Improve Setting Group „Content Item Sorting

1 Initial Problem

The setting group "Content Item Sorting" is overly complex. It's not inviting to use.

Current implementation

Content Item Sorting

• Titles in Alphabetical Order
  • Ascending
  • Descendent
• By Creation Date
  • Ascending
  • Descendent
• Sort by Activation
  • Ascending
  • Descendent
• Manually
  • 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

• Sub tab Content → Sorting is ALWAYS shown, no matter the setting.
• In this sub tab, you can ALWAYS sort the existing item groups.
• In this sub tab, you can ONLY sort single objects if Settings → Content Item Sorting → Manually is activated.
• The sub setting Position for New Objects currently ONLY affects objects that are added by the user AFTER a manual sorting.

2 Conceptual Summary

I suggest to radically simplify this setting group by making "Manually" an implicit default that cannot be changed.
My suggestion still allows to use all options, but simplifies the settings.

3 User Interface Modifications

3.1 List of Affected Views

Course → Settings

3.2 User Interface Details

Automatic Sorting

• By Title in Alphabetical Order (All objects in the „Content“ tab get ordered automatically by ILIAS. You can always override this sorting manually in the sub tab „Content → Sorting“ [LINK].)
  • A → Z
  • Z → A
• By Creation Date
  • Newest on Top
  • Newest at the Bottom
• By Timings or Activation Dates
  • Next starting date on Top
  • Next starting date at the Bottom

• Settings → Content Item Sorting → Manually is ALWAYS activated and cannot be changed.
  • It is hence not presented on the options form any longer.
  • All other main settings from the current implementation go away, too.
• All settings that are currently on the sub level below Manually move to the main level. They explicitly affect the „Automatic Sorting"!
• Automatic Sorting can ALWAYS be overrun: In the sub tab Content → Sorting, you can ALWAYS sort single objects as you please.
• The sub setting Position for New Objects is of negligent importance and will be thrown away.
  • IF a user sorts manually, she will sort any NEW objects manually, too.
  • If a user does NOT sort manually at all, she is not affected!
  • We simply decide to put new objects on top (where they are visible). If deemed necessary by JF, we inform the user about this in an info message in Content → Sorting.

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: Stefan Meyer, leifos
• 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

AT: I like this very much. 

Kruse, Fabian [Fabian], 03.01.2018: Minor language update in my propsal. Further information after an inquiry by email:

Q: What if a teacher wants to sort some things manually, but overall just add new stuff at the bottom of the list of objects?
A: Use the setting "Automatic Sorting → By Creation Date → Newest at the Bottom". ILIAS will then always add new objects at the bottom of the list. You can ALWAYS make manual adjustments in the subtab "Content → Sorting".

Also, please note that there is a similar entry that ONLY tackles the labels of the entries. You can find it here: Improve Labels of Setting Group Content Item Sorting - If my suggestion to reduce the options in the setting group gets rejected I would still like to improve the labels as suggested in that entry.

Seiler, Yvonne [yvseiler], 21th february 2018: I like this "radical" suggestion too.

Often our users do not know, that they have to change the sorting in the "Settings" tab to "manually sorting", especially since the sorting menu is directly visible in the content tab. Thanks a lot for your "brain free thinking". I support this suggestion. It would be great, if we could prove that as possibility for course sorting too.

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}.