Polltrack

[Michael Allan]

While Conseo is coding the talk track, I thought I might start on the
polltrack.  I picture something very simple: a thin row of poll views
just high enough to be tracked horizontally by the mouse:


  --------------------------------------------------------  polltrack


Here are the main design points:

  * Poll views ordered alphabetically based on the last component of
    the poll name.  So "G/p/sandbox" begins with "s", for example.

  * Overflow on the right is hidden.  Later a pager will be coded,
    and indeces for quick traversal, but these aren't needed yet.

  * Each little poll view is rectangular with rounded edges, like a
    mosaic tile.

  * Each is filled with colour according to issue type (plan, law,
    executive office, etc).  http://zelea.com/w/Category:Issue

  * The view for the currently staged (selected) poll is enlarged.  So
    is the poll under the mouse:


            staged poll
               /
      --------=----------------=--------------------
                              /
                      poll under mouse


  * Polls are filtered by the geotrack (when coded).  So if the
    geotrack is anchored in Italy, then you see only polls with
    divisions in Italy.  http://zelea.com/w/Property:Division

    That is deep scoping, which is the default.  There is also shallow
    scoping where only the polls for Italy *as a whole* are shown.
    (The scoping control will be on the geotrack, not the polltrack.)

  * The staged poll is sticky and cannot be filtered away, regardless
    of scope.  So if a Venetian poll is staged and the geotrack is
    re-anchored on Tuscany, then the Venetian poll will remain in the
    polltrack (suitably decorated as an outlier) surrounded by Tuscan
    polls.  Further, unstaging the Venetian poll (de-selecting it), it
    will remain visible, allowing it to easily be restaged.


Once we have a polltrack, we can stage the home page, and maybe the
mailing list.  Please let me know if you foresee any problems.

-- 
Michael Allan

Toronto, +1 416-699-9528
http://zelea.com/