CAP Talk

Operations => Emergency Services & Operations => Topic started by: JC004 on November 17, 2009, 07:20:49 AM

Title: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: JC004 on November 17, 2009, 07:20:49 AM
Are there any people around these parts who are knowledgeable in PHP/MySQL? I'm fiddling with an attempt at a web-based mission management utility based on PHP and MySQL.

Oh, and some people familiar with GIS would be most welcome also.
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: JoeTomasone on November 17, 2009, 09:00:31 AM
Whatcha need?
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: Nick on November 17, 2009, 02:22:33 PM
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2505/4112407548_68bd1a8429_o.jpg)

(Yeah, cheezy.  I know.)

Edit: Note -- I don't have PhotoShop at work. :)
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: SarMaster on November 17, 2009, 06:30:04 PM
GIS / WEB Guy here...
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: RiseAbove on November 17, 2009, 07:37:45 PM
PHP/MySQL guy here!  Sounds like a cool idea, would like to hear more!
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: JC004 on November 18, 2009, 05:39:28 PM
I was playing with using existing open source project management systems to make a framework for a mission management utility and dashboard. Using existing open source systems would allow for fast development, easy deployment, the ability to modify it, and no licensing costs for units deploying it.
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: RiseAbove on November 19, 2009, 02:50:20 AM
Do you have an open source platform in mind?  I am a huge fan of Joomla! if you're still considering
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: SarDragon on November 19, 2009, 06:22:10 AM
All the folks who recommended Joomla to me three years ago have now all apparently moved on to something called Drupal.
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: JC004 on November 19, 2009, 08:56:21 AM
Joomla is bloated with hundreds of thousands of lines of code.  If a CMS were required, Drupal would probably be the ticket.  While it may be useful to use code from a CMS to create customizable dashboards for different mission functions, none of the major CMSs have a truly outstanding project management system.  They tend to be stand-alone and my idea is to keep it as simple as possible, but powerful nonetheless.

There is a lot of good existing code that could be used.  Some would just be require changing the name in the code...example: a "project" becomes a mission.  Instead of a project ID number, make it a mission number.

We'd also need operations folks, HTML/CSS people, folks who know AJAX/mootools/jquery and beta testers.  We could also use the recently-released Google Java Script tools that they use in Google apps like Gmail.

Overall, if kept simple in development, I think that it would be pretty easy to program something like this because much of the code already exists under the GPL.

Here are some thoughts that I outlined on it:

Incident Status Board
Personal dashboard
Situation Mapping
Mission Log
Weather
Resources Locator
Alerting
- SMS
Satellite Tracking (NASA)
Report Generator
Instant messaging
Checklists
- Position checklists
- Briefing checklists
- Debriefing checklists
Task assignment and tracking
Conferencing/Chat
Notes widget
Time widget (local/Zulu)
Mission Sign-in/Sign-out
Document repository
- CAP regulations, manuals, etc.
   - CAPR 60-3
   - Task guides
   - Communications quick reference cards
   - Sample forms
- CAP Forms
- ICS Forms

Command
- IO
  - News releases
  - Safety
     - ORM
Operations
Planning
- POD matrix
Logistics
- Communications Unit
   - Communications log
Finance/Admin
- Expense tracking
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: SarMaster on November 21, 2009, 04:12:45 AM
Are you using IMU?
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: JC004 on November 21, 2009, 05:37:26 AM
I only use it when I want to show people how disgracefully it crashes.  Web-based is my goal.  IMU would be useful made web-based with some upgrades and webishness added.  I know a lot of people felt that way when we discussed the future of IMU.
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: N Harmon on November 25, 2009, 07:56:45 PM
I have some experience with MySQL and PHP web development. I have also been thinking of starting work on a web-based CAP mission management system.

The IMU is a disaster. It needs to be moved to the web. If someone wants a thick client that interacts with the web system, then that can be accomodated. But fundamentally it needs to be a web system.
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: JC004 on November 25, 2009, 09:02:43 PM
Absolutely.  If it needed to be run on a local network or machine, that could even be done too.  I think we should make a stab at it.
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: ande.boyer on December 09, 2009, 04:34:18 AM
We used IMU3 at a recent wing SAREX and it worked great.  We were using it in Internet Server Client mode with our "server" being a commercially purchased leased server that we also have our wing web page on.  Since Internet Server Client mode is FTP based, I think it's a lot more stable than when operating in LAN mode which is windows file sharing based....a MUCH less mature standard (if you can even call it a standard).

Capt Ande Boyer
ALWG/Deputy DOS
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: Eclipse on December 09, 2009, 04:36:09 AM
Quote from: ande.boyer on December 09, 2009, 04:34:18 AM
We used IMU3 at a recent wing SAREX and it worked great.  We were using it in Internet Server Client mode with our "server" being a commercially purchased leased server that we also have our wing web page on.  Since Internet Server Client mode is FTP based, I think it's a lot more stable than when operating in LAN mode which is windows file sharing based....a MUCH less mature standard (if you can even call it a standard).

Capt Ande Boyer
ALWG/Deputy DOS

WOW! Is that documented in with the IMU3?  The infrastructure would be stupid-simple to setup.
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: ande.boyer on December 09, 2009, 04:37:50 AM
Quote from: Eclipse on December 09, 2009, 04:36:09 AM
Quote from: ande.boyer on December 09, 2009, 04:34:18 AM
We used IMU3 at a recent wing SAREX and it worked great.  We were using it in Internet Server Client mode with our "server" being a commercially purchased leased server that we also have our wing web page on.  Since Internet Server Client mode is FTP based, I think it's a lot more stable than when operating in LAN mode which is windows file sharing based....a MUCH less mature standard (if you can even call it a standard).

Capt Ande Boyer
ALWG/Deputy DOS

WOW! Is that documented in with the IMU3?  The infrastructure would be stupid-simple to setup.

Is what documented?
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: Eclipse on December 09, 2009, 04:42:22 AM
Using it with the more stable FTP option.
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: ande.boyer on December 09, 2009, 04:48:54 AM
Quote from: Eclipse on December 09, 2009, 04:42:22 AM
Using it with the more stable FTP option.

No, that's just a personal observation. 

I've worked in IT for a few  years and based on my workplace observations/experience, windows file sharing is a nightmare especially  when you throw in a bunch of different operating systems (XP, Vista, Win7, x86 vs x64) then add on top of that various security and permissions settings.  So, when you try and throw together a bunch of computers and do IMU you'll inevitably run into all those problems.  I think this is the biggest reason people think IMU is bad when it's really got nothing to do with IMU. 

Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: Eclipse on December 09, 2009, 04:57:33 AM
So you were just running IIS and connecting to it that way?  That could be replicated locally, though its easier to let an FOB access
it from IIS.
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: ande.boyer on December 09, 2009, 05:30:25 AM
Quote from: Eclipse on December 09, 2009, 04:57:33 AM
So you were just running IIS and connecting to it that way?  That could be replicated locally, though its easier to let an FOB access
it from IIS.

The server we were using to use IMU wasn't local. We configured the commercial server we use as our wing web host to also do IMU.  I forgot the name of the company that provides it but it's a windows hosting environment (as opposed to Linux).

Setting up a local server on a LAN running IIS might work; not sure about that.  The IMU requirement is that it be running on a server that can support ASPX web pages.  I don't know if this is a native ability of IIS.

I tried finding the instructions I had at one time that says how to setup a remote IMU INternet Server but couldn't.  Contact Pete Anderson for more information.

I used to be an IMU hater with most of the people on here; but now that I've seen what it can do when everything is working correctly, I'm a convert.
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: ande.boyer on December 09, 2009, 05:32:06 AM
Sorry about hijacking your thread JC
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: JC004 on December 10, 2009, 02:26:41 AM
Quote from: ande.boyer on December 09, 2009, 05:32:06 AM
Sorry about hijacking your thread JC

It's ok.  I can take you.   >:D
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: MikeD on December 11, 2009, 10:29:11 PM
I'd suggest Ruby on Rails over your typical LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP) system.  I have a really good book on it .... somewhere.  It does a lot of stuff for you, might be slightly more bloated but it just works.

I'm not that good at programming (I'm a hardware guy!!!) but I did a few years as a software test peon back in college, and I'm willing to help out some on that with the grunt work, and more for the test cases.
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: Nick on December 11, 2009, 10:46:16 PM
Quote from: MikeD on December 11, 2009, 10:29:11 PMRuby on Rails
...is a tedious mo-fo to learn, especially for those used to the scripting style-programming (ASP, JS, PHP, etc.)
Title: Re: PHP Programmers on CAP Talk?
Post by: MikeD on December 11, 2009, 10:58:12 PM
Quote from: McLarty on December 11, 2009, 10:46:16 PM
Quote from: MikeD on December 11, 2009, 10:29:11 PMRuby on Rails
...is a tedious mo-fo to learn, especially for those used to the scripting style-programming (ASP, JS, PHP, etc.)

I  found it a lot easier to learn then PHP and such for web apps.  My programming background prior was all either assembly or compiled languages (mostly C, some C++, minimal Java and Fortran) for comparison.