Tagging

Refer to the Tagging Spec for details on the design and interaction of tagging both in the console and within a dashboard gadget.

Ribbon Approach to Manage Tags

The mockup below shows a simple approach to displaying and managing tags within the GlassFish admin console.

Side Panel to Manage Tags

Mockup below shows two alternatives to displaying the tags created by the user:

1. Integrated into the left-navigation - assuming we migrate to some delicious-like alternative to the tree, this is the natural place for the tags. Also assumes the ability to folder tags in some way.
2. Separate side-bar on the right-side of the page - this side-bar is displayed when the user clicks Tagging, then selects Show Tags

The mockup below addresses the following design updates:

• Search is integrated into the tag side-bar;
• Folders are integrated into both alternatives - current design doesn't limit the nesting level for folders, but 2-3 should be sufficient.
• Context specific menu actions are shown for 1) folders; 2) tags; 3) pages

The mockup below offers two approaches to handling simple menu actions:

1. actions are handled within the menu pull-down with no popup dialog. I prefer this approach assuming we can manage the interaction and that the tag/folder names will not get cramped in the smaller space.
2. actions are handled in separate modal dialogs.. could be light-box style;

Tag a Page Action

The user may create a tag or associate an existing tag with a page.

1. User navigates to a page in GlassFish
2. User selects Tagging; pull-down menu is displayed
3. User selects "Tag this Page" action.

Tagging Gadget for Dashboard

The mockups below offer both a selection and search model for retrieving tags. I believe the best approach will depend on a couple of factors:

1. how many tags users build? If only a small number of tags are created, then a search isn't needed.
2. how cryptic the tag names become? Cryptic names will be tough to search unless the user has a naming scheme that is memorable.
3. time interval between creating a tag and retrieving a tag? Users may forget how they tagged pages, making search a fishing trip.

The mockups below assume that "All Tags" is the default tab for the Tagging gadget.