Process XML handling and export / import

kypexinkypexin Moderator, RapidMiner Certified Analyst, Member Posts: 291 Unicorn
edited December 2018 in Product Feedback - Resolved

Hi guys,

 

Here and there I see now very often when people are not able to post their process XML correctly. Instead, they copy-paste the process design window, which still produces some XML when pasted into text area, but it's broken and can't be re-created as a process.

 

I may assume, that the core issue is that many users can't correctly understand the parallel between process workflow and XML code. This might sound really weird but the issue might be about violating the main principle of 'code-free data science'! So, as there is initially no visible code beneath the process workflow, it might not be obvious that there's still a way to obtain (and share) this code. And I suppose that this is again the main reason why people are sharing direct process copy, and not and XML code. 

 

Do you think buttons like 'Export process to file' and 'Import process from file' would help in this common issue, if they do explicitly what they state: save a valid XML copy of a process to a file and vice versa? Again, getting back to the paradigm of a code-free environment, the requirement to cut and past an XML code just leads to a misunderstanding.

 

Please elaborate?

 

Tagging @IngoRM @mschmitz @sgenzer @TobiasMalbrecht

 

Thanks!  

2
2 votes

Declined · Last Updated

26 Jul 2019 - no votes since December 2018 - pushing to declined. Pls post new comment and cc @sgenzer if you want to reopen this to voting.

Comments

  • sgenzersgenzer Administrator, Moderator, Employee, RapidMiner Certified Analyst, Community Manager, Member, University Professor, PM Moderator Posts: 2,959 Community Manager

    yup completely agree!!

  • MartinLiebigMartinLiebig Administrator, Moderator, Employee, RapidMiner Certified Analyst, RapidMiner Certified Expert, University Professor Posts: 3,503 RM Data Scientist

    Ehm @kypexin,

    thats exactly what we have with Export Process and Import Process located under file?

     

    Best,

    Martin

    - Sr. Director Data Solutions, Altair RapidMiner -
    Dortmund, Germany
  • kypexinkypexin Moderator, RapidMiner Certified Analyst, Member Posts: 291 Unicorn

    Hi @mschmitz

     

    Well, technically, it is :)  

    But! from product / UX point of view, it is not working that way: it looks like some technical function and is totally not clear to end users, judging by the number of occurences when users cut and paste broken XMLs. So the idea is to make it much more transparent and user friendly. Maybe this needs just a bit more wide product-wise approach :)  

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