Allow user to specify titles and descriptions on input pages

[MattHJensen]

@feenberg said via email:

I find myself rerunning simulations rather than saving them. I should keep a list of URLs and descriptions, but I forget. At some point we might want to think about how the website could help with that.

I replied:

Agreed. Including ‘params changed’ with the output is on our to-do list now. Another step would be to allow users to log in and store what they’ve done on TaxBrain — is that what you were thinking?

@feenberg replied:

I was thinking along those lines, but I don't want to add a lot of complexity to the interface. I think a text box for a title would be necessary for any interface. Beyond that I am not so sure what it should look like. Some discussion would be useful, but are we planning any login facility? If we are, then a page with the titles of previous simulations by that login could be offered. If not, perhaps the same information could be stored in a cookie on the browser and made available. Alternatively there could be a save on the server button that would prompt for a title, but a login or cookie would still be required. Saving everything is probably the easiest.

I think allowing the user to enter a title is really important, even if I am just bouncing back and forth among tabs in the same browser session it would help keep track of which is which.

I think Dan's idea of allowing the user to enter a title for each output page is really elegant as a first step. @talumbau, would it be difficult to implement? I imagine the title would be public for anyone who goes to that url.

Later, adding a page that would allow logged in users to list their runs would also be helpful, although as Dan says, we should probably think more about how that would work.

Other ideas are very welcome as well.

[talumbau]

We already have a login facility, which I recently discovered by looking through the logs is essentially unused. I suppose that since all features of the site are available without logging in the incentive to log in is quite small. This might be our actual first feature that would incentivize people to log in for their runs. So, to start, we want the feature "ability to edit title of results page if logged in and the logged in user was the user who submitted the job." Correct?

[MattHJensen]

For adding titles, I don't think the user would need to be logged in. That would be the first step. The second step would be to allow logged in users to see a list of their runs.

On Jul 8, 2016, at 2:24 PM, T.J. Alumbaugh <[email protected]mailto:[email protected]> wrote:

We already have a login facility, which I recently discovered by looking through the logs is essentially unused. I suppose that since all features of the site are available without logging in the incentive to log in is quite small. This might be our actual first feature that would incentivize people to log in for their runs. So, to start, we want the feature "ability to edit title of results page if logged in and the logged in user was the user who submitted the job." Correct?

—
You are receiving this because you authored the thread.
Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/275#issuecomment-231435638, or mute the threadhttps://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe/AH6qJAsdujsBEIrzcextu_8VT856NfDdks5qTpXKgaJpZM4JIJ9s.

[talumbau]

For adding titles, I don't think the user would need to be logged in. That would be the first step. The second step would be to allow logged in users to see a list of their runs.

Hmm.. I'm not sure how this would work then. So, someone submits a job and they get redirected to taxbrain/6789. The loading page goes for a while and then taxbrain/6789 is the results page. Then, anyone who views taxbrain/6789 can modify the title of the page? So the user who submitted the job would modify it and be happy. But if anyone else went to the page, he/she would see the new title, but could also change the title to something else? Is that correct?

[MattHJensen]

But if anyone else went to the page, he/she would see the new title, but could also change the title to something else?

That is a bad outcome -- did not think through it sufficiently.

1. One option would be to allow the user to create a title immediately after the run is made and then lock the title forever.
2. Another option would be to require the user to log in in order to make the title. In fact, this could be a convenient way to encourage users to log in: "Log in or sign up to title and save your simulation."
3. A third option, a hybrid, would be to allow unlogged in users to create a title and then lock it, but to allow logged in users to modify their runs.

[feenberg]

On Fri, 8 Jul 2016, T.J. Alumbaugh wrote:

We already have a login facility, which I recently discovered by looking through the logs is essentially
unused. I suppose that since all features of the site are available without logging in the incentive to
log in is quite small. This might be our actual first feature that would incentivize people to log in
for their runs. So, to start, we want the feature "ability to edit title of results page if logged in
and the logged in user was the user who submitted the job." Correct?

I wouldn't let people edit the results page. Rather I would allow users to
fill in a title box on the parameters page that would be displayed on the
results page. The default might be "Unspecified Tax Reform". If the user
edited parameters, the title would stay the same (unless it was changed).
That way each numbered run would have a title.

dan

—
You are receiving this because you were mentioned.
Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or mute the
thread.[AHvQVRPfEoZDr_uPYznAYtsyJtb2eTrrks5qTpXKgaJpZM4JIJ9s.gif]

[feenberg]

On Fri, 8 Jul 2016, T.J. Alumbaugh wrote:

  For adding titles, I don't think the user would need to be logged in. That would be the
  first step. The second step would be to allow logged in users to see a list of their runs.

Hmm.. I'm not sure how this would work then. So, someone submits a job and they get redirected to
taxbrain/6789. The loading page goes for a while and then taxbrain/6789 is the results page. Then,
anyone who views taxbrain/6789 can modify the title of the page? So the user who submitted the job would
modify it and be happy. But if anyone else went to the page, he/she would see the new title, but could
also change the title to something else? Is that correct?

Why would the title be treated any differently than any other parameter?
If I change a tax rate I get a new sequence number, as I should if I
change the title. This presumes I set the title on the input page, not the
output page, which is what I wanted to suggest.

dan

—
You are receiving this because you were mentioned.
Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or mute the
thread.[AHvQVZdGD7WPTzGwpSWs8MCIP64bx4Igks5qTpe1gaJpZM4JIJ9s.gif]

[MattHJensen]

I agree with @feenberg:

I wouldn't let people edit the results page. Rather I would allow users to
fill in a title box on the parameters page that would be displayed on the
results page. The default might be "Unspecified Tax Reform". If the user
edited parameters, the title would stay the same (unless it was changed).
That way each numbered run would have a title.

If I change a tax rate I get a new sequence number, as I should if I
change the title.

@talumbau, does that sound like the right course of action to you as well?

[talumbau]

This is definitely doable. So, the results page stays static as always.

[MattHJensen]

Excellent. That's right. Thanks @talumbau and @feenberg.

[talumbau]

@MattHJensen I'll wait for a milestone marker here to understand the priority of this feature.

[MattHJensen]

Added this to b3 for now. Was tempted to put it in b2, but we already have a lot there.

[MattHJensen]

RECAP:

The goal of this issue is to allow users to specify their own Titles and Descriptions of reforms via fields on the TaxBrain input page. Those titles and descriptions will then appear at the top of the TaxBrain output page. If a user clicks "edit parameter" and changes the title or description, then a new url sequence number will be generated just like it is if the user generates any other parameter.

The data should be stored in a similar style as the reform data, so that if/when we get to the point where we can turn input pages into json reform files and json reform files into input pages, the title and description can easily come along for the ride. (Please read PSLmodels/Tax-Calculator#1140 for a long-run view on where this feature is headed.)

A standard reform title might be something like:

2016 Trump Campaign Tax Plan

A standard reform description might look like:

Reference: https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/tax-plan   
Provisions:
-  New personal income tax schedule (regular/non-AMT/non-pass-through) (1) 
-  New pass-through income tax schedule (2) 
-  New long-term capital gains and qualified dividends tax schedule (3) 
-  Repeal Alternative Minimum Tax (4) 
-  Repeal Net Investment Income Tax (5) 
-  Raise the Standard Deduction (6) 
-  Repeal the Personal Exemption (7) 
-  New above the line deduction for child and elder care (8)
-  Cap itemized deductions (9)