Ideas about an integrated Poll System

Last edited by JavaWoman:
Modified links pointing to docs server
Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:14 UTC [diff]


Even if it is easy to get an open source polling system from the web, it would be better to have a Wikka integrated solution.

Requirements

- any Wikka user can create a poll by defining dedicated WikkaPages (handler?)
- the questions can be:
- the poll creator will manage who is allowed to poll or get the results (Through ACLs)
- the answers would be stored in a dedicated DB where would be stored:
- the poll creator will decide who can get access to the result (dedicated result page through ACLs):
- such a system could serve as well as a document/process validation system, or as a workflow system through a dynamic management of the ACLs (When workflow task one has been completed, then access to workflow task two page is allowed: DynamicAcls).

To Do

- Create the code :-)

Comments
Comment by GmBowen
2005-02-21 16:09:37
I've been pondering this idea myself. Given that most polling systems have graphical depictions of the data then one needs to consider what is generating the graphs. I think there's two options....one is using php with GD/graphing support (maybe something like JPGraph, or something independent for bars & pie charts maybe) or the other is using PHP & Flash. On top of that there's two other options, writing the code from scratch or adapting something else that is out there (my "norm" eh?). As to the latter, I haven't found anything to "play with" yet that I like that uses the former (and that I think can be adapted to wikka) but I have found a flash-based system that I think could be adapted (one action for entry and another for use)....see http://www.flash-db.com/Poll/....although I'm not sure it has all the functionality you're looking for. However, lots of the wikka folk here quite dislike flash so you may not want to develop using this....it does, though, offer the advantage of being able to the graphing independent of other packages (and is therefore easier to distribute & implement...and doesn't rely on GD on the server). Anyhow, hope that helps. mike
Comment by DarTar
2005-02-21 16:42:26
@Mike
There is actually a third option with no particular requirements whatsoever both on the server-side (no GD needed) and on the client-side (no Flash support needed - and nope: it's not a question of dislike, but *accessibility*).
The third way consists in having PHP print plain html with "image-bars" resized to the appropriate length. The only thing you need is a pixel-sized image and some code to scale it to a given value using standard img attributes.
Comment by ChristianBarthelemy
2005-02-21 17:23:48
My main interest is not about how to display the results, but how to organize, define and manage a vote.
Comment by JavaWoman
2005-02-21 18:13:27
Actually, it's very easy to display nice graphical poll results with just HTML + CSS, or (optionally) a small image (GIF/PNG) + HTML+CSS; but merely HTML+CSS can do it very nicely.
No GD, Flash, client-side support whatever needed, just a decent browser. :)
Comment by GmBowen
2005-02-21 19:50:38
Hmmm...you're all thinking "bar charts" obviously....some people like pie-charts for poll results.

@DarTar - Why is "accessibility" an issue with flash for you (and presumably others)? The flash plugin is accessible, and the most commonly used browsers (IE, FireFox, Opera, Netscape) are all supported. Looking for insight....
Comment by JavaWoman
2005-02-22 12:15:02
Pie charts for poll results are unusual though - and normally less clear than simple bar charts (that's a matter of perception, really: we can see differences and proportions much easier when comparing lengths).

Flash is a major accessibility issue though. It's not that the *plugin* is not "accessible", but that Flash *content* is not accessible except in rare cases, and only on a particular platform. It takes a great deal of effort (and exceptional expertise) to create accessible Flash content that is equivalent with what can easily be done with HTML + CSS. In general, most Flash "movies" don't support keyboard navigation, invent their own controls such as buttons and scrollbars that behave differently from those the browser supplies, and it isn't easy to provide alternative text (let alone localize it!) as can be done with an image and alt text in the img tag. And if you don't need interactivity (you certainly don't to present poll results!) and image will do just nicely, and plain HTML + CSS is even better and more accessible (no need to provide a long description to describe the stats in the graph when the data can be siimply presented with just HTML).
Comment by GmBowen
2005-02-22 14:05:09
re: pie charts....it depends what you're going for in the chart. Bar charts facilitate comparison of one item to another, Pie charts better portray relative proportionality to the whole. It's an extended debate regarding which is a "better" portrayal of simple poll results. (If Christian is interesting in providing pie charts as an output option, the code at http://www.geek247.net/PieChart/index.php is probably a place to start....the owner of the site has told be that the content there is "freeware" open to use by anyone).

Thanks for the description of the accessibility issues with Flash. I don't at all disagree that in the case of Polls that HTML+CSS is probably a better alternative. (although I do think a bar/pie option should exist....probably a bias from my research on how people interpret graphs and what contributes to their interpretations of the data and improves their competency at it ;) )
Comment by 64.207.28.138
2006-02-09 19:47:11
So, Christian - any progress on this? I'm looking into adding polls to my site now, and I agree it would be nice to have this within Wikka.
Comment by GmBowen
2006-02-09 22:32:48
I have a poll system that can be added as a link in the header to a handler. I'm happy to post this if it meets peoples needs. It allows both likert & open ended questions, altho' the action to allow summarizing the open-ended questions is still unwritten. Mike B
Comment by 65.100.146.206
2006-02-10 01:10:48
Mike - I'd be interested in seeing it.
Comment by GmBowen
2006-02-11 12:14:06
I'm happy to put it up....but it integrates with some other changes I've implemented and I'll have to pull it out and make it separate....so it'll be a week or so. It's a pretty complete package tho' (altho' you'll need GD working I seem to recall).
Comment by NilsLindenberg
2007-12-03 13:53:16
That depends on how good your PHP knowledge is. But since there is no code for it, at least here, you'll need to create a mysql table with the fields you need. The you can code an action which write and reads the data to/from the db. The details (and the presentation) depend on your data.
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