[Geoserver-devel] KML and superoverlays, switch off

GeoServer GeoServer Developer
1

Hi,
following http://jira.codehaus.org/browse/GEOS-3185
I would like to draw a plan to revert back KML to refresh
mode and have people ask explicitly that they do want superoverlays.

The first step would be to have the kml reflector to default
to refresh mode as opposed to super-overlay mode (and adjust
the tests accordingly).

The second would be to make the superoverlay mode visible anyways,
somehow. On 1.7.x I guess we can add it as a further link in the
preview?
http://geo.openplans.org:8080/geoserver/mapPreview.do
Imagine a "KML (superovelay)" link among the others. There's
enough space to just add it no?

Things are different on trunk, the preview page looks like
attached and it's already quite busy.
I would like to add the superoverlay into the the "all formats"
drop down box as KML (superoverlay), however,
this requires the superoverlay to be turned into a valid WMS
output format, as the list is populated by scanning the map producers.

I guess it's doable if we create a subclass of KMLMapProducer that
does use the mime type:

application/vnd.google-earth.kml+xml; mode=superoverlay

(longest mime ever) and that forces is the superoverlay mode.

Otherwise I can decouple somehow the map producers and the
drop down UI generation, with every producer having one or
more descriptor bean that can be used to build a UI entry.

Opinions?
Cheers
Andrea

--
Andrea Aime
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Expert service straight from the developers.

(attachments)

preview.png
formats.png

2

On Thu, 2009-07-02 at 16:29 +0200, Andrea Aime wrote:

Hi,
following http://jira.codehaus.org/browse/GEOS-3185
I would like to draw a plan to revert back KML to refresh
mode and have people ask explicitly that they do want superoverlays.

The first step would be to have the kml reflector to default
to refresh mode as opposed to super-overlay mode (and adjust
the tests accordingly).

The second would be to make the superoverlay mode visible anyways,
somehow. On 1.7.x I guess we can add it as a further link in the
preview?
http://geo.openplans.org:8080/geoserver/mapPreview.do
Imagine a "KML (superovelay)" link among the others. There's
enough space to just add it no?

Things are different on trunk, the preview page looks like
attached and it's already quite busy.
I would like to add the superoverlay into the the "all formats"
drop down box as KML (superoverlay), however,
this requires the superoverlay to be turned into a valid WMS
output format, as the list is populated by scanning the map producers.

I guess it's doable if we create a subclass of KMLMapProducer that
does use the mime type:

application/vnd.google-earth.kml+xml; mode=superoverlay

(longest mime ever) and that forces is the superoverlay mode.

Otherwise I can decouple somehow the map producers and the
drop down UI generation, with every producer having one or
more descriptor bean that can be used to build a UI entry.

Opinions?
Cheers
Andrea

My opinion is that, while I'd like to see these options decoupled (just
for aesthetic reasons) it would be one more thing for developers of WMS
format extensions to remember, and which wouldn't break noisily if they
forgot it. So, of the options provided, +1 on adding the custom format,
with a little knot in my stomach while I vote.

A third option might be implementing the extension point for the UI, but
automatically pulling in all formats with no extra options. This would
ensure all formats show up at least once, and if there are particular
combinations of options that are interesting developers are free to
highlight them. It seems like a lot of work for just this one link,
however.

Also, unrelated to the original question: the AtomPub entry in the
formats list should be Atom (AtomPub is a protocol, Atom is a format).

--
David Winslow
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org/

3

What about just reverting back to refresh as the default and just leaving the one format link? I would be fine with people having to hack out the kml reflector url themselves for superoverlay mode, as they do for download mode.

-Justin

Andrea Aime wrote:

Hi,
following http://jira.codehaus.org/browse/GEOS-3185
I would like to draw a plan to revert back KML to refresh
mode and have people ask explicitly that they do want superoverlays.

The first step would be to have the kml reflector to default
to refresh mode as opposed to super-overlay mode (and adjust
the tests accordingly).

The second would be to make the superoverlay mode visible anyways,
somehow. On 1.7.x I guess we can add it as a further link in the
preview?
http://geo.openplans.org:8080/geoserver/mapPreview.do
Imagine a "KML (superovelay)" link among the others. There's
enough space to just add it no?

Things are different on trunk, the preview page looks like
attached and it's already quite busy.
I would like to add the superoverlay into the the "all formats"
drop down box as KML (superoverlay), however,
this requires the superoverlay to be turned into a valid WMS
output format, as the list is populated by scanning the map producers.

I guess it's doable if we create a subclass of KMLMapProducer that
does use the mime type:

application/vnd.google-earth.kml+xml; mode=superoverlay

(longest mime ever) and that forces is the superoverlay mode.

Otherwise I can decouple somehow the map producers and the
drop down UI generation, with every producer having one or
more descriptor bean that can be used to build a UI entry.

Opinions?
Cheers
Andrea

------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------

_______________________________________________
Geoserver-devel mailing list
Geoserver-devel@lists.sourceforge.net
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/geoserver-devel

--
Justin Deoliveira
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Enterprise support for open source geospatial.

4

Justin Deoliveira ha scritto:

What about just reverting back to refresh as the default and just leaving the one format link? I would be fine with people having to hack out the kml reflector url themselves for superoverlay mode, as they do for download mode.

Right, this is certainly a quicker and easier solution.

The reason I proposed more elaborate ones was to keep SuperOverlay
in a somewhat user visible position so that the hard work gone
into implementing that functionality keeps on being visible to
people using GeoServer.

On the other side, SO is something very few people need indeed,
it's actually useful only if you're trying to publish big amounts
of data on GE. But if you do, having the option somewhere that you
can see would be good, I don't think very many people actually read
the docs.

Cheers
Andrea

--
Andrea Aime
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Expert service straight from the developers.

5

Andrea Aime wrote:

Justin Deoliveira ha scritto:

What about just reverting back to refresh as the default and just leaving the one format link? I would be fine with people having to hack out the kml reflector url themselves for superoverlay mode, as they do for download mode.

Right, this is certainly a quicker and easier solution.

The reason I proposed more elaborate ones was to keep SuperOverlay
in a somewhat user visible position so that the hard work gone
into implementing that functionality keeps on being visible to
people using GeoServer.

On the other side, SO is something very few people need indeed,
it's actually useful only if you're trying to publish big amounts
of data on GE. But if you do, having the option somewhere that you
can see would be good, I don't think very many people actually read
the docs.

Yeah, my rationale is that since super overlays rarely work out of the box with a dataset I don't see much point in working very hard to have a nice one click option for people, since they will have to do work to get them to display properly anyways.

If it easy to add the one click option then sure, but it sounds like some significant refactoring/recoding is necessary to pull it, for not that much again imo.

Cheers
Andrea

--
Justin Deoliveira
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Enterprise support for open source geospatial.

6

Dumb question, but has this change/revert been documented, or should I file a JIRA?

Thanks,
Mike Pumphrey
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org

Justin Deoliveira wrote:

Andrea Aime wrote:

Justin Deoliveira ha scritto:

What about just reverting back to refresh as the default and just leaving the one format link? I would be fine with people having to hack out the kml reflector url themselves for superoverlay mode, as they do for download mode.

Right, this is certainly a quicker and easier solution.

The reason I proposed more elaborate ones was to keep SuperOverlay
in a somewhat user visible position so that the hard work gone
into implementing that functionality keeps on being visible to
people using GeoServer.

On the other side, SO is something very few people need indeed,
it's actually useful only if you're trying to publish big amounts
of data on GE. But if you do, having the option somewhere that you
can see would be good, I don't think very many people actually read
the docs.

Yeah, my rationale is that since super overlays rarely work out of the box with a dataset I don't see much point in working very hard to have a nice one click option for people, since they will have to do work to get them to display properly anyways.

If it easy to add the one click option then sure, but it sounds like some significant refactoring/recoding is necessary to pull it, for not that much again imo.

Cheers
Andrea

7

Not dumb at all :slight_smile: Looking at:

http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/google-earth/features/kmlreflector.html

It appears not. So yeah, definitely want to update the docs, so a JIRA would be welcome.

-Justin

Mike Pumphrey wrote:

Dumb question, but has this change/revert been documented, or should I file a JIRA?

Thanks,
Mike Pumphrey
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org

Justin Deoliveira wrote:

Andrea Aime wrote:

Justin Deoliveira ha scritto:

What about just reverting back to refresh as the default and just leaving the one format link? I would be fine with people having to hack out the kml reflector url themselves for superoverlay mode, as they do for download mode.

Right, this is certainly a quicker and easier solution.

The reason I proposed more elaborate ones was to keep SuperOverlay
in a somewhat user visible position so that the hard work gone
into implementing that functionality keeps on being visible to
people using GeoServer.

On the other side, SO is something very few people need indeed,
it's actually useful only if you're trying to publish big amounts
of data on GE. But if you do, having the option somewhere that you
can see would be good, I don't think very many people actually read
the docs.

Yeah, my rationale is that since super overlays rarely work out of the box with a dataset I don't see much point in working very hard to have a nice one click option for people, since they will have to do work to get them to display properly anyways.

If it easy to add the one click option then sure, but it sounds like some significant refactoring/recoding is necessary to pull it, for not that much again imo.

Cheers
Andrea

--
Justin Deoliveira
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Enterprise support for open source geospatial.

8

Mike Pumphrey ha scritto:

Dumb question, but has this change/revert been documented, or should I file a JIRA?

Nope. I did not know the kml reflector was documented to start with?
Anyways, go ahead :slight_smile:

Cheers
Andrea

--
Andrea Aime
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Expert service straight from the developers.

9

Okay. Just to make sure, the only difference is that mode=refresh is now the default (again) for KML output?

Thanks,
Mike Pumphrey
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org

Justin Deoliveira wrote:

Not dumb at all :slight_smile: Looking at:

http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/google-earth/features/kmlreflector.html

It appears not. So yeah, definitely want to update the docs, so a JIRA would be welcome.

-Justin

Mike Pumphrey wrote:

Dumb question, but has this change/revert been documented, or should I file a JIRA?

Thanks,
Mike Pumphrey
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org

Justin Deoliveira wrote:

Andrea Aime wrote:

Justin Deoliveira ha scritto:

What about just reverting back to refresh as the default and just leaving the one format link? I would be fine with people having to hack out the kml reflector url themselves for superoverlay mode, as they do for download mode.

Right, this is certainly a quicker and easier solution.

The reason I proposed more elaborate ones was to keep SuperOverlay
in a somewhat user visible position so that the hard work gone
into implementing that functionality keeps on being visible to
people using GeoServer.

On the other side, SO is something very few people need indeed,
it's actually useful only if you're trying to publish big amounts
of data on GE. But if you do, having the option somewhere that you
can see would be good, I don't think very many people actually read
the docs.

Yeah, my rationale is that since super overlays rarely work out of the box with a dataset I don't see much point in working very hard to have a nice one click option for people, since they will have to do work to get them to display properly anyways.

If it easy to add the one click option then sure, but it sounds like some significant refactoring/recoding is necessary to pull it, for not that much again imo.

Cheers
Andrea

10

Yup.

Mike Pumphrey wrote:

Okay. Just to make sure, the only difference is that mode=refresh is now the default (again) for KML output?

Thanks,
Mike Pumphrey
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org

Justin Deoliveira wrote:

Not dumb at all :slight_smile: Looking at:

http://docs.geoserver.org/1.7.x/user/google-earth/features/kmlreflector.html

It appears not. So yeah, definitely want to update the docs, so a JIRA would be welcome.

-Justin

Mike Pumphrey wrote:

Dumb question, but has this change/revert been documented, or should I file a JIRA?

Thanks,
Mike Pumphrey
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org

Justin Deoliveira wrote:

Andrea Aime wrote:

Justin Deoliveira ha scritto:

What about just reverting back to refresh as the default and just leaving the one format link? I would be fine with people having to hack out the kml reflector url themselves for superoverlay mode, as they do for download mode.

Right, this is certainly a quicker and easier solution.

The reason I proposed more elaborate ones was to keep SuperOverlay
in a somewhat user visible position so that the hard work gone
into implementing that functionality keeps on being visible to
people using GeoServer.

On the other side, SO is something very few people need indeed,
it's actually useful only if you're trying to publish big amounts
of data on GE. But if you do, having the option somewhere that you
can see would be good, I don't think very many people actually read
the docs.

Yeah, my rationale is that since super overlays rarely work out of the box with a dataset I don't see much point in working very hard to have a nice one click option for people, since they will have to do work to get them to display properly anyways.

If it easy to add the one click option then sure, but it sounds like some significant refactoring/recoding is necessary to pull it, for not that much again imo.

Cheers
Andrea

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________________________________________
Geoserver-devel mailing list
Geoserver-devel@lists.sourceforge.net
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/geoserver-devel

--
Justin Deoliveira
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Enterprise support for open source geospatial.