One of the big problems with timelines is getting started

[Jeff Roehl]

Because this:

http://simile-widgets.org/timeline/api/timeline-api.js?bundle=true 

The <script> link to the source is so hard to find.

I cant find this in the documentation (I am not saying it isn't there).

And not finding it there, I look into the example timelines, but their location of the JavaScript is ambiguous as they all link to it using relative paths, like this:

api/timeline-api.js?bundle=true

So this isn't helpful.

So, now I am thinking, lets look at timelines "in the wild" to get the link. And guess what, the site you look at has downloaded the timeline JavaScript and installed it on their own server. So that's not going to work.

In my opinion the location of the file, the name of the file and the parameter passed to the file should be easy to find. Really easy to find.

This is so bad that I was using the wrong server and thus the wrong source-code for timeline for A FULL YEAR!

The single most important piece of information that you need to use timeline is the hardest piece of information to find.

I wonder how many people wanted to use timelines and gave up because they couldn't figure this out.

This is not good news for our team.

 

Thanks
Jeff Roehl
jro...@yahoo.com
(818) 912-7530

[David Karger]

Well, you if you click on that relative pathname while looking at the source, it will resolve it and load the absolute url in your browser.  But I agree, the documentation could do with some updating.  Of course, the documentation is in a wiki, so anyone inclined to help out, please do so!

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SIMILE Widgets" group.
To post to this group, send email to simile-...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to simile-widget...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/simile-widgets?hl=en.

[Jeff Roehl]

>> Of course, the documentation is in a wiki, so anyone inclined to help out, please do so!

Ok, I am on the first page of the documentation:

http://code.google.com/p/simile-widgets/wiki/Timeline 

I will help out.

How do I edit this?

 

Thanks
Jeff Roehl
jro...@yahoo.com
(818) 912-7530

---

From: David Karger <kar...@mit.edu>
To: simile-...@googlegroups.com
Cc: Jeff Roehl <jro...@yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2012 3:18 PM
Subject: Re: [Simile-Widgets] One of the big problems with timelines is getting started

[mwra]

I think you're on the wrong page. The current docs wiki for Timeline is at http://www.simile-widgets.org/wiki/Timeline. Unfortunately the app home page at http://www.simile-widgets.org/timeline/ has incorrect links to two older docs wikis (old http://code.google.com/p/simile-widgets/wiki/Timeline and older still http://simile.mit.edu/wiki/Timeline) and needs updating. The 'app' home page isn't a wiki so it need a SIMILE team member to make the edit.

I'd agree with the OP's premise that it's a bit intimidating to get going. This page (http://www.simile-widgets.org/wiki/Timeline_Releases_and_Access) has incorrect links for downloading the bundled/full libraries. For instance, to get the full set of libraries you are linked to page http://code.google.com/p/simile-widgets/source/browse/timeline/tags/2.3.0/timeline_source.zip but that page has no download.  The page you need is http://code.google.com/p/simile-widgets/downloads/list but the average user might not guess that. Better IMO if the docs page just linked to the correct download page in the first place.

I also note that the v2.3.0 version of timeline-api-js file has what I believe is now incorrect info at lines #8-12

 *  To run from the MIT copy of Timeline:

 *  Include this file in your HTML file as follows:

 *

 *    <script src="http://static.simile.mit.edu/timeline/api-2.3.0/timeline-api.js" 

 *     type="text/javascript"></script>

I think that server address should now be 'api.simile-widgets.org'?

Another confusing area is finding where the various JS objects are that you may need to replace.alter in order to customise aspects of the app. For instance, a common request here is how to suppress the wiki links in the pop-up event bubbles. Anyway, if there were a 'map' of the primary timeline JS objects and in which (non-bundled) script they lived it would help. To get the latter individual scripts you need to get the timeline_source_v2.3.0.zip, unpack it and then look in /timeline_2.3.0/src/webapp/api/scripts/

Not throwing rocks here - I genuinely appreciate what the SIMILE team have given us. However, for the new starter it's a tad confusing!

HTH

Mark