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Posted to dev@whimsical.apache.org by Shane Curcuru <as...@shanecurcuru.org> on 2017/12/06 22:34:55 UTC
Feature need: boilerplate replies & list UI
To help new volunteers feel comfortable volunteering in new operational
areas, a key new feature comes to mind: boilerplate reply messages that
can be easily sent to new questions coming into a list.
We've all ended up answering the same question multiple times, but even
once we do checkin the FAQ, it's still more mental work to write the
email pointing the questioner to the FAQ URL. For some operations areas
(and possibly some users@ lists) having a simple UI for pre-written
"Here's the FAQ, and this doc might be useful too" answers to send out.
Would this be something easy to build by copying some of the Secretary
tool, which already has reading mailboxes and creating reply features?
My most needed case is a private list with a limited number of technical
users, so even a tool that needed a little setup would be OK to start with.
* Logged-in User UI (for this feature on a specific mailing list)
- Simple web view of the mailing list; primary focus is past 30 days
(doesn't need archives or much searching, since point is current Q)
- User selects mail, pushes Reply FAQ, pops up a choicelist of
"FAQTitle: Description text" items, choose one, OK.
- Opens simple text edit with the original mail (as >orig), with the FAQ
boilerplate added, and allows user to edit/add text.
- Press Send Mail which auto-sends a Reply-All to the original question
* Admin UI (i.e. person who sets up this feature and the boilerplates)
- Checkin list of common questions with descriptions, and response file.
- Each response file is a boilerplate reply
- %replaceable% fields are nice, but not required
I'm asking here on Whimsy since there's a chance I could help with this
work here; I'm not familiar enough with Ponymail to be able to help code
if that's the better solution.
--
- Shane
https://www.apache.org/foundation/marks/resources
Re: Feature need: boilerplate replies & list UI
Posted by sebb <se...@gmail.com>.
On 17 December 2017 at 17:34, Shane Curcuru <as...@shanecurcuru.org> wrote:
> A really early wireframe to show the concepts:
>
> https://whimsy.apache.org/brand/replylist
>
> The key need is for this kind of tool to work just in a user's browser,
> with no setup other than ASF Member or Committer logging into whimsy.
> (Obviously, a list owner would need to configure the list and the
> boilerplates ahead of time).
>
> Feel free to comment or change design.
[It occurs to me that some of the design/code might also be suitable
for implementing a shared moderator role.
For lists with lots of unmoderated posts it's wasteful to have
multiple moderators reviewing the same mails.]
> --
>
> - Shane
> https://www.apache.org/foundation/marks/resources
Re: Feature need: boilerplate replies & list UI
Posted by Shane Curcuru <as...@shanecurcuru.org>.
A really early wireframe to show the concepts:
https://whimsy.apache.org/brand/replylist
The key need is for this kind of tool to work just in a user's browser,
with no setup other than ASF Member or Committer logging into whimsy.
(Obviously, a list owner would need to configure the list and the
boilerplates ahead of time).
Feel free to comment or change design.
--
- Shane
https://www.apache.org/foundation/marks/resources
Re: Feature need: boilerplate replies & list UI
Posted by Shane Curcuru <as...@shanecurcuru.org>.
Craig Russell wrote on 12/12/17 8:31 AM:
> I think this tool is what I was talking about else-thread.
+1, that's where I am coming from too.
The big question is: how simple can we make the setup/configuration? I
thought the secretary tool (as Sam notes) required a local checkout of
various files - that's a non-starter for most people who just want to
help with answering questions on an operational list.
Can we build this as a UI within Whimsy, restricted to a group, where
anyone going to whimsy.a.o/operations/help_with_ListX all sees the same
contents of the past 30 days of ListX traffic, and can click to read or
send precanned replies right from the browser? (I.e. no local setup).
>
> Anyone on the committee should be able to look at the queue of questions, and reply with a boilerplate answer. My expectation is that a text box where the member could elaborate would also be required.
>
> Having a list of tick-boxes with the standard replies and a text entry box and a disclaimer could compose a reply to the requestor which would be sent via (submit) button.
Yes - the ListX administrator would need to configure the set of common
answers with boilerplates. Also, having an additional text entry box
(or a way to edit the whole mail) is critical; many cases have obvious
extra pointers or tips that the answerer can provide to the original
questioner beyond the plain boilerplate.
>
> Maybe a design conference call would be the best way forward here?
Yup. Sam, Craig, Shane, possibly Mark Thomas? Anyone else volunteering
to work on building this project in the short term?
I am unavailable 19-21 Dec (in SFO speaking at a law conference) and
24-25 Dec; otherwise I'm mostly free. I do not have a call-in number.
--
- Shane
https://www.apache.org/foundation/marks/resources
Re: Feature need: boilerplate replies & list UI
Posted by Craig Russell <ap...@gmail.com>.
I think this tool is what I was talking about else-thread.
Anyone on the committee should be able to look at the queue of questions, and reply with a boilerplate answer. My expectation is that a text box where the member could elaborate would also be required.
Having a list of tick-boxes with the standard replies and a text entry box and a disclaimer could compose a reply to the requestor which would be sent via (submit) button.
Maybe a design conference call would be the best way forward here?
Craig
> On Dec 6, 2017, at 4:02 PM, Sam Ruby <ru...@intertwingly.net> wrote:
>
> TL;DR the tool part is straightforward, assuming that there is access
> to a local mail archive.
>
> The way the secretary tool works is that there is an archive of that
> mail alias on whimsy-vm4. The secretary workbench works off of those
> files.
>
> Here's how that works.
>
> From https://github.com/apache/whimsy/blob/master/DEPLOYMENT.md:
>
>> Add secretary@whimsy-vm4.apache.org to the secretary@apache.org alias.
>
> From https://github.com/apache/infrastructure-puppet/blob/deployment/data/nodes/whimsy-vm4.apache.org.yaml:
>
>> whimsy_server::apache_mailmap:
>> secretary: "/usr/local/bin/ruby%{hiera('ruby_version')} /x1/srv/whimsy/www/secretary/workbench/deliver.rb"
>
> The code that does the delivery:
>
> https://github.com/apache/whimsy/blob/master/www/secretary/workbench/deliver.rb
>
> - Sam Ruby
>
> On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 5:34 PM, Shane Curcuru <as...@shanecurcuru.org> wrote:
>> To help new volunteers feel comfortable volunteering in new operational
>> areas, a key new feature comes to mind: boilerplate reply messages that
>> can be easily sent to new questions coming into a list.
>>
>> We've all ended up answering the same question multiple times, but even
>> once we do checkin the FAQ, it's still more mental work to write the
>> email pointing the questioner to the FAQ URL. For some operations areas
>> (and possibly some users@ lists) having a simple UI for pre-written
>> "Here's the FAQ, and this doc might be useful too" answers to send out.
>>
>> Would this be something easy to build by copying some of the Secretary
>> tool, which already has reading mailboxes and creating reply features?
>> My most needed case is a private list with a limited number of technical
>> users, so even a tool that needed a little setup would be OK to start with.
>>
>>
>> * Logged-in User UI (for this feature on a specific mailing list)
>>
>> - Simple web view of the mailing list; primary focus is past 30 days
>> (doesn't need archives or much searching, since point is current Q)
>>
>> - User selects mail, pushes Reply FAQ, pops up a choicelist of
>> "FAQTitle: Description text" items, choose one, OK.
>>
>> - Opens simple text edit with the original mail (as >orig), with the FAQ
>> boilerplate added, and allows user to edit/add text.
>>
>> - Press Send Mail which auto-sends a Reply-All to the original question
>>
>>
>> * Admin UI (i.e. person who sets up this feature and the boilerplates)
>>
>> - Checkin list of common questions with descriptions, and response file.
>>
>> - Each response file is a boilerplate reply
>>
>> - %replaceable% fields are nice, but not required
>>
>>
>> I'm asking here on Whimsy since there's a chance I could help with this
>> work here; I'm not familiar enough with Ponymail to be able to help code
>> if that's the better solution.
>>
>> --
>>
>> - Shane
>> https://www.apache.org/foundation/marks/resources
Craig L Russell
Secretary, Apache Software Foundation
clr@apache.org http://db.apache.org/jdo
Re: Feature need: boilerplate replies & list UI
Posted by Sam Ruby <ru...@intertwingly.net>.
TL;DR the tool part is straightforward, assuming that there is access
to a local mail archive.
The way the secretary tool works is that there is an archive of that
mail alias on whimsy-vm4. The secretary workbench works off of those
files.
Here's how that works.
From https://github.com/apache/whimsy/blob/master/DEPLOYMENT.md:
> Add secretary@whimsy-vm4.apache.org to the secretary@apache.org alias.
From https://github.com/apache/infrastructure-puppet/blob/deployment/data/nodes/whimsy-vm4.apache.org.yaml:
> whimsy_server::apache_mailmap:
> secretary: "/usr/local/bin/ruby%{hiera('ruby_version')} /x1/srv/whimsy/www/secretary/workbench/deliver.rb"
The code that does the delivery:
https://github.com/apache/whimsy/blob/master/www/secretary/workbench/deliver.rb
- Sam Ruby
On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 5:34 PM, Shane Curcuru <as...@shanecurcuru.org> wrote:
> To help new volunteers feel comfortable volunteering in new operational
> areas, a key new feature comes to mind: boilerplate reply messages that
> can be easily sent to new questions coming into a list.
>
> We've all ended up answering the same question multiple times, but even
> once we do checkin the FAQ, it's still more mental work to write the
> email pointing the questioner to the FAQ URL. For some operations areas
> (and possibly some users@ lists) having a simple UI for pre-written
> "Here's the FAQ, and this doc might be useful too" answers to send out.
>
> Would this be something easy to build by copying some of the Secretary
> tool, which already has reading mailboxes and creating reply features?
> My most needed case is a private list with a limited number of technical
> users, so even a tool that needed a little setup would be OK to start with.
>
>
> * Logged-in User UI (for this feature on a specific mailing list)
>
> - Simple web view of the mailing list; primary focus is past 30 days
> (doesn't need archives or much searching, since point is current Q)
>
> - User selects mail, pushes Reply FAQ, pops up a choicelist of
> "FAQTitle: Description text" items, choose one, OK.
>
> - Opens simple text edit with the original mail (as >orig), with the FAQ
> boilerplate added, and allows user to edit/add text.
>
> - Press Send Mail which auto-sends a Reply-All to the original question
>
>
> * Admin UI (i.e. person who sets up this feature and the boilerplates)
>
> - Checkin list of common questions with descriptions, and response file.
>
> - Each response file is a boilerplate reply
>
> - %replaceable% fields are nice, but not required
>
>
> I'm asking here on Whimsy since there's a chance I could help with this
> work here; I'm not familiar enough with Ponymail to be able to help code
> if that's the better solution.
>
> --
>
> - Shane
> https://www.apache.org/foundation/marks/resources