web ui does not refresh to reflect changed files

[Joey Stanford]

When files and folders are syncing, the web ui does not auto-refresh nor does clicking on "My Files" fully refresh the list. You physically have to refresh the page or click on "view files".

Actions to repeat:

1) Launch web ui file view
2) add files on your client
3) click around inside file view to verify it doesn't change
4) click on "view files" and watch your changes appear

[Joshua Blount (jblount)]

Good bug, it's been in the back of my head, but I don't think anyone has documented it. Thanks!

[Elliot Murphy (statik)]

This would need a COMET connection to deliver change notifications to the web UI. Assigning to myself to think about the architectural implications.

[Steve Alexander (stevea)]

This looks like a perfect fit for the App server + MQ server architecture that Gustavo has been working on, that was started at the MQ sprint.

[Facundo Batista (facundo)]

At least we should provide a "refresh" button. Otherwise people needs to do F5, or ctrl-R, which does have two nasty effects:

- reloads *everything* (the whole interface, which takes time and BW, not only the data for the folder I'm seeing)

- it gets me out from the folder I was seeing.

I'm pumping this to "High" importance, as this actual state gives a bad impression of how our system works.

[Joshua Blount (jblount)]

Facundo Batista wrote:
> At least we should provide a "refresh" button. Otherwise people needs to
> do F5, or ctrl-R, which does have two nasty effects:
>
>
...
> - it gets me out from the folder I was seeing.

Actually, if you hit F5 / <ctrl> R, it should keep you in the same
folder, and if you have a file selected, it should still be selected.

Notice that as you traverse around the ui, it changes the url to where
you are.

That being said, I don't disagree with moving this to high and getting a
refresh button / action / thing put together. :)

[Joey Stanford (joey)]

An "ideal" to shoot for would be any time a customer clicks anything
in the UI, the UI would be refreshed. Technically, instead of
expensively refreshing everything, some sort of clever code to check
if any elements have changed could improve the experience (perhaps
some logic depending on what in the UI was clicked combined with a
general "After X seconds refresh everything" approach. Dunno, you guys
are the experts here. Thing Ajax-like interactions.)

[Facundo Batista (facundo)]

Joshua Blount escribió (el 07/05/09 13:39):

> Actually, if you hit F5 / <ctrl> R, it should keep you in the same
> folder, and if you have a file selected, it should still be selected.

It keeps me in the same folder, but other elements of the view change.

For example, I'm on the Sharing tab (in the right, where you have Overview, Details, and Sharing). I shared a folder
with Guillo, I was waiting him for accepting it, so I did F5 two or three times, but when I do F5 it gets me out of
Sharing, into Overview.

--
. Facundo
.
Canonical - Online Services

[Steve Alexander (stevea)]

@joey: I respectfully disagree. If we make a UI that checks stuff on every user gesture, that UI will get very slow. Updating the information in the UI should not depend on the user doing anything at all. If you add a file on your desktop, and you have a browser window open with your files shown in it, the file should appear in the browser shortly after, without you doing anything at all.

We can do this using clever AJAX stuff. Landscape has similar requirements, and at the MQ sprint in London a few weeks ago, Gustavo and the rest of the MQ enthusiasts designed a scalable system that allows us to do just this kind of thing.

[Joey Stanford (joey)]

Steve: Right! That's what I was ultimately going for although it
seems I didn't word it as such. My apologies and yes, I agree with
that approach.

[Elliot Murphy (statik)]

assigning to lucio as he was building a comet thingy for this.