Show Advanced KnowledgeHide Advanced Knowledge

Adapted View Handling of Calendar

This feature request is a part of the Calendar Revision.

1 Initial Problem

ILIAS 5.2 mixes navigational controls (changing tabs) and changing  views (changing content shown in specific tab). 

You have several possibilities to use a calendar:

• On “Personal Desktop”: Open Calendar View via Marginal Grid/List Calendar
• In courses and groups: Open Calendar View via Marginal Grid/List Calendar
• In menu “Personal Desktop > Calendar”: Main Column and Marginal Grid/List Calendar

1.1 Current Status in ILIAS 5.2

Mixed functionalities (tabs for views and tabs for content like settings and organising calendars).
Marginal Grid Calendar opens calendar in courses, groups and personal desktop => no back/close button

1.2 Problems of current implementation

In courses, groups and on the personal desktop user change the view mode by clicking on a day, a calendar week or a month. The selected calendar view will be opened in the main Content-tab. You are always in the same tab “Content” or on the same page on the Personal Desktop.

• But you can’t close the calendar anymore (exclude the consultation hours). You have to reload the “Content” tab or personal desktop page.
• You haven’t a fast way to go to the “Today” date.

In menu “Calendar” users can change the view mode through tabs “Upcoming Events”, “Day View”, “Week View” and “Month View”. If they click on the “Marginal Grid Calendar” another tab to another view opens. You are not on the same page anymore.
This behaviour makes it difficult to use the “Main Grid Calendar”:

• The order of the view modes are mixed with other tabs like Consultation Hours, calendar management and Settings.
• Users are confused, because they have chosen a view (like week view) and with a click in the marginal grid calendar (to choose a date) the view can become another one.

2 Conceptual Summary

2.1 View Mode and Navigation

Reorganising tabs to:

• “Agenda” (aka "Upcoming Events")
• “Consultation Hours”
• “Manage Calendars”
• “Settings”

Existing tabs "Day View", "Week View" and "Month View"  are transfered from tabs to button groups into new tab "Agenda".

In tab “Agenda” there will be a toolbar with:

• navigation elements: < Today > (see FW-Article Usability Improvements Main Column List Calendar)
• a button group “Day” / “Week” / “Month” / “List” to change view mode
• button "Add Appointment"

The “Marginal Grid Calendar” and the “Calendar Selection” box will be placed on the right side. Well, that’s not an usual practice like in Google, Outlook or iCal Calendars, BUT for user experience reasons it’s would be more efficient:

1. All calendars on personal desktop and course and group are on the right side.
2. The focus in the most western cultures (excluded arabian cultures, read from right to left) is on the left side. If you click on the navigation elements on the left side of your page (to navigate through your appointments) and all changing things starts on the left side too, it’s easier to have an overview over your next appointments. It’s not so important to have the marginal calendar in your focus, but your actual and upcoming appointments.
3. If navigation elements are directly above the marginal grid calendar it could be confusing to only change the main column calendar and not the grid calendar (especially with the new navigation control of the marginal grid calendar, see below).

2.2 Open Course/Group View

User should be able to close Course and group Calendar. Therefore Course and Group Calendar will be opened on a new page by clicking on Marginal Grid Calendar.

In tab "Calendar" the main column calendar will be opened. It has same functionalities (see 2.1 View Mode and Navigation) like Main Column Calendar of Personal Desktop > Calendar menu. A "Back to Content" link will link back to the content tab.

3 User Interface Modifications

3.1 List of Affected Views

• Personal Desktop > Overview (after clicking on marginal grid calendar)
• Personal Desktop > My Courses and Groups (after clicking on marginal grid calendar)
• Calendar (all view mode)
• Course > Content tab  (after clicking on marginal grid calendar)
• Group > Content tab  (after clicking on marginal grid calendar)

3.2 User Interface Details

Caution: Mockups uses marginal grid calendar (in sidebar on the right side), see FW Usability Improvements Marginal Grid Calendar

3.3 New User Interface Concepts

There are two new controls to switch the current view. Those are proposed here: https://github.com/ILIAS-eLearning/ILIAS/pull/378

4 Technical Information

{The maintainer has to provide necessary technical information, e.g. dependencies on other ILIAS components, necessary modifications in general services/architecture, potential security or performance issues.}

5 Contact

• Author of the Request: Seiler, Yvonne [yvseiler], Amstutz, Timon [amstutz]
• Maintainer: {Please add your name before applying for an initial workshop or a Jour Fixe meeting.}
• Implementation of the feature is done by: {The maintainer must add the name of the implementing developer.}

6 Funding

If you are interest in funding this feature, please add your name and institution to this list.

• ...

7 Discussion

Meyer, Stefan [smeyer], 14.12.2016: I support the request.

JourFixe, ILIAS [jourfixe], Dec 19, 2016: We highly appreciate this feature suggestion and schedule it for 5.3.

8 Implementation

Test Cases

Test cases completed on 2017-08-10 by Tödt, Alexandra [atoedt]

• 529: Kalender über Persönlichen Schreibtisch aufrufen
• 18571: Termin aus Rasteransicht in Kurs-/ Gruppenkalender öffnen
• 18697: Startpunkt der Terminliste ändern

Approval

Approved at Juli 26th 2017 by Amstutz, Timon [amstutz].