multiple selection

[oliver-sanders]

Cylc 7

We currently have multiple selection in the tree view in the Cylc7 GUI.

This system works by iterating over the gtk.TreeView model to work out what's selected, but with one small twist, if you select a family you are implicitly selecting all of the tasks within that family.

To explain, if you select the following:

  flow(foo)
   cycle(1)
^     family(A)
|       task(a1)
v       task(a2)
        task(a3)
      task(b1)
    cycle(2)
      family(A)

You will be operating tasks a1, a2 & a3 because family A is included in the selection.

Cylc 8

In Cylc8 we should open this multiple selection up to all Cylc views.

Q1) What is the primary focus of the selection. If we open the context menu should we see mutations relevant to workflows, cycles, families, tasks or jobs?
Q2) What is contained the expected selection.

Example 1 - single selection

x  flow(foo)
     cycle(1)
       family(A)
         task(a1)

Option 1 (complete tree):
Q1) tasks
Q2) a1.1

Option 3 (only tree leaves):
Q1) workflows
Q2) foo

Example 2 - single-level selection

   flow(foo)
x    cycle(1)
       family(A)
         task(a1)
         task(a2)
         task(a3)
       task(b1)
x    cycle(2)
       family(A)

Option 1 (complete tree):
Q1) tasks
Q2) all tasks in cycles 1 and 2

Option 3 (only tree leaves):
Q1) cycles
Q2) 1, 2

Example 3 - multi-level selection

^  flow(foo)
|    cycle(1)
|      family(A)
|        task(a1)
v        task(a2)
         task(a3)
       task(b1)
     cycle(2)
       family(A)

Option 1 (complete tree):
Q1) tasks
Q2) a1, a2, a3, b1

Option 2 (single level in tree):
Q1) tasks
Q2) a1, a2, a3

Option 3 (only tree leaves):
Q1) tasks
Q2) a1, a2

Example 4 - just to be awkward

  flow(foo)
    cycle(1)
      family(A)
        task(a1)
          job(01)
^         job(02)
|       task(a2)
v         job(01)
          job(02)

Q1) jobs
Q2)
* Option 1: a1.02, a2.01, a2.02
* Option 3: a1.02, a2.01

Use Cases

• Kill/trigger/expire all tasks in a family/cycle

Questions

• Does it actually make sense to have consistency in the behaviour of multiple selection between views or should each one handle this in its own way?
• Should we actually display options for each different object type (i.e. provide the user with multiple interpretations of the selection).
• How should we go about this, remembering that this model needs to work in views where nodes are not displayed in a tree (e.g. the graph view).
• Which of the options above seem the most logical?
• Any other edge cases?
• Any other ideas?

[oliver-sanders]

FYI I think I'm leaning towards a hybrid solution using the root and leaves of the selection.

E.g. if you right clicked on this selection:

^  flow(foo)
|    cycle(1)
|      family(A)
|        task(a1)
v        task(a2)
         task(a3)
       task(b1)
     cycle(2)
       family(A)

You would see:

• workflow foo
  • stop
  • hold
  • ...
• 7 tasks
  • expire
  • trigger
  • hold
  • ...