New support for Tools

Hello all,

I have now implemented a new way of creating tools, which is the same a
writing a report. I believe this is much cleaner and simpler than before.
I have also cleaned up the report writing interface a bit, moving all
properties to a separate tab.

If you go the "Properties" tab of one of your reports, you'll notice a
group of radio buttons, where you can choose whether this report is a
regular report, a report template, or a tool. Note that these radio
buttons are only available to researchers.

Now, if you have indicated that a report is a tool, when you publish it,
it will show up under the right tools category. I have added a "General"
category to the topic groups one can select for a report.


A couple of notes:

* The "State" functionality, i.e. whether a report is published or not, is
  internally very different from the editing process, and I cannot make
  them into the same form. That's why the "Properties" tab and the "State"
  tab are kept separate. I toyed with the idea of having one "Properties"
  tab with two buttons, but I think two tabs is less confusing, and it
  also has the advantage that the "Properties" tab disappears together
  with the "Edit" tab when the user cannot edit a report.

* There is also the choice of "Report Template" on the form. My intention
  is that writing a template will be the same process as writing a report
  proper, but the code for using a template is not written yet. Have
  patience, it's coming.

* A report can only belong to one Topic Group, so if you want a tool to
  show up under several tool categories, the best solution is to go into
  the advanced interface, copy the report, then publish the copy with a
  new topic group indicated.

* Not many tools have been published yet, and none by anyone outside those
  who get this email. I hope it is all right for you to add the tools
  again. As a reminder, these were the tools added so far:

        Randomness: Random Garden
        Collisions: Velocity Transfer
        General: Bob the Builder
        General: To tabbed text

* Some of you have, in frustration over the bad tool adding interface,
  added reports which seem to be intended as tools. If this was your
  intention, you can retract the reports, indicate that they are tools,
  and republish them. This will make them show up under tools.


As always, send me feedback,

Jesper




-- 
Jesper Holmberg          "Quand je pense à tous les livres qu'il me reste
Studentstaden 19:312      encore à lire, j'ai la certitude d'être encore
752 33 Uppsala            heureux." - Jules Renard
SWEDEN
tel: +46 18 50 17 31      mob: +46 709 18 32 28


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