Looking for new co-maintainers

I have done a bit of work and review on:
#1809850: Provide more ability to override chart options and
#1908688: Views Style Plugin: Chart Title and yAxis Title Options and Fixes

I'm pretty across the code of the module and am using it in an active project.

I'm happy to help do some reviews/commits of issues, although I probably wouldn't have enough time for large amounts of development.

Although this isn't helping with the maintainer's request, the Charts module has just undergone a revamp to bring it up-to-date. I had considered Visualization, but I liked the basic concept of Charts module (using FAPI-style renderable arrays to assemble charts) so much that I figured that would be a more suitable fit for my needs, so I adopted that module. Although I'm not needing maintainers (yet), if we want to unite behind a charting solution it might be a good alternative.

I am interested in a robust charting/graphing solution within Drupal as well. I am very early in my understanding of the whole module design, but have a good deal of php based data analysis. Interested in the Charts module as well, and willing to do some work.

What are the development priorities here?

r.b.

@quicksketch just like that you have saved my coffee supply. Time to migrate from my hacks. Thanks a bunch.

I'm all for consolidation of efforts too. It's usually better for developers and users.

At first glance charts looks like a good option and has a decent user base.
I will shortly investigate moving my project to it.
So long as I can override highcharts chart configuration in some way I'm sure it will be fine for my needs.

+1 on @quicksketch suggestion

Another +1 on @quicksketch's suggestion!

I've played around with charts a bit today and I'm sold.

The module is in better shape and has more functionality than visualization currently (at least for highcharts, which I'm using), and it is very extensible.
The alter hooks are great and allow complete ability to override the settings you need to.

I think that their functionality is so similar that they can be considered duplicate modules and since the charts module is further along and currently has better maintenance status I would vote for it.

User base is pretty similar.

For me to switch from visualization to charts was easy and I have customisations.
If you were just using out of the box views integration it would be super easy to change.

I don't mean to play down the efforts that have been put in to this module, it's a good module, but if the maintainer does not have time for it it makes sense to focus all efforts in one place.

I'm interested in becoming the new maintainer of the Visualization API module ...

Right now I'm still pretty busy as a new co-maintainer of the charts module, to complete the great work quicksketch did for the 7.x-2.x version of charts. And addressing the famous deadline coming up for the chart (not chartS) module (some type of merger between chart and charts is an option I'm considering). A logical next step could be to (a) get an official release of the Visualization API module out of the door (with quite some open issues to be addressed ...) and possibly (b) consider working on consolidation of various charting modules, as suggested also in this issue.

+1 for any consolidation of these modules that you can accomplish.

Anybody still following this issue: any idea if Christophe (cvangysel) is still following this issue queue or not? And/or how to reach him by eMail or any other means? If you are aware of a way to contact him, please let him know about my #9 in this issue, and ask him to add some type of response.

I'd hate to start the procedure compliant to the instructions on Dealing with unsupported (abandoned) projects, which is why I'm adding this "friendly reminder" here ... If this reminder doesn't help either, I'm planning in about 3 days from now to start that procedure. Again, I rather prefer not to have to use that route ...

Please note the update in #2445395-3: Offering to maintain module Vizualisation API.

I'm still "hoping" for Christophe (@cvangysel) to soon show a sign of live about this request. Because I don't really "like" the additional steps in the pipeline now. But because of the lack of responses, the only option left are these additional steps, compliant to the D.O procedures for such situations.

Hi Pierre,

Thank you for your willingness to contribute to this great module and its future.

I might have missed something but have you tried to contact @cvangysel through his personal contact form on Drupal.org https://www.drupal.org/user/868104/contact? If so, did you receive any response?

We're using Visualization API in our module so we are, of course, interested in its support and maintenance.

Since you're a co-maintainer now you may do whatever you want with this module, why do you insist to be a project owner? You know, Open Source is a property of whole humanity :)

Best,
Konstantin

I also invited Niremizov to this thread since he is the maintainer of D8 version of Visualization API.

Hi Konstantin,

thank you for your #13and #14. Let me try to address some of the items you mentioned in it:

1. About this:
   

   I might have missed something but have you tried to contact @cvangysel through his personal contact form on Drupal.org https://www.drupal.org/user/868104/contact? If so, did you receive any response?

   Looks like you missed what I wrote in the issue description of #2445395: Offering to maintain module Vizualisation API. But yes I did try that, using the exact form you suggested. Here is the entire content of my eMail from 19 Feb 2015, 18:57 CET, in the language mentioned on his D.O profile (Languages spoken: Dutch), with title "[Drupal.org] Visualization API module - nieuwe maintainer?":

   Hello cvangysel,

   Pierre.Vriens (https://www.drupal.org/u/pierre.vriens) has sent you a message
   via your contact form (https://www.drupal.org/user/868104/contact) at
   Drupal.org.

   If you don't want to receive such e-mails, you can change your settings at
   https://www.drupal.org/user/868104/edit.

   Message:

   Hallo Christophe,

   op je DO profiel zag ik "Dutch" bij je languages, vandaar hier in "Dutch" ...

   Gisteren heb ik een comment toegevoegd aan de issue met als titel "Looking
   for new maintainers" (in de Visualization API module), te vinden via
   https://www.drupal.org/node/2042155#comment-9636205 . Mijn comment begint met
   "I'm interested in becoming the new maintainer of the Visualization API
   module ..." (en wordt gevolgd door een kleine motivering ervan). Even later
   werd er al direct een "+1" toegevoegd door @rooby ... Niet zeker of je nog
   subscribed bent op die issue queue, vandaar even dit mailtje, OK?

   Indien mijn voorstel OK voor je is, maar je niet direct tijd hebt of weet hoe
   zo'n "transfer" moet gebeuren, stel ik voor dat je gewoon even een extra
   comment toevoegt in dat issue om je instemming te bevestigen. Zodra dat
   gebeurde kan ik zelf wel even de rest van de transfer zelf in orde (laten)
   brengen.

   Ik kijk uit naar je feedback omtrent je voorstel ...

   Groeten,
   Pierre

   Sorry for those who cannot understand the content of that eMail, use Google translate or so if needed.

   Last week I posted #11 here to check if anybody else could help me get in contact (due to lack of response in any format). No feedback from anybody either, which I interpreted as "Nobody seems to be against me trying to get this moving, so why wait any longer?". So I moved on as explained in my update in #12, and added that "I am still hoping ..." parg to it also.

   Is this sufficient to explain why I think "I tried every possible approach to contact @cvangysel"?

   FYI: and now @dddave has taken over that attempt to get in touch with @cvangysel, as mentioned in #2445395-6: Offering to maintain module Vizualisation API. While I don't have a problem in being patient on that, as mentioned with the ".. even if that would take X more weeks (hopefully not X months) ..." in #2 of that issue.

2. About the "We're using Visualization API in our module so we are, of course, interested in its support and maintenance.": great to hear that, I like module maintainers NOT reinventing the wheel for adding charting to their modules, by RE-using whatever Native charting modules that fit their needs. Note the "... for which no official release exists yet ..." in that linked page regarding Visualization API, addressing it is 1 of my high priority ambitions for this module.

   I've looked at your profile, but from the list of (about 20) projects that you contributed commits to (great!), it's hard to tell which module you actually mean with that "our module". Please clarify which module(s) it is. I'd like to get a link to it added soon in the community documentation about Visualization ... community documentation which I have not been able to "find" yet. Is there any such docu somewhere? Please teach me, so that at least I can add a pointer to it on the project page.

3. About "Since you're a co-maintainer now you may do whatever you want with this module, why do you insist to be a project owner? You know, Open Source is a property of whole humanity :) ", let me add a couple of remarks/replies here:
   • "you may do whatever you want with this module": I rather think that it technically indeed gives me the power to do so, but I've learned over the years that a better approach is to go for something like "work on things that your users/customers are asking for, and are actually also willing to help you on via contributions like patches, QA-testing, (maybe sponsoring?), etc". It's probably too early now for this module to understand what I really mean by that. But those of you who have been following what's happening with the other modules I'm involved in since about 6 - 12 months might already understand my style, the way I work, the importance of the issue queue for me, documentation, etc, etc. Did I mention "and an official release"? Let's be serious: right now there are 2,592 sites running an ALFA (repeat: ALFA) release of this module. 'I' think it is worth being called a G.A. (general available) version of this module, as soon as the existing bug issues have been fixed where possible, and after first creating an RC1 release to get ready for that release. Full stop. Who does not agree with me about this alfa-release? If there are any other issues with that release that are not yet documented in the issue queue, then please hurry to create an issue for it. If anybody is interested in more details these kinds of things, I'd be happy to add some specific samples of that.
   • "why do you insist to be a project owner": glad you asked! Because at this very moment the current status of this module is that the current project owner has been asking since the creation of this issue for "involve some new maintainers". One might argue about what kind of involvement @cvangysel is looking for, but because of the "neglecting" he also added I read that as "who is candidate as the new project owner?". And until I posted my #9 (about 19 months later 'only'), nobody seemed to have expressed to be willing to get this issue in status "fixed" ... Or am I missing something hanging around somewhere in another issue?
   • Open Source is a property of whole humanity: right you are! What is wrong in me trying to get this issue in status fixed? Am I violating anything in the GPL license? What was the original issue to be fixed again?
4. About #14: thanks for your wake-up call to Nikita (aka @Niremizov). When I first digested this issue, and analyzed the available releases (all before I added #9 ...), I asked myself "hm, interesting situation: the project owner asks for new maintainers, and while waiting for an answer, Nikita seems to get involved with some alfa version of D8 support. I'm assuming that Nikita needed a D8 version, but for some reason does not want to be considered as the fix for "this issue". Because otherwise there should be some comment about that in this issue I would think.". Actually I also wondered what the current status of that D8 version would be, especially because the last commit is from about 9 months ago. And I find it a pitty that none (repeat: none) of the D8 related commit messages have a pointer in them to some issue number (that would have helped to understand what is going on in this project). I'm hoping for Nikita to now add his viewpoints, ambitions, etc about this module to this project. Let it be clear: if he wants to become the project owner, then I will be the first one to support that. But of course nobody can force him to make that decision. If he's rather interested to continue to act as a co-maintainer, that's fine for me too. In that case it'd become a matter of "us" figuring out who works on what, and what is the long term goal/direction for all releases of this project.
5. Last but not least, and if everything I added in this comment is still not enough as an illustration of why I am interested as I wrote in #9: probably the most important reason for me is what was written in #2 ... That is also what I, as a kind of successor (or whatever you want to call it) for the charts module, want to help with. Simply because it fits in "my" long term goal, as described in #2368793: Chart 2.0

Did I answer the question(s)? Please add your feedback, suggestions, etc about it all. If you don't, 'I' will assume you agree with my viewpoints. Know that something like a +1 in that case, like in #10, would be greatly appreciated ...

I'm looking for time to review/apply patches for 7.x version and for updating 8.x branch, probably in a week or two.

Great! Thank you Nikita! "My" short term priorities as a new co-maintainer right now rather go in the direction of issue triage, and (community) documentation, and getting a G.A version for D7 out of the door (so that the visualization module also gets promoted in my comparison of charting module as a 7th 'Native charting module', which it is not right now because of its alfa status).

Please clarify, via an extra comment in this issue, if you are yes or no interested (and feel comfortable?) in becoming the new "project owner" (instead of me), assuming that @cvangysel's original question is to be translated to something like "Anybody interesting in becoming the new project owner of this module?" (and to which I already answered via #9, like "I am interested"). Either answer is OK for me, and will be supported by me. But no answer within a reasonable timeframe, will be translated (by me) like "no". I really want this project to start moving again, OK?

Hi Pierre,

Thank you for all your efforts directed to the charts modules.

I would just like you to not take everything as your personal offense.

Looks like you missed what I wrote in the issue description of #2445395: Offering to maintain module Vizualisation API.

Yes, I did and I mentioned that, no need to highlight that. I don't simply have time to read all philosophical treatises you left. I rather do action than spend time in infinite discussions of hundreds rows. Sorry for my directness.

I like module maintainers NOT reinventing the wheel for adding charting to their modules

It's totally up to us - module developers and maintainers. If we think that it's better for our users to not add extra dependencies we just do that.

I've looked at your profile, but from the list of (about 20) projects that you contributed commits to (great!)

Next time simply ask. Yandex.Metrics.

wake-up call

People are busy with their work, they earn money to feed their families. They don't usually have time to discuss something that they think has less priority. Nobody pays us for infinite discussions.

If you don't, 'I' will assume you agree with my viewpoints.

The fact that I don't want to argue means nothing. Please don't decide for myself!

In conclusion, I respect your opinion and your efforts but now please give me a favor - don't make me read such long explanations and considerations.

P.S. I don't totally mind if you become the project maintainer or project owner.

Best,
Konstantin

Short replies to #18:

• I Don't take anything personal, don't worry.
• "I mentioned that": still don't see where in #13 or #14.
• I also like directness, and being as clear/detailed as possible, to avoid misunderstandings.
• I can understand your viewpoint about dependencies, I just have another opinion, no problem
• Yandex.Metrix depends on 'chart' (according to project page and GIT repo), but I don't find any dependency on Visualization API. Question: Am I missing or overlooking anything?
• Everybody is busy at work, earning their living, me too. Priorities matter indeed, if something never gets done because of priority, then one should 'let it go', and accept whatever the impact of that is, no?
• I do not want to decide for anybody else. But prefer to communicate what I will assume if somebody does not answer my questions. Like "if anybody disagrees, please say so. Otherwise you implicitly agree".
• "I don't totally mind..." seems a bit strange to me (must some language I am not familiar with, I am not native English speaking ...), but I am about sure you mean you do support that as a possible outcome/decision (thank you for doing so!).

Please clarify my remaining dependency question, and then let's put this to rest, because ... I want to rather spend my time on this module. I'm confident we'll both have a lot of 'fun' working together on this module, in its issue queue, or at some future DrupalCon in EU or so (we missed each other in a'dam 2014!). Maybe some day somebody around Moskow invites my for talking about charting in Drupal?

PS: would be nice to hear from both Nikita and Christophe via this issue soon before the end of 2015. Instead of people being forced to decide based on lack of responses.

Thanks Pierre for your short answers.

"I mentioned that": still don't see where in #13 or #14.

I mentioned that I could miss something in this or related discussions. Never mind.

I can understand your viewpoint about dependencies, I just have another opinion, no problem

Any additional dependency for a module makes it less usable for end-user. Just believe me, I talked to many users. Many of them don't use drush with automatic dependency resolution system.
So sometimes creating own solution without any dependencies is the best solution.

Yandex.Metrix depends on 'chart' (according to project page and GIT repo), but I don't find any dependency on Visualization API.

You're right. D7 version of Yandex.Metrics uses Chart, D8 version uses Visualization API.
Currently we are looking for ways to replace Chart functionality with something else in D7 version #2446451: Replace Chart module with Visualization

"I don't totally mind..." seems a bit strange to me

I apologize if my phrase was unclear. Does "I don't mind, totally" sound better? This is what I meant.
I wouldn't mind if you took control of the Visualization API project.

I'm confident we'll both have a lot of 'fun' working together

Sure. We will )

Maybe some day somebody around Moskow invites my for talking about charting in Drupal?

Good idea. I will keep it in mind.

Thanks,
Konstantin

Thanks Konstantin for your additional clarifications, that part of this issue is sorted out now I think. My PS in my #19 still applies.

FYI: I just added my recommendations (minor contribution?) in your #2446451-8: Replace Chart module with Visualization issue (to keep that separated from this issue).

OK Christophe, thank you for this clarification! I'm glad that my (final) attempts from earlier today to contact you via other eMail Ids I found for you on the web (to make you aware of the recent updates to this issue), seemed to have worked to get this sorted out.

Allow me to add a few extra comments to what you wrote in #22:

• In your comment in #2445395-7: Offering to maintain module Vizualisation API, you also added ... although I'd like to retain ownership of the project for now. Thanks for clarifying that, which wasn't clear in this issue here. So I'm updating the title of this issue here to make it more accurate.
• About using your Drupal contact form: thanks for confirming that still works. I started to wonder about that, because as explained earlier in this issue, I've used that shortly after I added comment #9 above, but without any luck.
• "My" priority regarding this module is to get an official D7 version released. Anything related to D8 'I' am not going to be working on before the D7 version is released (= first things first). With that I leave the D8 version of this module in Nikita's hands, I'll only be watching from aside how that version of the module will evolve. Where appropriate I'm assuming Nikita will check with the current module users (via the issue queue?) about anything in the D8 version that gets changed that might make that branch of the module deviate from the D7 functions and features. Makes sense?

With that, this module now has 2 co-maintainers, one for each supported Drupal release! And the current project owner is still available (I hope) to be contacted whenever we get stuck! +1 regarding the current status of this module, no?

PS: Let the patches come in again please, especially anything related to transforming the D7 alfa release in an official release, ideally by ... yesterday.