Linkable Filters & Surface Selection In Saint Sophia Project

Introduction

In the Saint Sophia project, enhancing user experience through seamless navigation and information sharing is a key objective. This article delves into the crucial aspects of making active surface selections and filters linkable, enabling users to easily share specific views and filtered data within the project's multimodal map. By implementing these features, the Saint Sophia project can significantly improve collaboration, research, and overall user engagement. This article will explore the two-level approach to achieve this goal, focusing on updating routing for surface selections and adding a share button for broader filtering options. Understanding these enhancements is vital for anyone involved in the project, as it directly impacts how users interact with and share valuable information.

1. Making Active Surface Selections Linkable

This section focuses on the primary goal of enabling users to share direct links to specific surface selections within the Saint Sophia project. The core idea is that when a user selects a particular surface and is viewing it in a specific view (such as a summary or inscription view), the URL should be updated to reflect this selection. This allows the user to copy the URL and share it with others, who can then directly access the same view and selection. This feature significantly streamlines collaboration and information sharing, as users can instantly direct others to specific points of interest within the project's vast dataset.

To implement this, the routing system needs to be dynamically updated based on the user's actions. For instance, if a user selects surface '205-02' and is viewing its summary, the URL could be updated to something like saintsophia.dh.gu.se/summary/205-02. Similarly, if the user is viewing the inscriptions related to this surface, the URL could be saintsophia.dh.gu.se/inscriptions/205-02. This clear and intuitive URL structure makes it easy for users to understand and share the links.

In the default plan view, the routing could be simplified even further. If a user selects surface '205-02' in the default plan view, the URL could be as simple as saintsophia.dh.gu.se/205-02. This simplicity is crucial for user adoption and ensures that even users who are not technically inclined can easily share links. The key takeaway here is that the URL should always reflect the user's current selection and view, enabling effortless sharing and collaboration.

This functionality not only enhances the user experience but also has significant implications for research and documentation. Researchers can easily cite specific surfaces and views in their work, ensuring that others can access the same information. This level of detail and precision is invaluable for academic and scholarly pursuits. By making surface selections linkable, the Saint Sophia project is taking a significant step towards becoming a more accessible and collaborative platform for studying cultural heritage.

2. Adding a Share Button for Advanced Filtering

Moving beyond individual surface selections, the second level of this enhancement involves enabling users to share more complex filtering configurations. This is achieved by adding a