RKWard: Difference between revisions

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= RKWard Project =
== General info ==
== General info ==


The RKWard project is currently in the process of moving to KDE.org. See [[/Incubator/Projects/Rkward]]. Current web site is still at Sourceforge.net: http://rkward.sf.net .
The RKWard project is currently in the process of moving to KDE.org. See [[Incubator/Projects/Rkward]]. Current web site is still at Sourceforge.net: http://rkward.sf.net .


== Feedback ==
== Feedback ==
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Note that this is intended for things that may need discussing. Not for fully-specified feature requests. The latter should go to the tracker.
Note that this is intended for things that may need discussing. Not for fully-specified feature requests. The latter should go to the tracker.


=== Installation issues. ===
We're (mis-) using the \{\{Note\}\}-template to keep suggested solutions separate from the feedback.
 
Keep this page clean. Items that are done (or moved to the feature tracker) should be removed.
 
=== Installation issues ===


==== Mac OS X ====
==== Mac OS X ====


''Abatty:'' I was surprised to see that there is a problem in OSX Yosemite, as most of
As of 0.6.3, the dock icon, and the miniature icon in window title bars, still does not appear. This has been so since 0.6.1 at least. See example below.
my students use Macs (as do I), and I haven't heard any caterwauling from
those who have updated. I know that the one student who actually seems
capable of following screenshot-laden instructions for things in RKWard is
running it under Yosemite seemingly without issue...


''Abatty:'' The struggle I've run into with many Mac users, though, is just that they
[[File:RKWardDock.png]]
have to install R and then RKWard. This is very unintuitive for people who
 
aren't used to installing anything more involved than the Facebook app on
The struggle I've run into with many Mac users is that they have to install R and then RKWard. It would be great if those could be bundled together again.
their cellphones. I.e., "digital native" undergrads. It would be great if
those could be bundled together again.


==== Windows ====
==== Windows ====
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run it from anywhere. People really aren't used to that, and they don't
run it from anywhere. People really aren't used to that, and they don't
know how to add a shortcut to the Start
know how to add a shortcut to the Start
menu/giant-useless-screen-with-live-advertisements. Also, many people are
menu/giant-useless-screen-with-live-advertisements.  
 
{{Note| Idea: Ten virtual credits for the first person to provide an NSIS or WIX script that will wrap the self-extractor into an installer, adding
* Some cover page to look more like other installers
* Prompt for install path
* Adding an icon to desktop and/or application menu}}
 
:: The [https://rkward.kde.org/RKWard_on_Windows#Standard_installation:_Complete_installation_bundle standard installation] seems to be an ''.exe'' – is the information above outdated, or is there a good reason of not using this installer? ''//Jan''
:::: Yes, it is an .exe, but not a "normal" installer, but rather a self-extracting archive. It will ask for an unpack-location, and that's it. [[User:Tfry|Thomas]] ([[User talk:Tfry|talk]]) 14:03, 4 November 2015 (UTC)
 
''Abatty:'' Also, many people are
confused/freaked-out when a scary-looking black terminal window comes up
confused/freaked-out when a scary-looking black terminal window comes up
upon starting it. The Windows package also seems pretty fragile. Most of
upon starting it. The Windows package also seems pretty fragile. Most of
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give you guys more information if I had it. Just generally speaking, the
give you guys more information if I had it. Just generally speaking, the
Windows version is not as reliable as the Mac, I'm finding.
Windows version is not as reliable as the Mac, I'm finding.
=== Data import ===
''Abatty:'' This is just rather confusing. You go to File or the Open... menu in the
toolbar, and go to Import, and then there are a bunch of options. You have
"Import Data," then a line, then "Import format," which is a submenu about
importing data. If you use the first one, it just opens up the SPSS data
importer, and there's no way to tell it otherwise. I have started providing
my classes with .sav files for everything to just spare myself the headache
of pointing out again and again, that they actually need to go to "Import →
Import format → Import text / CSV data." It doesn't make sense because the
way that menu is organized, it looks like that is some sort of separate
function from importing data, because it's under the line separating it
from "Import Data."
''Abatty:'' Once they navigate to "Import text / CSV data," however, the problems
continue, because despite the fact that we've already ostensibly told the
software that we're working with .csv or whatever, there are a bunch of
options where we have to tell it again. The default format is "None," and
the options for the quick formats (which are likely all anyone will need in
most cases, especially in a class where a teacher is providing the data
set) are on the bottom left, looking not-very-important. This could maybe
be fixed just by moving elements around, like putting the format selection
settings in a dropdown menu at the top, labeled with "Please select the
format of your data" or something. Then rename "None" to "Custom" and put
it at the bottom of the list.
''Abatty:'' Every time I try to use a CSV in class, I import it in front of god and
everyone on the projector, then demonstrate running the analysis, and say,
"Okay, is everyone with me?" and half of the students' hands shoot up and I
go look at their screens and they have the entire table in one column and
the analysis won't run, of course.
''Abatty:'' The quickest/easiest fix right away for this would be to just kill the
"Import Data" entry, rename "Import format" to "Import data format" and
move it above the line in the menu, separating it from the script options.
Just doing that would at least avoid the problem of people finding
themselves stuck in the SPSS format importer, trying to feed it CSV data or
whatever.
=== Distributions dialogs ===
''Abatty:'' I only started using these this semester, so I hadn't noticed, but these
are unintuitive enough that I decided to just get the students to do them
in the R Console.
''Abatty:'' In the "r" dialogs (i.e., the ones that call rbinom and rgeom, etc.), the
values that will be fed into R are filled in by default. Why? That seems to
communicate, for example, that the "normal" thing to do when looking at a
binomial probability is to set the number of "successes" to 0.95, and only
1 trial, and with a 50% probability, when actually, these are likely to all
be different. I think these should just be blank.
''Abatty:'' "Vector of quantiles" really ought to be renamed "Number of successes."
I'll be honest here: I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do here,
so the only way I figured out how to use these dialogs was by clicking the
"Code" button to see what commands it would be calling, and then reading
the CRAN documentation on those functions. The CRAN documentation was much
clearer.
''Abatty:'' It would be nice if there was another calculator that called the "d"
functions as well... Not that I've really ever used either of these, but
they are pretty important for teaching undergraduate stats.


=== R Console ===
=== R Console ===
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Barplot dialog. I've been telling my students to do it via the "N to 1
Barplot dialog. I've been telling my students to do it via the "N to 1
Crosstabulation" dialog, where it works fine.
Crosstabulation" dialog, where it works fine.
{{Note| Will need to be added to one_var_tabulation plugin. It should be able to output a 2d matrix. The difficult part is making the interface easy. Perhaps two varslots: "Group by:", and "Group separatly by:".}}


''Abatty:'' A Q-Q/Normality plot in the Scatterplot dialog would be awesome. The only
''Abatty:'' A Q-Q/Normality plot in the Scatterplot dialog would be awesome. The only
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give full marks for if they are obviously the right variables.
give full marks for if they are obviously the right variables.


{{Note| The whole scatterplot dialog is just crying for a complete redesign (around an <optionset>-element).}}
For the scatterplot, here my draft-y redesign:
[[File:RKWARD_scatterplot_Optionset-1.png]]
''Concept:''
* there are two main areas in tabs: Values and General Options (the latter name is bad, we need something better)
** Tab "Values" holds everything connected to values-to-be-plotted
*** All x/y Value-Pairs are set and configured in and optionset.
**** Each option holds one x/y pair. Thus it is easy to just plot one pair of we present an already expanded option in the set. In the (probably less-standard case) of plotting several value-pairs, the user just adds one option.
**** In each option for a x/y-Pair there are the settings for its color and style etc.
** Tab "General Options" holds the standard plot options like axis, title etc.
* Below all this there is the preview-option which is sort of affected (or rather: creates a preview affected) with anything else (and is thus not part of a values or general options, but more on the level of the actions like "submit" "cancel" "show code", etc.)


=== Outputs ===
=== Outputs ===
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out of that directory and then cry, "Where did it gooooooo???" the next
out of that directory and then cry, "Where did it gooooooo???" the next
time they open RKWard.
time they open RKWard.
: ''Tfry:'' Not to say that this solves, everything, but dragging out graphics (to file browser, or openoffice) works just fine, here. What are the symptoms on Mac, when you try to do so? - Do you see a drag symbol / mouse pointer at all? - Does the drag symbol disappear when leaving the RKWard window? - Does the target refuse to accept the drop?
{{Note|''With a bit of luck, the drag-and-drop issues will be fixed by the (post-0.6.3) port from KHMTL to QtWebKit. Check this.'' <br> UPDATE: ''Yes, it is fixed, one can right-click and save images and drag-drop them too.''--[[User:Jand|Jand]] ([[User talk:Jand|talk]]) 21:44, 20 November 2015 (UTC) }}


''Abatty:'' The whole system is extremely unwieldy and unintuitive, and what it means
''Abatty:'' The whole system is extremely unwieldy and unintuitive, and what it means
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just counts/sums, they all have approximately one million zeros behind
just counts/sums, they all have approximately one million zeros behind
them. It's just very hard to read.
them. It's just very hard to read.
{{Note|Some of this was improved on: Added margins inside cells, fewer issues of excessive digits printing. The issue in crosstabs is still unresolved.}}
=== Import ===
==== CSV: Call the file selector ====
Before any option makes any sense, the file needs to be loaded. So
flow-wise it would make sense to open the file picker right away. It
also would match user expectations, since it is standard in many other
applications.
=== Data Picker ===
The data picker target (the field you "put" the selected value
from the list of data objects in) belongs function-wise to the list of
data items and the green "put it there" button(s). Because of constraint
space it is often placed on top or below other options. In this
(frequent) case, it (visually) groups with the other (not directly
data-picker-related) options, rather then the data picker list and it’s
button.
Possible Fix: A consistent position for the data picker target. It sometimes appears
below- sometimes on top of other options. It would be great to have some
coherence, since it would ease learning and make other (more
complicated) fixes less needed.
[[File:RKWard_DataPickerInconsistentPosition.png]]
''The Data Picker Target is sometimes above, sometimes below other options (at least concerning plots, the positioning in analysis is more consistent''
{{Note| This has been improved for some problematic dialogs. See https://mail.kde.org/pipermail/rkward-devel/2015-October/004220.html .}}
=== Workspace ===
==== Basic Design ====
{{Note|''This is obsolete now, I think. The Workspace has a new UI that incorporates many of the suggestions here (11/15)'' --[[User:Jand|Jand]] ([[User talk:Jand|talk]]) 10:00, 13 November 2015 (UTC)}}

Latest revision as of 11:07, 4 December 2015

General info

The RKWard project is currently in the process of moving to KDE.org. See Incubator/Projects/Rkward. Current web site is still at Sourceforge.net: http://rkward.sf.net .

Feedback

This page is going to be a hub for RKWard related feedback and work-in-progress tracking. Might need subdividing over time.

Note that this is intended for things that may need discussing. Not for fully-specified feature requests. The latter should go to the tracker.

We're (mis-) using the \{\{Note\}\}-template to keep suggested solutions separate from the feedback.

Keep this page clean. Items that are done (or moved to the feature tracker) should be removed.

Installation issues

Mac OS X

As of 0.6.3, the dock icon, and the miniature icon in window title bars, still does not appear. This has been so since 0.6.1 at least. See example below.

The struggle I've run into with many Mac users is that they have to install R and then RKWard. It would be great if those could be bundled together again.

Windows

Abatty: With the Windows package, the issue is that it's just a .zip and you can run it from anywhere. People really aren't used to that, and they don't know how to add a shortcut to the Start menu/giant-useless-screen-with-live-advertisements.

Note

Idea: Ten virtual credits for the first person to provide an NSIS or WIX script that will wrap the self-extractor into an installer, adding
  • Some cover page to look more like other installers
  • Prompt for install path
  • Adding an icon to desktop and/or application menu


The standard installation seems to be an .exe – is the information above outdated, or is there a good reason of not using this installer? //Jan
Yes, it is an .exe, but not a "normal" installer, but rather a self-extracting archive. It will ask for an unpack-location, and that's it. Thomas (talk) 14:03, 4 November 2015 (UTC)

Abatty: Also, many people are confused/freaked-out when a scary-looking black terminal window comes up upon starting it. The Windows package also seems pretty fragile. Most of the Windows students have tossed it and reinstalled it at least once. It's intermittent, and I haven't been able to reproduce it, but it just stops working at some point. The terminal window comes up, and that's all. I'd give you guys more information if I had it. Just generally speaking, the Windows version is not as reliable as the Mac, I'm finding.

R Console

Abatty: It would be great if there were a way to permanently set text size there, or at least have a keyboard shortcut to change it. It's tiny by default, and the only way to get it bigger is to keep going up to "View" and clicking "Enlarge font" over and over. Then upon restart of RKWard, it's back to tiny again. This is another teaching issue more than anything. If I need the students to do something in R, it's very hard to demonstrate without bumping that way up, but it takes forever as I keep going up to that menu over and over until I see the students stop squinting at the projector screen!


Plotting issues of various kinds

Abatty: I can't seem to figure out how to make a grouped barplot out of the Plots → Barplot dialog. I've been telling my students to do it via the "N to 1 Crosstabulation" dialog, where it works fine.

Note

Will need to be added to one_var_tabulation plugin. It should be able to output a 2d matrix. The difficult part is making the interface easy. Perhaps two varslots: "Group by:", and "Group separatly by:".


Abatty: A Q-Q/Normality plot in the Scatterplot dialog would be awesome. The only place I can find that in RKWard seems to be one of the options in the Scatterplot Matrix dialog.

Abatty: It would be very helpful if the Scatterplot pulled axis labels from the Label header, or, if empty, the variable name itself, for the variable by default. Right now you have to enter labels manually. This results in me getting a lot of test answers labeled "Xrange" and "Yrange," which I still give full marks for if they are obviously the right variables.

Note

The whole scatterplot dialog is just crying for a complete redesign (around an <optionset>-element).


For the scatterplot, here my draft-y redesign:

Concept:

  • there are two main areas in tabs: Values and General Options (the latter name is bad, we need something better)
    • Tab "Values" holds everything connected to values-to-be-plotted
      • All x/y Value-Pairs are set and configured in and optionset.
        • Each option holds one x/y pair. Thus it is easy to just plot one pair of we present an already expanded option in the set. In the (probably less-standard case) of plotting several value-pairs, the user just adds one option.
        • In each option for a x/y-Pair there are the settings for its color and style etc.
    • Tab "General Options" holds the standard plot options like axis, title etc.
  • Below all this there is the preview-option which is sort of affected (or rather: creates a preview affected) with anything else (and is thus not part of a values or general options, but more on the level of the actions like "submit" "cancel" "show code", etc.)

Outputs

Abatty: Exporting outputs is the area of the most confusion for my students. The only option for getting things out of the output is to export the entire giant HTML file, which still just pulls graphics from the invisible .rkward directory. To get a histogram out to submit for my test (I give tests with Moodle), the process is:

  1. Export the output to HTML.
  2. Open the output in your browser.
  3. Locate the desired graphic on the giant page of everything you've
  ever done with the software ever, unless you've flushed the output, but you
  were afraid to do that so it's still there.
  4. Right-click the graphic and save it to a file.
  5. Upload it to Moodle.

Abatty: A big part of this, of course, is that RKWard is running KDE, not the host OS, really. But this is a lot of steps for an undergrad or not-terribly-savvy user to complete correctly. Every time I've taught with RKWard, whether it be to undergrads or colleagues, everyone gets lost here. They can see the graphic right there in front of them. They don't understand why they can't just export it directly from the output (they'd love to just drag it out, but I point out that even SPSS doesn't do this, and JMP is a pain, too).

Abatty: Even I, as a pretty confident user of RKWard, find this to be a massive PITA, and what I do is just navigate to the .rkward directory and keep it open as I work, sorted by date, and just copy stuff out of there as needed. But even when I show people this workaround, they invariably MOVE things out of that directory and then cry, "Where did it gooooooo???" the next time they open RKWard.

Tfry: Not to say that this solves, everything, but dragging out graphics (to file browser, or openoffice) works just fine, here. What are the symptoms on Mac, when you try to do so? - Do you see a drag symbol / mouse pointer at all? - Does the drag symbol disappear when leaving the RKWard window? - Does the target refuse to accept the drop?

Note

With a bit of luck, the drag-and-drop issues will be fixed by the (post-0.6.3) port from KHMTL to QtWebKit. Check this.
UPDATE: Yes, it is fixed, one can right-click and save images and drag-drop them too.--Jand (talk) 21:44, 20 November 2015 (UTC)


Abatty: The whole system is extremely unwieldy and unintuitive, and what it means is that I get a lot of screenshots of RKWard on the tests. Even of the tabular outputs!

Abatty: This, I suspect, is a much bigger fix. What I would love to see, though, is that output HTML file and the associated images be in a folder with the workspace if saved, similar to how it works in SPSS, but less locked down and headache-inducing. So perhaps you open RKWard up to just play with some ideas, as I often do, and then opt to discard the workspace on close. While you're working on an unsaved workspace, the behavior is the same as now, but when you close it, the output files are also discarded. If you save the workspace, however, it creates a folder containing the R and RKWard workspace files, the same as now, but also a folder containing the outputs. Loading that workspace later will use that output folder instead. This solves the problem of an endless scroll of everything you've ever done with the software because if you even need one thing in there, you can't flush it, and makes it much easier to find things later. The current HTML-based output system is wonderful in that it can be opened in your browser and all the graphics files are already "exported" to PNG, but since they are locked away in an invisible directory, and necessarily chained to everything else you've ever done, it makes it very hard to get information out of it.

Abatty: Last comment about the outputs is one that has already come up here before: The tables are, by and large, very ugly. There needs to be more of a margin inside cells, and it would be nice if there were borders by default. Also, many of them have far, far too many decimal places. The contingency table/crosstabs are the worst for this. If any of the values need decimal places, they all get them. So even though most of the cells are actually just counts/sums, they all have approximately one million zeros behind them. It's just very hard to read.

Note

Some of this was improved on: Added margins inside cells, fewer issues of excessive digits printing. The issue in crosstabs is still unresolved.


Import

CSV: Call the file selector

Before any option makes any sense, the file needs to be loaded. So flow-wise it would make sense to open the file picker right away. It also would match user expectations, since it is standard in many other applications.

Data Picker

The data picker target (the field you "put" the selected value from the list of data objects in) belongs function-wise to the list of data items and the green "put it there" button(s). Because of constraint space it is often placed on top or below other options. In this (frequent) case, it (visually) groups with the other (not directly data-picker-related) options, rather then the data picker list and it’s button.

Possible Fix: A consistent position for the data picker target. It sometimes appears below- sometimes on top of other options. It would be great to have some coherence, since it would ease learning and make other (more complicated) fixes less needed.

The Data Picker Target is sometimes above, sometimes below other options (at least concerning plots, the positioning in analysis is more consistent

Note

This has been improved for some problematic dialogs. See https://mail.kde.org/pipermail/rkward-devel/2015-October/004220.html .


Workspace

Basic Design

Note

This is obsolete now, I think. The Workspace has a new UI that incorporates many of the suggestions here (11/15) --Jand (talk) 10:00, 13 November 2015 (UTC)