Terminology¶
Some terms, alphabetized.
This list needs to cover the needs of both editors, template designers and EasyDMP developers (because maintaining three different lists is not feasible). Parts of the definitions can be quite technical and even describe implementation details.
- branching section
- A section where which questions are available to be answered depends on what questions have already been answered.
- editor
- A person that controls a plan. May invite others to edit, or to view the plan.
- invitation
- When an editor wants to allow others to edit or view their plans, they can make an invitation. The invitation is done by sending an email with a magical link. On visiting that link and clicking on the button there, access to the plan is granted.
- linear section
A section without any branches (except for a magical one if the section is also optional.)
Every question is on_trunk.
- on_branch question
- A question that may never be seen or contemplated by an editor, because it may be hidden in a different branch.
- on_trunk question
A question that must be contemplated for a plan to be valid, unless it is in an optional section. It may be optional.
The first question (and any optional section question) of a section is always on_trunk.
- optional question
A question that need not be answered.
If it is not answered it will still count towards that plan being valid.
- optional section
A section that is designed to be optional and need not be answered.
It has a magical toggle question, that if answered with “No” will skip that section.
If it is not answered it will still count towards that plan being valid.
- optional section question
- See `section toggle question`_
- plan
A named collection of question-answer pairs according to some template, and some metadata.
A plan is valid if its answers as checked against its template are valid.
- planner
- See `editor`_
- question
- A question that may be answered in a plan. A question has a type. Can be optional. Can have multiple answers of the same type. Questions are ordered.
- required question
The opposite of an optional question, this is the default. These nust always be answered if not hidden by a branch.
Marked with a red dot after the question text itself.
- section
A named collection of a subset of a template’s questions. Can be nested. Can be optional. Can be branching or linear. Need not have any questions itself but just serve as structural support. Sections are ordered.
A section is valid if their questions’ answers are valid.
- required section
- The opposite of an optional section. A section that must be seen and whose questions must be answered. This is the default.
- skipped section
An optional section that has been skipped by a plan having answered it with “No”.
Skipped sections are automatically valid.
- template
A named collection of questions that a plan seeks to answer. Consists of one or more sections.
emplates are valid if the answers to the questions in their sections are alid.
- template designer
- A person that may design a template for editors to use.
- section toggle question
An optional section’s magical toggle question. It has two possible answers, “Yes”, and “No”. Answering “No” will skip the section.
Implementation detail: It is the first question of a sections’s questions and have a magical position of “0”. It will be automatically created when a section is designated as “optional”.
- viewer
- A person that has read-only access to the plan.