User:Zexi.gong721/Bi Weekly Report 3

Introduction

Greetings, readers! Zexi Gong here, back with the latest chapter in my exhilarating journey through GSoC 2023. I'm happy to share the riveting developments and lessons learned in this third blog post.

Coding Period 3

Following the successful integration of the upload functionality, our focus shifted towards refining the image information handling process. Spearheading this effort, my mentor Susanna made an importent design: a popup window that appears when users select the "upload" option from the image's action menu. This popup window displays all pertinent details about the selected image along with an "upload" button that users can click to initiate the upload process. This innovative concept was a product of collaborative brainstorming during our weekly meetings.

My involvement in this process also exposed me to the intricacies of UI design. One crucial lesson I learned was that predicting user behavior can be challenging; users may not always follow the paths we developers anticipate. To mitigate potential issues and maintain a seamless upload flow, we discussed strategies to selectively disable certain functions for users. Additionally, we delved into the realm of error handling, recognizing its significance in ensuring a smooth user experience.

The road ahead teems with excitement as we tread onward. In this ever-evolving landscape, I'm confident that our combined efforts will propel the Wikidocumentaries project to remarkable heights. Stay tuned for more tales of discovery, updates, and insights from my GSoC odyssey – a journey woven with challenges embraced and triumphs celebrated.

A noteworthy aspect of this phase was the data formatting challenge. I was tasked with parsing data from the Finna repository and transforming it into our preferred format. This intricate process demanded meticulous attention to detail to ensure accurate information representation.

With a comprehensive understanding of the frontend, middleware, and backend components, I embarked on implementing the entire upload workflow. This experience proved immensely valuable, offering insights into orchestrating a full-stack workflow within the complexities of a real-world system—a far cry from the comparatively straightforward concepts taught in academic settings.

Amidst this endeavor, an intriguing situation arose involving the mobile API endpoint for Wikipedia. In our local environment, this endpoint had been deprecated. Swiftly identifying this issue, I reported it to my mentors. After careful consideration, we collectively decided to disable the related functionalities for the local environment. Luckly this API endpoint wasn't directly related to my project. This situation exemplified the interconnected nature of software development projects and the importance of supporting the broader development community.