francisu
06-30-2006, 05:41 PM
(Admin code added by Palmer - 3NY92706NF028090C , 67077483FE471672N)
Background
The project is to extend a set of icons to represent some new functionality for a desktop data transformation product. This product is developed on the Eclipse platform and is designed to run on Linux, Windows and the MAC.
All required icons are 16x16 only, and all must be transparent.
One consideration I have found for windows for example, is that the 16x16 space for the icon image is supposed to contain the separation between icons in different rows (where on Linux the separation between icons between different rows is added). Thus the current icon set has the large blue icon as 15x15. If you have a better idea, or I am missing something I would like to know.
Here are some screenshots of the product so you can understand the icons in context:
http://www.oaklandsoftware.com/product_gs1/viewergen.html#gen
http://www.oaklandsoftware.com/product_gs1/designergen.html#gen
http://www.oaklandsoftware.com/product_gs1/mappergen.html#gen
If you require additional screenshots or want to actually try the product, let me know.
Also provided is a PSD file which contains all of the icon source; I would like to you modify this file (or create a new similar file) and return it as the work product.
The PSD file is here:
http://www.oaklandsoftware.com/icons.psd
Many of the icons used by the product are icons from Eclipse and are not part of this project (like the import icon).
This project is to revise the icons associated with the objects being manipulated by the product.
*** Important: The icons are dynamically layered by the product from the images in the PSD file (after they are generated as transparent GIFs). So you would not be constructing complete icons, but a set of images that are dynamically combined to make the icons.
The product uses the following basic types of icons (these are the names of the layers in the PSD file):
- repository (the big blue square) - This is the base icon for the major product objects which are structures, maps, functions, namespace containers.
- elem (the blue bar) - Represents a part of a structure or map, essentially a data element
- container (the 3 layered blue bars) - Represents a type of element (as above) that contains other elements (not presently used)
- codevalue (the small blue box) - Represents a possible code value within an element
(not included in the PSD file - not sure if I have the source) - a round icon which is a catch all icon used to represent other sub objects and miscellaneous things, hopefully this can go away)
The product then overlays these basic icons with other images to further distinguish the type of major product object (again, names of layers in the PSD file):
- map - specifies a map, which is something that relates one structure to another
- struct - specifies a structure, which is a collection of data elements
- func - specifies a function, which is a set of instructions that can be used in a map
- namespace - specifies a container of XML namespaces
- attribute - overlays an elem icon to indicate it's an XML attribute
- outputref/inputref - overlays an elem icon to specify a reference to an element (either from the input or output)
- new - overlays any icon indicating a new object
- modified - overlays an element icon indicating the element was modified
- disabled - overlays an element icon indicateing the element is disabled
What I am looking for:
*** Important (repeated): The icons are dynamically layered by the product from the images in the PSD file (after they are generated as transparent GIFs). So you would not be constructing complete icons, but a set of images that are dynamically combined to make the icons.
1) Additional or replacement icons to represent the these major product objects:
- project (not really an object, but a container of major product objects) - this is a container or structures, maps, namespace containers, and functions. This is just a standard project as you would find in any design tool or development environment. Eclipse uses a special folder icon for these, but I'm not sure about that. A project is a folder that contains other folders, so having some image to overlay the standard folder icon (provided by eclipse) might work well.
- namespace container - I don't like the current "N" icon (I heard somewhere that one should avoid letters in icons). A namespace container is a collection of XML namespaces (let me know if a screenshot would be helpful to make this clear). Like the other major product objects, the background would be the large blue box, but a different image overlay is necessary.
- user function - There needs to be a distinction for a function defined by a user (as opposed to a built in function). This would presumably be an image to overlay the function icon.
2) New icons for:
- namespace - (see namespace container above) - This icon represents a single XML namespace. The namespace container holds these namespaces in the same way that a structure or map hold elements (as seen in the screen shots on the right).
- Folders that are subordinate to a structure or map (these can be images that overlay the standard folder icon) for:
- representations - indicates if this structure can appear as XML, a flat file, an EDI file, a database (or some combination)
- references to maps used by the structure
- test/sample instance documents associated with the structure
- inherits from - a map/structure can be derived from another map/structure, this folder lists the maps/structures from which this map/struct is derived.
- Representation icons (contained in the representation folder mentioned above) - there should be some base image indicating a representation, and then an overlay image for each of the following representations: 1) XML, 2) EDI, 3) Database 4) Flat file
- 4 reference icons, one each for a map, structure, project, and document. Each of these icons shows a reference (pointer) to the object. It would be good to have some common graphic indicating a reference combined with some graphic that indicates the map/structure/project/document (perhaps a smaller version of the full map/structure/project/document icon or something).
- An icon that represents an instance document (contained in the test/sample documents folder above).
- Function arguments - a function can have an argument, like for example, the function called "Add" can have two arguments "number1" and "number2". I need an icon to be used for the function argument.
- Test case, a test case is a collection of input and output values that exists at an element level. A single test case may have only a few input or output values, or it may have a large number. The way a test case works is the element is processed with the input values and the resulting output is matched with the output values. You could call the output valued "expected output values". Test cases are always associated with an element. It should probably have some different base graphic than an element however.
- Test case value header. Each test case has input values and output values. An icon is needed for the enclosing folder. Actually maybe this can be just a plain folder icon. This is a similar issue to the above folder icons.
- Test case value - an icon that identifies a particular test case value, for example the value of a last name.
(I can provide a screen shot of the current test case stuff if this is unclear).
3) Revised icons for:
- structure/map - The current overlays for these are rather primitive, it would be good to have something else that more clearly communicates.
Other
I am open to other approaches to the problem, as long as it can use the dynamic overlay technique. The product has (not counting the Eclipse icons) about 50 unique icons which are built from combinations of about 20 base icons. Maintaining and extending the unique icons would be very painful.
If you want to propose other shapes or styles or anything else for any of the icons, I would be very open to that. I would be willing to increase the bid for a substantially better overall approach.
Background
The project is to extend a set of icons to represent some new functionality for a desktop data transformation product. This product is developed on the Eclipse platform and is designed to run on Linux, Windows and the MAC.
All required icons are 16x16 only, and all must be transparent.
One consideration I have found for windows for example, is that the 16x16 space for the icon image is supposed to contain the separation between icons in different rows (where on Linux the separation between icons between different rows is added). Thus the current icon set has the large blue icon as 15x15. If you have a better idea, or I am missing something I would like to know.
Here are some screenshots of the product so you can understand the icons in context:
http://www.oaklandsoftware.com/product_gs1/viewergen.html#gen
http://www.oaklandsoftware.com/product_gs1/designergen.html#gen
http://www.oaklandsoftware.com/product_gs1/mappergen.html#gen
If you require additional screenshots or want to actually try the product, let me know.
Also provided is a PSD file which contains all of the icon source; I would like to you modify this file (or create a new similar file) and return it as the work product.
The PSD file is here:
http://www.oaklandsoftware.com/icons.psd
Many of the icons used by the product are icons from Eclipse and are not part of this project (like the import icon).
This project is to revise the icons associated with the objects being manipulated by the product.
*** Important: The icons are dynamically layered by the product from the images in the PSD file (after they are generated as transparent GIFs). So you would not be constructing complete icons, but a set of images that are dynamically combined to make the icons.
The product uses the following basic types of icons (these are the names of the layers in the PSD file):
- repository (the big blue square) - This is the base icon for the major product objects which are structures, maps, functions, namespace containers.
- elem (the blue bar) - Represents a part of a structure or map, essentially a data element
- container (the 3 layered blue bars) - Represents a type of element (as above) that contains other elements (not presently used)
- codevalue (the small blue box) - Represents a possible code value within an element
(not included in the PSD file - not sure if I have the source) - a round icon which is a catch all icon used to represent other sub objects and miscellaneous things, hopefully this can go away)
The product then overlays these basic icons with other images to further distinguish the type of major product object (again, names of layers in the PSD file):
- map - specifies a map, which is something that relates one structure to another
- struct - specifies a structure, which is a collection of data elements
- func - specifies a function, which is a set of instructions that can be used in a map
- namespace - specifies a container of XML namespaces
- attribute - overlays an elem icon to indicate it's an XML attribute
- outputref/inputref - overlays an elem icon to specify a reference to an element (either from the input or output)
- new - overlays any icon indicating a new object
- modified - overlays an element icon indicating the element was modified
- disabled - overlays an element icon indicateing the element is disabled
What I am looking for:
*** Important (repeated): The icons are dynamically layered by the product from the images in the PSD file (after they are generated as transparent GIFs). So you would not be constructing complete icons, but a set of images that are dynamically combined to make the icons.
1) Additional or replacement icons to represent the these major product objects:
- project (not really an object, but a container of major product objects) - this is a container or structures, maps, namespace containers, and functions. This is just a standard project as you would find in any design tool or development environment. Eclipse uses a special folder icon for these, but I'm not sure about that. A project is a folder that contains other folders, so having some image to overlay the standard folder icon (provided by eclipse) might work well.
- namespace container - I don't like the current "N" icon (I heard somewhere that one should avoid letters in icons). A namespace container is a collection of XML namespaces (let me know if a screenshot would be helpful to make this clear). Like the other major product objects, the background would be the large blue box, but a different image overlay is necessary.
- user function - There needs to be a distinction for a function defined by a user (as opposed to a built in function). This would presumably be an image to overlay the function icon.
2) New icons for:
- namespace - (see namespace container above) - This icon represents a single XML namespace. The namespace container holds these namespaces in the same way that a structure or map hold elements (as seen in the screen shots on the right).
- Folders that are subordinate to a structure or map (these can be images that overlay the standard folder icon) for:
- representations - indicates if this structure can appear as XML, a flat file, an EDI file, a database (or some combination)
- references to maps used by the structure
- test/sample instance documents associated with the structure
- inherits from - a map/structure can be derived from another map/structure, this folder lists the maps/structures from which this map/struct is derived.
- Representation icons (contained in the representation folder mentioned above) - there should be some base image indicating a representation, and then an overlay image for each of the following representations: 1) XML, 2) EDI, 3) Database 4) Flat file
- 4 reference icons, one each for a map, structure, project, and document. Each of these icons shows a reference (pointer) to the object. It would be good to have some common graphic indicating a reference combined with some graphic that indicates the map/structure/project/document (perhaps a smaller version of the full map/structure/project/document icon or something).
- An icon that represents an instance document (contained in the test/sample documents folder above).
- Function arguments - a function can have an argument, like for example, the function called "Add" can have two arguments "number1" and "number2". I need an icon to be used for the function argument.
- Test case, a test case is a collection of input and output values that exists at an element level. A single test case may have only a few input or output values, or it may have a large number. The way a test case works is the element is processed with the input values and the resulting output is matched with the output values. You could call the output valued "expected output values". Test cases are always associated with an element. It should probably have some different base graphic than an element however.
- Test case value header. Each test case has input values and output values. An icon is needed for the enclosing folder. Actually maybe this can be just a plain folder icon. This is a similar issue to the above folder icons.
- Test case value - an icon that identifies a particular test case value, for example the value of a last name.
(I can provide a screen shot of the current test case stuff if this is unclear).
3) Revised icons for:
- structure/map - The current overlays for these are rather primitive, it would be good to have something else that more clearly communicates.
Other
I am open to other approaches to the problem, as long as it can use the dynamic overlay technique. The product has (not counting the Eclipse icons) about 50 unique icons which are built from combinations of about 20 base icons. Maintaining and extending the unique icons would be very painful.
If you want to propose other shapes or styles or anything else for any of the icons, I would be very open to that. I would be willing to increase the bid for a substantially better overall approach.