DigitalSpace / Elixir: WorkTop Proof of Concept

Click to find entire WorkTop concept sketch

WorkTop Proof of Concept

The purpose of this Proof of Concept (POC) is to produce a rapidly prototyped "Worktop" or "Webtop" (our working title) which is a web-based version of the Elixir Desktop (plus a lot more as you shall see). That is, if the \elixir\forms, \fonts, etc directory structure is parked on a company server space with web access the Worktop will provide a listing of these files in some kind of hierarchical tree view (similar to the views in MP and Elixir products). From that point we will then be able to implement a number of services useful to the DPTools Elixir customer base including:

File and folder management: delete, copy, paste, rename, convert files between formats

Version/Revision management and change tracking of any resource (database records to be associated with files)

Check out/Check in: allowing designers to check out resources, locking the file to other editing sessions and then permitting checking back in. This might be implemented by simply the Worktop citizen to download a copy of a resource for local edit then uploading the changed form (with automated versioning.. keeping an old copy).

Some sort of mechanism to have the direct launching of an Elixir DPTools editor from within the Worktop for resources (this might require us to code programs like the form designer as an ActiveX control, do you have anyone there with that skillset?). With a built in DPTools ActiveX component we actually have a distributed edit/design capability.

From the outset the Worktop would enable account establishment, and tracking of all logged-in users, recording their activities for a site administrator (the workplace manager). After the file listing/management function is proved, we would immediately build a "people" feature set similar to MP which permits the reporting of online presence and messaging/chat between Worktop members. We would next move on to include a series of proof of concept features including:

A workflow/processes function for document designers

Integrated setup wizards and controls for a variety of Elixir capabilities (such as Opus document formatting, tagging, data merging, hooks to enterprise databases, and PDF archive generation and presentment, all driven by triggers and timed agents

Embedded web-based, 24/7 communications with Elixir professional services personnel who will be building custom workflows for Worktop-equipped Elixir installations. Users may even be able to communicate with other Elixir sites equipped with Worktops.

A library of constantly updated tips and tutorials, as well as news updates from the emerging system and community.

For now it would be wonderful if we could concentrate on the listing of file objects and hierarchical folders. Dave has some advice on doing this with a combination of php/javascript. Feel free to email him about that.

Thats it for now, I hope that helps us get started! I will be building a site with a specification page soon and will reproduce this initial roadmap there. Once we are able to get this basic file listing function going (hopefully by next week) I will be promoting an agressive schedule to get as much done on the Worktop POC leading up to the Xplor conference at the end of October. We can do regular reviews of the platform online and meet in MP/TalkSpace.

Ed Regan will come in with a fine UI/user experience treatment partway into this. We may opt to have you embed some of our MeetingPage technologies within this plain vanilla web implementation sometime before presentation at Xplor.

Back to White Box Concept Development Pages