[121] in Tooltime
Tooltime: Please read, comments needed
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Steven Wade Neiterman)
Thu Jun 6 10:06:10 1996
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 10:07:52 -0400
To: tooltime@MIT.EDU, tarnett@MIT.EDU
From: wade@MIT.EDU (Steven Wade Neiterman)
We need quick feedback on the following proposal.
Based on development efforts, we have uncovered an issue, which is outlined
below.
Please review the issue and proposal. This has an impact on current
development efforts and timeline for testing.
If anyone has comments, issues, questions, please send them to the tooltime
mailing list.
In the event there is no feedback (it sometimes happens), we will move
forward with the proposal.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue:
Within the tab forms (e.g. status, secondary, netinstall, housecall, etc.),
after entering information in a field, one needs to hit the TAB key or the
ENTER key before leaving the field. This is the ONLY method to save the
change. Using the mouse to click to another field will NOT save the data
input when the SAVE button on the main form is clicked.
We feel that this may pose problems resulting in "lost" data entry if the
process is not properly followed.
Proposal:
If we eliminate the tab forms, we can create one "large" form containing
the existing Main Help screen with the addition of the status, and
secondary information. The current tab forms will get moved into separate
"window forms", thus creating a parent (Main Help screen) and child
(housecall, netinstall, mainframe) relationship.
To enter the new "window forms", you would click a new button on the Main
Help screen (e.g. Housecall). Once in a new "window form", there would be
buttons for Clear, Find, Save, etc. Existing screens (e.g. Main Help
screen) will still be visible when bringing up the Housecall, Mainframe,
Netinstall. Not until the user hits the Close button will a screen
disappear.
Benefit:
This proposal helps resolve the issue outlined above, specifically,
minimizing the possibility of losing information.
Additional benefits include: reduction of Tcl code to be maintained,
reduction of "hidden fields" (which Scopus uses to store information
between more than one table - as would be needed when using multiple tabs).
Additional benefits include scaleability for adding new processes, greater
maintainability for adding/modifying fields for the Housecall, Netinstall,
and Mainframe functions.
In addition, the tabs for Housecall description and Netinstall description
now can be combined in the new window.
Impact:
The additional work to complete the outlined proposal will not be completed
until the end of the day on Wednesday June 12, 1996.
** This means that we need to alter the testing schedule, specifically, the
time to test becomes more focused to one day, Thursday, June 13. In
addition, the current feedback meeting scheduled for Thursday June 13 at
9:00 am needs to be pushed back one day, to Friday June 14, time to be
determined. **
Other impact includes the need to change the Functional Specification and
Design Specification.
