Future Features

STATUS

The content on this page is outdated. The page is archived for reference only. For more information about current work, please contact the GUI Group.

Future Features

The list below represents ideas for future features and each has its own discussion page. Team members are encouraged to list their ideas and comments about each of the features and to propose new features for discussion.

Navigation in a multi-level workflow

Consider providing a better mechanism for navigating up and down levels in a workflow. Right now every time a composite actor is drilled down into a new workflow window appears. Having various “windows” listed in the Windows menu could become way too cumbersome (we would have to put a scrollable list as the list became large) so a better way to support navigation within a workflow might be to offer some sort of cross between a hierarchical and “slide sorter” view (e.g. the slide sorter in Powerpoint). Each “slide” could represent a level or view inside a composite actor so if three composite actors at some level then three “slides” at the level. Also make sure to highlight in this view the current level the user is on. We might need to provide a list of all the workflows/files open in the Windows menu, with a way to get to this extended "view" for navigating up and down a workflow. (Bug 2450)

Data Centric support and tasks

Consider providing a data-centric or data management feature within Kepler – something that provides comprehensive support for data viewing, managing, querying etc and this would be related to data integration also. (Bug 2451)

Management Console for the workflow engineer

Consider providing a management console for the workflow engineer – for feedback and status during running of a workflow, possibly even understanding how the process was distributed across nodes, this feature could also include a parts list of every component in a workflow, might even have a “dry-run” button that would allow people to prep the workflow for running, also consider adding provenance data or access to provenance data from the management console. (Bug 2452)

Ontology support and tasks

Add list of current tasks and anticipated future tasks as well as reference to ontology design exercise.

Added 12/7/2006 by LLD List of few features to consider - from results of two rounds of usability testing:

• Natural language summary of a workflow (bug 2024)
  • Priority - high

 

• Summarization of workflow in publishable format (bug 2025)
  • Priority - high

 

• Ability to assign checkpoints at various points in the workflow so that the user can check progress and make decisions on whether to modify or continue etc. (bug 2027)
  • Priority - high
  • NOTE: this is in the broader context of providing an easy way to add user interaction to actors for decisions, exploration, branching in a workflow etc.

 

• Ability to easily visualize the data at various places in the workflow (bug 2028)
  • Priority - high

 

• Guided analysis (wizard like functionality int he workflow (bug 2029)
  • Priority - medium

 

• Provide browsing and filtering mechanisms especially for data and data nodes on the ecogrid (bug 2031)
  • Priority - low

 

• Implement the "most recently used" concept for workflows and actors (bug 1914)
  • Priority - high for MRU workflows
  • Priority - low for MRU actors (this could be dealt with if "saved" tab gets implemented)