qdb-framework

WelcomeThis whole thing has changed. Aiming for for TOOLKIT of discrete TOOLS, rather than framework anymore. Framework is too hard to grow. Will RENAME project again.

A TOOLKIT of discrete tools across all platforms and other frameworks for that matter really would be Informed Simplicity--overlapping discrete tool coverages. I am skeptical that a framework can be informed simplicity. In practice it has proven impossible to change an ongoing production questionnaire producing environment to use a new framework that cleans up all the messes. I would instead break down the current partial framework elements that are in place and replace everything with a toolkit approach, where you use discrete tools to quickly assemble questionnaires etc. with no "framework runtime" to deal with. Sort of more like QPL approach with generation of the final deployment.

QPL approach in general is somewhat toolkit. But, there is an embedded runtime in the final output. There is a tool for specifying the questionnaire which is nice. The output code is also not intended to be very hackable for going forward with customizations. there is also not easy to generate individual fields and drop them in an already customized output from QPL spec. it's all a monolithic piece. intended customizations are not accomodated too much, somewhat limited. QPL is also behind the curve and has slow release cycle. no file uploads. Take the general QPL approach, get rid of the runtime, make it hackable, put in standard tools (e.g. smarty).

(get rid of dojo, dojo is not a toolkit even though it is called that, it is a monolithic framework with big runtime dep).

I think at this point I may mix ATK framework into this mess again and see what comes out of it, ATK mixed with odd table design. Could be interesting. Maybe Zend framework.

Trimpath core components can be incorporated into custom ATK ajax node types. Vintage Trimpath components extremely useful in context of end-user forms/questionnaires(where the data is not too much, ever, so no browser memory issue in that class of applications). Not Junction though. Junction is a framework piece (Rails clone) which may have too many assumptions about how things should work to be useful in other contexts (anti-informed simplicity). Also custom ATK nodetypes/modules for the QDB odd table design. Editable listings basically. Might be interesting. Also improvements to core Trimpath components could come out of it (JST and TrimQuery).

The problem before with trying this with ATK is that we tried to adapt to a perceived limitation of how the table should look to ATK ("normal" horizontal table) and do it that way, with the result that QDB/qna lost all of its own character. We should keep QDB design and philosophy and mix it with ATK and see what comes out. A series of interesting ATK modules I would think.

In summary, toolkit approach is the only way to push the production mess forward.

QDB is a SIMPLE and INFORMED framework

to quickly produce web-based questionnaires,

application forms, request forms, surveys,

FAQ, Ask-The-Experts formats, user interfaces to enterprise systems.

http://code.google.com/p/qdb-framework/wiki/Overview

Tags

  webforms questionnaire

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