Notetaking/Data collection app for Adam

[davidk]

From a user perspective, rather than a feature list, what is the core app going to support in terms of the requested features. For example, would it be able to include the "form entry" that was discussed with regards to the archaeology workflow? I think that it does but, well, it's late and I've done a lot driving this weekend.

The idea of a form (how to display it, how to store it) will be built in. The form designer and the logical portion of specific forms/workflows would be a plugin.

Of course lots of common plugins would be expected to be included with the default installation, especially the form designer.

The distinction I'm really trying to make is: certain things are core low-level features that have to be programmed in a platform specific manner for each kind of device... because there is no other way. Everything else can be a plugin which can perform its duties on top of that layer. So if someone were to make some workflow specific plugin, they do it once in a generic manner, instead of making one for Android devices, another for PCs, another for websites, etc.

edit:

I realized I didn't really answer your question. The core functionality is stuff I must get in place to enable everything we talked about. The overall vision of the system has not changed from previous discussions... I'm just zooming in on the nitty gritty details of the implementation to try and keep everyone in the loop. It's the divide and conquer approach!

[MATrickett]

Thanks for that edit. I'm intrigued as to how you've managed to handle the DB with SQL language.

On the other hand, given the current status of this forum I'm reminded that there is yet another reason to move to the Reasonspace website. In short, finger is pulled from arse.

[davidk]

I'm intrigued as to how you've managed to handle the DB with SQL language.

Spoon? There is no spoon!

Short answer - there's no SQL involved. But that's only because this beast isn't a row based relational database, so SQL doesn't apply directly. Instead it is a document oriented database with queries performed using javascript using a concept known as map/reduce. In the end this ends up providing quite a bit more power than you can get with a regular row oriented database, but sometime requires you to think through your data structure in a different way.

Check out: http://guide.couchdb.org/ to get an overview of how this works.

If anyone is interested I can go into the technical details why a regular RDBMS won't work for this, but here's the short answer... by ensuring consistency and availability, a traditional database is unable to provide write access when the network is partitioned (i.e. disconnected from your server). There is a theorem called the CAP theorem that says we can have any two of consistency, availability, and partition tolerance, but not all three at once. Because this is a mobile app, we must have partition tolerance. If we want all users to be able to work disconnected, then that means we need the "A" and the "P" in the CAP triangle. So we give up consistency, which is what RDBMS enforce.

This means that there can be times when more than one version of a record can exist in the system at one point in time. When all the data gets merged together, how those duplicates are handled will be up to the individual workflows (with some built in options).

As for SQL... even though its not built into the core, I see we'll need to deal with legacy systems which speak it. That's OK, because we can build a bridge between this system and those on a higher level (read: plugins), but can make simplifying assumptions - like your bridge between legacy SQL database and mobile tablets won't work when there is no network connection.

Hey, that was a long way to say: "Punt!"



Oh Oh... almost forgot. There is something built in to CouchDB that will be enormously helpful to you (and Deecee): Geospatial Querying!

[MATrickett]

Heh, you don't know the half of it with regards to geospatial querying. That's another work flow.

All in all, though, that seems to make sense. It seems that I've got some reading to do.

Incidentally, the one CAP theorem has one in graphic design (etc.) as well: "You can have two, no more, of: Quick, Cheap, and Good."

[jlusco]

I love the sound of this cant wait to see it in action

[Deecee]

Heh, you don't know the half of it with regards to geospatial querying. That's another work flow.

All in all, though, that seems to make sense. It seems that I've got some reading to do.

Incidentally, the one CAP theorem has one in graphic design (etc.) as well: "You can have two, no more, of: Quick, Cheap, and Good."

Hi everyone!
+1, but even more reading to do given I'm a bit behind. Still checking out different approaches. I tried something called Domino Life that allows "stacking" memos, pictures from the gallery, and recordings. Retrieving the info and putting it together in different ways is very intuitive. So I'm off to do more reading.

[MATrickett]

Hmmn... You should come over to the RS forum. It's a bit quiet at the moment but these kind of posts would seem to be ultimately productive in the direction that RS wants to go?

[davidk]

I've started posting APKs for download. They still don't do much from an external point of view, but they can download updates really well! I was also really surprised to find out that it installs and runs on my first generation Motorola Droid. In theory it ought to work on any Froyo or better Android device with a fairly new processor and large amount of RAM. The app is pretty large because of the Python libraries.

I'm working in tying in a vector graphics library now (cairo) - which will support the zooming user interface - and especially allow for rendering GIS information at some point. That was one of the reasons for getting Python working - I can borrow a lot of code from GRASS GIS.

But overall, I only have the broad brush strokes of how this app should work. I'll need to rely heavily on the community to figure out what works and what doesn't! I'm finding lots of inspiration and ideas from the oddest places.

@Deecee, I'm trying to find the app you mentioned to take a look, but can't seem to find it. Do you have a link to it?

[Deecee]

Hmmn... You should come over to the RS forum. It's a bit quiet at the moment but these kind of posts would seem to be ultimately productive in the direction that RS wants to go?

I signed up and even checked over at bit bucket, but have been crazy busy and out in the 100 degree heat. The upside is I have gotten to know the Adam a whole lot better!

I've started posting APKs for download. They still don't do much from an external point of view, but they can download updates really well! I was also really surprised to find out that it installs and runs on my first generation Motorola Droid. In theory it ought to work on any Froyo or better Android device with a fairly new processor and large amount of RAM. The app is pretty large because of the Python libraries.

I'll start DL, testing breaking and updating, repeat

@Deecee, I'm trying to find the app you mentioned to take a look, but can't seem to find it. Do you have a link to it?

This is the link to Dominolife. My original post should have said, it is NOT very intuitive. But I did manage to pull in some images, and then add a note, but not on top of the image. I have been using ezPDF to note on pdfs.
http://www.androidblip.com/android-a...fe-135554.html