SocialBook Developer Guide


Acknowledgements

{ list here sources of all reused/adapted ideas, code, documentation, and third-party libraries -- include links to the original source as well }


Setting up, getting started

Refer to the guide Setting up and getting started.


Design

Architecture

The Architecture Diagram given above explains the high-level design of the App.

Given below is a quick overview of main components and how they interact with each other.

Main components of the architecture

Main (consisting of classes Main and MainApp) is in charge of the app launch and shut down.

  • At app launch, it initializes the other components in the correct sequence, and connects them up with each other.
  • At shut down, it shuts down the other components and invokes cleanup methods where necessary.

The bulk of the app's work is done by the following four components:

  • UI: The UI of the App.
  • Logic: The command executor.
  • Model: Holds the data of the App in memory.
  • Storage: Reads data from, and writes data to, the hard disk.

Commons represents a collection of classes used by multiple other components.

How the architecture components interact with each other

The Sequence Diagram below shows how the components interact with each other for the scenario where the user issues the command delete 1.

Each of the four main components (also shown in the diagram above),

  • defines its API in an interface with the same name as the Component.
  • implements its functionality using a concrete {Component Name}Manager class (which follows the corresponding API interface mentioned in the previous point.

For example, the Logic component defines its API in the Logic.java interface and implements its functionality using the LogicManager.java class which follows the Logic interface. Other components interact with a given component through its interface rather than the concrete class (reason: to prevent outside component's being coupled to the implementation of a component), as illustrated in the (partial) class diagram below.

The sections below give more details of each component.

UI component

The API of this component is specified in Ui.java

Structure of the UI Component

The UI consists of a MainWindow that is made up of parts e.g.CommandBox, ResultDisplay, PersonListPanel, StatusBarFooter etc. All these, including the MainWindow, inherit from the abstract UiPart class which captures the commonalities between classes that represent parts of the visible GUI.

The UI component uses the JavaFx UI framework. The layout of these UI parts are defined in matching .fxml files that are in the src/main/resources/view folder. For example, the layout of the MainWindow is specified in MainWindow.fxml

The UI component,

  • executes user commands using the Logic component.
  • listens for changes to Model data so that the UI can be updated with the modified data.
  • keeps a reference to the Logic component, because the UI relies on the Logic to execute commands.
  • depends on some classes in the Model component, as it displays Person object residing in the Model.

Logic component

API : Logic.java

Here's a (partial) class diagram of the Logic component:

The sequence diagram below illustrates the interactions within the Logic component, taking execute("delete 1") API call as an example.

Interactions Inside the Logic Component for the `delete 1` Command

Note: The lifeline for DeleteCommandParser should end at the destroy marker (X) but due to a limitation of PlantUML, the lifeline continues till the end of diagram.

How the Logic component works:

  1. When Logic is called upon to execute a command, it is passed to an AddressBookParser object which in turn creates a parser that matches the command (e.g., DeleteCommandParser) and uses it to parse the command.
  2. This results in a Command object (more precisely, an object of one of its subclasses e.g., DeleteCommand) which is executed by the LogicManager.
  3. The command can communicate with the Model when it is executed (e.g. to delete a person).
    Note that although this is shown as a single step in the diagram above (for simplicity), in the code it can take several interactions (between the command object and the Model) to achieve.
  4. The result of the command execution is encapsulated as a CommandResult object which is returned back from Logic.

Here are the other classes in Logic (omitted from the class diagram above) that are used for parsing a user command:

How the parsing works:

  • When called upon to parse a user command, the AddressBookParser class creates an XYZCommandParser (XYZ is a placeholder for the specific command name e.g., AddCommandParser) which uses the other classes shown above to parse the user command and create a XYZCommand object (e.g., AddCommand) which the AddressBookParser returns back as a Command object.
  • All XYZCommandParser classes (e.g., AddCommandParser, DeleteCommandParser, ...) inherit from the Parser interface so that they can be treated similarly where possible e.g, during testing.

Model component

API : Model.java

The Model component,

  • stores the address book data i.e., all Person objects (which are contained in a UniquePersonList object).
  • stores the currently 'selected' Person objects (e.g., results of a search query) as a separate filtered list which is exposed to outsiders as an unmodifiable ObservableList<Person> that can be 'observed' e.g. the UI can be bound to this list so that the UI automatically updates when the data in the list change.
  • stores a UserPref object that represents the user’s preferences. This is exposed to the outside as a ReadOnlyUserPref objects.
  • does not depend on any of the other three components (as the Model represents data entities of the domain, they should make sense on their own without depending on other components)

Note: An alternative (arguably, a more OOP) model is given below. It has a Tag list in the AddressBook, which Person references. This allows AddressBook to only require one Tag object per unique tag, instead of each Person needing their own Tag objects.

Storage component

API : Storage.java

The Storage component,

  • can save both address book data and user preference data in JSON format, and read them back into corresponding objects.
  • inherits from both AddressBookStorage and UserPrefStorage, which means it can be treated as either one (if only the functionality of only one is needed).
  • depends on some classes in the Model component (because the Storage component's job is to save/retrieve objects that belong to the Model)

Common classes

Classes used by multiple components are in the seedu.address.commons package.


Implementation

This section describes some noteworthy details on how certain features are implemented.

[Proposed] Undo/redo feature

Proposed Implementation

The proposed undo/redo mechanism is facilitated by VersionedAddressBook. It extends AddressBook with an undo/redo history, stored internally as an addressBookStateList and currentStatePointer. Additionally, it implements the following operations:

  • VersionedAddressBook#commit() — Saves the current address book state in its history.
  • VersionedAddressBook#undo() — Restores the previous address book state from its history.
  • VersionedAddressBook#redo() — Restores a previously undone address book state from its history.

These operations are exposed in the Model interface as Model#commitAddressBook(), Model#undoAddressBook() and Model#redoAddressBook() respectively.

Given below is an example usage scenario and how the undo/redo mechanism behaves at each step.

Step 1. The user launches the application for the first time. The VersionedAddressBook will be initialized with the initial address book state, and the currentStatePointer pointing to that single address book state.

UndoRedoState0

Step 2. The user executes delete 5 command to delete the 5th person in the address book. The delete command calls Model#commitAddressBook(), causing the modified state of the address book after the delete 5 command executes to be saved in the addressBookStateList, and the currentStatePointer is shifted to the newly inserted address book state.

UndoRedoState1

Step 3. The user executes add n/David …​ to add a new person. The add command also calls Model#commitAddressBook(), causing another modified address book state to be saved into the addressBookStateList.

UndoRedoState2

Note: If a command fails its execution, it will not call Model#commitAddressBook(), so the address book state will not be saved into the addressBookStateList.

Step 4. The user now decides that adding the person was a mistake, and decides to undo that action by executing the undo command. The undo command will call Model#undoAddressBook(), which will shift the currentStatePointer once to the left, pointing it to the previous address book state, and restores the address book to that state.

UndoRedoState3

Note: If the currentStatePointer is at index 0, pointing to the initial AddressBook state, then there are no previous AddressBook states to restore. The undo command uses Model#canUndoAddressBook() to check if this is the case. If so, it will return an error to the user rather than attempting to perform the undo.

The following sequence diagram shows how an undo operation goes through the Logic component:

UndoSequenceDiagram-Logic

Note: The lifeline for UndoCommand should end at the destroy marker (X) but due to a limitation of PlantUML, the lifeline reaches the end of diagram.

Similarly, how an undo operation goes through the Model component is shown below:

UndoSequenceDiagram-Model

The redo command does the opposite — it calls Model#redoAddressBook(), which shifts the currentStatePointer once to the right, pointing to the previously undone state, and restores the address book to that state.

Note: If the currentStatePointer is at index addressBookStateList.size() - 1, pointing to the latest address book state, then there are no undone AddressBook states to restore. The redo command uses Model#canRedoAddressBook() to check if this is the case. If so, it will return an error to the user rather than attempting to perform the redo.

Step 5. The user then decides to execute the command list. Commands that do not modify the address book, such as list, will usually not call Model#commitAddressBook(), Model#undoAddressBook() or Model#redoAddressBook(). Thus, the addressBookStateList remains unchanged.

UndoRedoState4

Step 6. The user executes clear, which calls Model#commitAddressBook(). Since the currentStatePointer is not pointing at the end of the addressBookStateList, all address book states after the currentStatePointer will be purged. Reason: It no longer makes sense to redo the add n/David …​ command. This is the behavior that most modern desktop applications follow.

UndoRedoState5

The following activity diagram summarizes what happens when a user executes a new command:

Design considerations:

Aspect: How undo & redo executes:

  • Alternative 1 (current choice): Saves the entire address book.

    • Pros: Easy to implement.
    • Cons: May have performance issues in terms of memory usage.
  • Alternative 2: Individual command knows how to undo/redo by itself.

    • Pros: Will use less memory (e.g. for delete, just save the person being deleted).
    • Cons: We must ensure that the implementation of each individual command are correct.

{more aspects and alternatives to be added}

[Proposed] Data archiving

{Explain here how the data archiving feature will be implemented}


Documentation, logging, testing, configuration, dev-ops


Appendix: Requirements

Product scope

Target user profile:

  • is a social worker tasked with helping low-income families
  • has a need to manage a significant number of contacts
  • prefer desktop apps over other types
  • can type fast
  • prefers typing to mouse interactions
  • is reasonably comfortable using CLI apps

Value proposition: streamlines the process of social workers contacting and assisting families

User stories

Priorities: High (must have) - * * *, Medium (nice to have) - * *, Low (unlikely to have) - *

Priority As a …​ I can …​ So that I can…​
* * * new user view the how to guide familiarise myself with the functionalities of the app.
* * * social worker add information of different families keep track of families requiring assistance in one place.
* * * social worker view the information of different families I have added retrieve their information more quickly.
* * * social worker delete the information of a family remove the data of a family that I no longer need to keep track of.
* * * social worker edit a family's information keep their information up-to-date for future use.
* * social worker tag families manage and organize families according to their needs.
* * social worker filter through the list of families navigate the contact list more efficiently.
* * social worker sort families view families in a more suitable order.
* * social worker toggle between list view and individual family view focus on a specific family's information when I need to.
* * social worker create custom command aliases for frequently used commands execute commands faster and reduce my typing effort.
* * social worker archive families that no longer need assistance keep my contact list focused on active cases.
* * social worker see the overall statistics of families based on location allocate my manpower better to areas with more help needed.
* social worker synchronize the app with my personal calendar view all my appointments and reminders in one place.
* social worker attach documents or images to family profiles make all relevant information accessible within each family’s contact details.
* social worker generate and export reports on family progress or case notes share updates with my team or supervisors efficiently.
* social worker share contacts allow multiple parties to assist the families at once.

{More to be added}

Use cases

(For all use cases below, the System is the SocialBook and the Actor is the user, unless specified otherwise)

Use case: Add new family

MSS:

  1. User enters the command to add a family with the specified details

  2. SocialBook adds the family and displays the newly added family

    Use case ends.

Extensions:

  • 2a. SocialBook detects missing or invalid input.

    • 2a1. SocialBook displays an error message and prompts the user to try again

    • 2a2. User corrects the input and enters the command again

      Steps 2a1-2a2 are repeated until the user enters the correct input

      Use case ends.

  • 2b. SocialBook detects a duplicate family entry.

    • 2b1. SocialBook displays an error message showing the duplicated family

      Use case ends.

Use case: View information of different families

MSS:

  1. User enters the command to view all families

  2. SocialBook displays all families whose info has been added

    Use case ends.

Extensions:

  • 2a. No families have been added to SocialBook yet.

    • 2a1. SocialBook displays a message to inform the user that no family has been added by them yet

      Use case ends.

Use case: Delete information of different families

MSS:

  1. User indicates family whose member they want to delete

  2. SocialBook displays all family members in that family

  3. User selects and deletes the member

  4. SocialBook removes the member’s details from the display

    Use case ends.

Extensions:

  • 1a. SocialBook detects no such family exist in the list.

    • 1a1. SocialBook informs user that no such family exist in the list

      Use case ends.

  • 3a. User selects the primary contact of the family to be deleted.

    • 3a1. SocialBook informs user they cannot delete primary contact and to swap it to someone else if they wish to do so

      Use case ends.

Use case: Display command manual

MSS:

  1. User keys in command to open command manual

  2. SocialBook displays command manual

  3. User keys in command to close command manual

  4. SocialBook displays previously shown screen

    Use case ends.

Extensions:

  • 1a. User chooses more detailed manual.

    • 1a1. SocialBook displays detailed command manual

    • 1a2. User keys in command to close command manual

    • 1a3. SocialBook displays previously shown screen

    Use case ends.

Use case: Edit existing information of a family

MSS:

  1. User chooses which information fields to update

  2. User only enters the fields he wishes to update

  3. SocialBook only updates the fields which user had updated and displays all information about the family

    Use case ends.

Extensions:

  • 2a. SocialBook suggests a list of fields as user is typing input.

    • 2a1. User enters one field

    • 2a2. SocialBook shows possible fields to be updated

    • 2a3. User types finishes the field he wishes to update

    • 2a4. SocialBook stops showing possible fields

    • 2a5. User enters updated value

      If User chooses to update other fields, repeat step 2a1-2a4. Otherwise, use case resumes from step 3.

    • 3a. SocialBook detects an error in the entered data.

      • 3a1. SocialBook should not update any fields

      • 3a2. SocialBook displays errors encountered with respect to the field

        Use case ends.

Non-Functional Requirements

  1. Should work on any mainstream OS as long as it has Java 17 or above installed.
  2. Should be able to hold up to 1000 persons without a noticeable sluggishness in performance for typical usage.
  3. A user with above average typing speed for regular English text (i.e. not code, not system admin commands) should be able to accomplish most of the tasks faster using commands than using the mouse.
  4. The system should be usable by a novice and does not require prior training.
  5. Data that is to be deleted from the system is removed completely and not stored elsewhere.
  6. The project is expected to adhere to the breadth-first iterative development.
  7. Each command should take at most 10 seconds to executed.

Glossary

  • API: Application programming interfaces, which defines the standards and protocols that allow different software components to communicate with one another.
  • Mainstream OS: Windows, Linux, Unix, MacOS
  • Private contact detail: A contact detail that is not meant to be shared with others
  • Custom command aliases: Alternative command names that work the same if called as the actual command name.
  • Breadth-first iterative development: Evolves all major components and functionality areas in parallel, producing a working product at the end of each iteration

Appendix: Instructions for manual testing

Given below are instructions to test the app manually.

Note: These instructions only provide a starting point for testers to work on; testers are expected to do more exploratory testing.

Launch and shutdown

  1. Initial launch

    1. Download the jar file and copy into an empty folder

    2. Double-click the jar file Expected: Shows the GUI with a set of sample contacts. The window size may not be optimum.

  2. Saving window preferences

    1. Resize the window to an optimum size. Move the window to a different location. Close the window.

    2. Re-launch the app by double-clicking the jar file.
      Expected: The most recent window size and location is retained.

  3. { more test cases …​ }

Deleting a person

  1. Deleting a person while all persons are being shown

    1. Prerequisites: List all persons using the list command. Multiple persons in the list.

    2. Test case: delete 1
      Expected: First contact is deleted from the list. Details of the deleted contact shown in the status message. Timestamp in the status bar is updated.

    3. Test case: delete 0
      Expected: No person is deleted. Error details shown in the status message. Status bar remains the same.

    4. Other incorrect delete commands to try: delete, delete x, ... (where x is larger than the list size)
      Expected: Similar to previous.

  2. { more test cases …​ }

Saving data

  1. Dealing with missing/corrupted data files

    1. {explain how to simulate a missing/corrupted file, and the expected behavior}
  2. { more test cases …​ }