Request for feedback on GSOC Proposal

Open Source Development Google Summer of Code
1

Hello Everyone,

I am eager to contribute to MIT App Inventor and participate in GSoC'24. Specifically, I am interested in the project aimed at improving the Blockly workspace multi-select plugin.

Below is a draft of my proposal, and I would greatly appreciate any feedback you may have.

Additionally, I have a few questions:

  1. Due to discovering GSoC'24 a bit late, I have not yet made contributions. However, I am committed to contributing throughout April. Is this timeframe acceptable? (I have already selected issues related to Block Editor and have begun working on them.)

  2. I am keen on participating in GSoC solely through MIT App Inventor. Would it be permissible for me to submit two proposals, both related to the Block Editor?

  3. I am uncertain about the implementation of the second part of the project (Solving the transparent SVG issue) and its scope in terms of the time required. Could the mentors guide a possible implementation, and does it fit within the proposed timeline? @ewpatton @HollowMan6

Abstract:
My proposal for GSoC aims to enhance the Blockly workspace multi-select plugin for MIT App Inventor by implementing two significant improvements. Firstly, I plan to integrate the IDragger introduced in Blockly 11. Currently, the multi-select plugin utilizes a custom block dragger for handling multiple blocks. Implementing IDragger will not only streamline the plugin's functionality but also ensure easier maintenance in the future.

Additionally, I will address the transparent SVG issue associated with DragSelect and Blockly, thus enhancing the visual coherence of the interface and improving user interaction within the workspace.

Proposal:

Thank you for considering my proposal, and I look forward to your feedback.

2

Hi Lakshya,

Thanks for your interest and that sounds like a good plan! A kind reminder in case you don't know, we have an application process in addition to Google's application process. You must do both. Our application form for GSoC 2024 is here.

Ideally, you should include your long answers in the application form to your proposal. There are also two main tasks required for applications: creating a non-trivial app from a local server, and a design challenge. Applications without these two prerequisites completed will not be considered.

As for me:

  • For your 1st question, PRs to the multi-select plugin are not compulsory for your application for the multi-select idea, but it can be a plus to your application if you have made some meaningful contributions to other Blockly plugins. blockly-samples/plugins at master · google/blockly-samples · GitHub

  • For your 2nd one, I'm not sure how this works since I guess our application form can only be submited once? Maybe @Susan_Lane can help you with this.

  • For your 3rd one, you are free to propose your solution, the scope would of course to fix that issue completely from root so that we can get rid of the fragile workaround we are currently using. I don't believe it will be too hard to fit into the timeline (around 90 hours of actual work should be enough). A rough idea for the implementation I can think of, You might want to implement API for the BlockSVG at the Blockly side, so that if you call the method with coordinates, the method return a boolean value so that we know if that is inside the SVG or not.

3

Hi Songlin,

Thanks for your reply,

Regarding the first challenge, I was wondering if it would be acceptable to use apps that I've previously created using App Inventor. I plan to import them into my local server and make modifications accordingly. Would this approach align with the requirements for the challenge?

I'll delve deeper into the implementation for the transparent SVG issue and work on coming up with a solution as you suggested. Once I have something ready, I'll share it with you for your review and feedback.

If there are any other aspects of the proposal that you think need attention or any changes you'd suggest, please let me know. I'm eager to ensure that my proposal aligns well with your expectations.

4

I would assume this is fine unless @Susan_Lane or @ewpatton have any objections.

Feel free to ping me once you have updated your proposal with the transparent SVG one, and I can take a look at your proposal as whole once you are ready.

1 Like
5

Hey @HollowMan6, I have made changes in the proposal and added implementation for the transparent SVG issue. Please have a look.

1 Like
6

Sorry for replying so late. I was out sick for a week.

Submitting a previously-created app is fine. It's even welcome. We're just trying to be sure that the applicant has an understanding of what App Inventor is and how it works.