[Toaster] [RFC] Image customisation detailed design

[Reyna, David]

Hi Belén,

I also appreciate the video and sample Toaster pages!

Here are my comments, in addition to Michael's.

1) Can we add a filter so that we can show just the packages that we can delete? 

The use case is trimming the image, where we want the 100 packages that we wish to examine for removal not to be lost in the possible 1000's packages that are available to add.

2) I will admit that I was thrown by the new status pop-up, because not only does it cover things up on my page, I also generally associate them with spam and ad-ware.

I understand your use for showing an action in progress, but we already had a metaphor for that in the progress/status bars inserted (when applicable) at the top of the page. Why a new metaphor? What does it add that the regular model does not? I know that it does stay visible while you for example scroll, but is that a hard requirement?

I also do not understand the dangling part, where I have to manual cancel it to make it go away. For example, I understand for example its use in the add layer parsing progress, but when it is done and says "Layer Information updated" why do I have to manually kill it? Could it at least go away on its own after a moment, and let that be the clue that the process completed?

The "Undo" feature though is nice!

3) The new page can add layers in place which is nice, and I see how you can use it to parse and show that layer's package count. However, it appears that if I change my mind about the layer I have to go out to the layer page to remove it? Could perhaps the "undo" feature also be made available here? Or a layer delete icon?

Speaking of layer parsing, don't we already have an idea of the package count per layer from the "all packages" table? 

4) How does this interface deal with "package groups"? People will ask.

http://www.yoctoproject.org/docs/1.8/dev-manual/dev-manual.html#usingpoky-extend-customimage-customtasks


5) Concerns about package removal

Adding packages is easy, but we (WR) have found that removing them is weirdly hard. I am very curious how the backend package removal/exclusion is being done, and who is doing it. In any case, we should have disclaimers in place.

  * Some removed packages appear anyway in the image, because sometimes the dependency information in the packages are not complete nor correct.

  * Some removed packages will break the build or the runtime, even though the dependencies say it should be ok. Users should be encouraged to test their changes early and often, and we may want to help save their bacon with checkpoints (based on the last successful build?) or multiple undo's so that they can back up to a working state rather than re-starting from scratch. Just saying.

- David


> -----Original Message-----
> From: toaster-bounces at yoctoproject.org [mailto:toaster-
> bounces at yoctoproject.org] On Behalf Of Michael Wood
> Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 9:32 AM
> To: toaster at yoctoproject.org
> Subject: Re: [Toaster] [RFC] Image customisation detailed design
> 
> Thanks for the video Belén, Looks good.
> 
> Couple of bits of feedback
> 
> Creating an image recipe:
> 
> I find the text in the modal too long, anything more than 2 sentences
> and my attention span is over!
> 
> I found it confusing that I entered a name and clicked create but have
> not actually created anything, what about something like
> suggestion1.png
> (attached) this brings it more into line with import layer/create new
> project/form based activity.
> 
> Select a base image recipe:
> 
> I was looking for a way to "de/re/select" an image, we don't quite have
> the same concept here as the machines selection that I was expecting,
> where you can always select regardless of whether it's already
> selected.
> 
> Add and delete packages:
> 
> '.well' 1
> 
> I was expecting the pencil to do the same as other pencils and activate
> text input boxes. Obviously if you're on the Add/Delete packages page
> you can't change the base image like that so maybe not having these
> pencils would be better. I was also unsure as what the change
> version/licence would do.
> 
> '.well' 2
> 
> If you've selected an image recipe and then remove the layer that
> provides it... what happens?
> 
> The Build Image recipe/ Download recipe file / Delete image recipe
> buttons are somewhat easy to miss, they look a bit like progress
> buttons
> or other tabs. I wonder if they would be better off in '.well' 1. The
> Build button could be more noticeable.
> 
> In general if you can avoid having data in a table that for each one
> requires extra data looking up the tables will be much
> faster/efficient.
> For example we have the dependencies button with total size displayed.
> It should be really quick to count the number of dependences, but much
> slower if we also have to retrieve the objects to get the data in them,
> such as "name" and "size".  If we can do that by making it "on demand"
> that's much better, e.g. you click the button and it fetches this extra
> data.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Michael
> 
> 
> 
> On 12/06/15 14:40, Barros Pena, Belen wrote:
> > As I mentioned in the Toaster weekly meeting last Wednesday, I've
> recorded
> > a (not so short, sorry) video showing a much more detailed design for
> the
> > image customisation feature. The video is here
> >
> > https://wiki.yoctoproject.org/wiki/images/a/a1/Image-
> customisation.webm
> >
> > Everything that I show in the video is now available in the design
> > prototype at
> >
> > https://yoctoproject.org/toaster
> >
> >
> > Just in case you want to follow along ;)
> >
> > I think the design addresses pretty much all the feedback the Toaster
> > contributors have provided so far (listed below). The only items not
> > addressed are 1 (because it would require us to rethink Toaster as a
> tool
> > for absolute beginners and would impose a very specific workflow) and
> 8
> > (because I haven't had time to think about how we can do this, but we
> can
> > definitely come back to it).
> >
> > Please send any comments and new feedback to the mailing list so that
> > Tiago can collect it and we can address it.
> >
> > This is the feedback we have received so far:
> >
> > 1. Should this kind of linear process be the main Toaster workflow,
> > instead of the non-linear one currently provided by the existing
> project
> > page?
> >
> > 2. Size is project configuration dependent, so all size information
> is a
> > guess, an approximation. We should probably still show it, but the
> > interface needs to present it as such (we need to make sure we don't
> > present it as it was 100% accurate information). The same for
> dependencies.
> >
> > 3. We need to create states for how the tables will look like when
> certain
> > information is missing (number of packages, sizes, etc)
> >
> > 4. We need to refine the recipe presentation in the workflow
> >
> > 5. We need to work on the way we present the actions. Do we really
> need
> > all the ones we have right now?
> >
> > 6. Replace the builds tab with a less prominent way of accessing
> build
> > information for the custom image recipe.
> >
> > 7. Provide a way to reenter the image customisation process from the
> build
> > results
> >
> > 8. Provide a way to 'select all' packages returned by a search
> >
> > 9. Do we need the reverse dependencies information in the packages
> table?
> >
> > 10. Can we add the package size to the visible dependencies
> information in
> > the packages table?
> >
> > 11. The workflow is still too complex: too many concepts exposed
> > (packages, layers, recipes). Should we just require people to build
> the
> > image they want to customise instead?
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > Belén
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >