Difference between revisions of "Notes2"

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=Introduction=
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{| align="right"
 +
| __TOC__
 +
|}
  
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[[Image:team_notes.png|center]]
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{| cellpadding="5" border="0"
 +
|-
 +
| style="background:#d3dee8" |'''Hi! You just want to see the highlights?'''
 +
|-
 +
| style="background:#e2eaf1" |
 +
* What will it finally look like? Go to [[#Mockups_and_Screenshots|Mockups and Screenshots]].
 +
* Want a test drive? Tough users try the [[#Development_Releases|Development Releases]]!
 +
* You love detailed specifications? Look at [[#Status_and_Proposals|Status and Proposals]].
 +
|}
  
−
Notes2 is a new project started as one accepted project in Google's [[Summer_of_Code_2007|Summer of Code 2007]] (GSOC). It will be also worked on after the GSOC is over.
+
==Introduction==
  
−
Notes 2 addresses the revision of the notes functionality in OpenOffice.org Writer to improve its usability and accessibility. Main goal is to resolve the main issues of the current implementation, which are reported by users. Furthermore, the notes implementation should at least provide the functionality of the competitors in the same class. In long term considerations, it is intended to consistently implement the notes functionality in the other OpenOffice.org modules. The main target audience is the Small-Business-User.
+
[[Image:team_notes.png|center]]
  
−
Please note that the information in this Wiki is work in progress and may change.  
+
Notes2 addresses the revision of the notes functionality in OpenOffice Writer to improve its usability and accessibility. Main goal is to resolve the main issues of the current implementation, which are reported by users. Furthermore, the notes implementation should at least provide the functionality of the competitors in the same class. In long term considerations, it is intended to consistently implement the notes functionality in the other {{AOo}} modules. The main target audience is the Small-Business-User.
  
 +
Notes2 is a project which has been started as one accepted project in Google's [[Summer_of_Code_2007|Summer of Code 2007]] (GSOC).
  
 
The team working on the feature (in alphabetical order):  
 
The team working on the feature (in alphabetical order):  
Line 18: Line 29:
 
! Name
 
! Name
  
−
! OOo nickname
+
! OOo Nickname
  
 
! Role
 
! Role
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| mba
 
| mba
  
−
| GSOC Mentor, Development
+
| Development
  
 
|-
 
|-
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| cj
 
| cj
  
−
| Mentor, User Experience
+
| User Experience
  
 
|-
 
|-
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| mod
 
| mod
  
−
| GSOC Student, Development
+
| Development
  
 
|-
 
|-
Line 74: Line 85:
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
=Requirements=
 
  
−
==Scope of the Work==
+
Please note that the information in this Wiki is work in progress and may change.
 +
 
 +
==Requirements==
 +
 
 +
===Scope of the Work===
  
 
* Provide direct and easy editing of notes to get rid of the old notes editing window.
 
* Provide direct and easy editing of notes to get rid of the old notes editing window.
 
* Establish good accessibility for disabled users by providing keyboard shortcuts or using appropriate colors.
 
* Establish good accessibility for disabled users by providing keyboard shortcuts or using appropriate colors.
−
* Integrate the new functions in the existing functionality, e.g. the OpenOffice.org Navigator.
+
* Integrate the new functions in the existing functionality, e.g. the OpenOffice Navigator.
 
* Respect the needs for advanced text editing, e.g. spell checking, rich-text formatting or sorting/filtering of notes.
 
* Respect the needs for advanced text editing, e.g. spell checking, rich-text formatting or sorting/filtering of notes.
 
* Create both fresh and usable visual design of the notes.
 
* Create both fresh and usable visual design of the notes.
  
−
More detailed requirements have been collected and will be published here later.
+
=== Issues and Requests for Enhancements ===
−
 
+
−
== Issues and Requests for Enhancements ==
+
 
The work will address the issues and request for enhancements:  
 
The work will address the issues and request for enhancements:  
−
[http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=767 767], [http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=1981 1981], [http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=4964 4964], [http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=5487 5487], [http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=6193 6193], [http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=9776 9776], [http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=23465 23465], [http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=32232 32232], [http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=45788 45788], [http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=48150 48150], [http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=62625 62625], [http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=63759 63759], [http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=74157 74157], [http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=61644 61644] and
+
{{Bug|767}}, {{Bug|1981}}, {{Bug|4964}}, {{Bug|5487}}, {{Bug|6193}}, {{Bug|9776}}, {{Bug|23465}}, [{{Bug|32232}},
−
[http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=80135 80135].
+
{{Bug|45788}}, {{Bug|48150}}, {{Bug|62625}}, {{Bug|63759}}, {{Bug|74157}}, {{Bug|61644}}, {{Bug|80135}}, and {{Bug|94514}}.
  
−
You can use a [http://www.openoffice.org/issues/buglist.cgi?Submit+query=Submit+query&issue_type=DEFECT&issue_type=ENHANCEMENT&issue_type=FEATURE&issue_type=PATCH&issue_status=UNCONFIRMED&issue_status=NEW&issue_status=STARTED&issue_status=REOPENED&issue_status=RESOLVED&email1=&emailtype1=exact&emailassigned_to1=1&email2=&emailtype2=exact&emailreporter2=1&issueidtype=include&issue_id=767%2C+1981%2C+4964%2C+5487%2C+6193%2C+9776%2C+23465%2C+32232%2C+45788%2C+48150%2C+62625%2C+63759%2C+74157%2C+61644%2C+80135&changedin=&votes=&chfieldfrom=&chfieldto=&chfieldvalue=&short_desc=&short_desc_type=allwords&long_desc=&long_desc_type=allwords&issue_file_loc=&issue_file_loc_type=fulltext&status_whiteboard=&status_whiteboard_type=fulltext&keywords=&keywords_type=anytokens&field0-0-0=noop&type0-0-0=noop&value0-0-0=&cmdtype=doit&namedcmd=accessibility&newqueryname=&order=Reuse+same+sort+as+last+time   Issue Tracker query] to see all issues.
+
You can use a [https://bz.apache.org/ooo/buglist.cgi?Submit%20query=Submit%20query&cmdtype=doit&emailassigned_to1=1&emailreporter2=1&emailtype1=exact&emailtype2=exact&field0-0-0=noop&issue_file_loc_type=fulltext&issue_id=767%2C%201981%2C%204964%2C%205487%2C%206193%2C%209776%2C%2023465%2C%2032232%2C%2045788%2C%2048150%2C%2062625%2C%2063759%2C%2074157%2C%2061644%2C%2080135&issue_status=UNCONFIRMED&issue_status=NEW&issue_status=STARTED&issue_status=REOPENED&issue_status=RESOLVED&issue_type=DEFECT&issue_type=ENHANCEMENT&issue_type=FEATURE&issue_type=PATCH&issueidtype=include&keywords_type=anytokens&long_desc_type=allwords&namedcmd=accessibility&order=Reuse%20same%20sort%20as%20last%20time&short_desc_type=allwords&status_whiteboard_type=fulltext&type0-0-0=noop  Issue Tracker query] to see all issues.
  
 +
=== Competitive Analysis ===
  
−
== Competitive Analysis ==
+
Competitor software is discussed on the separate page [[Notes2_CompetitiveAnalysis|Competitive Analysis for Notes]].
−
During the development we did some investigation on software applications of competitors.
+
  
−
{| class="prettytable" border="1"
+
=== Requirements Derived from Use Cases ===
−
| [[Image:Note_ms.JPG|300px|thumb|center|MS Word 2003]]
+
−
| Microsoft Word 2003 (word processor)
+
  
−
"White paper background" gets extended; doesn't look nice. Allows to attach notes to a text selection. Allows spell checking in comments. Round corners.
+
More detailed requirements have been collected and are published at [[Notes2_RequirementsFromUseCases|Requirements from Use Cases]] (partly German).
  
 +
===Definition of Terms===
 +
 +
The following list contains some definitions used in the subsequent text (in alphabetical order):
 +
 +
{| class="prettytable" border="1"
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[Image:Note_pages.png|300px|thumb|center|Apple Pages]]
 
−
| Apple Pages 2 (word processor)
 
  
−
Nice looking color, color gradient makes it even nicer. Connectors partially barely visible, no anchors; this together makes it hard to see where a note is attached to. Has at least some rich text editing capabilities. Author/Date above the text, closer looks disturbing. Notes can also be attached to pictures. Notes have a "sidebar" like common background in light gray; darker than the document and lighter than the typical window background. This reduces the contrast and mediates between the different areas.
+
! Term
 +
! Description
 +
! Shown in Graphic Below
  
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[Image:Note_tm.JPG|300px|thumb|center|TextMaker 2006]]
+
|Author
−
| Softmaker Textmaker 2006 (word processor)
+
|The user who edits or edited the Document.
 +
|no
  
−
Word clone but separates the "notes" area better from the text.
+
|-
 +
|Document
 +
|The Document is the file which contains the user's data. The type of the Document is dependent on the OpenOffice.org module used for editing, e.g. Writer text document, Calc spreadsheet document, Impress presentation document, Draw drawing document.
 +
|no
  
−
|}
+
|-
 +
|Document Content
 +
|The document content is dependent on the type of the Document. It includes e.g.
 +
*characters, strings, words, sentences, paragraphs
 +
*Sections (Writer)
 +
*Cells (Calc)
 +
*Slides (Impress)
 +
*Graphic Objects (Impress, Draw)
 +
* Input Fields (Base)
 +
|no
  
−
== Other Ideas ==
+
|-
−
(Do we have any other ideas we like to share? Navigator, Send via E-Mail, ...)
+
|Document, Current
 +
|The Current Document is the Document that the user uses at the moment.
 +
|no
  
−
= Proposals/Discussion =
+
|-
 +
|Note
 +
|The Note refers to all elements and data which belong to the Notes Functionality (e.g. Note Anchor, Note Window, Note Property Data, Note Connector Line). Simplified, the Note contains all user visible elements.
 +
|no
  
−
==Look of the Notes Area of the Document Window==
+
|-
 +
|Note Anchor
 +
|General name for the reference position of the Note Data which is located in the Document Content. For improved clearness, the Notes Data is not displayed inside the Document. Consequently, an Anchor is necessary to indicate the reference position.
 +
|no
  
−
(proposal will be provided soon)
+
|-
 +
|Note Anchor Area
 +
|A special version of the Anchor which refers to a group of Document Content elements. The Anchor Area It is defined by a starting point and a end point according to the reading direction of the Document.
 +
|yes
  
−
==Design and Look of the Notes Itself==
+
|-
 +
|Note Anchor Point
 +
|A special version of the Anchor which refers to a position inside the Document. The Anchor Point may be located between characters and therefore treated as character.
 +
|yes
  
−
(proposal will be provided soon)
+
|-
 +
|Note Connector Line
 +
|The notes connector line is the graphical representation of the relationship between Notes Anchor and Notes Window.
 +
|yes
  
−
==Look of the Connectors and Anchors==
+
|-
 +
|Note Data
 +
|General name for the data which is stored for the Notes, e.g. Note User Data or Note Property Data.
 +
|no
  
−
(proposal will be provided soon)
+
|-
 +
|Note Functionality
 +
|The generic term which refers to the revised implementation of Notes handling in OpenOffice.org
 +
|no
  
−
==Layout algorithm for Overlapping Notes==
+
|-
 +
|Note Property Data
 +
|The Note Property Data refers to all the data of a note which does not belong to the Note user data. It may contain:
 +
* Status of the Note Window (e.g. shown/hidden, rolled in/out, position)
 +
* Rating of the User (e.g. priority, task completion, filtered/unfiltered)
 +
* History (author who created the note, author of the last change, date of creation, date of last change)
 +
* Relationship to other Notes (e.g. reply status)
 +
|yes
  
−
(proposal will be provided soon)
+
|-
 +
|Note Side Pane
 +
|The screen area next to the Document which is reserved for displaying the Notes Windows.
 +
|yes
  
−
==Colors for the Notes==
+
|-
 +
|Note User Data
 +
|The user defined content of the Note, e.g. text, graphics.
 +
|yes
  
−
Color sets have been compared with existing ones (OOo Redlining, MS Word 2003, Galaxy palette for new OOo icons, Chart color palette).  
+
|-
−
Checked criteria:
+
|Note Window
 +
|The screen area which contain the Note Data. This window is usually used to view or edit the Note User Data.
 +
|yes
  
−
* unobtrusive but appealing colors that (as a set) go together well
 
−
* how distinguishable are the colors for people with visual impairments (inabilities or weaknesses in seeing some particular colors)
 
−
* how readable is text written on a background using one of these colors
 
−
* how do the connectors and borders look in contrast to the note itself
 
−
 
−
{|
 
−
| [[Image:colorproposal.png|420px|thumb|left|Proposal for notes colors in OpenOffice.org]]
 
−
| [[Image:colorpmockup.png|300px|thumb|left|Mockup showing all notes colors]] [[Image:colormockup2.png|300px|thumb|left|Mockup showing notes with and without focus]]
 
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
= Roadmap =
+
The following picture shows some examples for the terms defined above:
−
The functionality will be implemented step-by-step. A first release of the revised notes functionality is planned for OpenOffice.org 2.4 around February 2008. A first release of a specification draft can be expected at the end of August 2007.
+
[[Image:Notes2 DefinitionOfTerms.png|414px|thumb|center|Definition of Terms]]
−
 
+
−
== Functionality Expected in the First Release ==
+
−
The basic functionality which is present in the current version of OpenOffice.org will be available in OpenOffice.org 2.4. It is planned to implement:
+
−
 
+
−
* Viewing and editing notes next to the document page
+
−
* Accessibility support
+
−
* The functionality which is already available in current version of OpenOffice.org
+
−
* Improved integration with the Writer change tracking feature (e.g. use the same colors for the authors of the document)
+
−
* Time information for the notes (besides the already available date information)
+
−
* Online help
+
−
* Support for the OpenOffice.org [http://qa.openoffice.org/ooQAReloaded/AutomationTeamsite/ooQA-TeamAutomation.html Testtool]
+
−
 
+
−
At risk for the first version:
+
−
* Rich-text editing (e.g. bold text, numerations)
+
−
 
+
−
== Functionality Expected in Later Releases ==
+
−
* Improved printing
+
−
* Search for text inside of notes
+
−
* Improved integration with the OpenOffice.org Navigator
+
−
* Improved PDF export of notes
+
−
 
+
−
= Status =
+
−
The following table lists the topics currently worked on.
+
  
 +
== Status and Proposals ==
 +
The following table lists the topics currently worked on and refers to the more '''detailed design proposals'''.
  
 
{| class="prettytable" border="1"
 
{| class="prettytable" border="1"
−
| '''Topic'''
+
! Topic
−
| '''Description'''
+
! Description
−
| '''Status'''
+
! Status
−
| '''More Information...'''
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! Detailed Design
  
 
|-
 
|-
 
| General Interaction
 
| General Interaction
−
| Interaction with the notes anchors and windows inside the Writer document window. This includes design decisions to make the notes functionality be as robust as possible.  
+
| Interaction with the Notes Anchors and Note Windows inside the Writer document window.
−
| Proposal in discussion. Implemenation started.
+
| Implementation started.
−
|  
+
| [[Notes_Design_WorkingWithNotes|Working with Notes]]
 +
[[Notes_Design_NotePreview|Notes Preview]]
  
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Design of the Notes Sidepane
+
| Design of the Notes Side Pane
−
| The notes sidebar will extend the document pages to contain the notes windows.  
+
| The notes side pane will extend the document pages to contain the notes windows.  
−
| Early proposal in discussion. Implemenation started.
+
| Implementation finished.
−
|  
+
| [[Notes2_Design_NotesSidePane|Note Side Pane]]
  
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Design of the Notes Windows
 
| Design of the Notes Windows
 
| The notes window will contain the notes text and further information like the author's name and time and date information.
 
| The notes window will contain the notes text and further information like the author's name and time and date information.
−
| Early proposal in discussion. Implemenation started.
+
| Implementation started. If necessary, the window will be extended by a scrollbar for the text.
−
|  
+
| [[Notes2_Design_NoteWindow|Note Window]]
 +
[[Notes2_NotePropertyData|Note Property Data]]
  
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Design of the Notes Anchor
 
| Design of the Notes Anchor
−
| The notes anchor is the markup inside the document text to show that there is some notes information present.
+
| The Note Anchor is the markup inside the document text to show that there is some notes information present.
−
| Early proposal in discussion.
+
| Proposal in discussion.
−
| (Hyperlink to proposal? PDF?)
+
| [[Notes2_Design_NoteAnchor|Note Anchor]]
  
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Design of the Connector Line.
+
| Design of the Notes Connector Line
−
| The notes connector line is the visual connection between the notes anchor and the corresponding notes window.
+
| The Notes Connector Line is the visual connection between the notes anchor and the corresponding notes window.
−
| Not started yet.
+
| Proposal in discussion.
−
|  
+
| [[Notes2_Design_NoteConnectorLine|Note Connector Line]]
  
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Colors of the Notes Windows
 
| Colors of the Notes Windows
−
| Colors for the notes windows. In future version this colors will be shared with the Writer change tracking feature.
+
| Colors for the Notes Windows. These colors are shared with the Writer change tracking feature.
−
| Proposal in discussion.
+
| Implementation for Notes started. Implementation for the Writer change tracking feature finished.
−
| (Hyperlink to proposal? New Wiki Page?)
+
| [[Notes2_Design_MainColors|Main Colors]]
  
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Distribution of the Notes Windows
+
| Distribution of the Notes Windows in the Side Pane
−
| Placement of the notes windows inside the notes sidepane (e.g. size, position).
+
| Placement of the Notes Windows inside the Notes Side Pane (e.g. size, position).
−
| Proposal in discussion. Implemenation started.
+
| Proposal in discussion. Implementation started.
−
|  
+
| [[Notes2_Design_NoteWindowDistribution|Note Window Distribution]]
  
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Keybindings
+
| Menus and Keybindings
−
| Keybindings for the interaction with the notes (e.g. insert notes).
+
| Covers menu changes and keybindings (e.g. shortcut for insert notes) for the interaction with the Notes functionality.
−
| Proposal in discussion. Implemenation started.
+
| Proposal in discussion. Implementation started.
−
|  
+
| [[Notes2_Design_MenusAndKeybindings | Menus and Keybindings]]
  
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Rich-Text-Formatting
 
| Rich-Text-Formatting
 
| Use of attributes to markup the notes text (e.g. bold text).
 
| Use of attributes to markup the notes text (e.g. bold text).
−
| Election of requirements.
+
| Implementation started.
−
|  
+
| n/a
  
−
|}
+
|-
−
 
+
| Focus Visualization
−
 
+
| The Note Windows of a currently viewed or edited Note is highlighted.
−
=Implementation Considerations=
+
| Proposals in discussion. Preliminary implementation started.
−
 
+
| [[Notes2_Design_Visualization_of_Focus|Visualization of Focus]]
−
==Choice of Implementation==
+
−
 
+
−
The implementation has to be able to handle at least the following items:
+
−
 
+
−
* scrollable
+
−
 
+
−
* able to handle richtext to include text with attributes
+
−
 
+
−
* spell checking
+
−
 
+
−
* different position, sizes and background colors
+
−
 
+
−
* able to be drawable inside the right margin
+
−
 
+
−
 
+
−
 
+
−
After discussion with several people, there seem to be two different possibilities:
+
−
 
+
−
{| border="1"
+
  
 
|-
 
|-
−
 
+
| Notes Printing
−
! implementation
+
| Notes can be part of a document, therefore it is desired to print the Notes information.
−
 
+
| Proposals are being created.
−
! advantages
+
| [[Notes2_Design_Printing|Notes Printing]]
−
 
+
−
! disadvantages
+
  
 
|-
 
|-
−
 
+
| Reply to Note
−
| OverlayTextObject using the drawing layer
+
| An author can reply to an existing Note of another author. For such a case, Notes interaction and visualization is optimized.
−
 
+
| Proposal in discussion. Implementation started.
−
| possible use of GUI gimmicks such as transparency, animations etc.
+
| [[Notes2_Reply|Reply to Note]]
−
 
+
−
| large implementation effort
+
−
tight interaction with drawing layer neccessary
+
−
no scrollbars
+
  
 
|-
 
|-
−
 
+
| Search in Notes
−
| own window
+
| The contents of the notes are sometimes as important as the original text. Therefore the user should be able to search text inside notes also.
−
 
+
| Proposal in discussion. Implementation started.
−
| code nicely seperable from other OO code
+
| [[Notes2_Search|Search in Notes]]
−
no extra implementation effort for scrollbars
+
−
 
+
−
| maybe alien look in rare cases
+
−
 
+
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
Both implementation will use the EditEngine as well as an OverlayObject for a connection line from anchor point to the note itself
+
== Roadmap ==
  
−
Update: Decision was made to go with a seperate window first
+
=== Development Releases ===
  
−
==Collection of Topics to be Considered==
+
The functionality will be implemented step-by-step.
  
−
Several questions related to the appearance and usability have to be decided:
+
'''Development releases are available for testing at [[Notes2 Development Releases]]!''' Since developer milestone m248, the new Notes functionality has been continuously integrated into the main branch. Please test this functionality and provide feedback, as this helps us to improve the Notes functionality until it will be released officially. Please refer to the page [[Notes2 Development Releases]] for more information and download locations.
  
−
* main color of notes
+
Information about the '''further development''' (including CWS status, issues and links) on what is planned can be found at [[Notes2_CWS | Notes2 CWS]].
−
** Suggestion: natural color of physical postit notes)
+
  
−
* when to show vertical scrollbars if all notes need it due to a full page: if we show them,it could be confusing to the user and could look alien, if we don't, user might not be aware of the full length and miss text
+
=== Official Releases ===
  
−
* what about meta information such as date and author
+
Functionality available in the first release (OpenOffice.org 3.0):
−
** permantly inside the note
+
* Viewing and editing notes next to the document page
−
**in the tooltip
+
* Accessibility support
−
**inside the navigator
+
* The functionality which is already available in current version of OpenOffice.org
−
** titlebar
+
* solid foundation for further improvements
 +
* Improved integration with the Writer change tracking feature (e.g. use the same colors for the authors of the document)
 +
* Time information for the notes (besides the already available date information)
 +
* Rich-text editing (e.g. bold text, numerations)
 +
* Online help
 +
* Support for the OpenOffice [http://qa.openoffice.org/ooQAReloaded/AutomationTeamsite/ooQA-TeamAutomation.html Testtool]
  
−
* different colors or intensity when editing a certain note
 
  
−
* appearance of connection line from anchor point to note
+
For functionality expected in later releases (OpenOffice.org 3.1 and beyond), please have a look here:
−
**could be a dotted line turning into a full line while editing or always a full line
+
[http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Notes2_CWS#planned_for_upcoming_CWS planned for upcoming versions]
−
** flashing object
+
  
−
 
+
===Other Ideas===
−
==Further Thoughts==
+
Other ideas are discussed on the separate page [[Notes2_OtherIdeas|Other Ideas for Notes]].
−
 
+
−
There are several items which are nice to have, but will eventually not make it into the first release:
+
−
 
+
−
*attaching comments not only to a text position, but also a selection of text. As the ODF format for notes does not allow this currently, there are two possibilities:
+
−
** use ODF metadata, if version 1.2 is approved
+
−
** in collaboration with other ODF implementations, change the format of notes inside the ODF format
+
−
* improved printing of notes, including print preview
+
  
 
==Mockups and Screenshots==
 
==Mockups and Screenshots==
  
−
{| class="prettytable" border="1"
+
This section contains mockups and screenshots:
 +
* ''Mockups'' are working models used for demonstration purposes. There is no real functionality at all, because the following pictures have been composed with graphic programs just to get a first impression how it will look like.
 +
* ''Screenshots'' show the behavior of the real development in OpenOffice.org Writer. Those pictures are updated more or less regularly.
 +
 
 +
{| class="prettytable" border="0"
 
| [[Image:Notes2_2007-09-08_GeneralMockups_View.png|512px|thumb|center|Mockup for viewing the notes]]
 
| [[Image:Notes2_2007-09-08_GeneralMockups_View.png|512px|thumb|center|Mockup for viewing the notes]]
 
| Mockup shows the mode for "viewing" the notes:
 
| Mockup shows the mode for "viewing" the notes:
Line 341: Line 350:
 
* different colors for different authors
 
* different colors for different authors
 
* (idea) a placeholder to just start typing the notes text (anchor would be placed at current document text position)
 
* (idea) a placeholder to just start typing the notes text (anchor would be placed at current document text position)
−
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[Image:Notes2_2007-09-08_GeneralMockups_Edit.png|512px|thumb|center|Mockup for editing the notes]]
 
| [[Image:Notes2_2007-09-08_GeneralMockups_Edit.png|512px|thumb|center|Mockup for editing the notes]]
Line 351: Line 359:
 
** shadow for the notes window (whereas the shadow for the document page is removed)
 
** shadow for the notes window (whereas the shadow for the document page is removed)
 
* spell checking inside the notes windows
 
* spell checking inside the notes windows
−
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[Image:Notes2_2007-09-08_GeneralMockups_HiddenNotesPane.png|512px|thumb|center|Mockup for a hidden notes pane]]
 
| [[Image:Notes2_2007-09-08_GeneralMockups_HiddenNotesPane.png|512px|thumb|center|Mockup for a hidden notes pane]]
Line 360: Line 367:
 
** information that there are (at least) some notes present in the document
 
** information that there are (at least) some notes present in the document
 
** the notes pane can be shown by the control element in the ruler bar
 
** the notes pane can be shown by the control element in the ruler bar
−
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[Image:writer_prototype001.png|512px|thumb|center|First prototype in Writer]]
+
| [[Image:Notes2_Screenshot_CurrentVersion.png|512px|thumb|center|Notes in the current OpenOffice.org 3.0]]
−
| It shows:
+
| Example for how the Notes2 functionality looks like on Ubuntu Linux 8.10 with "Clearlooks" visual theme.
−
* rich text formatting
+
|}
−
* visualization of currently edited note
+
 
−
* spell checking
+
==Press Coverage and Comments==
−
* context menu for editing the text
+
  
−
|}
+
This section lists some of the noteworthy blog posts, web news or press coverage for the new Notes2 feature.
 +
 
 +
* The '''German Linux magazine''' presents the new notes feature (along with the zoom slider and the multi-page view) in a short video (German): [https://www.linux-magazin.de/news/video_neues_in_open_office_writer_3_0 Linux-Magazin Online (Video: Neues in Open Office Writer 3.0)] (2008-09-26)
 +
* The German OpenOffice.org community contributed to the special magazine '''OpenOffice.org Spezial''' covering the release of OpenOffice.org 3.0. The article "Klebezettel ade! Die neuen Notizen im Writer" covers both the new features and the development. Here is the [http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Image:Notes2_Ooo-Spezial_Noack_notes2.pdf article (PDF)], and more information about the magazine [http://www.ooo-spezial.de www.ooo-spezial.de].
 +
* The I-Team presented the '''Making the New Notes - Community, Cooperation, Concepts''' at the '''OpenOffice.org Conference 2008'''. Please have a look at [http://marketing.openoffice.org/ooocon2008/programme/friday.html OOoCon2008 Program Friday] where you can find the:
 +
** [http://marketing.openoffice.org/ooocon2008/programme/friday_abstracts.html#a1397 session abstract]
 +
** [http://marketing.openoffice.org/ooocon2008/programme/friday_1397.odp presentation slides in OpenOffice.org Impress format] (to be viewed best in the OpenOffice.org Impress presentation mode)
 +
** [http://marketing.openoffice.org/ooocon2008/programme/friday_1397.pdf presentation slides in PDF format]
 +
** [http://users2.ooodev.org/~ooocon2008/friday_1397.avi video coverage in AVI format]
 +
* http://www.jonobacon.org/2009/01/28/writing-a-book-with-free-software/: ''In terms of editing, it is also performed in OpenOffice, making use of its change tracking and notes features. This functionality is more than suitable for working on a book. I am also pleased to see this is being further refined in OpenOffice.org 3.1 with the ability to reply to notes. Interestingly, one of my editors uses Microsoft Word to edit. This means that my original .odt file is converted to a .doc file, edits are made in Word (using change tracking and notes) and then saved back in .odt format. ...Pretty nifty, eh?''
 +
* I'm really encouraged by these developments. With the ability to add notes to Writer it is one small step to move the right hand margin in for the main text and put the notes just outside the margin. That makes a great tool for minutes of meetings as you can use the note for recording who has an action against the relevant sentence in the minute. That's important because when you later edit a minute early in the minutes then all the "Action: Joe" notes will move correctly and stay with their relevant lines. Export to pdf and that's a handy minute taking tool.
 +
''Do you have additional stuff for us? Tell us or add it to this section. Thanks!''
 +
 
 +
==Extensions related to Notes==
  
−
== Decisions Made ==
+
For related OpenOffice.org Extensions, see [[Notes2_Extensions]]
−
The following list covers some of the decision which may be of general interest:
+
  
−
* Naming: We will keep the name "notes" instead of using the term "comments" which is used in Microsoft Word.
+
[[Category:Writer/Effort/Completed]][[Category:Notes2]]

Latest revision as of 11:17, 10 September 2022

Hi! You just want to see the highlights?

Introduction

Team notes.png

Notes2 addresses the revision of the notes functionality in OpenOffice Writer to improve its usability and accessibility. Main goal is to resolve the main issues of the current implementation, which are reported by users. Furthermore, the notes implementation should at least provide the functionality of the competitors in the same class. In long term considerations, it is intended to consistently implement the notes functionality in the other Apache OpenOffice modules. The main target audience is the Small-Business-User.

Notes2 is a project which has been started as one accepted project in Google's Summer of Code 2007 (GSOC).

The team working on the feature (in alphabetical order):

Name OOo Nickname Role
Mathias Bauer mba Development
Uwe Fischer ufi Documentation
Christian Jansen cj User Experience
Christoph Noack christophnoack User Experience
Maximilian Odendahl mod Development
Éric Savary es QA


Please note that the information in this Wiki is work in progress and may change.

Requirements

Scope of the Work

  • Provide direct and easy editing of notes to get rid of the old notes editing window.
  • Establish good accessibility for disabled users by providing keyboard shortcuts or using appropriate colors.
  • Integrate the new functions in the existing functionality, e.g. the OpenOffice Navigator.
  • Respect the needs for advanced text editing, e.g. spell checking, rich-text formatting or sorting/filtering of notes.
  • Create both fresh and usable visual design of the notes.

Issues and Requests for Enhancements

The work will address the issues and request for enhancements: Issue 767 , Issue 1981 , Issue 4964 , Issue 5487 , Issue 6193 , Issue 9776 , Issue 23465 , [Issue 32232 , Issue 45788 , Issue 48150 , Issue 62625 , Issue 63759 , Issue 74157 , Issue 61644 , Issue 80135 , and Issue 94514 .

You can use a Issue Tracker query to see all issues.

Competitive Analysis

Competitor software is discussed on the separate page Competitive Analysis for Notes.

Requirements Derived from Use Cases

More detailed requirements have been collected and are published at Requirements from Use Cases (partly German).

Definition of Terms

The following list contains some definitions used in the subsequent text (in alphabetical order):

Term Description Shown in Graphic Below
Author The user who edits or edited the Document. no
Document The Document is the file which contains the user's data. The type of the Document is dependent on the OpenOffice.org module used for editing, e.g. Writer text document, Calc spreadsheet document, Impress presentation document, Draw drawing document. no
Document Content The document content is dependent on the type of the Document. It includes e.g.
  • characters, strings, words, sentences, paragraphs
  • Sections (Writer)
  • Cells (Calc)
  • Slides (Impress)
  • Graphic Objects (Impress, Draw)
  • Input Fields (Base)
no
Document, Current The Current Document is the Document that the user uses at the moment. no
Note The Note refers to all elements and data which belong to the Notes Functionality (e.g. Note Anchor, Note Window, Note Property Data, Note Connector Line). Simplified, the Note contains all user visible elements. no
Note Anchor General name for the reference position of the Note Data which is located in the Document Content. For improved clearness, the Notes Data is not displayed inside the Document. Consequently, an Anchor is necessary to indicate the reference position. no
Note Anchor Area A special version of the Anchor which refers to a group of Document Content elements. The Anchor Area It is defined by a starting point and a end point according to the reading direction of the Document. yes
Note Anchor Point A special version of the Anchor which refers to a position inside the Document. The Anchor Point may be located between characters and therefore treated as character. yes
Note Connector Line The notes connector line is the graphical representation of the relationship between Notes Anchor and Notes Window. yes
Note Data General name for the data which is stored for the Notes, e.g. Note User Data or Note Property Data. no
Note Functionality The generic term which refers to the revised implementation of Notes handling in OpenOffice.org no
Note Property Data The Note Property Data refers to all the data of a note which does not belong to the Note user data. It may contain:
  • Status of the Note Window (e.g. shown/hidden, rolled in/out, position)
  • Rating of the User (e.g. priority, task completion, filtered/unfiltered)
  • History (author who created the note, author of the last change, date of creation, date of last change)
  • Relationship to other Notes (e.g. reply status)
yes
Note Side Pane The screen area next to the Document which is reserved for displaying the Notes Windows. yes
Note User Data The user defined content of the Note, e.g. text, graphics. yes
Note Window The screen area which contain the Note Data. This window is usually used to view or edit the Note User Data. yes

The following picture shows some examples for the terms defined above:

Definition of Terms

Status and Proposals

The following table lists the topics currently worked on and refers to the more detailed design proposals.

Topic Description Status Detailed Design
General Interaction Interaction with the Notes Anchors and Note Windows inside the Writer document window. Implementation started. Working with Notes

Notes Preview

Design of the Notes Side Pane The notes side pane will extend the document pages to contain the notes windows. Implementation finished. Note Side Pane
Design of the Notes Windows The notes window will contain the notes text and further information like the author's name and time and date information. Implementation started. If necessary, the window will be extended by a scrollbar for the text. Note Window

Note Property Data

Design of the Notes Anchor The Note Anchor is the markup inside the document text to show that there is some notes information present. Proposal in discussion. Note Anchor
Design of the Notes Connector Line The Notes Connector Line is the visual connection between the notes anchor and the corresponding notes window. Proposal in discussion. Note Connector Line
Colors of the Notes Windows Colors for the Notes Windows. These colors are shared with the Writer change tracking feature. Implementation for Notes started. Implementation for the Writer change tracking feature finished. Main Colors
Distribution of the Notes Windows in the Side Pane Placement of the Notes Windows inside the Notes Side Pane (e.g. size, position). Proposal in discussion. Implementation started. Note Window Distribution
Menus and Keybindings Covers menu changes and keybindings (e.g. shortcut for insert notes) for the interaction with the Notes functionality. Proposal in discussion. Implementation started. Menus and Keybindings
Rich-Text-Formatting Use of attributes to markup the notes text (e.g. bold text). Implementation started. n/a
Focus Visualization The Note Windows of a currently viewed or edited Note is highlighted. Proposals in discussion. Preliminary implementation started. Visualization of Focus
Notes Printing Notes can be part of a document, therefore it is desired to print the Notes information. Proposals are being created. Notes Printing
Reply to Note An author can reply to an existing Note of another author. For such a case, Notes interaction and visualization is optimized. Proposal in discussion. Implementation started. Reply to Note
Search in Notes The contents of the notes are sometimes as important as the original text. Therefore the user should be able to search text inside notes also. Proposal in discussion. Implementation started. Search in Notes

Roadmap

Development Releases

The functionality will be implemented step-by-step.

Development releases are available for testing at Notes2 Development Releases! Since developer milestone m248, the new Notes functionality has been continuously integrated into the main branch. Please test this functionality and provide feedback, as this helps us to improve the Notes functionality until it will be released officially. Please refer to the page Notes2 Development Releases for more information and download locations.

Information about the further development (including CWS status, issues and links) on what is planned can be found at Notes2 CWS.

Official Releases

Functionality available in the first release (OpenOffice.org 3.0):

  • Viewing and editing notes next to the document page
  • Accessibility support
  • The functionality which is already available in current version of OpenOffice.org
  • solid foundation for further improvements
  • Improved integration with the Writer change tracking feature (e.g. use the same colors for the authors of the document)
  • Time information for the notes (besides the already available date information)
  • Rich-text editing (e.g. bold text, numerations)
  • Online help
  • Support for the OpenOffice Testtool


For functionality expected in later releases (OpenOffice.org 3.1 and beyond), please have a look here: planned for upcoming versions

Other Ideas

Other ideas are discussed on the separate page Other Ideas for Notes.

Mockups and Screenshots

This section contains mockups and screenshots:

  • Mockups are working models used for demonstration purposes. There is no real functionality at all, because the following pictures have been composed with graphic programs just to get a first impression how it will look like.
  • Screenshots show the behavior of the real development in OpenOffice.org Writer. Those pictures are updated more or less regularly.
Mockup for viewing the notes
 Mockup shows the mode for "viewing" the notes:
  • different kinds of notes anchors in the document text:
    • anchor point (represents a character)
    • anchor selection
  • a side pane next to the document page for displaying and arranging the notes windows (including some information in the ruler above)
  • display of author and date inside the notes windows
  • different colors for different authors
  • (idea) a placeholder to just start typing the notes text (anchor would be placed at current document text position)
Mockup for editing the notes
 Mockup shows the mode for "editing" the notes:
  • visualization of currently edited note
    • continuous anchor connector line
    • highlighted notes anchor selection (slightly darker border lines)
    • shadow for the notes window (whereas the shadow for the document page is removed)
  • spell checking inside the notes windows
Mockup for a hidden notes pane
 Mockup shows the mode for a "hidden notes" pane (just an early idea):
  • notes pane is completely hidden (including notes windows)
  • the ruler above provides some information on the notes
    • information that there are (at least) some notes present in the document
    • the notes pane can be shown by the control element in the ruler bar
Notes in the current OpenOffice.org 3.0
 Example for how the Notes2 functionality looks like on Ubuntu Linux 8.10 with "Clearlooks" visual theme.

Press Coverage and Comments

This section lists some of the noteworthy blog posts, web news or press coverage for the new Notes2 feature.

  • The German Linux magazine presents the new notes feature (along with the zoom slider and the multi-page view) in a short video (German): Linux-Magazin Online (Video: Neues in Open Office Writer 3.0) (2008-09-26)
  • The German OpenOffice.org community contributed to the special magazine OpenOffice.org Spezial covering the release of OpenOffice.org 3.0. The article "Klebezettel ade! Die neuen Notizen im Writer" covers both the new features and the development. Here is the article (PDF), and more information about the magazine www.ooo-spezial.de.
  • The I-Team presented the Making the New Notes - Community, Cooperation, Concepts at the OpenOffice.org Conference 2008. Please have a look at OOoCon2008 Program Friday where you can find the:
  • http://www.jonobacon.org/2009/01/28/writing-a-book-with-free-software/: In terms of editing, it is also performed in OpenOffice, making use of its change tracking and notes features. This functionality is more than suitable for working on a book. I am also pleased to see this is being further refined in OpenOffice.org 3.1 with the ability to reply to notes. Interestingly, one of my editors uses Microsoft Word to edit. This means that my original .odt file is converted to a .doc file, edits are made in Word (using change tracking and notes) and then saved back in .odt format. ...Pretty nifty, eh?
  • I'm really encouraged by these developments. With the ability to add notes to Writer it is one small step to move the right hand margin in for the main text and put the notes just outside the margin. That makes a great tool for minutes of meetings as you can use the note for recording who has an action against the relevant sentence in the minute. That's important because when you later edit a minute early in the minutes then all the "Action: Joe" notes will move correctly and stay with their relevant lines. Export to pdf and that's a handy minute taking tool.

Do you have additional stuff for us? Tell us or add it to this section. Thanks!

Extensions related to Notes

For related OpenOffice.org Extensions, see Notes2_Extensions

Retrieved from "https://wiki.openoffice.org/w/index.php?title=Notes2&oldid=250719"
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