Append keywords in questions tag filter as GET URL parameters

[jywarren]

At https://publiclab.org/questions, when you add a "filter" of a given tag, the URL is not changed -- the added tag filters are stored in the session.

It's important that the keywords should be be appended to the url instead of being stored in the session. The routing should be more like:

https://publiclab.org/questions/spectrometry

and for multiple tags, perhaps:

https://publiclab.org/questions/spectrometry,second-tag,another

These would be fetched in the questions_controller via params[:id].split(',') -- here: https://github.com/publiclab/plots2/blob/master/app/controllers/questions_controller.rb. The index, answered, popular, liked action use this functionality presently.

The sorting is done using the sort_questions_by_tag method in the application controller, where it sources from the session: https://github.com/publiclab/plots2/blob/master/app/controllers/application_controller.rb#L190-L200. This method is called in all the places mentioned above.

The addition and deletion of tags from the session is done using the methods in tag_controller listed here: https://github.com/publiclab/plots2/blob/master/app/controllers/tag_controller.rb#L239-L267. So you need to modify these methods too.

The tag sorting interface (that generates the sessions, and would generate the URLs in our new plan) shown on the sidebar, is here: https://github.com/publiclab/plots2/blob/master/app/views/tag/_sorting.html.erb

That itself might be moved into this directory for easier management: https://github.com/publiclab/plots2/blob/master/app/views/questions/

Steps to solve

Summarizing the steps below

• Modify the tag methods mentioned here to append the keywords in url instead of session and fetch them accordingly
• Modify the sort_questions_by_tag method according to changes made and deprecate the use of session and use GET url parameters
• Modify the index, answered, popular, likedactions in questions controller accordingly
• Move the tag sorting template from views/tag --> views/questions

[jywarren]

@ananyo2012 -- any chance you could take this one on? I understand if you're busy!!!

[ananyo2012]

Sure Jeff I can work on this. In fact I was just onto other issues as well.

Uh sorry to say it here I recently sent you a mail. Do have a look at it.
ᐧ

[jywarren]

Thanks and i got your email -- chatting w/ other staff about it today and
we appreciate your interest!

[jywarren]

I've created a start to this in #929 -- and key sections are:

Controller logic: https://github.com/publiclab/plots2/blob/master/app/controllers/tag_controller.rb#L238-L268

The form itself is here: https://github.com/publiclab/plots2/blob/master/app/views/tag/_sorting.html.erb#L26-L46

[jywarren]

@ryzokuken - if you're looking for new projects, this is also a key one I've been having trouble with. It seems to be related to a recurrence (for me) of bug #638, where no questions are shown:

[ryzokuken]

@jywarren Sure, I'll look into it.

[jywarren]

@ananyo2012, perhaps this'd be a good GCI candidate, esp. if you're familiar with this code?

[ananyo2012]

Yes this is a good one. Holds importance for improving the sort feature. I can improve documentation for this issue and then we can add this as a task.

[jywarren]

Closed, hooray!