Improve Labels of Setting Group Content Item Sorting

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1 Initial Problem

The setting group "Content Item Sorting" is quite complex. Yvonne and I were struggling a bit with understanding the implications of some of the labels. We would like to propose an improvement.

2 Conceptual Summary

IS (ILIAS 5.3 beta):

Content Item Sorting

• Titles in Alphabetical Order: Content items are arranged automatically by title in alphabetical order.
• By Creation Date: Content items are arranged automatically by their creation date.
• Sort by Activation: Sort course items be their activation time or timings settings.
• Manually: Content items can be arranged manually in a preferred order. Additionallyi [sic!], please define the standard sorting settings for new objects.
  • Position for New Objects: Top / Bottom
  • Order for New Objects: Titles in Alphabetical Order / By Creation Date / Sort by Activation
  • Sorting Direction for New Objects: Ascending / Descendent [sic!]

• Titles A → Z: Objects are automatically arranged by their title in alphabetical order.
• Creation Date: Objects are automatically arranged by the date they were created in ILIAS.
• Activation: Objects are automatically arranged by their availability period or timing.
• Manual: Objects can be sorted manually in the tab Content → Sorting. Before sorting manually, ILIAS preliminarily arranges new objects according to the following setting:
  • Position: On Top of Exiting Objects / Below Exiting Objects
  • Order: Titles A → Z / Creation Date / Activation
  • Sorting: A → Z (Ascending) / Z → A (Descending)

AT >> SHOULD BE:

Sorting

• Titles from A to Z: Objects are sorted automatically by their title in alphabetical order.
  • Direction:
    • From A to Z
    • From Z to A
• Creation Date: Objects are sorted automatically by the date they were created in ILIAS.
  • Direction 
    • From youngest to oldest
    • From oldest to youngest
• Activation: Objects are sorted automatically by their availability period or timing.
  • Direction
    • From WTF?
    • WTF?
• Manual Sorting: If checked, ILIAS presents an additional sub-tab 'Sorting' in the 'Content ' tab. There objects can be sorted manually. New objects need a place, please indicate:
  • Position:
    • Yet unsorted, new objects go on Top of the List  
    • Yet unsorted, new objects go at the Foot of the List
  • Order:
    • Yet unsorted, new objects are sorted by Titles 
    • Yet unsorted, new objects are sorted by Creation Date +
    • Yet unsorted, new objects are  sorted by Activation
  • Sorting:
    • Ascending A to Z, from youngest to oldest, WTF
    • Descending Z to A, oldest to youngest, WTF

3 User Interface Modifications

3.1 List of Affected Views

Course → Settings

3.2 User Interface Details

NONE. Only labels.

3.3 New User Interface Concepts

NONE.

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: Kruse, Fabian [Fabian]
• 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

Seiler, Yvonne [yvseiler] 03 October 2017: Thanks for this feature wiki suggestion. I like the short suggestions above much more than the actual state.

I have some doubts that the long labels text from suggestion "AT >> SHOULD BE" for "Manually sorting" could be to "loud" for user. I mean: The three options are already overwhelming. The problem is that user think "oh that's still not manually sortable" or "oh my god in this option I have to make so much further decisions about sorting, I change it back to the alphabetical order".
I would prefer "as short as possible" short labels and to make visible, that these are "additional" settings and nothing has to be changed (if you haven't any special needs).

So my suggestion, but it's really only a proposal of both above:

SHOULD BE
Sorting

• Titles from A to Z: Objects are sorted automatically by their title in alphabetical order.
  • Direction:
    • From A to Z (arrows would be a nice visual clue, but I think we don't use them in ILIAS in other contexts...)
    • From Z to A
• Creation Date: Objects are sorted automatically by the date they were created in ILIAS.
  • Direction 
    • From youngest to oldest
    • From oldest to youngest
• Activation: Objects are sorted automatically by their availability period or timing.
  • Direction
    • From next/nearest to farthest starting date (german: "vom nächsten zum am weitesten entfernten Startdatum)
    • From farthest to next/nearest starting date
• Manual: Objects can be sorted manually in the subtab 'Sorting' in the 'Content' tab. Before sorting manually, ILIAS preliminarily arranges new objects according to the following setting:
  • Position
    • On Top of Exiting Objects
    • Below Exiting Objects
  • Order
    • From A to Z
    • From youngest to oldest
    • From next/nearest to farthest start date
  • Sorting
    • From A to Z (Ascending)
    • From Z to A (Descending)

Kruse, Fabian [Fabian], 03.01.2018: I went rogue and decided to make a much more radical suggestion in this entry: Improve Setting Group „Content Item Sorting

That said, if that suggestion is rejected, I would still want to improve the labels, so I would like to keep this suggestion as a fallback. I would appreciate if other users could comment on the linked entry to discover any flaws or undue limitations.

8 Implementation

{The maintainer has to give a description of the final implementation and add screenshots if possible.}

Test Cases

Test cases completed at {date} by {user}

• {Test case number linked to Testrail} : {test case title}

Approval

Approved at {date} by {user}.