https://github.com/rails/rails/commit/0495736339df48a625fd58f4304b7b497b02d859#comments
[2] http://soundcloud.com/tracks (comments are under the song)
[3] http://www.samba.org/~jelmer/dulwich/