Allow option for timeline view to get dynamically updated as new events occur

[hsingfoo]

Platform & OS Version
Mac (10.11.6) Desktop version compiled according manual

The version of the app you are reporting:
1.2.28D

Device details:
Mac Desktop 10.11.6

What is the nature of your issue
Enhancement

Details
When viewing the timeline, the red line 'actual time marker' is progressing. When the red marker reaches the end of the currently displayed timeline, it disappears from the screen and presumably progresses off screen. The displayed timeline however is in a 'frozen' view and is not progressing when the actual time is beyond the current timeline view.

Ideally, the timeline view follows the red marker, so that if the current time is beyond the displayed timeline, the displayed timeline progresses along with he red marker.

This allows for observers to quickly see if there are possible events in the displayed timeline range, where the end of the displayed timeline is always the current server time.

TIA

[pliablepixels]

Not sure what you mean. When you load the timeline graph, there is a zoom out animation while it loads the event data. The red line shows current time. There is no progressing - you can scroll your mouse wheel and pan left/right to see it.

[hsingfoo]

I would like the time line graph auto progress when the current time is passed, just like the red line marker.

e.g. If marker > current time then prgress displayed timeline per minute following current time ;-)

[hsingfoo]

automatically... So if looking the screen you always see the timeline range projected from the current time

[hsingfoo]

To explain a bit better I hope:

When viewing montage as the default human monitoring tool and you miss events (bathroom visit) you've missed it. Hence I would like to view timeline that shows me instantly what happened for the past hour or so. I can then visit the event.

[pliablepixels]

Okay, i think you are talking about a combined montage live screen and a montage history screen, not the timeline view of zmNinja? I have no plans to merge them as of today - its useful, but also complicated.

If you want to view past 1 hour montage, you can switch to montage history and select "1 hour ago"

[hsingfoo]

Thanks for looking at this, and sorry for not making myself clear enough. I am only talking about the timeline view. (although your interpretation above seems nice too).

In timeline view I would like to see the whole timeline move along and progress in time (to the right) just like the red marker line does. When the red marker line reached the most right side of the current timeline view, the timeline view itself (the whole scale) should move along and progress in time live.

Make any sense?

[hsingfoo]

To add to my response above:

one can go back and forth in time in the timeline view, and only when the current server time is within the timeline view, the red marker line appears.

My thought was that IF the red marker line is within the current timeline view range and IF it reaches the end of the current timeline view range, ONLY then move/progress the timeline view along to the right together with the red marker line. So the right side is then always the current server time.

If the red line marker is NOT within the current timeline view range, do nothing, just display as is.

[pliablepixels]

ok, not sure I fully understand - I'm out for a few days on leave, will come back and think/ask more qs.

[hsingfoo]

Thx.

[pliablepixels]

Interesting - I think I understand what you mean. That red line is moving every second - I had no idea. I am using vis.js and did not know it was dynamically updated. So what you are asking for is if the red line moves, also keep checking for new alarms and add them.

The problem is timeline APIs are very network hungry, but I can probably update every minute. I'll figure something out now that I've realized that line is moving :-)

[pliablepixels]

I've changed the title to reflect the feature we are talking about - do you agree that is the right title?

[hsingfoo]

Agree, thanks. Does this mean that if there are no new events, the timeline stays in a 'frozen' state until an event occurs?

[pliablepixels]

@hsingfoo - give it a go (you need to enable dynamic updates). Events will be checked at a delay of 10s

[hsingfoo]

Thanks, nice job! It seems to be working. Just need to do some more testing. Will report back.

[pliablepixels]

Okay, so this turned out to be more complex than I thought. Here is what should happen:
Once you enable it, it should track events every 10 seconds

a) Events that are currently being recorded (not complete) will be in orange. Orange means - a new event has occurred - its in temporary display state (see b)

b) Once those events are completed, they will either change color to the regular color, if they meet the criteria you have set or disappear from view (that is, if you are viewing timeline for only alarmed events, and have set alarm count to 3 in dev settings, then after the event is complete, it will display only if there are a minimum of 3 alarmed frames)

c) You will also see an indication at the bottom on which new events have occurred

d) dynamic updates will be persistent across restarts

e) Whether you can see the new events or not depends on the current zoom factor

f) Every time a new event is updated, the screen will scroll to that event

There may be bugs. I discovered some weird ZM quirks while implementing this.

[hsingfoo]

a. Works for me
b. Works for me
c. Works for me
d. Works for me
e. Could you elaborate a bit more on this please? (*)
f. Works for me

(*) When no new event happen and the red marker 'leaves' the current timeline view and zoom factor, there is no way of telling if the system is functioning correctly or 'frozen', hence my suggestion to have the whole timeline scale move along the red marker when it almost reaches the end of the viewable timeline, so the operator can see the system is functional. Like a heartbeat indicator.

[pliablepixels]

the problem is that if you move the timeline around because you want to review an old event that scrolled off the screen, it will pull the screen back to current time even if there is no event.

[pliablepixels]

closing as I need to make a release - please create new issue if problems arise

[hsingfoo]

Additional question if I may. What is the reason for the 10 seconds delay for updates? Can this be configurable in devsettings?

[pliablepixels]

mostly load management. I might add this to config at a later date (in general, I don't want to keep adding dials to every feature - at some point, someone will tweak it to 2 seconds, bring down ZM and ask me why the app is crashing ZM)