Extreme coding workshop

Tick-tock….

Extreme coding• A ‘just get it done’ mode

– don’t know the language?• learn it! The basics are the same

– a loop is a loop is a loop

– don’t know how to do a specific thing?• look it up, and get it done!!!!

• We will skip some of the official steps of the system life cycle– focus will be on the design and development of the

forms and code behind the forms– selected functionality will be targeted initially

• selection of different functionalities and span of design and coding considerations

• time permitting, we will revisit and develop more of the application

Scenario

• Build an investigative case management system– Utopia Police Dept’s Detective Squad

• keep track of investigations of complaints– maintain status of investigations– monitor investigative activity– produce reports– etc…

Sample screen

UPD

• Utopia Police Department– Four (4) precincts

• 001,002,003,004

– each precinct has a detective squad• referred to as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th squads

• The precinct is a command

• The squad is a separate command

What is a case?• Investigation based on a complaint received at the

UPD precinct (4 pcts)– complaints are numbered sequentially within each precinct

• starts at “1” with the new year

• Not all complaints result in investigations• Most (but not all) investigations are based on a NYS

penal code infraction• each case uniquely identified within each detective

squad by a case number– starts at “1” with the new year– case number is not the same as the complaint number– case may be based on complaint from another precinct

• cases must be uniquely identifiable

Who works in the squad?• Uniformed (investigators and investigative

supervisors)– Capt– Det Lt (CDS)– Lt– Det Sgt (SDS)– Sgt– Detective 1st (Det1)– Detective 2nd (Det2)– Detective 3rd (Det3)– Police Officer (PO)

• Civilian (clerical)– Administrative Aide (AA)– Principal Administrative Aide (PAA)

Access Levels• New case

– Anyone with authorization

• Deletions– Supervisory (Sgt or above) uniforms with

authorization

• Edits– Supervisory (Sgt or above) uniforms with

authorization

• Case “Sign-off”– Supervisory (Sgt or above) uniforms with

authorization

Form• Splash screen

– initial screen– announces application– presents Visual content while “housework” is performed (as

opposed to blank screen)

• Consider a “Main Form”, or “Switchboard Form”– presents a logo (optional)– allows user interaction to major functions of application

• Suggestion– Make a main form, which contains several functions

• “Login” is one of these functions– all other functions (other than ‘quit’) will be disabled until login

completed successfully

• Personnel function– allows for the administration of system personnel (users)

Major (high level) functions

• Login– allows a user access to other application functions

• Cases– enter, view, query cases

• Personnel– administer personnel

• System– perform maintenance on system tables

• import, export, backup, defaults, etc…

• Quit

Task• Build a form allowing the user to:

– display, enter, modify, delete personnel in the system– minimum fields for each personnel record:

• Rank, Last name, First name, Employee ID#, Command assigned, level of access

• Access levels– Administrator: clearance for all SYSTEM functions– User: discriminate between view, enter, modify and delete– Can someone be both?.... Yes for this application

– you must check for valid entries• disallow if not “legal” or missing required field

– should the user start over?» or should you simply flag which field is bad..?

– who should be able to access this new form once it’s available?• if nobody in the system is “privileged”, then how do the users initially

enter personnel information?• Is this the only personnel function?

– if so, bring this up when “Personnel” selected from “MAIN form”• otherwise, a sub-menu (new form) needs to be selected

Windows management of Forms

• SDI versus MDI– single document interface

• each form is independent– if calling form is closed, the new form remains

• can be placed anywhere on screen– even outside border of the form which invokes it

– multiple document interface• invoked by a form’s code• new form is a ‘child’ form

– contained within the boundaries of the parent– if parent is closed, then all children go away with it

Windows management of Forms

• Modality– Form “A” opens Form “B” as ‘modal’

• Form “B” must be closed before user can interact with other forms/windows on the screen

– example:• pop-up error message requesting “Yes, No, or

Cancel”– respond or close that window in order to continue

with any other window

Displaying of Forms• Open

– form is brought into memory (loaded) and displayed to user

• Close– from is removed from memory (and view), unavailable

• Show and Hide– form remains in memory, but controls user visibility of form

• Load– brought into memory but not displayed (subsequently

displayed by “showing” it)

• Unload– taken out of memory

Storyboarding• Drawing of forms

– functions on each form• Arrows pointing to other forms

– icons can determine which objects allow user interaction• buttons, drop-down lists (list box, combo box) check or radio

buttons, text box or other text entry box, tabbed forms, tree listings, etc…

– allows for rapid development of the form• consistency• preview of users’ experience and usability

– Visual tool depicting the “WHAT” to be done, not the “HOW”• Develop a hierarchical picture of form flow (and

function flow)– if a ‘called form’ pointed to by a calling form should not allow

backward transferal (unless it’s closed) to another form, then it should be “Modal”

Data

• The database for the application is currently maintained in an MS-Access 2003 database– tables are already developed– personnel table is “MOS” (member of the

service)– linked tables

• Ranks• Cmds