Boolean Chart Redesign

[Max Kanat-Alexander]

On 07/19/2010 05:00 PM, Bernd Groh wrote:
> As to how much less confusing this query
> would be, looking at it, it actually appears even more confusing to me.

	Well, sure, but you wouldn't be looking at the query parameters. You'd
be looking at the UI where there were actual parentheses and AND/OR
written visibly, with indentation and so forth, if that's the UI you
wanted to use. But see below for my note on where there will be a
simpler input method.

> What I'd like to ask, is whether we really need to distribute the query
> over so many different parameters. Wouldn't there be a way to simply
> have the url, to use above example, look like this:
> [snip]

	Well, but why force parsing into an API when you can have discrete
elements?

> boolean_query=( (bug_id = 1 AND short_desc = 'a') OR NOT (bug_id = 2 AND
> short_desc =
> 'b') ) AND priority = 'Low'

	That is more or less exactly how Quicksearch will work once I'm done.
So there will be support for that, but it won't be the primary API. The
parsing adds significant complexity that doesn't need to be there if we
just have discrete parameters in the ultimate backend API.

	Also, some people may not be aware of this, but in future versions of
Bugzilla, the "Summary" box on the Advanced Search page will very likely
become a Quicksearch box. So you can construct your queries there in
addition to using the normal discrete fields.

> And no, I don't necessarily expect everyone to agree with me, but I
> figured I may as well throw out there what I'd like to have it look
> like. And I really don't care what the back-end looks like as long as it
> can deal with valid boolean queries (preferably submitted in a single
> parameter).

	Well, it is possible that at some point in the future, the current
"boolean charts" UI could be replaced with a Quicksearch query builder.
But that wouldn't be a first step.

	-Max
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