# Presentation: 224082

## STAR web update

- _STAR web update_

**Dan Magestro****The Ohio State University**

- central repository for information of all kinds
- framework for documenting analysis projects
- [...]

**functional role of www within scientific collaboration**

**Introduction**

**Timeline**

**Design features**

**Emphasis**

**Maintenance**

**What's needed**

**Technical**

**Conclusion**

## Introduction

**Nov. 2002**

- First working draft of new design presented to Spokesperson's Office and Jerome

**April 2003**

- (then time passed...)

- (then time passed...)

- New design presented to Collaboration

**August 2003**

- Everyone's busy, and frankly, web pages are _low_ priority

**Introduction**

**Timeline**

**Design features**

**Emphasis**

**Maintenance**

**What's needed**

**Technical**

**Conclusion**

## Introduction

**Nov. 2002**

- First working draft of new design presented to Spokesperson's Office and Jerome

**April 2003**

- (then time passed...)

- (then time passed...)

- New design presented to Collaboration

**August 2003**

- Everyone's busy, and frankly, web pages are _low_ priority

**Introduction**

**Timeline**

**Design features**

**Emphasis**

**Maintenance**

**What's needed**

**Technical**

**Conclusion**

## Introduction

- Flexible layout that expands (and contracts!) easily
- Create an atmosphere that encourages people to _want_ to contribute content
- Migration from old to new site should have minimal impact (though some impact is always necessary)
- Create well-defined "maintenance structure" (i.e. who's responsible for what) to keep obsolete pages from building up
- (sad) Should be written to outlast me

**design criteria**

- _This isn't just about making our pages prettier, this is about providing a more functional tool that will serve us for years to come_

**Introduction**

**Timeline**

**Design features**

**Emphasis**

**Maintenance**

**What's needed**

**Technical**

**Conclusion**

## Introduction

- Pages written in **PHP scripting language** (navigation menus, page footers, page layout, DB access, etc)
**mySQL** tables for managing collaboration membership, institutes, publications, news & events, conference contributions
**Web graphics are minimized** to ensure fast page loading (important consideration for some overseas institutes)
- Platform- and browser-dependent** CSS style sheets** take care of (annoying) incompatibilities and different font sets
- Template-style pages to ease new development, less dependence on layout

**implementation (technical)**

**Timeline**

**Design features**

**Emphasis**

**Maintenance**

**What's needed**

**but do we really need a database just to have a list of publications on the web and to take care of author lists and stuff like that?**

**Technical**

**Conclusion**

## Introduction

**Timeline**

**Design features**

**Emphasis**

**Maintenance**

**What's needed**

**Technical**

**Conclusion**

## Introduction

- phpMyAdmin: easy-to-use, form-based tool for managing sql tables

**mySQL database and star www**

- _[http://localhost/phpMyAdmin/index.php](http://localhost/phpMyAdmin/index.php)_

**Introduction**

**Timeline**

**Design features**

**Emphasis**

**Maintenance**

**What's needed**

**Technical**

**Conclusion**

## Introduction

**COLLABORATION**

**PHYSICS**

**THE FUTURE**

- _A strong emphasis on what we've accomplished will show that we have achieved our design goals, and an emphasis on what we're working on will show that we are busy and enthusiastic. _

**Introduction**

**Timeline**

**Design features**

**Emphasis**

**Maintenance**

**What's needed**

**Technical**

**Conclusion**

## Introduction

- longer (monthly?) contributions, explaining an aspect of STAR physics, with a link prominently displayed on the front page

- http://localhost/star/

**Introduction**

**Timeline**

**Design features**

**Emphasis**

**Maintenance**

**What's needed**

**Technical**

**Conclusion**

## Introduction

- STAR's status as a large, international collaboration is one of its defining aspects – let's emphasize that
- This can be accomplished with up-to-date & easier access to collaboration membership & institution lists, news items from institutes,  council membership, etc.

**Introduction**

**Timeline**

**Design features**

**Emphasis**

**Maintenance**

**What's needed**

**Technical**

**Conclusion**

- http://localhost/star/central/collaboration/

- Distribute attention more evenly among member institutions
- Lists of, and links to, funding governments and agencies
- perhaps bi-monthly articles about contributions of individual institutions...

**additional ways to emphasize collaboration**

## Introduction

- Shows the scientific community and the DOE that we are actively working for our future
- Highlight work of STAR future planning committee (such as STAR Decadal Plan)
- Provide source of information for Tom Kirk, RHIC detector advisory committee, etc.

**emphasis: the future**

**Introduction**

**Timeline**

**Design features**

**Emphasis**

**Maintenance**

**What's needed**

**Technical**

**Conclusion**

## Introduction

- individual user pages
- physics working group pages
- STAR computing pages
- individual detector pages
- online pages, etc.

- Keys to keeping web site up to date: simple layout & well-defined maintenance structure
- All www content is divided into two maintenance domains:
**Central content** – pages maintained by STAR webmaster(s) conforming to main site design - main page, collaboration, publications, news, pictures, ...
**Distributed content** – pages maintained by others, not necessarily conforming to main site design, which are accessible from main STAR www site

**maintenance domains**

**Introduction**

**Timeline**

**Design features**

**Emphasis**

**Maintenance**

**What's needed**

**Technical**

**Conclusion**

## Introduction

- Content & support from detector groups (requests coming)
- Still some infrastructure needs to be written
- Final evaluation and approval by STAR Spokesperson's office
- Technical "stamp of approval" from Jerome

**what's needed**

**Introduction**

**Timeline**

**Design features**

**Emphasis**

**Maintenance**

**What's needed**

**Technical**

**Conclusion**

**a call for help...**

- Join STAR web team, 2-3 people willing to help out with main site maintenance, design new content, etc. (minimal effort needed)
- PHP & mySQL skills would be helpful (though not necessary
- This really is a _**side task**_ – if you have the skills and time to contribute on a larger scale to STAR computing, do that instead! 