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EPP/Obsolete/Framework for Visual Analytics of user tracking information
Contents
Abstract
The purpose of this project is to create a framework for the visual analysis of user interactions for applications built on the Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP) and Eclipse Rich Ajax Platform (RAP). The framework was built using the mechanism of the Usage Data Collector from the Eclipse Packaging Project (EPP) as a data source. The framework can display data collected by the Eclipse Data Collector in RCP-based applications and in RAP-based Ajax applications. The principal idea is to build a framework for visual analysis of clicks and the execution of actions within RCP-based applications. The framework can be operated interactively and present the statistical data via an overlay (cp. Google Analytics Site Overlay).
This project is part of 2008 Google Summer of Code.
Participants
- Student: Darko Varju
- Mentor: Markus Knauer
Milestone plan
| Milestone | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| M1 | June 6 | Specification of data model |
| M2 | June 13 | Specification of framework architecture |
| M3 | June 27 | Expansion of Usage Data Collector |
| M4 | July 04 | Proof of concept |
| M5 | July 18 | Visualization |
| RC1 | August 1 | Bug fixing |
| RC2 | August 8 | Documentation |
Feature list
The framework consists of two main components:
The Usage Data Collector (UDC) that provides usage information and the Visual Usage Analytics (VUA) that represents the visualization. The UDC had been enhanced to run in both platforms RAP and RCP and it its gathering must track UI interactions on SWT level. VUA can be directly integrated within the application to be investigated and can be activated on demand. Its usage and its overlay must be compatible to RAP and RPC applications.
- Usage Data Collector
- compatibility to RAP and RCP by using singlesourcing techs
- tracking of the widget usage
- further recorder based on Java Message Service (JMS)
- Visual Usage Analytics
- compatibility to RAP and RCP by using singlesourcing techs
- pretty design
- fast access to control via toolbox
- extensible and flexible architecture
- queries can be added by extensions
- UI contributions to access VUA can be set in a declarative and programmatic way
- optional security component
Development progress
Getting the source
Screenshots
Demo based on RAP-Applications
The small demo shows a comparison within an application, which is built on the Eclipse Rich Ajax Platform. The usage of two functionalities that can be accessed by context menus and a toolbar are directly compared.
(For better comparableness, the two pictures had been modified, to show both context menus at once.)
Visual Usage Analytics in action.
Demo based on RCP-Applications
Ideas of improvement
Please feel free to submit proposals or comments.