User-defined process names if unique

[trustmaster]

Currently process names are auto-generated to ensure their uniqueness and a user sets a label in metadata instead. In FBP process names should be meaningful and human-friendly. So it would be better to check names provided by users for uniqueness and set them as process names as well as meta labels. This would make the generated graphs more meaningful and improve compatibility with other FBP implementations.

Items affected:

• https://github.com/noflo/noflo-ui/blob/master/elements/noflo-library.html#L8
• https://github.com/noflo/noflo-ui/blob/master/elements/noflo-node-inspector.html#L336

Should utilize Graph.renameNode() https://github.com/noflo/noflo/blob/master/src/lib/Graph.coffee#L383

[forresto]

Good idea; I can take this on. We can use the user-defined label + _random if the label isn't unique.

[jpaulm]

I think this ties in here: the user should be able to specify a node using just a user-friendly name, and then later decide what component or subnet to implement it with. As I understand it, right now, s/he has to pick a component from the list before s/he can place it on the canvas. Or alternatively, define a dummy component, upload it (?), and then do the coding later, or replace it with an existing component... This process seems a bit awkward, and also means that stepwise decomp is more difficult, not to mention using the diagramming tool for higher level things like document flow between departments.

[trustmaster]

I agree with @jpaulm that prototyping a non-existing app is currently easier in DrawFBP than in Flowhub because you have to mock non-existing components in JavaScript/CoffeeScript code before adding them on the canvas, while what you really want is to add a black box on the canvas, give it a name and add some inports/outports to it, so you can start using it on the graph.

It's a different issue though.

[jpaulm]

@trustmaster @forresto Should we raise a separate issue for this?

I think all you need to do is add a fixed button called "generic" to the list of components that you display when the user selects the magnifying glass - or maybe replace the magnifying glass with an icon meaning "create new component", with "search" as a submenu.

TIA

[forresto]

Just deployed this fix to http://app.flowhub.io/ ... stub away!

[trustmaster]

:+1:

[jpaulm]

Fantastic! I'll give it a try! BTW This makes it even more important to implement #100 - any plans? Stubbing is going to result in even more cluttered screens!

TIA

Paul

On Wed, May 21, 2014 at 12:52 AM, Forrest Oliphant <notifications@github.com

wrote:

Just deployed this fix to http://app.flowhub.io/ ... stub away!

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/noflo/noflo-ui/issues/214#issuecomment-43712078 .