OLArchitect’s layer list configuration is just about complete. Apart from stylistic issues, it has about all the functionality I want at this point. I’m happy with my progress thusfar, and although I have a lot of work left to do, the ground work for everything is in place and I expect to stay on track until the end of the summer.
My current list of goals is as follows:
Controls – Map – Map Theme – Help
Controls
Some controls reside inside panels, some are buttons, some just show up on the map by themselves.
-All controls should be listed in a single drop down to avoid confusion, making it as easy to use as possible – just one place to look for a control.
-If a control requires a panel, create a panel by default
-Distinguish between controls in a panel and controls not in a panel
-Give the user the ability to create a panel, place controls in different panels
-When controls or panels are edited, provide the ability to resize / drag / place them on the map
-Do the same thing for panels – also allow panels to be edited and deleted. On delete, ask the user if they want to delete the controls or move them to an existing panel
-List controls inside a panel, give the user the ability to move a control from panel A to panel B
All the controls will be listed in a single drop down, and for controls that require a panel, a panel will automatically be created and contain the created control. The main issue I’m concerned with is clearly distinguishing panels / controls / controls in panels, so I think I’ll has lists for 1. Controls not dependent on panels, 2. Panels with controls inside them and the ability to switch which panel a control is inside of.
Map
Next I’ll work on the general map configuration options. Once the map config is done, I’ll create an openlayers map based off the map object OLArchitect creates (which is almost identical to the OpenLayers map object).
Map Theme
An additional set of options will be displayed that allow the map to be “skinned” or themed. By default, OpenLayers has a nice blue color theme, but this does not fit well into all sites. The theme config will allow users to select different base colors to use along with custom images for any of the controls (some of the control code will have to be edited)
Polishing / Help files
After all the base code is done, I want to spend time on the general design and style of the site as well as clean the code up. As it stands, I have the code well documented, but I can definitely improve it. I also plan to implment a help button for each configuration option, providing I have enough time.
