Re: course <-> topic, take 3

["Alexey Parshin" <alexeyp@gmail.com>]

A simple logical conclusions.

1) Most of the properties of the course matching to the properties of the topic.
2) The difference between topic and course is the connections to other objects
3) Since any object can be connected to almost any other, the course connections is just an extended version of topic connection.

So, from any logical point, course is topic. We don't need to have a separate object in the database for this. We may have  a flag 'Top-level' in the topic, that allows an extra functionality for the course.

2006/10/14, Ilya A. Volynets-Evenbakh <ilya@total-knowledge.com>:

Anatoly Volynets wrote:
> Ilya A. Volynets-Evenbakh wrote:
>> Alexey Parshin wrote:
>>> From what you're saying, the course isn't necessary for the topic. In
>>> real life, the topic always belongs to some course.
>>>
>> 1. Don't forget about object repository.
>> 2. When topic is subtopic of some other topic, it belongs to that topic,
>> not the course.
> And I would' like to remind that UMO and programming objects are not
> quite the same. Repository is for UMOs.
Correct. And objects in repository don't have to be linked to anything,
although they can.
>>> I do understand the situation when topic belongs to more than one
>>> course - that totally makes sense.
>>> I don't see much difference so far between the top-level topic and the
>>> course.
>> This is exactly what I'm trying to get across all this time.
>>
>
> And I am waiting for clarification how would it look? If this TLT is
> something separate from its course - this is not acceptable, but if
> they coincide totally  and there is not  such  specific  thing, like
> TLT, for  end-user  - this is fine with me.
To quote my original email:

C. Interface to creating content of course can be organized in exactly same
way as interface to creation of any topic, as it really has all the same
features as normal topic.


>> TLT is _course content_. It's not same thing.
>>
> Again, how it looks for end-user? Does it bring in some not-so-usual
> formal relationship on UI? Would it  ask  to  create  TLT when  user
> made up a course title already?  I hope - not, it is fine with me then.
Certainly not. TLT is created implicitly (just like with any other
derived object - creation of object of derived class implies creation of
object of parent class.
>>> However, the topic may also have connection to the persons such as
>>> access level and status, for instance.
>> Different kind of relationship.
>>
>
> That is administrative functionality for topic and course are
> different? Course has some extra, right? Let's make sure there is not
> any functionality on the topic level, which is not suitable for
> course. Or it doesn't matter?
Well, for cleanness purposes it does. However, all the functions I could
think of applied to
course in one way or another. Sometimes they change meaning slightly.
I.E. What are
course-level explanations? It could be syllabus. Or course-level test -
it's not just a test,
but rather graduation exam. etc. etc. This means some of presentation
functionality
will be overridden in course (which is normal object-oriented relationship).



--
Ilya A. Volynets-Evenbakh
Total Knowledge. CTO
http://www.total-knowledge.com

-- 
Alexey Parshin,
http://www.sptk.net