29.MyIsern-1.3-review

For this code review I looked at the MyIsern 1.3 project from the Green group.

1. Installation Review

Were you able to download the system as a distribution .zip file? Yes.

Were you able to run the system without having to use Ant or Eclipse? (In other words, was there a 'java -jar' interface to the system?) Since it is a WAR file, no. However, a WAR file could be built and compiled and put into the Tomcat manager.

How difficult was it for you to figure out how to run your classmate's software? Not very in this case, since it doesn't use any new libraries. Also, the script format was generally the same as our group's.

Were there JUnit, Checkstyle, PMD, and FindBugs tasks, and did they execute successfully without any errors or warnings? Verify passes for all of the above.

Was the InstallationGuide clear and concise? There is no such wiki page.


2. Code format and conventions review

The code looked good; the only thing I could note is that most back-end code is stored in a package named edu.hawaii.myisern.example, which isn't an appropriate name since this isn't an example.


3. Testing

Black Box: All the existing code from the previous test cases is kept intact; aside from this, no test classes exist for the JavaBeans or Model classes. Thus, one black box test missing would be a basic log in and log out test case.

White Box: Emma reports <80% coverage for all code; this is largely due to no test classes written for the classes.

Break da buggah: Trying to log in fails, basically since the page the system starts at is not the login page.


4. User Interface

How easy to use and intuitive is the user interface?
It is really nice. I am envious! The mechanism to display individual entries is very creative.

How well does the interface utilize screen real estate? Does it function well when using only (say) a third of the available monitor space?
The navigation bar at the top is pretty wide, and doesn't like being less than half of the screen. (My screen resolution is 1280x800) I think those buttons can be made to be less wide. The same applies to the left navigation pane, for the most part.

What opportunities for improvement do you notice?
The XML files seem to still be read in from the application folder - this is fine, although Dr. Johnson did mention the issue of upgrading the system.

For the sanity check, it may be helpful to add quotes. e.g.
[Warning] Researcher does not exist in the database.
would probably be
[Warning] Researcher "" does not exist in the database.

which would be more informative. Also, mentioning which record it occurs in may help the user in resolving these issues.

One other issue I have involves the editing of entries. In order to edit an entry you need to know the EXACT NAME of the person you are editing, which can be a pain to recall. A dropdown box to select the user may have been useful. Also, once the entry is being edited, the fields are the same size regardless of how much data is in it - this probably should be adjusted.

Finally, the real estate issues mentioned in the previous question apply here.


5. Summary and Lessons Learned

In summary I'd say I am pretty impressed with the overall design of the web app.

I learned an interesting way to incorporate AJAX into the web app - I probably would not have intuitively thought of clicking a person's name to view their entry.