Sage Usability Tasks

Source: Sage Usability Improvements List, sagenb/todo.txt.

1. General

• Y. Aner's notebook threat model (PDF).

• Keith Lang's Top 10 UI Myths.

• Sage Forge.

2. Documentation

• Allow $ for reST math - #6892.

• Document:

  • pexpect interface for users.

  • notebook port forwarding.

  • notebook server

3. Development

• More convenient development workflow.

  • Current workflow is:
    1. Change file
    2. Restart Sage Notebook
    3. Wash, rinse, repeat
  • Possible improvements:
    • Autoreload and autobuild mechanism (dev mode)

4. Notebook: Admin

• Authentication - abstract interface:
  • LDAP.
  • UNIX accounts.
• Dashboard for server settings / status:
  • Statistics: all / logged-in users, load, processes, worksheets [per user], etc.
  • Backups: all critical data, selective.
  • Configure thresholds, alerts, snapshot behavior.
  • Manage user accounts, groups, privileges.
  • Restricted version for users.
• Registration:

  • reCAPTCHA.

  • Challenge questions.
  • Admin approval.
  • Revokable custom tokens.
• Users:
  • Groups.
  • Privileges.
  • Email address as username.
  • Use secure tokens to reset passwords.

5. Notebook: Introspection

• Use Sphinx for sagenb.org docstrings.

• Matrix B mentioned twice in B.solve_left?: B.solve_left(B, ...).

• Better error detection, e.g., for Maxima command completion.
• Completions link for mobiles.
• Live introspection cells.
• Introspection cross-links.
• Improve introspection / completion interface: floating div, RHS div.

• New documentation browser. Send worksheet docstrings to this browser.

6. Notebook: "Modes"

• %timeit.

• %cython mode, full and outside sage.

• Slideshow mode.
• interacts:
  • Auto updates.
  • Live published.
  • Examples to include with Sage.
  • Accessible and nicely formatted docstrings.

• Graph editor - #1321.

• LaTeX doc mode.

• reST:

  • TinyMCE-style editor.

  • %rest cells (auto-hide, double-click to show) converted to HTML by Sphinx.

• Preparse in the browser: implicit multiplication, less work for server.

• Chat - qwebirc, Web IRC.

  • Rich content, e.g., equations.
  • Sage compute bot.
  • Add to help page.
• Debugging:
  • Prettier tracebacks for %modes.

  • Python debugger a la Pylons.

• Vector graphics - #6973.

  • Draw - SVG-edit.

  • Annotate output from matplotlib's SVG backend.

• Code editor a la BeSpin

  • Command-line history.
  • Syntax highlighting.
  • Context-sensitive completion.

• Math input GUI plug-ins.

7. Notebook: User Interaction

• Help:
  • Reorganize help page.
    • Search for commands
    • linking to similar and related commands
  • Easy set up of shipped jsMath fonts.
  • Automatic tips for keyboard shortcuts, editing features, etc. Opt out.
  • Friendly bug buddy that emails reports, bundles session history, etc.
• Customization:
  • Typeset output default setting.
  • Implicit multiplication default setting.
  • Custom window close callback.
  • Function to update worksheet titlebar.
  • Easy backups of own work, with or w/o data, output, snapshots, etc.

  • Download zip files of multiple worksheets, even if accounts=True.

• Keys
  • Restart worksheet shortcut.
  • Splash-screen with common keys.
  • Insert new cell after current cell shortcut.

  • Custom shortcuts, e.g., ctrl-bksp to delete previous word, not join cells - js-hotkeys.

• Cells:
  • Auto-updating cells, e.g., interacts.
  • Prevent text movement by a pixel on cell frame focus.
  • Always show links for long output cells, regardless of length or interruption.
  • Easily identify idle, queued, and running cells.

  • Select, delete, (un)group, move multiple cells.

  • Leading space input bug - #6729.

• 2D / 3D plots:

  • JavaScript animations.

  • Mouse-over for coordinates - matplotlib.

  • Interactively zoom, pan, annotate - canvas, SVG, Flot, Open Flash Chart.

• Worksheets:
  • Export screen with checkboxes for images, data, etc.
  • Use notebook as IDE for running sage instance.
  • Always visible menubar at top of worksheet.
  • Make "Browse your computer" upload fields editable.
  • Fix "undefined" bug on first save in Safari 4.0.3.
  • Don't list "Sage Users" when sharing.
  • "Save as" option, e.g., for downloading, that prompts for a name.
  • Toolbar with buttons to interrupt running code, save, attach files, etc.

  • Parens matching - #3646.

  • TinyMCE synchronization problem.

• Published worksheets:
  • Delete them.
  • RSS feeds.
  • Live cells, e.g, interacts.
  • Only to selected users or groups.
• Notebook:

  • Tags.

  • Suppress browser warning for Konquereor.
  • Manage logins:
    • View recent account activity.
    • Invalidate other sessions' cookies.
    • Unique cookies for logins from different browsers / computers.

  • Full-text search: SQLalchemy, Whoosh (codenode-devel).

• Fix MoinMoin.

• Externally embed live cells / worksheets. Live published workseets. #6855.

8. Notebook: Under the hood

• Implement base_url.

• Move is_valid_username, etc., out of twist.py.

• notebook():

  • Allow default_mode='python', i.e., not 'sage'.

  • Allow a different sage command on a remote machine.
• Smartly manage Jmol applet count, or memory use.

• Use Python's logging facility.

• Component architecture.

• Cythonize pexpect.
• Processes:
  • Balance server pool loads.
  • Run the worksheet process as another user.
  • Make ctrl-c quit the server's reference implementation.
  • Upload worksheets without blocking the server.
  • Remote worksheet processes.

  • Use fork, named pipes, and/or memory-mapped files for worksheet processes.

• Client-server and server-server interaction:
  • TinyMCE problem.
  • Load JS / CSS components on demand.
  • Load browser-specific code only in the specific browser.
  • Better handling of concurrent worksheet use.
  • Server-to-server for backups, possibly with authentication.
• Decouple secure transport from sage/dsage. Use OpenSSL.
• Storage:
  • Implement infinite undo with revision logs, not snapshots.
  • Track user data / worksheets with Mercurial.

  • Deprecate the [unused] objects directory.

  • Access a user's data directory securely, e.g., via an API.

  • Use the filesystem or a database, not an sobj:

    • Worksheet list.
    • Notebook configuration.

• Migrate to server / framework: Django, Pylons, Pyjamas, Tornado, etc.:

  • Switch from twisted.web2 to twisted.web.

  • URL routes.

9. Notebook: Development

• Auto-reload changed files - attach, paster serve --reload, CherryPy's AutoReload.

10. Build / Test

• Increase doctest coverage.

• VirtualBox Sage.

• andLinux Sage.
• Build logs:
  • Separate file for each spkg for parallel builds.
  • Group by install, upgrade, or spkg install event.
  • Remotely aggregate and display refreshed statistics.
• Collect meaningful test statistics / benchmarks:
  • %timeit for individual doctests.
• Binary distibutions that don't use SSE3, etc.
• Sagelite for Windows.
• Windows build farm.
• Windows port.

• Automated notebook benchmarking and [stress] testing: mechanize, Selenium, Testled, Webdriver, WebTest, Windmill.