feed reader

Rationale

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 14:44:04 GMT

There are no Free Software feed reader user interface.

Re-using http://tt-rss.spb.ru/demo/tt-rss.php would be a "lipstick on a pig" situation - it is possible to create a skin looking somewhat like google reader for tt-rss, but it won't change the fact that while the applications are solving one actual problem - reading RSS feeds online - they are very different under the hood, with different design choices made and different ideas of UI interaction. You'd have to rewrite a LOT of code. I can't help but think that it would actually be easier to start from blank page (there is nothing hard about wrting an rss reader, a competent web programmer would code it with unit tests and everything) than adapt tt-rss codebase.

Regarding the concern of legal (or moral) rights to clone the interface of a software application, here is what Pamela Samuelson wrote in WHY THE LOOK AND FEEL OF SOFTWARE USER INTERFACES
SHOULD NOT BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW http://yocto-reader.flouzo.net/samuelson-look-and-feel.pdf:

For one thing, a look and feel test for copyright infringement does not al.low one to edit out those aspects of an interface that are not original to the copyright owner. Section 103 of the copyright law says that a copyright gives an author rights to protect only that which is original to him or her. This is significant in the software user interface cases because much of what Apple now claims as distinctive features of its MacIntosh user interface style were derived from user in terface designs and concepts developed at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center. Similarly, much of what Lotus now claims to own about the Lotus l-2-3 user interface was adopted by Lotus from the successful VisiCalc program, the first prototype of the spreadsheet program. If unoriginal material is not protectable by copyright, then it should not be inadvertently swept back in by application of a look and feel test.

Links

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:10:00 GMT

Loic Dachary <mailto:loic@dachary.org>

http://www.google.com/reader
http://feedonfeeds.com/
http://tt-rss.spb.ru/demo/tt-rss.php

12 Statecharts variables

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 06:58:00 GMT

Reference Label	Variable	Type	Used In/By	Description
V.SS	SortString	String	( I.IV)(R.L)	Used to define what Items to populate a ItemList with, usually defined via a subscription title, the list is then populated as such with items which come form the matching subscription
V.SV	SubscriptionView	Bool	(I.IV)(R.L)(RV.LV)	A boolean variable that when a evListView occurs will activate the RV.LV.SU State if True
V.HV	HomeView	Bool	(R.L)(RV)	A boolean variable that when a evListView occurs will activate the RV.H State if True
V.SRV	SearchResultsView	Bool	(R.L)(RV)	A boolean variable that when a evListView occurs will activate the RV.SR State if True
V.FDV	FeedDiscoveryView	Bool	(R.L)(RV)	A boolean variable that when a evListView occurs will activate the RV.FD State if True
V.AV	AllItemsView	Bool	(R.L)(RV)	A boolean variable that when a evListView occurs will activate the RV.LV.A State if True
V.TV	TrendsView	Bool	(R.L)(RV)	A boolean variable that when a evListView occurs will activate the RV.T State if True
V.TAGV	TagView	Bool	(R.L)(RV)	A boolean variable that when a evListView occurs will activate the RV.LV.T State if True
V.SHAREV	SharedView	Bool	(R.L)(RV)	A boolean variable that when a evListView occurs will activate the RV.LV.SH State if True
V.STARV	FeedDiscoveryView	Bool	(R.L)(RV)	A boolean variable that when a evListView occurs will activate the RV.LV.ST State if True
V.HP	HomePage	String	(R.L)(R.S.P)	A string used to prefix View to create a variable for a HomePage which will set the coresponding boolean State Variable True so that upon start up that page is displayed
V.PV	PreviousView	Bool	(R.L)	Used by evReturnToReader to return to the last viewed State of RV from R.S by setting the previouse boolean State Variable to True
V.SSV	SubView	Bool	(R.S)	A boolean variable that when a evSettingsView occurs will activate the R.S.S State if True
V.SPV	PrefView	Bool	(R.S)	A boolean variable that when a evSettingsView occurs will activate the R.S.P State if True
V.STV	TagView	Bool	(R.S)	A boolean variable that when a evSettingsView occurs will activate the R.S.T State if True
V.SGV	GoodiesView	Bool	(R.S)	A boolean variable that when a evSettingsView occurs will activate the R.S.G State if True
V.SIV	ImexportView	Bool	(R.S)	A boolean variable that when a evSettingsView occurs will activate the R.S.I State if True
V.SIV	ImexportView	Bool	(R.S)	A boolean variable that when a evSettingsView occurs will activate the R.S.I State if True
V.TITLE	Title	String	All	Stores header information for all objects within the Reader, used for searches and sorting.
V.DATE	Date	String	(I.IV)	Time Stamp for when Item was posted, used for sorting and for display calls for item lists
V.NITEMS	NumItems	Int	(R.L)(RV.LV)	Number of Items contained in a list, used for display and sorting
V.NREAD	NumRead	Int	(R.L)(RV.LV)	Number of Items read in a list, used to display and sorting
V.LINK	Link	String	All	Contains a link to a location outside or within the Reader, used in all Items to containt a link directly to the Items site
V.IREAD	Read	Bool	(I.IV)	Toggles when evReadItem occurs, signifies if the item is read or not and is used for display and sorting
V.ISHARE	Shared	Bool	(I.IV)	Toggles when evShareItem occurs, signifies if the item is shared or not and is used for display and sorting
V.ISTAR	Starred	Bool	(I.IV)	Toggles when evStarItem occurs, signifies if the item is Starred or not and is used for display and sorting
V.NTAG	NumTags	Int	(R.S)	Records number of Tags, used for display and sorting
V.NSUB	NumSubscriptions	Int	(R.S)	Records number of Subscriptions, used for display and sorting

LIST OF ACTIONS

Reference Label	Object	State	Action	Description	Occurs by (clicking)
R	Reader			The main Reader, a menu which allows you to perform various functions upon your feeds
R.L		List		The state in which you may view your feeds or other various pages within the Reader
R.L.0			evOpen	Starting event, occurs upon opening of the Reader
R.L.1			evHome	Sets HomeView to True and causes an evListView	Home on the menu
R.L.2			evAddSub	Allows you to search for feeds via a keyword, sets SearchResultsView to True and causes an evListView	Add Sub on the menu
R.L.3			evRefresh	Refreshes the panel which it is in without refreshing the page	Refresh button
R.L.4			evBrowse	Sets FeedDiscoveryView to true and cuases an evListView	Browse>> in AddSub menu bar
R.L.5			evAllItems	Sets AllItemsView to true and cuases an evListView	AllItems on the Menu
R.L.6			evSubscriptionTitle	Sets SubscriptionView to true and cuases an evListView	Subscription Title in Feed List
R.L.7			evSortUpDatedorAll	Toggles the sort type from updated or all and displays as such in the feed list	Updated/All in Feed List
R.L.8			evTrends	Sets TrendsView to true and cuases an evListView	Trends on the menu
R.L.9			evTagTitle	Sets TagView to true and cuases an evListView	Tag Title in feed list
R.L.10			evStarred	Sets StarredView to true and cuases an evListView	Starred on the Menu
R.L.11			evShared	Sets SharedView to true and cuases an evListView	Shared on the menu
R.L.12			evSettings	Closes the ReaderView and expands the Reader, displaying the settings tabs	Settings on the menu, or manage subscriptions in feed list
R.L.13			evClose	Closes Reader	Closing Reader
R.S		Settings		The state in which you may group your feeds and tags for management and you may acess special features or change your settings
R.S.0			evSubTab	Sets SubView to true and cuases an evSettingsView	Sub. Tab in Settings
R.S.1			evPrefTab	Sets PrefView to true and cuases an evSettingsView	Pref. Tab in Settings
R.S.2			evTagTab	Sets TagView to true and cuases an evSettingsView	Tags Tab in Settings
R.S.3			evGoodiesTab	Sets GoodiesView to true and cuases an evSettingsView	Goodies Tab in Settings
R.S.4			evImexportTab	Sets ImexPortView to true and cuases an evSettingsView	Im/Export Tab in Settings
R.S.5			evClose	Closes Reader	Closing Reader
R.S.6			evReturnToReader	Returns you to the previous ReaderViewer Page by setting the previous view Boolean to true. This transitions you to R.L from R.S	Return to Reader link in the Settings Page
R.S.S		Settings-Subscriptions		Substate of Settings State, it allows management of subscriptions
R.S.S.0			displaySubList	Gathers and displays current Subscription List
R.S.S.1			evFilter	Filters the subscription list using a String	Entering data into the top right field
R.S.S.2			evRename	Renames Subscription	Rename in Subscription
R.S.S.3			evAddTag	Adds a tag, or allows user to create tag to add to subscription	AddTag pull down menu in subscription
R.S.S.4			evDelete	Removes subscription form your subscription list	TrashCan
R.S.S.5			evTagSeleceted	Adds a tag to the selected subscriptions	Pull down menu in tab
R.S.S.6			evDeleteSelected	Removes selected subscriptions from your subscription list	Button in Tab
R.S.S.7			evSelect	Adds/Removes subscription to selected list	Check box
R.S.S.8			evSettingsView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig1.Settings	Any Tab
R.S.T		Settings-Tags		Substate of Settings State, allows management of tags
R.S.T.0			displayTagList	Gathers and idsplays current Tag List
R.S.T.1			evShare	Toggles Sharing of Items with Tag	Share Icon Button
R.S.T.2			evSelect	Adds/removes tag to selected list	Check box
R.S.T.3			evShareSelected	Toggles Sharing of selected list	Sharing pull down menu in tab
R.S.T.4			evDeleteSelected	Deletes selected Tags	Button in Tab
R.S.T.5			evDelete	Deletes Tag	Button in Tag
R.S.T.6			evSettingsView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig1.Settings	Any Tab
R.S.P		Settings-Preferences		Substate of Settings State, Allows you to set preferences
R.S.P.0			evRevert		Revert Link
R.S.P.1			evSetHome	Allows you to set which page ReaderViewer Will display on Startup	Pulldown Menu in tab
R.S.P.2			evScrollTracking	Toggles the evMarkAsRead to occur when scrolling past an item while in a RV.LV state
R.S.P.3			evSettingsView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig1.Settings	Any Tab
R.S.I		Settings-Im/Export		Substate of Settings State, allows you to Im/Export OPML files
R.S.I.0			evEx/ImportToOPML	Allows you to browse for a OPML file to import or will export one for you to save , both of these open up a new window	Button and Field in Tab
R.S.I.1			evSettingsView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig1.Settings	Any Tab
R.S.G		Settings-Goodies
R.S.G.0			evResource	Links within the tab which add additional functinality to the reader by adding tools to your browser, also links to adds.	Links in Tab
R.S.G.1			evSettingsView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig1.Settings	Any Tab
RV	Reader-Viewer			The object which displays content in the rightmost side of the screen, it may display specialized pages or lists of items from your subscribed feeds
RV.H		Home		State which display the Home in the Reader Viewer
RV.H.0			evDevBlog	Opens Developer blog in seperate window	link in page
RV.H.1			evTip	Opens Tip in seperate window or performs a random function of the Tip
RV.H.2			evSub	Sets SubscriptionView to true and cuases an evListView	Subscription Title in unread sub list
RV.H.3			displayTips	Displays tip window
RV.H.4			displayUnread	Displays Unread Items from your subscriptions
RV.H.5			displayRecently	Displays the most recently Starred/Shared Items
RV.H.6			evListView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig StateCharts-ReaderViewer	Any Menu Option or Return
RV.FD		FeedDiscovery		State which displays the Feed Discovery Page
RV.FD.0			evAddBlog	Allows you to add a known blog to your feeds	Add blog form
RV.FD.1			evTag	After Subscribing to a bundle allows you to view bundle. Sets TagView to true and cuases an evListView	View Link, after subscribing to bundle
RV.FD.2			evSubscribe	Subscribes to bundle	Subscribe Button in Bundle
RV.FD.3			evSearch	Allows you to search for feeds via a keyword, sets SearchResultsView to True and causes an evListView	Search form in page
RV.FD.4			evClose	May open settings if just ReaderViewer is closed for opening of Settings State, otherwise Closes Reader	Settings Link or close reader
RV.FD.5			displayBundles	Displays a group of subscription with a preset tag which may be added to your feed
RV.FD.6			evImport	Closes ReaderViewer and sets ImexPortView to true and cuases an evSettingsView	Link in page
RV.FD.7			evListView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig StateCharts-ReaderViewer	Any Menu Option or Return
RV.SR		SearchResults		State which displays search result page
RV.SR.0			doSearch	Finds and displays feeds containing results
RV.SR.1			evReturntoFD	Sets FeedDiscoveryView to true and causes an evListView	Return to Feed Discovery Link in page
RV.SR.2			evSubscribe	Adds result to your subscriptions and causes an evSubSubscribed	Button on a result
RV.SR.3			evListView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig StateCharts-ReaderViewer	Any Menu Option or Return
RV.SR.SS		SearchResults- Subscribed-Result		Result from search which has been subscribed too
RV.SR.SS.0			evAddTag	Adds a tag to subscribed result	Pull down menu on result
RV.SR.SS.1			evSubSubscribed	Activates State	Button on result before subscription
RV.SR.SS.2			evView	Displays the list of items from the subscribed subscription, sets SubscriptionView to True and causes an evListView	Link on Item
RV.SR.SS.3			evUnsubscribe	Removes subscription from your feeds	Link on Item
RV.T		Trends		State which compiles information on your reading habits and displays them in a useful way	Trends on Menu
RV.T.0			evTag	Displays Tagged Item list, sets TagView to True and causes a evListView	Links on the bottom of page
RV.T.1			evSub	Displays the subscription list for hte corresponding subscription, sets SubscriptionView to True and causes an evListView	Any subscription in the reading trends tables
RV.T.2			evClose	Displays settings or closes the entire reader	Closing reader or moving to settings
RV.T.3			display30Days
RV.T.4			evListView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig StateCharts-ReaderViewer	Any Menu Option or Return
RV.T.T		Trends-30days		Displays your reading history for the past 30 days graphically
RV.T.T.0			drawGraph	Gathers data and draws graph
RV.T.T.1			evDayTab	Changes graph to the last day	Tab above graph
RV.T.T.2			evWeekTab	Changes graph to the last week	Tab above graph
RV.T.W		Trends-Week		Displays your reading history for the past week graphically
RV.T.W.0			drawGraph	Gathers data and draws graph
RV.T.W.2			evDayTab	Changes graph to the last day	Tab above graph
RV.T.W.3			ev30dayTab	Changes graph to the last 30 days	Tab above graph
RV.T.D		Trends-Day		Displays your reading history for the past day graphically
RV.T.D.0			drawGraph	Gathers data and draws graph
RV.T.D.1			ev30dayTab	Changes graph to the last 30 days	Tab above graph
RV.T.D.2			evWeekTab	Changes graph to the last week	Tab above graph
RV.T		Trends		State which compiles information on your reading habits and displays them in a useful way	Trends on Menu
RV.T.RTR		Trends-Read		Displays a list of subscriptions which contain the most read items by number and percent
RV.T.RTR.0			evSharedTab	Switches to Shared state	Tab on list
RV.T.RTR.1			evStarredTab	Switches to Starred state	Tab on list
RV.T.RTR.2			displayTable	Gathers data and creates and displays list
RV.T.RTSH		Trends-Shared		Displays a list of subscriptions which contain the most shared items by number
RV.T.RTSH.0			evReadTab	Switches to Read state	Tab on list
RV.T.RTSH.1			evStarredTab	Switches to Starred state	Tab on list
RV.T.RTSH.2			displayTable	Gathers data and creates and displays list
RV.T.RTST		Trends-Starred		Displays a list of subscriptions which contain the most starred items by number
RV.T.RTST.0			evSharedTab	Switches to Shared state	Tab on list
RV.T.RTST.1			evReadTab	Switches to Read state	Tab on list
RV.T.RTST.2			displayTable	Gathers data and creates and displays list
RV.T.STF		Trends-FreqUpdated		Displays a list of subscriptions which update frequently by Items a day and percent
RV.T.STF.0			evInactiveTab	Switches to Inactive state	Tab on list
RV.T.STF.1			displayTable	Gathers data and creates and displays list
RV.T.STI		Trends-Inactive		Displays a list of subscriptions which appear inactive by date last updated
RV.T.STI.0			evFreqUpdatedTab	Switches to FreqUpdated state	Tab on list
RV.T.STI.1			displaytable	Gathers data and creates and displays list
RV.T.SL		Trends-Subscription List		List generated and used in displays
RV.T.SL.0			evDelete	Removes the subscription from the list and your feeds	Trash can on subscription
RV.T.SL.1			evSort	Sorts the list by top 10,20, or 40 items	Links on bottom of list
RV.T.SL.2			evGoTo>>	Moves you to the feeds site	>> on subscription
RV.T.SL.3			evSub	Displays the subscriptions items, sets SubscriptionView to true and causes a evListView	Subscription Title
RV.LV		ListView		The display of a list of items populated by matching a certain String or variable to a sort variable, such as a title or the bool variable within each item for starred and shared
RV.LV.0			evMarkAllRead	Toggles V.IREAD variable for all items in current list	Button on left
RV.LV.1			evSortAllUnread	Toggles population of the Item list with items which have V.ISHARE==False or all items	Link on left
RV.LV.2			evNextItem	Selects next item in list	Button on bottom of list
RV.LV.3			evPrevItem	Selects previous item in list	Button on bottom of list
RV.LV.4			evRefresh	Refreshes list	Button on left
RV.LV.5			evClose	List is closed due to Settings, a different RV state or a closure of the Reader	Closing reader
RV.LV.A		ListView-All		A list of all items
RV.LV.A.0			displayItemList	Populates the Item list with all items
RV.LV.A.1			evSortBy	Sorts the item by a variety of means listed in menu	Pull down menu on top right
RV.LV.A.2			evListView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig0.ListView	Occurs in R.L via menu
RV.LV.T		ListView-Tag		A list of items with a corresponding Tag
RV.LV.T.0			displayItemList	Populates the Item list with tags matching the title
RV.LV.T.1			evSortBy	Sorts the item by a variety of means listed in menu	Pull down menu on top right
RV.LV.T.2			evListView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig0.ListView	Occurs in R.L via menu
RV.LV.SH		ListView-Shared		A list of items which are shared
RV.LV.SH.0			displayItemList	Populates the Item list with items which have V.ISHARE==True
RV.LV.SH.1			evListView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig0.ListView	Occurs in R.L via menu
RV.LV.SH.2			evLink	Links to additional sharing sites	Links at the top of list
RV.LV.ST		ListView-Starred		A list of items which are starred
RV.LV.ST.0			displayItemList	Populates the Item list with items which have V.ISTAR==True
RV.LV.ST.1			evListView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig0.ListView	Occurs in R.L via menu
RV.LV.SU		ListView-Subscription		A list of items which come from the corresponding subscription in SortString
RV.LV.SU.0			displayItemList	Populates the Item list with items from subscription==SortString
RV.LV.SU.1			evListView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig0.ListView	Occurs in R.L via menu
RV.LV.SU.2			evSortBy	Sorts the item by a variety of means listed in menu	Pull down menu on top right
RV.LV.SU.3			evTag	Sets items tag	Pull down menu on top right
RV.LV.SU.4			evRename	Renames Subscription	Pull down menu on top right
RV.LV.SU.5			evDelete	Removes subscription from list, sets HomeView to True and causes an evListView
I	Item
I.IV		Item-ItemView		The item displayed in a list expanded or listed
I.IV.0			evListView	Changes the substate via conditional in Fig0.ListView signals item to be generated and displayed	Occurs in R.S via menu
I.IV.1			evShareItem	Toggles V.ISHARE	Button on item
I.IV.2			evStarItem	Toggles V.ISTAR	Button on item
I.IV.3			evReadItem	Toggles V.IREAD
I.IV.4			evFrom	Sets the corresponding SubscriptionView to True and causes an evListView, only available in a list which has items from multiple subscriptions in it	Link on Item
I.IV.5			evGoTo	Link to the items site	Items Title
I.IV.6			evEmail	Opens an email application to send the item to a friend	Button on item
I.IV.7			evAddTag	Adds an existing/new tag to an item	Button on item

03 Reader Object and States

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 01:24:00 GMT

The Reader has two main states, the List State and the Settings State. While in the List State the Reader Viewer is active and the Reader is displayed as a small menu on the left, it contains menu selections to change the view of the Reader Viewer and a list of the users Feeds.

Screenshots of Reader States


R.L:List	R.S:Settings

Screenshots of Settings States


R.S.S:Subscriptions	R.S.T:Tags

R.S.P:Preferences	R.S.I:Im/Export

Summary

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:36:00 GMT

This application can be divided into two main aspects. The Reader itself, which is the menu bar on the left side and the Reader Viewer, the display on the right side of the application which may contain a varied set of information. The Reader controls what states the Reader Viewer enters and also contains the settings for the application.

A well known similar product is the google feed reader.

11 List View States

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 04:11:00 GMT

The List View State contains several sub-states which allow it to display lists of items gathered from the subscriptions. These views are sorted by a different means which define the States. The different ways to sort the items which are found in subscriptions are as follows: Whether or not they are starred, shared, under a certain tag, or belong to a certain subscription and the option to view all items irregardless of the sorting methods. Each of these views may also be sorted to only view unread items or all of them. The Starred View displays items which are starred in a list format. The Starred variable allows the user to mark items they enjoy for later viewing and so the user can find them easily. Whenever an item is displayed within a list the user may star the item setting the starred variable to true and marking it as a special item or remove the star from the item. This is a convention used by Google to allow users to mark items for later reading or to remind them that they found the item interesting. The Shared View displays all items which the user has marked as shared. The Shared variable connotes sharing, which allows the user to broadcast this item onto a private page and allows other users using Google Reader to see the shared item. Sharing may be set on any item displayed in a list view. Another State is the All Items View, which allows the user to see all subscribed items. The last remaining two views are the Subscription View and the Tag View, these views populate the list with items from the subscription or marked by a certain tag. The Subscription View displays all items from one subscription and displays the list of items. This state is activated when the user clicks on a subscription out of the subscription list in the Reader. The Tag View is exactly the same except it may contain multiple subscriptions with the same tag.

Screenshots of Item View States

I.IV:ItemView

Screenshots of List View States


RV.LV.A:All	RV.LV.T:Tag	RV.LV.SH:Shared


RV.LV.ST:Starred	RV.LV.SU:Subcription

07 Feed Discovery

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 04:06:00 GMT

The Feed Discovery page is a way to help new users get used to the idea of subscribing to feeds and help them by showing them examples of good feeds. Sample feeds which Google suggests for the user to subscribe too are displayed as examples. These feeds are bundled into groups because of their similar content, such as News or Sports bundles. You may then subscribe to these bundles and they will be added to the users subscription list under a Tag. Also the user may search for more feeds from this page which brings the user to the search results page or the user may add a known blog to their subscribed feeds. If the user knows the user name and blogsite of a certain blog they may add it directly here, example sites which are compatible are Xanga, Blogger and Live Journal.

Screenshots of Feed Discovery States


RV.FD:FeedDiscovery	RV.SR:SearchResults	RV.SR.SS:Subscribed Results

06 Reader Viewer Object and States

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 04:05:00 GMT

The Reader Viewer itself has five main display options. There are four special states, Trends View, Home View, Feed Discovery, and Search Results. The last state is the most used state and this is the list view. This state in itself has its own special states most of which are related to the way they are sorted.

Screenshots of Reader Viewer States


RV.T:Trends	RV.H:Home	RV.LV:ListView

09 Trends

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 01:14:00 GMT

The Trends View displays the reading trends of the user over different periods of time, the time intervals vary form the previous day, to the past week, to the past thirty days. The user can quickly take stock of what subscriptions he reads the most or the least and which subscriptions update infrequently. These lists are displayed in tables and graphs. The user can decide if the subscription is supplying too much or too little information from the tables. Using this information the user can easily manage their subscriptions even from this page, as they can delete subscriptions directly form their tables which show their statistics.

Screenshots of Tends View


RV.T.T:30 Days	RV.T.W:Week	RV.T.D:Day

Reading Trends


RV.T.RTR:Read	RV.T.RTST:Starred	RV.T.RTSH:Shared

Subscription Trends


RV.T.STF:freqUpdated	RV.T.STI:Inactive

04 Settings States

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 03:36:00 GMT

While in the Settings State all actions that may occur in the State are preloaded with java-script. The settings page allows the user to edit subscriptions and remove them form their list. The user may also add or remove tags, tags are markers used for sorting the subscriptions and by the user to describe subscriptions and group them by tags created by the user either to signify content similarity or any other abstraction the user wishes to group subscriptions under. Also within the settings page is a tool which allows the user to import a set of feeds from a web aggregation application the user may have used in the past. The Importer uses a standard OPML format and gives the user a link to an outside site to learn more about OPML files (http://www.google.com/help/reader/faq.html#export). It also allows the user to export a list of feeds for use in another application or to send to other users this export function exports the feeds into a OPML file. There is also a menu option which displays useful extras and functions available to the user through Google Reader. See Fig 1.Settings for a list of menu options and the attached action appendix for a list of actions in each state and menu.

Screenshots of Settings States


R.S.S:Subscriptions	R.S.T:Tags

R.S.P:Preferences	R.S.I:Im/Export

13 Object Diagram

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:40:00 GMT

Reader

Reader Viewer

14 Statecharts

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:40:00 GMT

08 Search Results

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:39:00 GMT

The Search Results Page displays feeds which match the keyword given by the user and finds them using a Google search algorithm. The user can click on the feed and subscribe to it directly form this page. The user may also view the feed after they have subscribed to it, tag it, or delete it.

10 Home

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:39:00 GMT

The Home View, which is type of home page for the Reader which tells the user about there recently shared and starred items. Shows them a number of their unread items and gives them news on the development of the Google Reader. It also displays a section called Tips&Tricks which displays some shortcuts and extras of Google Reader.

Implementation

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:38:00 GMT

01 Overview

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:38:00 GMT

Google Reader is a Google Web Application, it's purpose and design is to aggregate entries to sites using feeds. The Reader allows a user to subscribe to these feeds and catalogs them for the user. The Reader then displays the information in a useful manner to the user, and records how the user accesses and utilizes the information.

02 Application Structure

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:38:00 GMT

05 List States

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:38:00 GMT

While in the List State the Reader will display a list of the users subscriptions which is collapsible and interactive. Selecting a tag or subscription will display a list of items which are either from the subscription or tagged by the same tag. This list also counts and displays the number of unread items in each subscription or tag and allows the user to sort it by unread items or all. In between the main menu and the subscription list of the Reader while in List State is a Add Subscription Utility. By typing in a keyword the user may search for feeds which match this keyword by using Google's search engine. The results are displayed via the Reader Viewer, an additional page is accessible from this form. The Feed Discovery Page which, introduces the user into the world of feeds. All pages are covered in their own sections within the Reader Viewer States section.

Scope

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:15:00 GMT

Implementors of the feed reader

Design

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:15:00 GMT

The user experience must be identical to the google feed reader.