Need guidance on a new project...

[Cableguy]

Hi guys,

I've been asked to create an app, B4J & B4A, to allow our field techs to keep track of what is still to do, and what has been done in a particular assignment.

At this moment all is done a bit "on the flow" and at the end of an assignment, the original documentation that was handed to the techs is written allover with notes and other important stuff.
Basically, a Tech receives a bunch of papers dettailling a project and then he implements it, at the end there's a Photo Report that needs to be done.

So, what I aim for is...
Server Side:

- The manager creates the Project Folder and Adds the Basic Info, which is a Schematic and some other info; Sets the time frame and delivery dates as well as the team assigned.

- Based on the Schematic, the app should then add to the folder the correspondent "modules", like info sheets for a particular part of the schematic. this, automatically.

Android Side:

-Push notifications with, what is still to do, and alerting for the delivery time.
- Ability to correct the Base schematic by adding or removing path points.
- Automatically add or remove files related to the added or removed points.
- Upload of the finished project files, along with the Photo report.

This would be the Basis... so where is my problem, you may ask??

Well, a schematic has ONE single departure point and can have several Paths deryving from it, each of them a single PathWay.
Along each PathWay, the can be any amount of Passage Points, and of Stop Point (The last Stop Point of a PathWay would be a Terminus)
Each Passage point has a specific Photo report to be done, as well as each StopPoint (The same for the Terminus)

So, how can I implement this in a dynamic way?

Should I create a list of modules and a "Create Folder" Button to go through the List and adds the Listed Modules?
Or add the modules as the manager adds the Pathways?

Any insight is welcomed

 

[KMatle]

Sounds like a workflow system à la do an activity and finish. Depending on the result do a, b,c, ... n plus some "take a look to this plan/map *before* you dig the hole to put the cable in"?

 

[Cableguy]

Something like that....

Giving a very concrete example... Today I finished a Project that had 2 Cables (PathWays);
One went from The PA (origin), passed through a Chamber (passage point) and ended up in another Chamber (Terminus)
The other went from The PA (origin), up a Telelcom Pole (Passage Point), to a Second Pole (Stop Point) and to a 3rd Pole (Terminus)

Yesterday, I had another one, with a single cable, 4 "pass-through" chambers, a Chamber Stop point, another pass-trough chamber, a pass-by Pole and 2 stop point poles. In this one, 1 of the first 4 pass-through chambers was not listed in the schematic, so we had to add it by drawing it in the paper.

What I aim is to create a complete solution, from add the project up to the final Thec Report

 

[KMatle]

Handling points could be done with a list. Add the points (f.e. PA, Chamber1, Chamber2, Finish). If you need to add points like "Pole" (whatever that is) add it with "InsertAt".

Why a list? It's easy to debug and you can "see" what the app is doing...

Handle it like a pattern (scheme with a version). Adding points at the location where they work will create a new version of the pattern which can be uploaded as the new version for the next time (perhaps the manager must approve it). Take a database (MySql) and retrieve/store the data.

The app could handle it like this:

- get a list (from the server) with the jobs the people have to do for that day
- each job points to a specific scheme/pattern
- download the data of the scheme/pattern (for the list)
- additional data (pics, plans, etc.) will be downloaded, too
- create a folder for the job and store all data in it (sql will be too complicated)
- ...

On the server side you could create a manager app (b4j) to create new jobs/schemes/patterns/etc.

 

[Cableguy]

I aim for something a bit more graphical, more like a CAD UI