Problem Statement

• Existing tree views for configuration simple and static
  • easy to make mistakes (without validation)
  • bad discoverability
  • complex trees can get confusing

• Cluster configuration of anything
   
• Currently no (graphical) remote configuration in Elektra

Solution

elektra-web

• Interactive tree views
  • ​special fields created from metadata
  • validation of input
  • visualization of configuration options
  • tooltips with description
     
• Standardized configuration interface via elektra
   
• Remote configuration via elektra-web

Solution

elektra-web

server/cluster overview

Solution

elektra-web

instance creation

Solution

elektra-web

cluster creation

Solution

elektra-web

configuration tree view (work in progress)

Implementation Details

elektra-web

Implementation Details

elektra-web

• elektrad serves api for remote access to kdb
   
• clusterd maintains multiple elektrad instances and serves the client (web UI)
   
• client web UI that communicates with clusterd

Implementation Details

client

based on
React a JavaScript library for building user interfaces

• Virtual DOM (Document Object Model)
   
• React component: pure render() function
   
• Change of input variables (properties)
  • --> call render() again and diff the virtual DOM
  • --> re-render parts of the UI that changed

Implementation Details

client

based on
Redux a predictable state container for JavaScript apps

• Makes use of Functional Programming principles

  • reduce(previousValue, currentValue) => result
    
    

• reducer(previousState, action) => newState
  

Implementation Details

client

based on
React + Redux

• Redux: action --> reducer() --> new state
• React: new state --> render() --> updated UI

Research Question

• Usefulness via survey
   
• Efficiency & Effectiveness via usability test
   
• Satisfaction via questionnaire (UEQ)

Does the developed web user interface have a high usability?

(with focus on the interactive tree view)

Research Question

• Does the interactive tree view lead to better discoverability compared to generic configuration editors (like the Windows Registry Editor)?
   
• Do the special fields in the tree view reduce the amount of errors a user makes while configuring an application?
   
• Does the user interface improve the user experience, according to the User Experience Questionnaire?

Methodology

• Survey and definition of user personas
   
• Iterative design with usability tests
   
• User experience via questionnaire (UEQ)

Thanks for listening!

https://slides.com/
omnidan/remote-configuration-management

elektrad api: docs.elektrad.apiary.io

clusterd api: docs.clusterd.apiary.io

elektra-web: git.libelektra.org/tree/master/src/tools/web/

any questions?