WebGuide


Project:           WebGuide
Author:            Gerry Stahl
Organization:    L3D
Description:      a collaborative knowledge-building environment with perspectives and negotiation


Table of Contents of Components

Index to all defined Fields and Methods


WebGuide Components:

 

The Client - Server connection:

The Client components:  

The Server components:

·        DatabaseMgr:
a component to encapsulate all database access, including defining (extensible) global constants, definitions of all nodes, link relationships among nodes, and methods for other components to access specific data.


COLAB Database Schema


Details for Building an Application


WebGuide Permissions: buttons and display conditions

 

modes:

group perspective

discussion (group)

negotiation (group)

personal perspective

other's perspective

comparison perspective

archive (deleted)

buttons:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

discuss

 

  X

  X

  X

  X

  X

 

propose

 

 

  X

 

 

 

 

vote

 

 

  X

 

 

 

 

private note

  X

  X

  X

  X

  X

  X

  X

new note

 

 

 

  X

 

 

 

edit

 

 

 

  X

 

 

 

delete

 

 

 

  X

 

 

 

move

 

 

 

  X

 

 

 

copy

 

 

 

  X

 

 

 

link

 

 

 

  X

 

 

 

copy home

 

  X

  X

 

  X

  X

  X

link home

 

  X

  X

 

  X

  X

 

email

 

 

 

  X

 

 

 

second

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XML

  X

  X

  X

  X

  X

  X

  X

displays:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statement

  X

  X

  X

  X

  X

  X

w. deleted

Discussion

 

  X

  X

viewer's

owner's

  X

w. deleted

Proposal

 

 

  X

viewer's

owner's

  X

 w. deleted

Decision

 

 

  X

viewer's

owner's

  X

w. deleted

Private

viewer's

viewer's

viewer's

viewer's

viewer's

viewer's

viewer's

 

  X = button active or note kind displayed

exceptions: Administrator can use all buttons in all perspectives; Guest cannot use Discuss, Propose, Vote buttons

 


The preceding table determines the perspectives in which different kinds of notes can be created or manipulated. At the top of the tree display interface are buttons for each of the "perspectives" listed across the top of the preceding table – except for "other's perspective", which is selected from a pull-down list. For each perspective, the table shows which buttons are active. These buttons create the following kinds of nodes: discuss -> Discussion, propose -> Proposal, vote -> Decision, private note -> Private, new note -> Statement (or sub-kind of Statement).

The lower part of the table shows the perspectives in which each of the kinds of notes is displayed. For instance, a viewer can always see Private notes that were authored by that viewer but can never see Private notes authored by others.

One can view all of one's authored notes in one's own personal perspective. To achieve this, Discussion notes initiated in someone else's personal perspective or in the comparison perspective are actually created in the group perspective (under special headings if the selected note does not appear in the group perspective). One's Discussion, Proposal and Decision notes are then inherited from the group perspective and are displayed in one's own home perspective (but not in other personal perspectives).

The effect of these rules is to change the effective perspectives hierarchy. The discussion and negotiation views are simply the group perspective, including the special node kinds. The archive view is the comparison perspective, including deleted notes. The viewer's individual perspective includes private notes authored by the viewer:

 

The Discuss Button: Discuss selected note from other's perspective or from comparison perspective: If Nid of selected note appears in group perspective, create a new node in group perspective and link it below that note in the group perspective. Else, virtual copy the selected note into the group perspective below "discussions" note and add a new note below it.