Selection API

[alexsb]

We need to implement a data structure / apis for selections. Here are some requirements:

• Selections are defined by an id type (a table and its keys). We will need a separate selection manager instance for each type.
• A selection is a "tag" for an object. Tags can have multiple functions:
  • Selected --- the main selection mechanism
  • Hovered --- a volatile equivalent for the selection.
  • Filtered --- an indicator not to render something or render it greyed out; we sometimes want to do filtering as a selection, but sometimes actually remove the data from the client.
• It should be possible to convert a selection into a persistent group that's stored in the database.

[waxlamp]

• It should be possible to convert a selection into a persistent group that's stored in the database.

To what extent (if any) do you consider a "selection" to be a type of database view?

[waxlamp]

One thing that will be helpful is a couple of imagined use cases that selections would drive. This might sound obvious but I think a few illustrative cases will help to focus our thinking on this feature.