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50 files changed, 1830 insertions, 1375 deletions
diff --git a/_layouts/default.html b/_layouts/default.html index ec9c6f763..3065a2d16 100644 --- a/_layouts/default.html +++ b/_layouts/default.html @@ -40,9 +40,6 @@ </script> </head> <body> - <div class="site-notice"> - Would you like to work with the team that built Alaveteli? <a href="http://mysocietyltd.theresumator.com" target="_blank">We're hiring.</a> - </div> <div class="ms-header"> <nav class="ms-header__row"> <a class="ms-header__logo" href="https://www.mysociety.org">mySociety</a> @@ -58,7 +55,7 @@ <li><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}about/">About</a></li> <li><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/getting_started/">Get started</a></li> <li><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/">Documentation</a></li> - <li><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}blog/">Blog</a></li> + <li><a href="https://www.mysociety.org/category/alaveteli/">Blog</a></li> <li><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}community/">Contact</a></li> </ul> </nav> diff --git a/_layouts/page.html b/_layouts/page.html index 0eb0d0dbf..d868a951d 100644 --- a/_layouts/page.html +++ b/_layouts/page.html @@ -66,6 +66,9 @@ layout: default <li><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/">Running</a> <ul> <li><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/admin_manual/">Admin manual</a></li> + <li><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/requests/">Managing requests</a></li> + <li><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/holding_pen/">The holding pen</a></li> + <li><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/categories_and_tags/">Categories & tags</a></li> <li><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/redaction">Redaction</a></li> <li><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/security/">Security & Maintenance</a></li> <li><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/server/">Server checklist</a></li> @@ -87,7 +90,7 @@ layout: default </li> </ul> </li> - <li><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}blog/">Blog</a></li> + <li><a href="https://www.mysociety.org/category/alaveteli/">Blog</a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> diff --git a/_layouts/post.html b/_layouts/post.html deleted file mode 100644 index 3248585f8..000000000 --- a/_layouts/post.html +++ /dev/null @@ -1,17 +0,0 @@ ---- -layout: page ---- -<div class="post"> - <div class="blog-post-header"> - <h1 class="blog-title">{{ page.title }}</h1> - <p class="meta">by {{ page.author }}, on {{ page.date | date: "%d %B %Y" }}</p> - </div> - {{ content }} - - <hr> - <p>If you have any questions, or problems installing the code, please do - <a href="/community/">get in touch</a>, or post on our - <a href="https://groups.google.com/group/alaveteli-dev">mailing list</a>. - -</div> - diff --git a/_posts/2011-07-04-asktheeu-and-informata-zyrtare-at-okcon201.markdown b/_posts/2011-07-04-asktheeu-and-informata-zyrtare-at-okcon201.markdown index 88c0d5375..394e85516 100644 --- a/_posts/2011-07-04-asktheeu-and-informata-zyrtare-at-okcon201.markdown +++ b/_posts/2011-07-04-asktheeu-and-informata-zyrtare-at-okcon201.markdown @@ -1,37 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2011-07-04 08:34:13+00:00 -layout: post slug: asktheeu-and-informata-zyrtare-at-okcon201 -title: AskTheEU and Informata Zyrtare at OKCon2011 -wordpress_id: 7 -categories: -- Blog -- Development -- Partners -tags: -- asktheeu -- informatazyrtare -- okcon -- update -- whatdotheyknow +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2011/07/04/asktheeu-and-informata-zyrtare-at-okcon201/ --- - -Last week I travelled to Berlin to meet with [@dcabo](https://twitter.com/#!/dcabo), [@helen_access](https://twitter.com/#!/helen_access) and [@KerstiRu](https://twitter.com/#!/KerstiRu) of [Access Info Europe](http://www.access-info.org/) and Valon Brestovci of [Free Libre Open Source Software Kosova](http://www.flossk.org/) (FLOSSK) to discuss and plan collaboration on the first Alaveteli-driven websites: _AskTheEu_ and _Informata Zyrtare_. - - -{% include image.html url="/assets/img/foamthing.jpg" description="Open hardware milling machine at OKCon" width="223" %} - - -<!-- more --> - -_AskTheEu_ will help NGOs, journalists and citizens to exercise their right to know at the European level. Not being an EU politics geek myself, it was interesting (and slightly alarming) to find out more about the baroque structure of the EU. No longer shall I confuse the Council of the European Union with the Council of Europe... or is that the European Council? - -The right to know at a European level is based around access to _documents_ rather than information. This means that all emails should be accompanied by the correct boilerplate text to ensure that they count as FOI requests. European-level software also opens up some interesting localisation issues: a request can be made in any language, but the information in the response can just be supplied in the original language. We agreed that for the initial launch we'll just invite people to use Comments to provide informal summaries in other languages, but longer term we might consider some kind of community-run translation service. - -Another interesting localisation challenge will be providing user support. A successful Alaveteli site [needs plenty of resources to keep it running](/docs/running/admin_manual): responding to legal requests, providing tech support, helping people to progress with difficult requests for information. _[WhatDoTheyKnow](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/)_ usually has 3 or 4 active volunteers supporting it at any one time – and that's just in English. Providing great support in 21 or more languages will need considerable community involvement. - -_Informata Zyrtare_ will launch in three languages: Albanian, Serbian and English. As the majority of requests are expected to be in Albanian, and there are plenty of bilingual speakers available, support is less likely to be an issue. The team from FLOSSK has been busy working on internationalising the Alaveteli templates and already has a working prototype site in three languages. - -Next steps: _AskTheEu_ will hopefully get an Alaveteli test server running this week and start testing the workflow with some real requests. Due to internal deadlines, _Informata Zyrtare_ had to get Alaveteli running on their own fork of the software, so for the next couple of weeks I'll be helping them refactor their fork and return to running off the main Alaveteli software again. diff --git a/_posts/2011-07-13-forks-and-themes.markdown b/_posts/2011-07-13-forks-and-themes.markdown index 2947f293c..dd052cd42 100644 --- a/_posts/2011-07-13-forks-and-themes.markdown +++ b/_posts/2011-07-13-forks-and-themes.markdown @@ -1,27 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2011-07-13 09:46:52+00:00 -layout: post slug: forks-and-themes -title: Forks and themes -wordpress_id: 16 -categories: -- Blog -- Development -- Partners +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2011/07/13/forks-and-themes/ --- - -Over the past few days, I've completed merging the Kosovan fork of the code back into the main Alaveteli software ([here's an email about it](https://groups.google.com/group/alaveteli-dev/browse_thread/thread/624ca44d2a8121d4) on the dev mailing list). - -In non-technical terms: the team from Kosovo have been working to a tight deadline without any help from me (because I was working on other things while we waited for funding to come through). The quickest way for them to change Alaveteli to meet their needs (e.g. changing the design, making the templates work in different languages, etc) was to alter the core Alaveteli code. - -This meant they could move swiftly towards deployment; however, the down side was that they were no longer running off the same code base as WhatDoTheyKnow. As a result, they were missing out on bug fixes and improvements that mySociety were making to the code, and mySociety were missing out on things like the internationalised templates. - -{% include image.html url="/assets/img/sq.png" description="The current Informata Zyrtare theme" width="500" %} - -_Merging_ is the process of taking someone else's changes and mixing them with your own changes to create a new, combined version of the software. - -This is now complete, which means we can once again start to benefit from each others' work. - -As a side effect, I needed to come up with ways to keep customisations separate from the core code. All such customisations should now live in "themes", which I have [started to document](/docs/customising/themes). One such theme is the Informata Zyrtare theme, which is now on Github, should anyone want to experiment with it. diff --git a/_posts/2011-07-13-pret-a-porter-alaveteli.markdown b/_posts/2011-07-13-pret-a-porter-alaveteli.markdown index fd3908681..5f868b9fb 100644 --- a/_posts/2011-07-13-pret-a-porter-alaveteli.markdown +++ b/_posts/2011-07-13-pret-a-porter-alaveteli.markdown @@ -1,26 +1,7 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2011-07-13 10:02:11+00:00 -layout: post slug: pret-a-porter-alaveteli title: Pret-a-porter Alaveteli -wordpress_id: 21 -categories: -- Blog -- Development -- Hosting redirect_from: /2011/07/13/pret-a-porter-alaveteli/ +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2011/07/13/pret-a-porter-alaveteli/ --- - -As part of my recent work on the Alaveteli code, I've needed to repeatedly test it. Currently it's quite complicated installing an Alaveteli website, and I've been having to reinstall from scratch a few times to make sure my test environment is clean. - -It seemed a good idea while I was doing this to set up an Amazon Machine Image (AMI). This means that anyone with a correctly set up Amazon Web Services account can get a running Alaveteli server with just a few clicks. Not only does it have the core software deployed, it also comes with a web server and mail server configured, so it should in theory just work out of the box. - -{% include image.html url="/assets/img/ec2.png" description="Alaveteli instances running in EC2" width="517" %} - -As a nice side-effect, it means I can run the automated tests really quickly by running them on an "xlarge" EC2 instance (which is equivalent to a server with 14Gb of memory). - -People thinking of trying out Alaveteli should therefore consider using the AMI to get started quickly; not least because new AWS customers have access to a "[free tier](http://aws.amazon.com/free/)" for a year. - -The only down side is that actually getting started with EC2 can be a bit fiddly if you've never done it before. [Read more about the AMI here](/docs/installing/ami). diff --git a/_posts/2011-07-27-speeding-things-up-with-varnish.markdown b/_posts/2011-07-27-speeding-things-up-with-varnish.markdown index 70d79c941..f3a128981 100644 --- a/_posts/2011-07-27-speeding-things-up-with-varnish.markdown +++ b/_posts/2011-07-27-speeding-things-up-with-varnish.markdown @@ -1,39 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2011-07-27 15:10:01+00:00 -layout: post slug: speeding-things-up-with-varnish -title: Speeding things up with Varnish -wordpress_id: 49 +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2011/07/27/speeding-things-up-with-varnish/ --- - -On [WhatDoTheyKnow](http://www.whatdotheyknow.com), the Alaveteli software has lately been grinding to a halt. It's hard to pinpoint the exact cause, but it's related to many of the following points: - - - - - * Rails and ruby (especially ruby 1.8, which we're currently running) being relatively slow in general - - - * The size of our database (two tables in particular were taking up more than 40GB space). In particular this meant our backups were hogging I/O. - - - * Our heavy use of Xapian, on the same machine as the large database: lots of disk seeks, particularly during costly batch walk-and-retrieve operations (e.g. sending out email alerts) - - - * Some areas where the database could be better optimised - - - * The fact that Varnish wasn't actually caching many of our pages, as they didn't have any relevant cache headers set up (in fact, the Rails default is for them to have `Cache-control: private` headers. - - -Really, I should have done some baseline performance tests, incrementally introduced improvements, and re-profiled the site with each improvement. However, I've got loads of other things to do, and there are data protection issues with grabbing a copy of the entire current WhatDoTheyKnow database, so in consultation with some other team members, I just picked some of the lowest-hanging fruit. - -The detail of the discussion and outcomes are [recorded in the issue tracker](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/issues/86), but it turns out that the biggest, most immediate effect was to simply reduce the number of requests that made it to the Rails application in the first place -- as is so often the case in applications like this. - -The moral: on all but the smallest Alaveteli website, deploy it behind a caching proxy like [Varnish](https://www.varnish-cache.org/). I'll write up some notes in the documentation in due course [edit: [a sample varnish configuration](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/config/varnish-alaveteli.vcl) is now supplied with the software). - -You can see the difference on the resource usage of the server running WhatDoTheyKnow on this chart -- I deployed the caching-related changes around 08:15 on these charts: - -{% include image.html url="/assets/img/performance.png" description="Performance charts" width="700" %} diff --git a/_posts/2011-07-29-you-need-volunteers-to-make-your-website-work.markdown b/_posts/2011-07-29-you-need-volunteers-to-make-your-website-work.markdown index be98b6c39..eb69ed0fa 100644 --- a/_posts/2011-07-29-you-need-volunteers-to-make-your-website-work.markdown +++ b/_posts/2011-07-29-you-need-volunteers-to-make-your-website-work.markdown @@ -1,47 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2011-07-29 11:22:51+00:00 -layout: post slug: you-need-volunteers-to-make-your-website-work -title: You need volunteers to make your website work -wordpress_id: 55 +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2011/07/29/you-need-volunteers-to-make-your-website-work/ --- - -A successful Alaveteli website is nothing without its volunteers. These are people who care so much about transparency and the right to know that they are motivated to help run a busy website. There's [some details here](/docs/running/admin_manual), but in short, volunteers do things like: - - - - - * Provide user support to people who need help using the website - - - * Provide advice on FOI laws when users encounter difficult authorities or situations - - - * Act on takedown or redaction requests in response to legally or ethically reasonable requests from users or authorities - - - * Investigate and report on bugs in the software - - -[WhatDoTheyKnow](http://www.whatdotheyknow.com) has an amazing volunteer pool of around six or seven people, of whom about three are active at any one time (it varies depending on their other commitments). They are dedicated, committed, knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and the website quite simply wouldn't function without them. - -So, how did WhatDoTheyKnow recruit this team of experts? I spoke with the original author of WhatDoTheyKnow, [Francis Irving](https://twitter.com/#!/frabcus), to find out. - - ->At mySociety, we had a pool of people on our mailing lists who had been waiting for years for something to get involved in. We found a way early on of letting people contribute really easily, and this became a route to finding volunteers who were really good: - ->For the launch of the site, Tom [Steinberg, Director of mySociety] was insistent that we had to add every single local council to the database. So he made a Google Spreadsheet listing the name of each one, and [send out an email to our mailing list](https://secure.mysociety.org/admin/lists/pipermail/developers-public/2008-February/001749.html) with the request "please find an email address for each of these authorities". Within a week, we had all 460 addresses that we wanted, and people had started making new tabs in the spreadsheet for adding Police Authorities, Housing Associations and more. -> ->When it got to the point where we had people saying things like "here's a list of all the sewage treatment works in the UK", we started replying "do you want to join our team as a volunteer?" and giving them admin access to the system. -> ->Crucial to building up a strong admin team was setting up a single email address for all internal discussion (e.g. about legal points) _and_ user support emails. Eventually people hate this as it introduces so much noise to their inboxes, but it serves two important functions: it moulds a group identity for making reasonably uniform responses; and it shows you're committed as a volunteer if you're prepared to deal with the traffic. -> ->Equally important is rewarding the volunteer team by making their lives easier. I spent several months relentlessly improving the administrative interface, so that each time they had a tiresome problem, I did what I could to make it easier to solve next time. -> ->Our volunteers have a particular set of skills: they think about the whole community of users, rather than exclusively their own opinions about FOI. They are technical but aren't necessarily programmers: lots of their work is about the law, and analysing law is quite a geeky skill. -> ->It's very easy to get caught up in how the current FOI law works, rather than how it _should_ work. Quite important to our success was the attitude that "the law should be be like this" and then pretend that it was already like that. A good example of this is that we sometimes add bodies to our database that aren't actually subject to FOI, but we think they should be. Another example is that we ignore concerns about copyright law where we think it gets in the way of the right to information: we're prepared to have a battle to assert the right to know and to reuse information. -> ->As a result, our volunteers are also campaigners. When we help users, we often end up doing so by doing media work, publicising stories about, for example, public bodies releasing data in [strange or restricted formats](http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/10/southampton_freedom_of_info/print.html). It's more of a campaigning site than we expected, but it's campaigning-by-doing: not just about responding to consultations. It's much more fun than normal campaigning! diff --git a/_posts/2011-09-20-how-to-get-started-with-an-alaveteli-site.markdown b/_posts/2011-09-20-how-to-get-started-with-an-alaveteli-site.markdown index 83043e883..16b0ebf23 100644 --- a/_posts/2011-09-20-how-to-get-started-with-an-alaveteli-site.markdown +++ b/_posts/2011-09-20-how-to-get-started-with-an-alaveteli-site.markdown @@ -1,14 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2011-09-20 14:54:39+00:00 -layout: post slug: how-to-get-started-with-an-alaveteli-site -title: How to get started with an Alaveteli site -wordpress_id: 70 -categories: -- Blog -- Partners +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2011/09/20/how-to-get-started-with-an-alaveteli-site/ --- - -Just a quick blog post to note that there's now a rudimentary [Getting Started](/docs/getting_started) guide, which is recommended reading for anyone thinking of starting their own Alaveteli website. diff --git a/_posts/2011-10-15-a-general-update.markdown b/_posts/2011-10-15-a-general-update.markdown index 4aa8b478b..df01d7d87 100644 --- a/_posts/2011-10-15-a-general-update.markdown +++ b/_posts/2011-10-15-a-general-update.markdown @@ -1,25 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2011-10-15 09:36:42+00:00 -layout: post slug: a-general-update -title: A general update -wordpress_id: 78 -categories: -- Blog +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2011/10/15/a-general-update/ --- - -As I'm about to go on paternity leave, I thought it would be a good time to summarise what's been happening the last few months. - -The Alaveteli software is starting to look in reasonable shape. We have a lovely new theme designed by Nick Mason of [thetuttroom.com](http://www.thetuttroom.com), which can be seen on the new demo server set up at [http://demo.alaveteli.org](http://demo.alaveteli.org). It no longer takes a day or more to install the software; we have some way to go to achieve a 5-minute install, but the[ documentation is better](/docs/installing), and it's [now possible to run a development version on Mac OS X](/docs/installing/macos). - -There have been lots of small improvements to the user interface, such as the beginnings of a [user-friendly advanced search](http://demo.alaveteli.org/en/search), and a better way for the user to decide who followup messages should go to. In the backend, moderators' lives are getting a bit easier now that user alert bounces are handled automatically. There's also now some spam protection in the form of reCaptchas (only for users coming from abroad). Finally, the software performs around 30% faster on [WhatDoTheyKnow](http://www.whatdotheyknow.com), thanks to new caching settings and a better backend storage system for emails. - -On the development front, we have adopted the [git flow model](http://nvie.com/posts/a-successful-git-branching-model/) for managing branches and releases using git, which seems to be going quite well. We are trying to ensure all commits have associated issues in the issue tracker, which means we can use it as a fairly reliable change log for the software. - -Beyond the software itself, the most exciting news is that there are now two more Alaveteli websites launched: [AskTheEU](http://www.asktheeu.org) and [InformataZyrtare](http://informatazyrtare.org) (Kosovo). The sites look great, and the first requests are starting to come in. - -Over the next few months, we hope to continue to support groups in other countries who are hoping to launch Alaveteli websites. We also hope to learn from the recent new launches to make it easier to customise and deploy Alaveteli. If you're thinking about using Alaveteli, please have a read of our new [Getting Started guide](/docs/getting_started), and get in touch! - - diff --git a/_posts/2011-11-17-frag-den-staat-experiences-from-germany.markdown b/_posts/2011-11-17-frag-den-staat-experiences-from-germany.markdown index dccca8a36..ac08c7768 100644 --- a/_posts/2011-11-17-frag-den-staat-experiences-from-germany.markdown +++ b/_posts/2011-11-17-frag-den-staat-experiences-from-germany.markdown @@ -1,73 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2011-11-17 11:55:02+00:00 -layout: post slug: frag-den-staat-experiences-from-germany -title: Frag den Staat - experiences from Germany -wordpress_id: 85 -categories: -- Blog +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2011/11/17/frag-den-staat-experiences-from-germany/ --- - -I recently interviewed Daniel Dietrich and Stefan Wehrmeyer of [Open Knowledge Foundation Germany](http://okfn.de). Back in August 2011 they launched [Frag den Staat](https://fragdenstaat.de/), a website inspired by [WhatDoTheyKnow](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/). We talked about launching with media coverage and the challenges it brings, relationships with officials, and the challenges of implementing multiple jurisdictions within a single federated country. - -{% include image.html url="/assets/img/fds.png" description="Frag den Staat screenshot" width="271" %} - -Daniel's role is as activist and troublemaker, creating connections and ensuring the site launched with lots of support. Stefan wrote the software, acted as project manager, and continues to carry out all the maintenance and development. - -**_Seb_: How did the launch go?** - -_Daniel_: I have to say we jumped into something that we didn't entirely understand and were sailing blind a little bit. In the first few days, we were surprised by the number of requests. - -_Stefan_: We launched with a press conference that went really well: we got coverage on a couple of TV stations, and had a few journalists who are supporters of our work that wrote about it. But the problem was that the TV coverage angle was "Here's a website where you can ask _anything_ of your government!" - -_Daniel_: This meant we quickly got loads of requests like "what's the quickest way to get to the library from the train station?" - -_Stefan_: Then, when I was doing radio interviews about the website, the interviewer would quote some of these requests, and challenge me that they weren't appropriate! - -_Daniel_: We had to deal with this problem quite quickly. We started using comments on requests to say to people "thanks for using the site, but this is probably the wrong place to ask that question"; and we introduced a new, obvious button that we showed users before they made a request: they have to click to confirm that they _really_ mean to file a freedom of information request. Finally, Stefan introduced a feature that allowed us to tag these non-FOI requests, and then hide them from the home page. - -_Stefan_: Because of the way the legislation works in Germany, we have to be careful not to be seen to moderate or censor messages -- if we do that, we may be deemed legally responsible for them. So we just hide the less appropriate messages from the front page. - -I think we might be able to remove the filters and the "are you sure" button soon, because the traffic is now stabilised after the initial launch. - -**_Seb_: So it sounds like you had a really impressive media campaign to back your launch?** - -_Stefan_: Thanks to Daniel, we have had lots of support from partners like Transparency International Germany and other important organisations who have big press mailing lists and newsletters. - -We managed to tie the launch into some current affairs. At the time there was a controversy about Germany selling tanks to Saudi Arabia, which had been agreed at some secret government meeting. So we made one of our first requests relating to this and used it as our "scoop", saying that people should request more information like this. The request was refused, of course! - -_Daniel_: We also tried to get buy-in from the goverment and partners well before the platform was launched. We have tried all along to keep close relations with the Ministry of the Interior, which is responsible for the Open Government programme in Germany. - -_Stefan_: Before the launch, we went to lots of meetings where FOI was discussed, and in fact we announced the platform when sitting right next to the Commissioner for Freedom of Information, which meant the media interviewed both us and the Commissioner at the same time! - -_Daniel_: The Ministry of the Interior's attitude when we launched was something like "it's a nice idea, but it won't work". - -_Stefan_: One of their concerns is that answering by email isn't using the proper legal process. We were also advised that people using our platform should supply their postal address along with their email address, because the Ministry don't consider the request to be from a legal person otherwise. The Commissioner for Freedom of Information, however, really likes the site and is really supporting us. He loves the fact there is a single place recording all of the correspondence relating to a request. - -**_Seb_: In Alaveteli, our philosophy is "implement as if the law is how it should be, not how it currently is". ** - -_Stefan_: Yes, and the problem is that our legislation is quite old and rusty. We might well hide this postal address feature, or at least talk again to our lawyers about it. - -**_Seb_: What would you differently if you were starting again?** - -_Daniel_: In the beginning, I think we wasted a lot of time talking about it. Then when we started building the site, we hardly talked about it at all! We should have got started with code much earlier, instead of talking, but then spent more time with the prototype thinking about how we would run it, and how we would build the community. It's Stefan's baby and he has to do a lot of the work himself. - -_Stefan_: At the beginning it was exhausting, with managing the website and doing lots of radio interviews, but it was also very rewarding. Next time, I would spend more time on the presentation of the website. For example, I'd like to add a small video with people explaining the site and how it works, to help people who absorb information better that way. Writing the website from scratch went well, but I wish Alaveteli had got funding earlier so we could have considered that platform too. - -I would recommend to anyone else thinking of such a project that they should find supporting organisations. Our partners did all the press stuff in the beginning; I have no idea how to organise a press conference! - -**_Seb_: What are your plans for the future?** - -_Daniel_: We have lots of individual Freedom of Information laws at a federal state level. We want to cover all of these areas and laws as well. We've also been talking with the City of Bremen (which is the smallest state in Germany and has the most advanced FOI legislation) about a pilot cooperation programme to incorporate the platform into their administrative backend. - -_Stefan_: The task of integrating state-level bodies is really big. Not only do we have to add all the local ministries, but we also have to support different laws. For example, in Berlin you have to pay two Euros per attachment that they send you. - -We have a meeting next week with our little community to discus a "highlighted request" feature for the front page. We need to write more blog posts and more editorial generally, because in the end, even if the requests are cool, we need to provide more context to explain what they're about. In particular, we want to help reveal interesting information to journalists, because most of the journalists we know aren't investigative. They need to go from an idea to filing a story within a few hours. - -**_Seb_: So, you feel the website has been successful overall?** - -_Daniel_: It started a little chaotically, but apart from that, I think it's been a successful beginning. But what really matters is what happens next. If we see a lot of good requests, and can maintain a certain quality in them, then that would be a sign that the site fills a gap. - - diff --git a/_posts/2012-01-31-can-you-come-to-an-alaveteli-event-in-april.markdown b/_posts/2012-01-31-can-you-come-to-an-alaveteli-event-in-april.markdown index 2a1f3edee..5ead37ac8 100644 --- a/_posts/2012-01-31-can-you-come-to-an-alaveteli-event-in-april.markdown +++ b/_posts/2012-01-31-can-you-come-to-an-alaveteli-event-in-april.markdown @@ -1,33 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2012-01-31 13:14:31+00:00 -layout: post slug: can-you-come-to-an-alaveteli-event-in-april -title: Can you come to an Alaveteli event in April? -wordpress_id: 100 +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2012/01/31/can-you-come-to-an-alaveteli-event-in-april/ --- - -We are planning a -Alaveteli mini-conference -including an -installation and setup workshop -on -Monday 2 April - Tuesday 3 April -in Oxford, England -So please fill out our -[Alaveteli event pre-registration form](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFVUR3E4NUxscGwtcWJELTNRUXpmdEE6MQ) -now! - - -With the recent launch of [PravoDaZnam](http://www.pravodaznam.ba/) ("RightToKnow") in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and ongoing development on Alaveteli websites for Spain, Czech Republic, Australia and Hungary, we can expect to see at least 10 Alaveteli websites to be running worldwide by the summer. That's a great achievement, but what next? - -<!-- more --> - -A key concept for the project has always been **collaboration**. The source code is Open Source, which means that _in theory_ developers from around the world can benefit from each others' bug fixes and new features. The administrative issues faced by site moderators are very similar in different jurisdictions, which means that _in theory_ Alaveteli website administrators can share ideas and policies and work with a common voice on international issues. The problems faced by ordinary users are also similar -- how can they best word their requests? where should their requests be addressed? -- so _in theory_, they too can benefit from international collaboration. - -In practice, it's hard to collaborate when your time is limited and you don't know who you can collaborate with. The obvious next step, therefore, is to get Alaveteli users together face-to-face, to make plans, discuss common problems, have fun, and get to know each other better. - -We can also use the opportunity to show potential Alaveteli users how to get started. Therefore, I'll promise that I'll help anyone who is interested in getting an Alaveteli website running in their own jurisdiction: they will leave the event with a working version that they can start using straight away. - -The provisional details are at the top of this post. Please fill out the [pre-registration feedback form](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFVUR3E4NUxscGwtcWJELTNRUXpmdEE6MQ) if you might be able to come. In fact, please fill it out if you don't think you can come, either -- all feedback is useful! And we're working on getting funding for a travel fund, so if costs are the only problem, don't write it off just yet -- let us know in the pre-registration form. diff --git a/_posts/2012-04-16-a-right-to-know-site-for-spain.markdown b/_posts/2012-04-16-a-right-to-know-site-for-spain.markdown index 1c9146b4e..d450d024f 100644 --- a/_posts/2012-04-16-a-right-to-know-site-for-spain.markdown +++ b/_posts/2012-04-16-a-right-to-know-site-for-spain.markdown @@ -1,90 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2012-04-16 10:25:18+00:00 -layout: post slug: a-right-to-know-site-for-spain -title: A Right-to-Know site for Spain -wordpress_id: 339 +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2012/04/16/a-right-to-know-site-for-spain/ --- - -[Tuderechoasaber.es](http://www.tuderechoasaber.es/) is Spain’s brand new Right-to-Know site, built on Alaveteli. The project is managed by David Cabo and Victoria Anderica, and it launches against a fascinating political background. - -When the project was started, Spain was one of four EU countries with no Freedom of Information law. The subject was, however, on the political agenda – FOI had been promised, but not delivered, by the previous government in both 2004 and 2008. On election in December 2011, the new conservative ruling party again pledged to introduce Freedom of Information, within their first 100 days in office. - -Anderica works at the organisation [Access Info Europe](http://www.access-info.org/), which had been campaigning, with the support of NGOs including Amnesty International and Greenpeace, for a Freedom of Information law. Cabo is one of the founders of [Civio](http://www.civio.es/), a new organisation hoping to emulate the work of [mySociety](https://www.mysociety.org/) or the [Sunlight Foundation](http://sunlightfoundation.com/), in Spain. The combination of Access Info and Civio’s knowledge – legal and technical – meant that Tuderechoasaber.es could become a reality. - -There was such public thirst for these withheld rights that Cabo and Anderica were able to fund their website through crowdsourced donations. They raised €6,000 and the site was built. - -Tuderechoasaber (“Your Right to Know”) launched on the 22nd of March 2012, just a day before the Government opened a public consultation on Freedom of Information (just inside that 100-day deadline). Their promise has now been fulfilled and Spain finally has its Right-to-Know law. - -Meanwhile, Tuderechoasaber welcomed more than 11,000 visitors during the first two days it was live. 180 requests were sent – never mind that they slightly preceded the Freedom of Information law actually coming into existence. - - -## Practicalities of launching a Right to Know site - - -Launching a site like Tuderechoasaber might seem an impressive task, and undoubtedly, much work has gone into it – and will continue to do so. - -But it may be more achievable than you think. We asked David a few questions, and here are his thoughts on the matter: - -**How long did the Alaveteli installation/site build take?** - -It didn’t take long at all. I was familiar with [Alaveteli](http://www.alaveteli.org/), as I had developed [AsktheEU.org](http://www.asktheeu.org/) already, so the whole technical work was done over a couple of weeks by myself, while campaigning and coordinating other stuff. - -Setting up the server took a couple of days max, and I spent a few more days redesigning the front page and a few other things: we want/need to give the site a more dynamic look, including regular news and encouraging people to support other users’ requests. Most people in Spain don’t know what FOI is or how it’s used, and that includes the public servants, so we need to be more aggressive to get responses. - -**How simple or otherwise did you find it? What were the major hurdles (from a development point of view) that you had to overcome?** - -Easy. Development-wise there were no big issues; we’ve uncovered a few caching bugs, but that’s about it. - -Adding the blog posts and pictures on the frontpage is a bit of a hack right now, but no big deal. 90% of our time has been talking to media and public bodies, before and after the crowdfunding. Oh, and coordinating the translations and volunteers. - -**How much time is the day-to-day running of the site taking at the moment, and how much time do you anticipate spending, after the initial publicity dies down?** - -Too early to know how it will look once it’s settled. It’s a week now since launch, and although the media focus has moved a bit away from FOI (there was a general strike today about job market reform) we’re now getting 2K users a day. So far we have 270 requests, which is way more than we expected. - -There’re 8000 city councils in Spain, plus the regional and national bodies, so the day-to-day work now – which is taking two people a few hours a day – is finding more contact details. We expect to have a couple of part-time volunteers handling support, and two part-time journalists writing about what happens on the site. - -**Could anyone take the plunge and run a site like this, or are there certain qualities you think it’s necessary to have?** - -Legal understanding of the FOI situation in their country seems essential to me. We couldn’t have built this without Access Info. Apart from that, I don’t think the technical or operations requirements are too complex. Of course, being active in civil society and/or having a community of interested users definitely helps to get the site moving. - -**Would you mind being contacted by others considering building an Alaveteli site?** - -Sure, that’s fine, happy to talk about it by email or Twitter. [_If you’d like to take David up on this generous offer, find him in the first instance on Twitter at_ [@dcabo](https://twitter.com/#%21/dcabo).] - - -## No right to Freedom of Information? Launch anyway - - -The right to Freedom of Information varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction: in many countries it is enshrined by law. In others, there is no such law. - -In both scenarios, we encourage people to set up Alaveteli sites. - -Why? Because one of the core tenets of running an Alaveteli site is that we believe it should reflect how the law should work, not how it does. - -As an example, the site WhatDoTheyKnow.com allows users to contact several bodies which are not actually subject to the UK’s Freedom of Information Act – and many of them do reply to requests made through the site. - -Additionally, when mySociety launched the site, there was no prior example of putting responses to Freedom of Information requests into the public domain. Because they believe in the benefits of transparency, they went ahead and did so anyway. - -WhatDoTheyKnow was launched in the context of the UK having a Freedom of Information law, but there is nothing to stop you from launching a site even where such a law does not exist. - - -## Find out more about Tuderechoasaber - - - - - - - * [Visit the site itself](http://tuderechoasaber.es/) - - - * El Pais article in the [original Spanish](http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2012/03/22/actualidad/1332442382_587760.html) or [translated into English](http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fpolitica.elpais.com%2Fpolitica%2F2012%2F03%2F22%2Factualidad%2F1332442382_587760.html) - - - * El Mundo article in the [original Spanish](http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2012/03/22/navegante/1332412363.html) or [translated into English](http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.elmundo.es%2Felmundo%2F2012%2F03%2F22%2Fnavegante%2F1332412363.html) - - - diff --git a/_posts/2012-04-16-alavetelicon-community-cakes-and-black-boxes.markdown b/_posts/2012-04-16-alavetelicon-community-cakes-and-black-boxes.markdown index aec6fcf77..487fe7de8 100644 --- a/_posts/2012-04-16-alavetelicon-community-cakes-and-black-boxes.markdown +++ b/_posts/2012-04-16-alavetelicon-community-cakes-and-black-boxes.markdown @@ -1,59 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2012-04-16 09:57:00+00:00 -layout: post slug: alavetelicon-community-cakes-and-black-boxes -title: 'Alavetelicon: community, cakes, and black boxes' -wordpress_id: 325 +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2012/04/16/alavetelicon-community-cakes-and-black-boxes-2/ --- - -[Alavetelicon 2012]({{ site.baseurl }}community/conferences/2012/) has finished, the tweeting has subsided, and I think I've just about finished digesting the enormous conference dinner. It was a lot of fun, with [a host of dedicated FOI activists and hackers]({{ site.baseurl }}community/conferences/2012/) who could only make it thanks to the generous funding provided by [Open Society Foundation](http://www.soros.org/) and [Hivos](http://www.hivos.nl/). - -The schedule was split into streams, and had lots of non-programmed time, so I only actually saw a small part of it. There are [write-ups](http://www.elvaso.cl/2012/04/alaveteli-conf-2012-otra-comunidad-para-acceso-inteligente) in [various](http://tinyurl.com/7zamxfa) [languages](http://blogs.lanacion.com.ar/data/mundo/conferencia-de-alaveteli-o-de-como-darle-voz-a-la-sociedad-civil/) from other participants; here are some personal observations. - - - -## Building a movement - - -The main goal of the conference was to strengthen and build the community. At the time of the conference there were 7 installations of Alaveteli worldwide, but only a small amount interaction between these groups. So far, I've been the only person with a clear incentive to make sure people collaborate (I'm funded to do it!) This clearly isn't sustainable; more people need to talk directly to each other. There's no better way of building trust and understading that meeting face-to-face. - -{% include image.html url="/assets/img/alavetelicon.jpg" description="Alavetelicon attendees" width="700" %} - -This certainly worked well for me. Of course, I had conversations with people about Freedom of Information and database architectures, but more importantly, I now know who has a new baby daughter, who is thinking about living in a co-housing project, and who loves British 80s electronic sensation _Depeche Mode_. I was really struck by what a friendly group of people this was. - -Richard Hunt, who's leading a project to launch an Alaveteli site in the Czech Republic, had some encouraging things to say about community. In his eloquent (and very quotable) presentation, he explained his journey towards using Alaveteli. At first, he wasn't sure about using the software. He'd talked with developers who had looked at the code, and had felt it might be better to start from scratch. So Richard contacted developers who had already deployed Alaveteli sites directly, and got lots of very useful, friendly, and encouraging responses. His conclusion was that Alaveteli isn't just a technical platform; "it is also about people -- their dreams and ambitions of impeccable merit". - - - -<blockquote>For so long it was just a dream and idle talk on our side. Now we are nearly there, and we are part of a BIG movement. Feels great, doesn't it?</blockquote> - - - -This is encouraging, but the conversations started at the conference must continue if they are to bear fruit in the form of more international collaboration. Please join the new [Alaveteli Users mailing list](http://groups.google.com/group/alaveteli-users), and share ideas or ask questions there! - - - -## The future of Alaveteli - - - -There was a lot of discussion of which new features should be added to Alaveteli next, some of which I've listed on the [alaveteli-dev Google group](http://groups.google.com/group/alaveteli-dev/browse_thread/thread/61ed4070b2db4755). However, three general themes particularly struck a cord with me: - -**1. More collaboration, less confrontation** -In the UK, we have been accused of encouraging [a confrontational, points-scoring approach to FOI](http://2040info.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/do-they-know-what.html). At the conference, there were stories of how FOI actually _frees_ people within a bureaucracy to speak directly to the requester -- without having to go via a press office. We heard of various cases where ministries _actively_ wanted to take part in Alaveteli pilots. In the UK, we have found that FOI officers take their jobs very seriously, and do want to work with the Alaveteli concept; yet they feel that sometimes it makes things unnecessarily hard for them. - -I'm not sure what conclusion to take from this, exactly. It remains the case that Alaveteli must be able to deal with obstinate authorities that don't want to play the game, and it is a prime virtue of the system that it remains well outside the bureaucracies that it aims to hold to account. However, I'm left with a sense that we should examine how we can continue to do this while providing more support to our allies within the System. - -**2. Cake and fireworks** -Lots of people at the conference asked for more statistics to be made available on Alaveteli sites. mySociety has always been a little reluctant to release statistics, because they are so easy to spin or misinterpret. However, delegates repeatedly referred to their power for campaigning. The psychological impact of a big red cross next to your organisation's name, which you can remedy through positive action, is a powerful motivator. One idea that was mooted was to award a real-life prize (a.k.a. [Cake and Fireworks](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/issues/438)) to the "top" authorities in various categories each year. I think this is a great idea. - -**3. Black Box APIs** -[Acesso Inteligente](https://www.accesointeligente.org/AccesoInteligente/#home) is an FOI website in Chile that doesn't use Alaveteli. In Chile, all FOI requests must be made via various different web forms. Accesso Inteligente is a tremendous technical achievement which automatically posts requests to the correct organisation's form, and "screen scrapes" the results, giving Chilean citizens a uniform interface to make all FOI requests. - -The team behind the website would love to use Alaveteli as their front end system. The concept they've come up with is deceptively simple: repackage their form-posting-and-scraping functionality as a "black box" which acts as if it's an authority that accepts FOI requests by emails, and sends the answers by email. They can then install Alaveteli without any modifications, and configure it to send FOI requests to the relevant "black box" email addresses. - -I love this concept for its simplicity, and I think it can easily be extended to support other use cases. For example, there's a lot of talk of an Alaveteli system that supports paper requests and responses. This might best be implemented as a "black box" that receives and sends email, with an implementation that helps a human operator with printing and scanning tasks in the back office. - - diff --git a/_posts/2012-05-15-8-steps-to-understanding-and-implementing-alaveteli.markdown b/_posts/2012-05-15-8-steps-to-understanding-and-implementing-alaveteli.markdown index 60fcb4ca5..4530e6d29 100644 --- a/_posts/2012-05-15-8-steps-to-understanding-and-implementing-alaveteli.markdown +++ b/_posts/2012-05-15-8-steps-to-understanding-and-implementing-alaveteli.markdown @@ -1,78 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2012-05-15 07:06:43+00:00 -layout: post slug: 8-steps-to-understanding-and-implementing-alaveteli -title: 8 steps to understanding and implementing Alaveteli -wordpress_id: 345 -categories: -- Blog -- Partners +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2012/05/15/8-steps-to-understanding-and-implementing-alaveteli/ --- - -_This guest post by Romina Colman from Argentina is a translation of her [original article at La Nacion](http://blogs.lanacion.com.ar/data/herramientas/8-claves-para-entender-que-es-y-como-empezar-con-alaveteli/)_ - -Launching a website that can change the history of access to public information in Argentina requires just three elements: [the open source software Alaveteli](http://www.alaveteli.org/), an enthusiastic team, and a few weeks of work. - -Here, in eight points, is the key to understanding why Alaveteli has excited advocates of transparency everywhere. - - - - - 1. It can be developed in countries whether or not they have a right to the Freedom of Information. In places which have an established Right to Information law, Alaveteli helps strengthen and extend citizens’ access, through the publication of thousands of public documents. In places with no history of FOI, it helps people to put pressure on the State to create a law. - - - 2. Why the name? Alaveteli is the town where the first ever Access to Public Information law was passed. mySociety chose the name to express the idea of "free for everybody." Development began in 2011 when a team, led by Seb Bacon, decided to take the open code from the UK site [WhatDoTheyKnow](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/), and improve and adapt it so that it could easily be replicated in different contexts. - - - 3. Anyone can participate in the project. Yes, you will need access to programmers and FOI experts. But take a look at [Turbo Transparency](/assets/files/Turbo-Transparency-v1.0.pdf), a brief guide explaining what Alaveteli is, how it is used and why it should implemented in other countries. Above all, it highlights the need for people who are passionate about open government, and accountability for the many tasks that government performs for its people. - - - 4. It serves as a public archive. Any site using Alaveteli will request documents from the State, but it will also serve as a repository for everything that an authority provides to users. Other advantages include the ability to search, to track the progress of any request, to comment, and even to set email alerts which will send a message every time a keyword or topic that interests you is mentioned. - - - 5. You’ll need some legal advice and money. To begin your adventure, and to ensure the success of the site, you will need the services of a lawyer. But not full time. You’ll also need funds to run the site. -[Tuderechoasaber](http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=es&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://tuderechoasaber.es/&usg=ALkJrhjQF_b8Fgs2Ztn6z_R_yB_FnmBLPA), the latest Alaveteli implementation, raised its minimum project funding of 4,100 euros in just 30 days, and today the money is still coming in. All thanks to [Goteo.org](http://www.goteo.org/), a crowdfunding site that finds people to collectively fund development initiatives for the common good. - - - 6. It’s very flexible. Alaveteli can be modified for use in areas where requests for access to information must be submitted in writing, as in the case of Argentina. - - - 7. Your project will need organisation. To ensure that things get done, it is vital to have someone leading the initiative. That person will have to centralise and coordinate multiple tasks and resources: programmers, volunteers, a media contact, all working together as a team. Beyond that, one of the principles of Alaveteli is to create a great community, providing support to all who need it. That’s why mySociety is offering help to those taking their first steps with Alaveteli. - - - 8. And it will need maintenance. After launch, the site will have to be maintained and updated. - - - - - -## Alaveteli in numbers - - - - - - - * So far, the UK site WhatDotheyKnow has processed more than 111,000 requests for information. - - - * Alaveteli has been implemented in five jurisdictions and many others are in progress. - - - * 100 requests were made on the very first day Turederechoasaber.es launched. - - - * The Alaveteli code has been translated into 8 languages. - - -[Dolores Lavalle Cobo](https://twitter.com/dololavalle), a lawyer and specialist in access to public information, says Alaveteli revolutionises the concept of what it means to share information, and creates a change of mentality in the people. - -She’s not exaggerating. This software is a testament to how technology, enthusiasm and a commitment to transparency can create a tool without limits for citizen participation. - -Meanwhile, public policy consultant [Germain Stalker](https://twitter.com/stalkerGer) agrees with this definition: "Alaveteli universalises access to information, allowing the public documents held by the State to acquire real and tangible value." - -Nothing is more certain than this. Demanding transparency is a task for the people, and the platform has awakened interest in what governments do, as never before. - -The only hope is that Argentina can get on board. A project has been started and the will is there. Perhaps in this way, together we will achieve national access to Freedom of Information in 2012. diff --git a/_posts/2012-05-15-alavetelicon-or-how-to-give-a-voice-to-the-people.markdown b/_posts/2012-05-15-alavetelicon-or-how-to-give-a-voice-to-the-people.markdown index af62be29c..7580f43ea 100644 --- a/_posts/2012-05-15-alavetelicon-or-how-to-give-a-voice-to-the-people.markdown +++ b/_posts/2012-05-15-alavetelicon-or-how-to-give-a-voice-to-the-people.markdown @@ -1,63 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2012-05-15 07:15:26+00:00 -layout: post slug: alavetelicon-or-how-to-give-a-voice-to-the-people -title: Alavetelicon, or how to give a voice to the people -wordpress_id: 348 +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2012/05/15/alavetelicon-or-how-to-give-a-voice-to-the-people/ --- - -_This guest post by Romina Colman from Argentina is a translation of her [original article at La Nacion](http://blogs.lanacion.com.ar/data/mundo/conferencia-de-alaveteli-o-de-como-darle-voz-a-la-sociedad-civil/)_ - -Attending the first Alaveteli World Conference reminded me why I am dedicated to promoting access to public information in my country. - -At the University of Oxford, where the event was held, I found not just 50 delegates from 33 countries, but a group of people who, like myself, are convinced that only by working together will we bring the Right to Information to light. - -In this place I gained an understanding of what Alaveteli is. You can define it as open source software for creating sites that solicit information from the State. But that is the very least of it, and does it a disservice. - -Alaveteli is, above all, a community, a group of people willing to get the word out to help citizens improve their quality of life, to understand that Freedom of Information is a right and as such, must be respected. - -This is the goal of the team. It’s a difficult task if it’s anything. However, no obstacle seems to stop those who have chosen to take the project forward. - -During the first day of the conference, a panel discussed access to public information in different countries. The general conclusion was that much remains to be done: there are still national territories with no FOI law instilled, as in our case, and there are places with long lead times for delivery of a response, a problem most evident in the U.S., for example. - -With lunch came a series of flash talks, in which we shared the situation in our countries, but in most cases, the talks ended with "count on us for what we need." - -I was also pleasantly surprised to talk to Tom Steinberg, director of mySociety, the NGO which built Alaveteli, and to find that he was unlike anyone else in the room. Tom is one of those people that it is impossible to ignore: he has the contagious spirit of a student, and a welcome for everybody. He makes it impossible not to get involved, because he has complete belief in what he does. He’ll always listen to criticism and he knows the best way to help people move forward when they hit an obstacle. - -All the workshops for activists focused on the need for collaboration, open discussion and teamwork. Monday's session, by Daniel Silva, one half of the duo behind the Brazilian Alaveteli, highlighted the main problems facing those who wish to promote the project in their countries: the initial resistance of the authorities, and non-response to requests. - -Beyond that, in jurisdictions where Alaveteli is already up and running, positive change has been achieved. - -In the UK, some public bodies are interested in the possibilities offered by this open source software. No wonder. Alaveteli is not just a technology for transparency, but it also promotes a new type of relationship between the State and the people. - -Any technological advance without a body of stakeholders to promote it is doomed to failure before it even begins. Therefore, to develop the initiative, always and without exception, you have to get the public sector behind you. - -The very best type of civic leader understands that Alaveteli is not anti-government. On the contrary, it presents a unique opportunity for citizens to talk to them. When public information is in the hands of the people, it contributes to a democracy that is no longer experienced in the abstract - it is felt to be tangible and real. - -This is the main challenge for all of us who met in Oxford earlier this week, already feeling like part of a great community that mySociety had brought together. - -Perhaps for this reason, on the last day of the event, a list of all proposed improvements to Alaveteli was put on the wall. - -Which got the most votes? -- A way to generate statistics, with a league table of institutions, showing which bodies are the most, or least, responsive; -- Advice for users where they are given no information, or requests are denied; -- Functionality to allow the use of these sites in countries where FOI requests have to be submitted on paper, rather than by email. - -My participation in the conference, without doubt, has changed my understanding of what it means to be an activist, a word which is often loaded with negative meaning. - -In my case, being an activist for Freedom of Information means asking the state questions every week, walking, taking the subway, approaching the front desk of an agency to make my request, taking home my sealed copy, sitting and waiting, in some cases receiving a request for an extension... and finally having the answer in my hands. - -This is what I call "literally getting access to public information." Because as an excellent teacher of journalism once said, a journalist's work is not done from the desk. Neither is the FOI activist’s. - -If we want our voices heard, we must cry out, until the echo is so intense that they can not ignore it. Alaveteli does that, and much more: it gives voice to those who did not know they had one. It allows you to ask, not only in order to get an answer, but to show public information can improve the lives of people. - -And indeed it does. Only a few people know that everyone has the right to ask about scholarships, neighborhood plans, grants, and many other things. This is where Alaveteli’s power lies. - -For all this, it was really hard for me to leave Oxford. Everyone who took part in this first world conference of activists and hackers showed that if one is truly convinced of a project like those that mySociety have instigated, you can achieve. The most important thing is to find a team that believes in this aim, and wants to pursue it. - -The rest is secondary. After all, in the Alaveteli community we are a couple of crazy people who want to change access to public information, nothing more and nothing less. A couple of people that nobody can ignore.** - - - diff --git a/_posts/2012-06-20-alaveteli-0-6-fancy-admin-released.markdown b/_posts/2012-06-20-alaveteli-0-6-fancy-admin-released.markdown index 5875e74e4..68dce33b7 100644 --- a/_posts/2012-06-20-alaveteli-0-6-fancy-admin-released.markdown +++ b/_posts/2012-06-20-alaveteli-0-6-fancy-admin-released.markdown @@ -1,61 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2012-06-20 11:06:09+00:00 -layout: post slug: alaveteli-0-6-fancy-admin-released -title: Alaveteli 0.6 "fancy admin" released! -wordpress_id: 354 -categories: -- Development +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2012/06/20/alaveteli-0-6-fancy-admin-released/ --- - -Finally Alaveteli 0.6 is out of the door! Grab it from the [github master branch](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/) and try it out. The most obvious new feature is a glossy new administrative interface, based on work started at AlaveteliCon by [@wombleton](https://twitter.com/#%21/wombleton). If you are upgrading, be sure to read the upgrade notes in [CHANGES.md](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/doc/CHANGES.md), and the [new section in the install docs](/docs/installing) about [upgrading Alaveteli](/docs/running/upgrading/). Drop a note to the [alaveteli-dev mailing list](http://groups.google.com/group/alaveteli-dev) if you need any help with your upgrade. - -[A full list of changes](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/issues?milestone=13&state=closed) is on Github. Interesting features and bugfixes include: - - - - - * Most Ruby dependencies are now handled by Bundler (thanks [@mckinneyjames](https://twitter.com/#!/mckinneyjames)!) - - - * Support for invalidating accelerator cache -- this makes it much less likely, when using Varnish, that users will be presented with stale content. Fixes [issue #436](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/issues/436) - - - * Adding a `GA_CODE` to `general.yml` will cause the relevant Google Analytics code to be added to your rendered pages - - - * It is now possible to have more than one theme installed. The behaviour of multiple themes is now layered in the reverse order they're listed in the config file. See the variable `THEME_URLS` in `general.yml-example` for an example. - - - * A new, experimental theme for the administrative interface. It's currently packaged as a standalone theme, but will be merged into the core once it's been tested and iterated in production a few times. Thanks to [@wombleton](https://twitter.com/#!/wombleton) for kicking this off! - - - * Alert subscriptions are now referred to as "following" a request (or group of requests) throughout the UI. When a user "follows" a request, updates regarding that request are posted on a new "wall" page. Now they have a wall, users can opt not to receive alerts by email. - - - * New features to [support fast post-moderation of bad requests](/2012/06/20/new-feature-easier-request-moderation/): a button for users to report potentially unsuitable requests, and a form control in the administrative interface that hides a request and sends the user an email explaining why. - - - * A bug which prevented locales containing underscores (e.g. `en_GB`) was fixed ([issue #503](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/issues/503)) - - - * Error pages are now presented with styling from themes - - -There are some blog posts about some of the new features here: - - - * [The new admin theme](/development/2012/06/20/the-new-bootstrap-admin-theme/) - - - * [The request moderation features](/2012/06/20/new-feature-easier-request-moderation/) - - - * ["Following" and the "wall"](/2012/06/20/new-feature-following-and-the-wall/) - - - * [Bundler](/2012/06/20/new-for-developers-bundler-support/) - - diff --git a/_posts/2012-06-20-new-feature-easier-request-moderation.markdown b/_posts/2012-06-20-new-feature-easier-request-moderation.markdown index 12a4bbb26..a5b513eac 100644 --- a/_posts/2012-06-20-new-feature-easier-request-moderation.markdown +++ b/_posts/2012-06-20-new-feature-easier-request-moderation.markdown @@ -1,28 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2012-06-20 13:11:12+00:00 -layout: post slug: new-feature-easier-request-moderation -title: 'New feature: easier request moderation' -wordpress_id: 361 +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2012/06/20/new-feature-easier-request-moderation/ --- - -WhatDoTheyKnow [has been criticised in the past](http://2040infolawblog.com/2012/02/09/do-they-know-what/) for not doing more to discourage frivolous or abusive requests. The vast majority of requests for information are sensible, but we get a some citizens using the site to vent their anger or frustration at something, and a reasonable number of requests which are not really FOI requests at all, made by people who misunderstand the purpose of the site. - -Alaveteli has always supported hiding requests that are unsuitable, but in [version 0.6](/development/2012/06/20/alaveteli-0-6-fancy-admin-released/) we've added some new functionality that makes the process smoother and faster. - -First, we allow any logged in user to report a request for moderation by an administrator. This is important because there's no way we could support the moderation of requests before they are published on the site: - -{% include image.html url="/assets/img/report.png" description="Reporting a request" width="651" %} - -Requests that have been reported now appear in a worklist on the home page of Alaveteli's administrative interface: - -{% include image.html url="/assets/img/review.png" description="Reported requests" width="504" %} - -When a moderator clicks through to the edit page for the request, they are now presented with radio buttons to select a reason why the request should be hidden (if any). A text box appears prefilled with suggested text, and when the moderator hits the "hide request" button, this message is emailed to the requestor notifying them that their message has been hidden: - -{% include image.html url="/assets/img/hide.png" description="Interface for hiding a request" width="635" %} - - -Let us know if you find this useful, and if you think it needs any more tweaking! diff --git a/_posts/2012-06-20-the-new-bootstrap-admin-theme.markdown b/_posts/2012-06-20-the-new-bootstrap-admin-theme.markdown index 00343fb66..99f0e6e99 100644 --- a/_posts/2012-06-20-the-new-bootstrap-admin-theme.markdown +++ b/_posts/2012-06-20-the-new-bootstrap-admin-theme.markdown @@ -1,25 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2012-06-20 12:27:18+00:00 -layout: post slug: the-new-bootstrap-admin-theme -title: 'New feature: the new bootstrap admin theme' -wordpress_id: 357 -categories: -- Development +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2012/06/20/the-new-bootstrap-admin-theme/ --- - -One of the major new features in the latest release of Alaveteli is a more attractive (and hopefully more usable) admin theme. Here's a before-and-after shot of the home page: - -{% include image.html url="/assets/img/oldnew.png" description="Admin interface before and after" width="643" %} - -The theme was started at AlaveteliCon by [@wombleton](https://twitter.com/#!/wombleton). It's based on Twitter's [Bootstrap framework](https://twitter.github.com/bootstrap/), a CSS-and-javascript foundation for layout and styling of websites. It tries to collapse the large amounts of data often found on a single page into smaller chunks that can be scanned more easily. - -When I started integrating the new code into the Alaveteli core, I realised that this might be quite a big and potentially unwanted step for users who are used to the old interface. So I moved all the interface changes [into their own theme](https://github.com/mysociety/adminbootstraptheme), which can be installed or uninstalled by changing [a line in the configuration file](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/2e69a53ff5c3e15dd5a7a0fcb5f8fcedf3d6f778/config/general.yml-example#L37). - -The upshot of this is that instead of specifying a single theme in your site's configuration file, you can now specify a list of themes. When Alaveteli needs to display a help page, or a template, or a CSS file, it starts by looking in the first theme on the list. If the resource isn't there, it works through the other themes in order, until it falls back to the resources provided in Alaveteli itself. This may be useful if you want to borrow someone else's theme but just change the logo or colours; or perhaps if you want to temporarily add a banner at the top of your site to make an announcement about a change in FOI laws in your jurisdiction. - -In new installations of Alaveteli 0.6, the admin theme is installed by default, but existing installations that want to try the theme out will need to add it to their config file,[ as per the sample config](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/2e69a53ff5c3e15dd5a7a0fcb5f8fcedf3d6f778/config/general.yml-example#L37) supplied with Alaveteli. - -The new admin theme includes some new functionality that isn't available in the old theme, and the old theme should be considered deprecated. You can expect the new admin theme to be merged into the Alaveteli core (and the old theme to disappear) by version 0.7, so if you don't like the new look, shout out on the [mailing list](http://groups.google.com/group/alaveteli-dev) before it's too late! diff --git a/_posts/2012-06-21-new-feature-following-and-the-wall.markdown b/_posts/2012-06-21-new-feature-following-and-the-wall.markdown index a776a4648..1a8370a9a 100644 --- a/_posts/2012-06-21-new-feature-following-and-the-wall.markdown +++ b/_posts/2012-06-21-new-feature-following-and-the-wall.markdown @@ -1,19 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2012-06-21 06:43:23+00:00 -layout: post slug: new-feature-following-and-the-wall -title: 'New feature: "following" and the "wall"' -wordpress_id: 369 +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2012/06/21/new-feature-following-and-the-wall/ --- - -You've always been able to subscribe to email alerts about requests. However, since WhatDoTheyKnow (the predecessor to Alaveteli) was first conceived, [certain](http://www.facebook.com) [well-known](https://twitter.com) websites have become the primary way many of us interact with the internet. So we decided to use some of their technology. Instead of subscribing to alerts, you now follow topics. And when you follow a topic, by default this still means you get email; but you can turn email alerts off, and choose to view updates on a new "wall" area. - -Here's the _"Follow"_ button: - -{% include image.html url="/assets/img/boring.png" description="Following a request" width="658" %} - -...and here's the "wall": - -{% include image.html url="/assets/img/wall.png" description="the new 'wall' in alaveteli" width="658" %} diff --git a/_posts/2012-06-21-new-for-developers-bundler-support.markdown b/_posts/2012-06-21-new-for-developers-bundler-support.markdown index 50b75f950..714f3f4a8 100644 --- a/_posts/2012-06-21-new-for-developers-bundler-support.markdown +++ b/_posts/2012-06-21-new-for-developers-bundler-support.markdown @@ -1,30 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2012-06-21 06:52:08+00:00 -layout: post slug: new-for-developers-bundler-support -title: 'New for developers: bundler support' -wordpress_id: 373 +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2012/06/21/new-for-developers-bundler-support/ --- - -Thanks to lots of hard work from [@mckinneyjames](https://twitter.com/#!/mckinneyjames), Alaveteli now uses [Bundler](http://gembundler.com/) wherever possible to satisfy its dependencies. - -We have a few such dependencies, like `recaptcha` and `rmagick`. Previously we installed these from system packages on Debian. The advantages of using Bundler are: - - - - - * We can upgrade to newer versions more quickly than Debian packages allow - - - * It's the standard way of packaging software in Rails 3, to which we will migrate in due course (in fact, we will probably skip straight to Rails 4...) - - - * It brings the process of getting a working setup in OS X closer to that of building the same thing on a Linux-based system - - - -It's not utopia -- the first run of "bundle install" on a new system will take a very long time, because Xapian has to be compiled from scratch; and we can't remove our non-rubygems dependencies like gnuplot and memcached. However, as part of the slow process of moving to a modern Rails setup, this is a major step forward. - - diff --git a/_posts/2012-06-28-api-update-now-you-can-create-and-update-requests.markdown b/_posts/2012-06-28-api-update-now-you-can-create-and-update-requests.markdown index f4eef85be..fcb479a3b 100644 --- a/_posts/2012-06-28-api-update-now-you-can-create-and-update-requests.markdown +++ b/_posts/2012-06-28-api-update-now-you-can-create-and-update-requests.markdown @@ -1,11 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Seb -comments: true date: 2012-06-28 11:50:51+00:00 -layout: post slug: api-update-now-you-can-create-and-update-requests -title: 'API update: now you can create and update requests' -wordpress_id: 376 +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2012/06/28/api-update-now-you-can-create-and-update-requests/ --- - -Version 0.6.1 of the software was recently released with an urgent security update. Also included in this release was an extension of Alaveteli's API, which allows developers to write apps that create and update requests on a per-public body basis. There's the start of some documentation [here](/docs/developers/api). diff --git a/_posts/2012-11-12-new-for-developers-deploying-with-capistrano-handling-mail-with-postfix.markdown b/_posts/2012-11-12-new-for-developers-deploying-with-capistrano-handling-mail-with-postfix.markdown index e0919ee49..f616899c5 100644 --- a/_posts/2012-11-12-new-for-developers-deploying-with-capistrano-handling-mail-with-postfix.markdown +++ b/_posts/2012-11-12-new-for-developers-deploying-with-capistrano-handling-mail-with-postfix.markdown @@ -1,15 +1,6 @@ --- -author: Louise -comments: true date: 2012-11-12 17:02:58+00:00 -layout: post slug: new-for-developers-deploying-with-capistrano-handling-mail-with-postfix -title: 'New for developers: deploying with capistrano, handling mail with Postfix.' -wordpress_id: 420 -categories: -- Blog -- Development redirect_from: /2012/11/12/new-for-developers-deploying-with-capistrano-handling-mail-with-postfix/ +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2012/11/12/new-for-developers-deploying-with-capistrano-handling-mail-with-postfix/ --- - -It's been a long time since the last post, but we've been busy! We've just released Alaveteli 0.6.8. A full list of changes is [available on github](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/doc/CHANGES.md). For developers, there are a couple of bits of good news - Alaveteli can now be easily deployed using [Capistrano](https://github.com/capistrano/capistrano), and has support for using [Postfix](http://www.postfix.org/) as an MTA, as well as Exim. Both of these features come courtesy of [@matthewlandauer](https://twitter.com/matthewlandauer) and [@henaredegan](https://twitter.com/henaredegan) of the [Open Australia Foundation](http://www.openaustraliafoundation.org.au/), who are getting very close to launching their own Alaveteli-based FOI site. diff --git a/_posts/2013-04-24-release-0-9-and-a-new-development-roundup.markdown b/_posts/2013-04-24-release-0-9-and-a-new-development-roundup.markdown index ae901ac05..4678fa784 100644 --- a/_posts/2013-04-24-release-0-9-and-a-new-development-roundup.markdown +++ b/_posts/2013-04-24-release-0-9-and-a-new-development-roundup.markdown @@ -1,53 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Louise -comments: true date: 2013-04-24 16:05:02+00:00 -layout: post slug: release-0-9-and-a-new-development-roundup -title: Release 0.9, and a new development roundup -wordpress_id: 432 +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2013/04/24/release-0-9-and-a-new-development-roundup/ --- - -We've just released Alaveteli 0.9 - hopefully the last release before we upgrade to Rails 3. The last few months have meant a bunch of behind the scenes upgrades, bugfixes and refactorings to get us to this point - with some highlights being: - - - - - * Alaveteli now has better support for running entirely over SSL - as can be seen at [WhatDoTheyKnow](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com) and the new Australian [Right to Know](https://www.righttoknow.org.au/) site. - - - - - - * Upgrade to HTML 5 - - - - - * Preliminary support for running under ruby 1.9 (full support to come with the Rails 3 upgrade) - - - - - * Better isolation and testing of the mail handling code - - - - - * A more consistent admin user interface using Bootstrap by default - - - - - * Better support for responsive front end themes and sqlite on the back end - - - - - * A clearer and more consistent format for translations - - - - - -Thanks to everyone who's contributed! diff --git a/_posts/2013-06-12-454.markdown b/_posts/2013-06-12-454.markdown index 8776052df..0ffe7ae64 100644 --- a/_posts/2013-06-12-454.markdown +++ b/_posts/2013-06-12-454.markdown @@ -1,27 +1,6 @@ --- -author: Myf -comments: true date: 2013-06-12 14:54:07+00:00 -layout: post slug: '454' title: Alaveteli gets an upgrade -wordpress_id: 454 -categories: -- Development +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2013/06/04/alaveteli-gets-an-upgrade/ --- - -{% include image.html url="/assets/img/2319053387_eb231d4a60_z.jpg" description="Brass Band Serenade by .sashi - http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashimanek/2319053387/" width="658" %} - -Today, we are using the phrase "Alaveteli upgrade" rather a lot - and not just because it's such a great tongue-twister. It's also a notable milestone for our open-source community. - -[Alaveteli](http://www.alaveteli.org/) is our software for running Freedom of Information websites. The [code](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/) can be deployed by people in other countries who wish to set up a site like our original UK one, [WhatDoTheyKnow](http://www.whatdotheyknow.com). If you're a developer who would like to use the platform in your own country, it makes several things easier for you. - -Alaveteli will now be using the Rails 3 series - the series we were previously relying on, 2, has become obsolete. One benefit is that we're fully supported by the core Rails team for security patches. But, more significant to our aim of sharing our software with organisations around the world, it makes Alaveteli easier to use and easier to contribute to. It's more straightforward to install, dependencies are up-to-date, code is clearer, and there's good test coverage - all things that will really help developers get their sites up and running without a problem. - -Rails cognoscenti will be aware that series 4.0 is imminent - and that we've only upgraded to 3.1 when 3.2 is available. We will be upgrading further in due course - it seemed sensible to progress in smaller steps. But meanwhile, we're happy with this upgrade! The bulk of the work was done by Henare Degan and Matthew Landauer of the [Open Australia Foundation](http://www.openaustraliafoundation.org.au/), as volunteers - and we are immensely grateful to them. Thanks, guys. - -[Find the Alaveteli code here](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/) - or read our [guide to getting started](/docs/getting_started). - -**This entry is cross-posted from the [main mySociety blog](http://www.mysociety.org/2013/06/04/alaveteli-gets-an-upgrade/).** - -_Image credit: [Sashi Manek](http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashimanek/2319053387/) (cc)_ diff --git a/_posts/2014-07-03-our-research-into-the-impact-of-technologies-on-foi.md b/_posts/2014-07-03-our-research-into-the-impact-of-technologies-on-foi.md index d9fb7e403..79fc6d4c5 100644 --- a/_posts/2014-07-03-our-research-into-the-impact-of-technologies-on-foi.md +++ b/_posts/2014-07-03-our-research-into-the-impact-of-technologies-on-foi.md @@ -1,218 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Tom Longley and Savita Bailur -comments: true date: 2014-07-03 14:54:07+00:00 -layout: post -slug: 'our-research-into-the-impact-of-technologies-on-foi' -title: Our research into the impact of technologies on FOI -wordpress_id: 455 +slug: our-research-into-the-impact-of-technologies-on-foi +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2014/07/03/our-research-into-the-impact-of-technologies-on-foi/ --- -In March this year mySociety put out [a call for a research consultant](https://www.mysociety.org/2014/03/31/seeking-a-research-contractor-with-transparency-and-accountability-expertise/) to look at the place that Alaveteli - mySociety's open source freedom of information (FOI) filer - might have in creating cultures of transparency and accountability. So, eventually, mySociety chose us - Savita Bailur and Tom Longley. Since we're the strangers here, we'd like to introduce ourselves, give you an idea of the approach that we'll be taking, and what we've found in the first weeks of the research. - -##Who are we? - -Savita is a consultant who has previously worked for the World Bank, Commonwealth Secretariat, USAID, and Panos and taught at the University of Manchester and London School of Economics. She has a personal interest in freedom of information as her family in India successfully used the Right to Information Act in India to find out about violations of building regulations (although the legal process to change things is taking more time). If there's one thing of Savita's to read, it's [Closing the Feedback Loop : Can Technology Bridge the Accountability Gap?](https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/18408), which she wrote in and co-edited. - -Tom is a human rights and technology consultant who's worked on field investigations of crimes against humanity. After years wading through stacks of documentation and interview transcripts, he became interested in how data and technologies could help this work. He has since worked for investigation organisations in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Zimbabwe and others helping building up their ability to use data and technologies safely and effectively. Tom also consults for Tactical Technology Collective, Global Witness and Open Society Foundations. If there's one thing of his to read, it's probably ["Deadly Environment"](http://globalwitness.org/deadlyenvironment), a report about murders of environmental defenders. - -##What are we doing? - -The top level question we're addressing is: "In what circumstances, if any, can tools like Alaveteli be shown to have measurable impacts on the ability of citizens to exert power over underperforming institutions?" To get at this, we'll be doing three things: - -* First, a review of the studies so far on the impact of the internet on FOI. Our early findings flag a lot of research into the mechanics of FOI, but very little on its impact, other than anecdotal evidence. There are some great points and questions raised in the literature however, which we combine into roughly ten areas of impact. These include FOI's role in aiding the transition from transparency to accountability, the role of different groups (like the media, movements, non-governmental and community groups), public and institutional perceptions, security and privacy. We find that the overall challenge is that the technology is only part of the FOI value chain - governments also need to respond, and sanctions/enforcements put in place which ensure governments are transparent and accountable. - -* Second, a field scan of practitioners. There are nearly 20 FOI websites running Alaveteli. Some sites are just getting started, like [Доступ До Правди ("Access the Truth")](https://dostup.pravda.com.ua/list/all) in Ukraine. By talking with the people setting up and using these sites, we aim to pull together a view of what makes a successful implementation, what the challenges are, and what can be learned for future implementors of FOI sites. - -* Third, a list of critical success factors, pulled together from both the literature and practitioner reviews, which will be translated into major languages. - -All these documents should be published this September, along with something brief and readable with the topline findings. - - -##What are we asking of you? - -If you run an Alaveteli site, we may have already emailed you or will do very soon asking if you can spare some time to talk with us as part of the practioner review. More generally, we're continuing to look for more articles and 'grey' literature, in particular any quantitative studies, about the role of technologies in FOI. We have a shorter list of articles we have found so far [here](#short-reference-list), and a longer list [here](#long-reference-list) - have we missed any? Please let us know. - -To wrap up, this is first generation research into this area. We hope to have material that can be useful to you and mySociety. Any questions, get in touch via the comments field, or via twitter at any of our handles ([@alaveteli_foi](https://twitter.com/alaveteli_foi), [@tlongers](https://twitter.com/tlongers), [@savitabailur](https://twitter.com/savitabailur)). - -##Short reference list - -Baisakh, Pradeep. 2007. “India Together: Villagers Push for Work Benefits in Orissa.” <http://indiatogether.org/egarti-human-rights>. - -Bauhr, Monika, and Marcia Grimes. 2014. “Indignation or Resignation: The Implications of Transparency for Societal Accountability.” Governance 27 (2): 291–320. doi:10.1111/gove.12033. - -Bertot, John C., Paul T. Jaeger, and Justin M. Grimes. 2010. “Using ICTs to Create a Culture of Transparency: E-Government and Social Media as Openness and Anti-Corruption Tools for Societies.” Government Information Quarterly 27 (3): 264–71. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2010.03.001. - -Birkinshaw, Patrick. 2010. “Freedom of Information and Its Impact in the United Kingdom.” Government Information Quarterly, Special Issue: Open/Transparent Government, 27 (4): 312–21. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2010.06.006. - -Brooke, Heather. 2011. “Fess up - or Face a Future of Leaks.” British Journalism Review 22 (1): 17–19. doi:10.1177/09564748110220010601. - -Cabo, David. (2012). “Tu derecho a saber” David Cabo at TedxMadrid. Accessed June 25. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okta1VjTM0I>. - -Cherry, Morag, and David McMenemy. 2013. “Freedom of Information and ‘vexatious’ Requests — The Case of Scottish Local Government.” Government Information Quarterly 30 (3): 257–66. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2013.02.004. - -Consumer Unity and Trust Society. 2010. Analysing the Right to Information Act in India. Jaipur: Consumer Unity and Trust Society. - -Costa, Samia. 2013. “Do Freedom of Information Laws Decrease Corruption?” Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization 29 (6): 1317–43. doi:10.1093/jleo/ews016. - -Dunion, K. 2011. “Viewpoint: In Defence of Freedom of Information.” Information Polity 16 (2): 93–96. doi:10.3233/IP-2011-0233. - -Etzioni, Amitai. 2010. “Is Transparency the Best Disinfectant?” Journal of Political Philosophy 18 (4): 389–404. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9760.2010.00366.x. - -Finel, Bernard I., and Kristin M. Lord. 1999. “The Surprising Logic of Transparency.” International Studies Quarterly 43 (2): 325–39. doi:10.1111/0020-8833.00122. - -Fox, Jonathan. 2007. “The Uncertain Relationship between Transparency and Accountability.” Development in Practice 17 (4-5): 663–71. doi:10.1080/09614520701469955. - -Gandhi, Shailesh. 2007. “The RTI Movement Will Lead India to Swaraj.” Accessed June 24. <http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/oct/11guest.htm>. -Global Right to Information Rating. 2014. “Country Data.” <http://www.rti-rating.org/>. - -Government of India. 2005. “Right to Information, Planning Commission, Governement of India.” <http://planningcommission.gov.in/rti/index.php>. - -Grimmelikhuijsen, Stephan. 2012. “A Good Man but a Bad Wizard. About the Limits and Future of Transparency of Democratic Governments.” Information Polity 17 (3): 293–302. doi:10.3233/IP-2012-000288. - -Hazell, R., Benjamin Worthy, and M. Glover. 2010. The Impact of the Freedom of Information Act on Central Government in the UK: Does Freedom of Information Work? London: Palgrave Macmillan. <http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=407804>. - -Hazell, Robert, and Ben Worthy. 2010. “Assessing the Performance of Freedom of Information.” Government Information Quarterly, Special Issue: Open/Transparent Government, 27 (4): 352–59. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2010.03.005. - -India Together: RTI: An Enormous Power with the People: Vinita Deshmukh - 07 August 2006. 2006. <http://indiatogether.org/arvind-interviews>. - -Jaeger, Paul T., and John Carlo Bertot. 2010. “Transparency and Technological Change: Ensuring Equal and Sustained Public Access to Government Information.” Government Information Quarterly, Special Issue: Open/Transparent Government, 27 (4): 371–76. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2010.05.003. - -Joshi, Anuradha. 2013. “Do They Work? Assessing the Impact of Transparency and Accountability Initiatives in Service Delivery.” Development Policy Review 31: s29–s48. doi:10.1111/dpr.12018. - -McDonagh, Maeve. 2013. “The Right to Information in International Human Rights Law.” Human Rights Law Review 13 (1). <http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=2446424>. - -Meijer, Albert Jacob. 2003. “Transparent Government: Parliamentary and Legal Accountability in an Information Age.” Information Polity 8 (1): 67–78. - -Michener, Greg. 2011. “FOI Laws Around the World.” Journal of Democracy 22 (2): 145–59. doi:10.1353/jod.2011.0021. - -Michener, Greg, and Katherine Bersch. 2013. “Identifying Transparency.” Information Polity 18 (3): 233–42. doi:10.3233/IP-130299. - -Minihan, Mary. 2014. “Cabinet Abolishes €15 Freedom of Information Fee”, July 1. <http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/cabinet-abolishes-15-freedom-of-information-fee-1.1851481>. - -Nye, Joseph S., Philip Zelikow, and David C. King. 1997. Why People Don’t Trust Government. Boston: Harvard University Press. - -Roberts, Alasdair. 2010. “A Great and Revolutionary Law? The First Four Years of India’s Right to Information Act.” Public Administration Review 70 (6): 925–33. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2010.02224.x. - -Shepherd, Elizabeth, Alice Stevenson, and Andrew Flinn. 2011. “Freedom of Information and Records Management in Local Government: Help or Hindrance?” Information Polity 16 (2): 111–21. doi:10.3233/IP-2011-0229. - -Spence, Kate, and William Dinan. 2011. “Healthy Tensions? Assessing FOI Uptake in the Voluntary Sector in Scotland.” Information Polity 16 (2): 97–109. doi:10.3233/IP-2011-0228. - -Srivastava, Smita. 2010. “The Right to Information in India: Implementation and Impact.” Afro Asian Journal of Social Sciences 1 (1): 1–18. - -Tuderechoasaber.es (2012). Informe Tuderechoasaber.es 2012. Accessed June 25. <http://blog-tdas.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-tdas/2013/04/informe2012.pdf> - -Tuderechoasaber.es (2013). Silencio masivo de las instituciones en el año de la transparencia: Informe Tuderechoasaber.es 2013. Accessed June 25. <http://blog.tuderechoasaber.es/informe2013/>. - -UNDP. 2006. A Guide to Measuring the Impact of Right to Information Programmes; Practical Guide Note. New York: UNDP. - -Worthy, Ben. 2010. “More Open but Not More Trusted? The Effect of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on the United Kingdom Central Government.” Governance 23 (4): 561–82. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0491.2010.01498.x. - - -##Long reference list - -Baisakh, Pradeep. 2007. “India Together: Villagers Push for Work Benefits in Orissa.” <http://indiatogether.org/egarti-human-rights>. - -Bannister, Frank, and Regina Connolly. 2011. “The Trouble with Transparency: A Critical Review of Openness in E-Government.” Policy & Internet 3 (1): 1–30. doi:10.2202/1944-2866.1076. - -Bauhr, Monika, and Marcia Grimes. 2014. “Indignation or Resignation: The Implications of Transparency for Societal Accountability.” Governance 27 (2): 291–320. doi:10.1111/gove.12033. - -Bentham, Jeremy, and Sir John Bowring. 1839. Works of Jeremy Bentham. W. Tait. - -Berliner, Daniel. 2014. “The Political Origins of Transparency.” The Journal of Politics 76 (02): 479–91. doi:10.1017/S0022381613001412. - -Bertot, John C., Paul T. Jaeger, and Justin M. Grimes. 2010. “Using ICTs to Create a Culture of Transparency: E-Government and Social Media as Openness and Anti-Corruption Tools for Societies.” Government Information Quarterly 27 (3): 264–71. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2010.03.001. - -Birkinshaw, Patrick. 2010. “Freedom of Information and Its Impact in the United Kingdom.” Government Information Quarterly, Special Issue: Open/Transparent Government, 27 (4): 312–21. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2010.06.006. - -Breton, Albert. 2007. The Economics of Transparency in Politics. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. - -Brooke, Heather. 2011. “Fess up - or Face a Future of Leaks.” British Journalism Review 22 (1): 17–19. doi:10.1177/09564748110220010601. - -Cabo, David. (2012). “Tu derecho a saber” David Cabo at TedxMadrid. Accessed June 25. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okta1VjTM0I>. - -Cherry, Morag, and David McMenemy. 2013. “Freedom of Information and ‘vexatious’ Requests — The Case of Scottish Local Government.” Government Information Quarterly 30 (3): 257–66. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2013.02.004. - -Consumer Unity and Trust Society. 2010. Analysing the Right to Information Act in India. Jaipur: Consumer Unity and Trust Society. - -Costa, Samia. 2013. “Do Freedom of Information Laws Decrease Corruption?” Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization 29 (6): 1317–43. doi:10.1093/jleo/ews016. - -Douglass, Frederick. 2014. “(1857) Frederick Douglass, ‘If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress’ - The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed.” Accessed June 24. <http://www.blackpast.org/1857-frederick-douglass-if-there-no-struggle-there-no-progress>. - -Dunion, K. 2011. “Viewpoint: In Defence of Freedom of Information.” Information Polity 16 (2): 93–96. doi:10.3233/IP-2011-0233. - -Etzioni, Amitai. 2010. “Is Transparency the Best Disinfectant?” Journal of Political Philosophy 18 (4): 389–404. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9760.2010.00366.x. - -Fenster, Mark. 2010. Seeing the State: Transparency as Metaphor. SSRN Scholarly Paper ID 1562762. Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida. <http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1562762>. - -Finel, Bernard I., and Kristin M. Lord. 1999. “The Surprising Logic of Transparency.” International Studies Quarterly 43 (2): 325–39. doi:10.1111/0020-8833.00122. - -Fox, Jonathan. 2007. “The Uncertain Relationship between Transparency and Accountability.” Development in Practice 17 (4-5): 663–71. doi:10.1080/09614520701469955. - -Fung, Archon. 2006. “Varieties of Participation in Complex Governance.” Public Administration Review 66: 66–75. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00667.x. - -Gandhi, Shailesh. 2007. “The RTI Movement Will Lead India to Swaraj.” -Global Right to Information Rating. 2014. “Country Data.” <http://www.rti-rating.org/>. - -Government of India. 2005. “Right to Information, Planning Commission, Governement of India.” <http://planningcommission.gov.in/rti/index.php>. - -Grimmelikhuijsen, Stephan. 2012. “A Good Man but a Bad Wizard. About the Limits and Future of Transparency of Democratic Governments.” Information Polity 17 (3): 293–302. doi:10.3233/IP-2012-000288. - -Hazell, R., Benjamin Worthy, and M. Glover. 2010. The Impact of the Freedom of Information Act on Central Government in the UK: Does Freedom of Information Work? London: Palgrave Macmillan. <http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=407804>. - -Hazell, Robert, and Ben Worthy. 2010. “Assessing the Performance of Freedom of Information.” Government Information Quarterly, Special Issue: Open/Transparent Government, 27 (4): 352–59. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2010.03.005. - -Hood, Christopher. 2006. “Transparency in Historical Perspective.” In Transparency: The Key to Better Governance?, edited by Christopher Hood and David Heald, 3–23. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. <http://www.oup.co.uk/>. - -India Together: RTI: An Enormous Power with the People: Vinita Deshmukh - 07 August 2006. 2006. <http://indiatogether.org/arvind-interviews>. - -Jaeger, Paul T., and John Carlo Bertot. 2010. “Transparency and Technological Change: Ensuring Equal and Sustained Public Access to Government Information.” Government Information Quarterly, Special Issue: Open/Transparent Government, 27 (4): 371–76. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2010.05.003. - -Joshi, Anuradha. 2013. “Do They Work? Assessing the Impact of Transparency and Accountability Initiatives in Service Delivery.” Development Policy Review 31: s29–s48. doi:10.1111/dpr.12018. - -Lathrop, Daniel, and Laurel Ruma. 2010. Open Government: Collaboration, Transparency, and Participation in Practice. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media, Inc. - -Linders, Dennis. 2012. “From E-Government to We-Government: Defining a Typology for Citizen Coproduction in the Age of Social Media.” Government Information Quarterly, Social Media in Government - Selections from the 12th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research (dg.o2011), 29 (4): 446–54. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2012.06.003. - -McDonagh, Maeve. 2013. “The Right to Information in International Human Rights Law.” Human Rights Law Review 13 (1). <http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=2446424>. - -Meijer, Albert J. 2012. “Introduction to the Special Issue on Government Transparency.” International Review of Administrative Sciences 78 (1): 3–9. doi:10.1177/0020852311435639. - -Meijer, Albert Jacob. 2003. “Transparent Government: Parliamentary and Legal Accountability in an Information Age.” Information Polity 8 (1): 67–78. - -Michener, Greg. 2011. “FOI Laws Around the World.” Journal of Democracy 22 (2): 145–59. doi:10.1353/jod.2011.0021. - -Michener, Greg, and Katherine Bersch. 2013. “Identifying Transparency.” Information Polity 18 (3): 233–42. doi:10.3233/IP-130299. - -Minihan, Mary. 2014. “Cabinet Abolishes €15 Freedom of Information Fee”, July 1. <http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/cabinet-abolishes-15-freedom-of-information-fee-1.1851481>. - -Nye, Joseph S., Philip Zelikow, and David C. King. 1997. Why People Don’t Trust Government. Boston: Harvard University Press. - -Official Information: Your Right To Know — Ministry of Justice, New Zealand. 2014. Accessed June 24. <http://www.justice.govt.nz/publications/global-publications/o/official-information-your-right-to-know>. - -OneWorld. 2011. ICT Facilitated Access to Information Innovations. - -Press Association. 2009. “Telegraph Reveals Cost of MP’s Expense Story.” - -Roberts, Alasdair. 2010. “A Great and Revolutionary Law? The First Four Years of India’s Right to Information Act.” Public Administration Review 70 (6): 925–33. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2010.02224.x. - -Schedler, Andreas. 1999. “Conceptualizing Accountability.” In The Self-Restraining State: Power and Accountability in New Democracies, edited by Larry Diamond and Marc Plattner, 13–28. London: Lynne Rienner Publishers. - -Shepherd, Elizabeth, Alice Stevenson, and Andrew Flinn. 2011. “Freedom of Information and Records Management in Local Government: Help or Hindrance?” Information Polity 16 (2): 111–21. doi:10.3233/IP-2011-0229. - -Smith, Matthew L., and Katherine M. A. Reilly. 2014. Open Development: Networked Innovations in International Development. Ottawa: MIT Press. - -Spence, Kate, and William Dinan. 2011. “Healthy Tensions? Assessing FOI Uptake in the Voluntary Sector in Scotland.” Information Polity 16 (2): 97–109. doi:10.3233/IP-2011-0228. - -Srivastava, Smita. 2010. “The Right to Information in India: Implementation and Impact.” Afro Asian Journal of Social Sciences 1 (1): 1–18. - -Tuderechoasaber.es (2012). Informe Tuderechoasaber.es 2012. Accessed June 25. <http://blog-tdas.s3.amazonaws.com/blog-tdas/2013/04/informe2012.pdf> - -Tuderechoasaber.es (2013). Silencio masivo de las instituciones en el año de la transparencia: Informe Tuderechoasaber.es 2013. Accessed June 25. <http://blog.tuderechoasaber.es/informe2013/>. - -UNDP. 2006. A Guide to Measuring the Impact of Right to Information Programmes; Practical Guide Note. New York: UNDP. - -Wilson, Woodrow, and William Bayard Hale. 1918. The New Freedom: A Call for the Emancipation of the Generous Energies of a People. Doubleday, Page. - -Worthy, Ben. 2010. “More Open but Not More Trusted? The Effect of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on the United Kingdom Central Government.” Governance 23 (4): 561–82. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0491.2010.01498.x. - -Xiao, Weibing. 2010. “The Improved Information Environment as a Key Rationale for Freedom of Information Reform in China.” Information Polity 15 (3): 177–87. doi:10.3233/IP-2010-0214. diff --git a/_posts/2014-08-29-release-0-19.md b/_posts/2014-08-29-release-0-19.md index 3c3b2915f..9598ad088 100644 --- a/_posts/2014-08-29-release-0-19.md +++ b/_posts/2014-08-29-release-0-19.md @@ -1,32 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Gareth Rees -comments: true date: 2014-08-29 09:30:00+01:00 -layout: post slug: release-0-19 -title: Release 0.19 +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2014/08/29/release-0-19/ --- - -We've just released [Alaveteli 0.19](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/tree/0.19)! - -## The highlights - -This release we've been working on making Alaveteli easier to [install]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/installing/). - -* We've overhauled the [manual install guide]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/installing/manual_install/) to be much more comprehensive. -* The [email setup guide]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/installing/email/) has updated instructions for Exim and Postfix, and adds some extra troubleshooting tips. -* We've improved the [generators](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/0.19/lib/tasks/config_files.rake) for some of the config files and added [more](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/0.19/config/nginx.conf.example) – and [better](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/0.19/config/httpd.conf-example) – examples for ones we can't generate yet. -* Developers can now pick one of the [supported operating systems](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/0.19/Vagrantfile#L63) to use for their Vagrant VM. - -We've also made some great improvements to the framework. - -* Added responsive stylesheets! We've made this the default, but you can configure whether they're used or not in `config/general.yml`. -* Support for the Portuguese locale. -* Improved search term highlighting. -* The Public Body Stats page can now be made available to your users. -* Added a Rake task for cleaning up holding pen events (`rake cleanup:holding_pen`). -* Added searching of bodies by their short name. - -You can see the full list of highlights and upgrade notes in the [changelog](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/rails-3-develop/doc/CHANGES.md). - -Thanks to everyone who's [contributed](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/graphs/contributors)! diff --git a/_posts/2014-12-05-release-0.20.md b/_posts/2014-12-05-release-0.20.md index dcfb466ae..e64015132 100644 --- a/_posts/2014-12-05-release-0.20.md +++ b/_posts/2014-12-05-release-0.20.md @@ -1,33 +1,5 @@ --- -author: Louise Crow -comments: true date: 2014-12-05 09:30:00+01:00 -layout: post slug: release-0-20 -title: Release 0.20 +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/2014/12/05/release-0-20/ --- - -We've just released [Alaveteli 0.20](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/tree/0.20.0.0)! - -## The highlights - -This release includes several additions and improvements to the admin interface for Alaveteli. - -Here's a summary of the highlights: - -* We've added an admin user interface for managing the categories and headings that are used to distinguish different types of authority. Updates are now a lot easier. -* An admin can now close an authority change request without sending an email to the person who requested it. Good for handling spammy requests! -* CSV Import fields for authorities are now configurable. This is useful for themes that add additional attributes to authorities. - -As for general improvements, there are plenty of those, too. For example: - -* We added a fix to ensure attachments are rendered for emails sent with Apple Mail -* We removed a confusing authority preview from the process of choosing who to write to. Clicking an authority now goes straight to the authority page. -* We added filtering by request status to the requests displayed on the user profile page. -* There's now a Health Check page, so you can tell if everything seems to be running smoothly. -* Sensible default values have been added to some configuration parameters. - - -You can see the full list of highlights and upgrade notes in the [changelog](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/rails-3-develop/doc/CHANGES.md). - -Thanks againt to everyone who's [contributed](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/graphs/contributors)! @@ -24,9 +24,9 @@ title: About <p>Currently, customising a new site using Alaveteli requires technical know-how. We are working to change this over the next few months. We also have resources to support a small number of new websites as hosted services.</p> </div> <div class="about__column"> - <p>Groups who want to set up an Alaveteli website should note that its success depends on more than just deploying the software: it requires constant maintenance to ensure requests are successfully dealt with (whether from technical, usability or legal points of view). The project will therefore also develop a set of best practices for the human side of a successful FOI website. To start with, we have <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}2011/07/29/you-need-volunteers-to-make-your-website-work/">a blog post describing the importance of volunteers</a>. + <p>Groups who want to set up an Alaveteli website should note that its success depends on more than just deploying the software: it requires constant maintenance to ensure requests are successfully dealt with (whether from technical, usability or legal points of view). The project will therefore also develop a set of best practices for the human side of a successful FOI website. To start with, we have <a href="https://www.mysociety.org/2011/07/29/you-need-volunteers-to-make-your-website-work/">a blog post describing the importance of volunteers</a>. </p> - <p>The software started life as <a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com">WhatDoTheyKnow</a>, a website produced by <a href="https://mysociety.org/">mySociety</a> for making FOI requests in the UK. Its history and background are described <a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/credits">over there</a>. The development of Alaveteli is currently managed by <a href="https://twitter.com/crowbot">Louise Crow of mySociety</a>.</p> + <p>The software started life as <a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com">WhatDoTheyKnow</a>, a website produced by <a href="https://mysociety.org/">mySociety</a> for making FOI requests in the UK. Its history and background are described <a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/credits">over there</a>. 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.central ul{-webkit-column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-o-column-count:2;column-count:2}.site-footer .central:first-child{padding-left:0}}@media (min-width: 56.88889em){.site-footer .central{float:left;padding-left:3%;width:60%}.site-footer .central ul{-webkit-column-count:3;-moz-column-count:3;-o-column-count:3;column-count:3}.site-footer .central:first-child{padding-left:0}}.site-footer h3{font-size:1em;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;color:#888}.site-footer ul{margin:0}.site-footer a{color:#eeeeee} +/*# sourceMappingURL=global.css.map */ diff --git a/assets/sass/alaveteli-org.scss b/assets/sass/alaveteli-org.scss index 284e14201..01ec01a88 100644 --- a/assets/sass/alaveteli-org.scss +++ b/assets/sass/alaveteli-org.scss @@ -861,10 +861,6 @@ h3 { } } -.blog-title { - line-height: 1.3em; -} - .clearfix { @include clearfix; } diff --git a/atom.xml b/atom.xml deleted file mode 100644 index 05aced830..000000000 --- a/atom.xml +++ /dev/null @@ -1,26 +0,0 @@ ---- -layout: nil ---- -<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> -<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"> - - <title>Alaveteli.org</title> - <link href="{{ site.url }}/atom.xml" rel="self"/> - <link href="{{ site.url }}/"/> - <updated>{{ site.time | date_to_xmlschema }}</updated> - <id>{{ site.url }}</id> - <author> - <name>mySociety</name> - </author> - - {% for post in site.posts %} - <entry> - <title>{{ post.title }}</title> - <link href="{{ site.url }}{{ post.url }}"/> - <updated>{{ post.date | date_to_xmlschema }}</updated> - <id>{{ site.url }}{{ post.id }}</id> - <content type="html">{{ post.content | xml_escape }}</content> - </entry> - {% endfor %} - -</feed> diff --git a/blog.html b/blog.html new file mode 100644 index 000000000..d78ed79b5 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog.html @@ -0,0 +1,13 @@ +--- +redirect_from: + - /2011/07/ + - /2011/09/ + - /2011/10/ + - /2012/01/ + - /2012/04/ + - /2012/06/ + - /2012/11/ + - /2013/04/ + - /2013/06/ +redirect_to: https://www.mysociety.org/category/alaveteli/ +--- diff --git a/blog/index.html b/blog/index.html deleted file mode 100644 index f33263e54..000000000 --- a/blog/index.html +++ /dev/null @@ -1,25 +0,0 @@ ---- -layout: page -title: Blog -redirect_from: - - /2011/07/ - - /2011/09/ - - /2011/10/ - - /2012/01/ - - /2012/04/ - - /2012/06/ - - /2012/11/ - - /2013/04/ - - /2013/06/ ---- - -<h1>Blog</h1> - -<ul class="list-of-blog-posts"> -{% for post in site.posts %} - <li class="listed-blog-post"> - <h2 class="blog-title"><a href="{{ post.url }}">{{ post.title }}</a> <small class="meta meta--date">{{ post.date | date: "%d %B %Y" }}</small></h2> - {{ post.content }} - </li> -{% endfor %} -</ul> diff --git a/docs/customising/themes.md b/docs/customising/themes.md index a51ed447e..a2b498084 100644 --- a/docs/customising/themes.md +++ b/docs/customising/themes.md @@ -21,27 +21,93 @@ You don't need to be a programmer in order to make simple changes, but you will need to be confident enough to copy and change some files. If you're not sure about this, [ask for help](/community/)! +<div class="attention-box info"> + A theme is the way you tell Alaveteli which parts of your site look and behave + differently from the core site. These differences are implemented as a + collection of files (separate from the core Alaveteli source code), which + Alaveteli uses to override its default code. +</div> + +<div class="attention-box warning"> + When you customise Alaveteli, you should <strong>always use this + theme mechanism</strong> instead of editing the core Alaveteli files. If you + do not — that is, if you make custom changes to the main Alaveteli + source code — you may not be able to update your site with newer + Alaveteli code (new features and occassional bugfixes). + <p> + <em>Sometimes</em> you may want to change the core templates in a way that + would benefit everyone, in which case: great! But please discuss the changes + on the mailing list first, make them in a fork of Alaveteli, and then issue + a pull request. + </p> +</div> + +## Your theme is a separate repo + + +We use +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#git" class="glossary__link">git</a> +to manage Alaveteli's source code, and Alaveteli expects your theme to be in +a git repository of its own. + +Although you *can* start customising your site on your +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#development" class="glossary__link">development server</a> +by playing with the `alavetelitheme` theme that Alaveteli ships with, we recommend +you make it into your own repo as soon as you can. If you're seriously customising +— and certainly before you can deploy to a +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#production" class="glossary__link">production server</a> — +you must do this. Make sure you choose a unique name for your theme (and hence its +repo). If your site is `abcexample.com`, we suggest you call your theme +something like `abcexample-theme`. + +Alaveteli's `themes:install` rake task, which installs themes, works by +getting the git repo from the URL specified in the config setting +[`THEME_URLS`]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/config/#theme_urls). This is +why your theme must be in its own git repo. + +One way to create your own theme is to fork the `alavetelitheme` theme from +[https://github.com/mysociety/alavetelitheme](https://github.com/mysociety/alavetelitheme) +(giving it your own theme name), edit it or add files, and deploy it with `themes:install`. +Alternatively, since your site already has the default theme's files within it, +you can duplicate `alivetelitheme` (in `lib/themes/`) and change its name. + +<div class="attention-box helpful-hint"> + Here's an example of a complex theme in action: see the theme repo at + <a href="https://github.com/mysociety/whatdotheyknow-theme">https://github.com/mysociety/whatdotheyknow-theme</a>. + This is the theme for UK's Alaveteli instance + <a href="{{ site.baseurl}}docs/glossary/#wdtk" class="glossary__link">WhatDoTheyKnow</a>. + You can see it + <a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com">deployed on the WhatDoTheyKnow website</a>. + This happens because the WhatDoTheyKnow server has this setting in <code>config/general.yml</code>: + </p> + <pre><code>THEME_URLS: + - 'git://github.com/mysociety/whatdotheyknow-theme.git'</code></pre> +</div> + ## What you might want to change The most common requirement is to brand the site: at a minimum, -[inserting your own logo](#changing-the-logo) and [colour scheme](#changing-the-colour-scheme). You may also want to tweak -the different states that a request can go through. You'll also want -to edit the categories that public bodies can appear in (i.e. the -groupings on the left hand side of the -"[View authorities](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/body/list/all)" page -on WhatDoTheyKnow. - -There may also be other things you want to customise -- drop a line on -the developer's mailing list to discuss what you need. We're still working -out the best way of doing these kinds of customisations! - -In any case, the important principle to bear in mind is that the less -you override and customise the code, the easier your site will be to -maintain in the long term. Any customisation is possible, but for -each customisation beyond the simple cases documented here, ask -yourself (or your client), "can we possibly live without this?" If the -answer is "no", then consider starting a discussion about a pluggable -way of achieving your goals, rather than overriding any of the core +[inserting your own logo](#changing-the-logo) and +[colour scheme](#changing-the-colour-scheme). You should also +[add the categories](#adding-your-own-categories-for-authorities) +that authorities can appear in (you can see these as groupings on the left-hand +side of the [View authorities](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/body/list/all) page +on <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#wdtk" class="glossary__link">WhatDoTheyKnow</a>). +You may also want to +[tweak the different states](#customising-the-request-states) that a request can +go through. + +There may also be other things you want to customise -- talk to us on the +developer's mailing list to discuss what you need. We're happy to help work out +the best way of doing customisation and it's even possible that what you want +has already been done in someone else's theme. + +The important principle to bear in mind is that the less you override and +customise the code, the easier your site will be to maintain in the long term. +Any customisation is possible, but for each customisation beyond the simple +cases documented here, ask yourself (or your client), "can we possibly live +without this?" If the answer is "no", then always ask on the mailing list about +a pluggable way of achieving your goals before you override any of the core code. ## General principles @@ -49,120 +115,172 @@ code. We try to encapsulate all site-specific functionality in one of these places: -* Site [configuration]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/config/) - (e.g., the name of your site, the available - languages, and so on — all in `config/general.yml`) -* Data (e.g. the public bodies to whom requests should be addressed) -* A theme, installed in `lib/themes`. +* **site configuration**<br> + use the [config settings]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/config/) + for example, the name of your site, the available languages, and so on. + You change these by editing `config/general.yml`. +* **data**<br> + for example, the public authorities to whom requests should be addressed, + and the tags and categories for grouping them. You control all this + through the + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#admin" class="glossary__link">admin + interface</a>: see the [admin manual]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/admin_manual). +* **a theme**<br> + installed in `lib/themes`. + The page you're reading now is all about what you can do in a theme. -This document is about what you can do in a theme. +By default, Alaveteli ships with the sample theme (`alavetelitheme`), so your +`config/general.yml` contains this: -By default, the sample theme ("alavetelitheme") has already been -installed. See the setting -[`THEME_URLS`]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/config/#theme_urls) -in `general.yml` for an explanation. + THEME_URLS: + - 'git://github.com/mysociety/alavetelitheme.git' -You can also install the sample theme by hand, by running: +You can also install the theme by hand, by running: bundle exec rake themes:install +This installs whichever theme is specified by the +[`THEME_URLS`]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/config/#theme_urls) +setting. + The sample theme contains examples for nearly everything you might -want to customise. You should probably make a copy, rename it, and +want to customise. We recommend you make a copy, rename it, and use that as the basis for your own theme. +<div class="attention-box info"> + The + <code><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/config/#theme_urls">THEME_URLS</a></code> + setting allows you to specifiy more than one theme — but + normally you only need one. +</div> + ## Make sure your theme is as lightweight as possible -The more you put in your theme, the harder it will be to upgrade to -future versions of Alaveteli. Everything you place in your theme -overrides things in the core theme, so if you make a new "main -template", then new widgets that appear in the core theme won't appear -on your website. +The more you put in your theme, the harder it will be to upgrade to future +versions of Alaveteli. + +Everything you place in your theme overrides things in the core theme, so if +you make a new "main template", then new widgets that appear in the core theme +won't appear on your website. If you want them, you'll need to manually update +your version of the template to include them, and potentially you'll need to +do this every time the core theme changes. -Therefore, you should consider how you can brand your website without -changing much in the core theme. The ideal would be if you are able -to rebrand the site by only changing the CSS. You will also need to -add custom help pages, as described below. +Therefore, you should consider how you can brand your website by changing +as little in the core theme as possible. An extreme -- but not impossible -- +way to do this is to rebrand the site by only changing the CSS, because this +means *none* of the templates are being overridden. + +However, even with minimal customisation, you must also add custom help pages +(described below). Alaveteli's default help pages are deliberately incomplete. +We know that every installation is going to be operating in different +circumstances, so a generic help text cannot be useful. You must write your +own, for your own users. ## Branding the site -The core templates that comprise the layout and user interface of an -Alaveteli site live in `app/views/`. They use Rails' ERB syntax. -For example, the template for the home page lives at -`app/views/general/frontpage.html.erb`, and the template for the "about -us" page is at `app/views/help/about.html.erb`. - -Obviously, you *could* edit those core files directly, but this would -be a Bad Idea, because you would find it increasingly hard to do -upgrades. Having said that, sometimes you may want to change the core -templates in a way that would benefit everyone, in which case, discuss -the changes on the mailing list, make them in a fork of Alaveteli, and -then issue a pull request. - -Normally, however, you should override these pages **in your own -theme**, by placing them at a corresponding location within your -theme's `lib/` directory. These means that a file at -`lib/themes/alavetelitheme/lib/views/help/about.html.erb` will appear -instead of the core "about us" file. +The core templates define the layout and user interface of an Alaveteli site. +They are in `app/views/` and use +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}" class="glossary__link">Rails</a>' +ERB syntax. For example, the template for the home page lives at +`app/views/general/frontpage.html.erb`, and the template for the "about us" +page is at `app/views/help/about.html.erb`. + +As described above, although you *could* edit those core files directly, this +would be a Bad Idea, because you would find it increasingly hard to do upgrades. + +Instead, you should override these pages *in your own theme*, by placing them +at a corresponding location within your theme's `lib/` directory. For example, +this means that if you put your own copy of the "about us" template +in <code>lib/themes/<em>yourtheme</em>/lib/views/help/about.html.erb</code>, +then that will appear instead of the core "about us" file. ### Changing the logo -Alaveteli uses Rails' [asset pipeline](http://guides.rubyonrails.org/asset_pipeline.html) to convert and compress stylesheets written in -<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#sass" class="glossary__link">Sass</a>, -the css extension language, to minified concatenated css. Assets are stored in core Alaveteli under `app/assets` - in `fonts`, `images`, `javascripts` and `stylesheets`. -The default theme has corresponding asset directories in `alavetelitheme/assets` Asset files placed in these directories will override those in the core directories. As with templates, a file at `lib/themes/alavetelitheme/assets/images/logo.png` will appear on the site instead of the logo from `app/assets/images/logo.png`. +Alaveteli uses Rails' [asset pipeline](http://guides.rubyonrails.org/asset_pipeline.html) +to convert and compress stylesheets written in +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#sass" class="glossary__link">Sass</a> +into minified concatenated CSS. Assets are stored in core Alaveteli under +`app/assets` -- in `fonts`, `images`, `javascripts` and `stylesheets`. The +default theme has corresponding asset directories in `alavetelitheme/assets` +Asset files placed in these directories will override those in the core +directories. As with templates, a file at +<code>lib/themes/<em>yourtheme</em>/assets/images/logo.png</code> will appear on the +site instead of the logo from `app/assets/images/logo.png`. ### Changing the colour scheme Alaveteli uses a set of basic <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#sass" class="glossary__link">Sass</a> -modules to define the layout for the site on different device sizes, and some basic styling. These modules are in `app/assets/stylesheets/responsive`. The colours and fonts are added in the theme - alavetelitheme defines them in `lib/themes/alavetelitheme/assets/stylesheets/responsive/custom.scss`. Colours used in the theme are defined as variables at the top of this file and you can edit them here. +modules to define the layout for the site on different device sizes, and some +basic styling. These modules are in `app/assets/stylesheets/responsive`. The +colours and fonts are added in the theme -- `alavetelitheme` defines them in +`lib/themes/alavetelitheme/assets/stylesheets/responsive/custom.scss`. Colours +used in the theme are defined as variables at the top of this file and you can +edit them in your version of this file in your own theme. ### Changing other styling -To change other styling, you can add to or edit the styles in `lib/themes/alavetelitheme/assets/stylesheets/responsive/custom.scss`. Styles defined here will override those in the sass modules in `app/assets/stylesheets/responsive` as they will be imported last by `app/assets/stylesheets/responsive/all.scss`. However, if you want to substantially change the way a particular part of the site is laid out, you may want to override one of the core sass modules. You could override the layout of the front page, for example, by copying `app/assets/stylesheets/responsive/_frontpage_layout.scss` to `lib/themes/alavetelitheme/assets/stylesheets/responsive/_frontpage_layout.scss` and editing it. - -You can load extra stylesheets and javascript files by adding them to `lib/themes/alavetelitheme/lib/views/general/_before_head_end.html.erb` - -## Adding your own categories for public bodies - -Categories are implemented in Alaveteli using tags. Specific tags can be -used to group authorities together as a category. Categories themselves -are grouped under category headings on the side of the "View -authorities" page. You can create, edit and reorder categories and -category headings in the admin interface, from the "Categories" admin -menu item. You can apply the category tags you have created to -authorities under the "Authorities" admin menu item. For an authority to -appear under a category, the category's "category tag" must be one of -the tags applied to the authority. +To change other styling, you can add to or edit the styles in +`lib/themes/alavetelitheme/assets/stylesheets/responsive/custom.scss`. +Styles defined here will override those in the sass modules in +`app/assets/stylesheets/responsive` as they will be imported last by +`app/assets/stylesheets/responsive/all.scss`. However, if you want to +substantially change the way a particular part of the site is laid out, +you may want to override one of the core Sass modules. You could override the +layout of the front page, for example, by copying +`app/assets/stylesheets/responsive/_frontpage_layout.scss` to +<code>lib/themes/<em>yourtheme</em>/assets/stylesheets/responsive/_frontpage_layout.scss</code> +and editing it. + +You can load extra stylesheets and javascript files by adding them to +<code>lib/themes/<em>yourtheme</em>/lib/views/general/_before_head_end.html.erb</code> + +## Adding your own categories for authorities + +You should add +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#category" class="glossary__link">categories</a> +for the authorities on your site -- Alaveteli will display the authorities grouped +by categories if you have set any up. Alaveteli uses +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#tag" class="glossary__link">tags</a> +to assign authorities to the right categories, but you should add tags anyway +because they are also used by the site's search facility. Together, categories +and tags help your users find the right authority for their request. + +You can set all this up using the +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#admin" class="glossary__link">admin interface</a>. +See [more about categories and tags]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/categories_and_tags/) +for details. ## Customising the request states As mentioned above, if you can possibly live with the [default Alaveteli request statuses]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/states/), -it would be good to do so. Note that you can set how many days counts -as "overdue" in the main site config file — +it would be good to do so. You can set how many days must pass before +a request is considered "overdue" in the main site config file — see [`REPLY_LATE_AFTER_DAYS`]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/config/#reply_late_after_days). -If you can't live with the states as they are, there's a very basic -way to add to them (which will get improved over time). There's not -currently a way to remove any easily. There is an example of how to -do this in the `alavetelitheme`. +If you can't live with the states as they are, there's a very basic way to add +to them (we're working on this, so it will be improved over time). Currently, +there's no easy way to remove any. There is an example of how to do this in the +`alavetelitheme`. To do add states, create two modules in your theme, -`InfoRequestCustomStates` and `RequestControllerCustomStates`. The -former must have these methods: +`InfoRequestCustomStates` and `RequestControllerCustomStates`. + +`InfoRequestCustomStates` must have these methods: * `theme_calculate_status`: return a tag to identify the current state of the request * `theme_extra_states`: return a list of tags which identify the extra states you'd like to support * `theme_display_status`: return human-readable strings corresponding with these tags -The latter must have one method: +`RequestControllerCustomStates` must have one method: -* `theme_describe_state`: Return a notice for the user suitable for +* `theme_describe_state`: return a notice for the user suitable for displaying after they've categorised a request; and redirect them to a suitable next page -When you've added your extra states, you also need to create the following files in your theme: +When you've added your extra states, you also need to create the following files +in your theme: * `lib/views/general/_custom_state_descriptions.html.erb`: Descriptions of your new states, suitable for displaying to end users @@ -171,26 +289,85 @@ When you've added your extra states, you also need to create the following files 'completion' states, for displaying on the categorisation form that we ask requestors to fill out * `lib/views/general/_custom_state_transitions_pending.html.erb`: As - above, but for new states you might characterise as 'pending' + above, but for new states you might characterise as *pending* states. You can see examples of these customisations in [this commit](https://github.com/sebbacon/informatazyrtare-theme/commit/2b240491237bd72415990399904361ce9bfa431d) for the Kosovan version of Alaveteli, Informata Zyrtare (ignore the -file `lib/views/general/_custom_state_transitions.html.erb`, which is +file `_custom_state_transitions.html.erb`, which is unused). +## Customising the help pages + +The help pages are a really important part of an Alaveteli site. If you're running Alaveteli in another language, you'll want to show +your users localised versions of the help pages. Even if you're running +the site in English, the default help pages in Alaveteli are taken from +WhatDoTheyKnow, and are therefore relevant only to the UK. You should +take these pages as inspiration, but review their content with a view to +your jurisdiction. + +The important pages to customise and translate are listed here. We note where Alaveteli links to these pages (sometimes to anchors for particular sections within the pages) or takes users directly to them. + +* [About](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/about.html.erb): why the website exists, why it works, etc. When a user starts to make a request in Alaveteli, they are referred to the section here on [why authorities should respond to requests](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/about.html.erb#L29). + +* [contact](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/contact.html.erb): how to get in touch + +* [credits](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/credits.html.erb): who is involved in the site. Importantly, includes [a section](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/credits.html.erb#L71) on how users can help the project. Users are referred to this section if they categorise all the requests in the [categorisation game]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#categorisation-game). + +* [officers](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/officers.html.erb): information for the officers who deal with FOI at authorities. They get a link to this page in emails that the site sends them. + +* [privacy](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/privacy.html.erb): privacy policy, plus information making it clear that requests are going to appear on the internet. Let users know if they are allowed to use pseudonyms in your jurisdiction. Users are referred to the [section on this page](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/privacy.html.erb#L114) about what to do if the authority says they only have a paper copy of the information requested if the user classifies their request as ['gone postal']({{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/states/#gone_postal). + +* [requesting](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/requesting.html.erb): the main help page about making requests. How it works, how to decide who to write to, what they can expect in terms of responses, how to make appeals, etc. Users are referred to the [section on how quickly a response to their request should arrive](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/requesting.html.erb#L125) when their request is overdue for a response. They are referred to the [section on what to do if the Alaveteli site isn't showing the authority they want to request information](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/requesting.html.erb#L30) from the page that allows them to list and search authorities. + +* [unhappy](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/unhappy.html.erb): users are taken to this page after a request that has been somehow unsuccessful (e.g. the request has been refused, or the authority is insisting on a postal request). The page should encourage them to keep going, e.g. by starting a new request or addressing it to a different body. In particular users are referred to the [section on using other means](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/unhappy.html.erb#L83) to get their question answered. If the user has requested an internal review of their request, they are referred to [the section on this page](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/unhappy.html.erb#L28) that describes the law relating to how long a review should take. + +* [why email](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/_why_they_should_reply_by_email.html.erb): a snippet of information that explains why users should insist on replies by email. This is displayed next to requests that have ["gone postal"]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/states/#gone_postal) - where the authority has asked for the user's physical address so that they can reply with a paper response. + +* [sidebar](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/_sidebar.html.erb): a menu for the help pages with a link to each one. You should customise this so that it includes any extra help pages you add, and doesn't include any you remove. + +You can add your own help pages to your site by replacing the default +pages in your theme with your own versions, using a locale suffix for +each page to indicate what language the page is written in. No locale +suffix is needed for pages written for the [default locale]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/config/#default_locale) for the site. +For example, [alavetelitheme contains help +pages](https://github.com/mysociety/alavetelitheme/tree/master/lib/views/help) +for the default 'en' locale and an example Spanish 'about' page. If no +help page exists in the theme for a particular page in the locale that +the site is being viewed in, the default help page in English will be +shown. + + ## Adding new pages in the navigation -`alavetelitheme/lib/config/custom-routes.rb` allows you to extend the base routes in -Alaveteli. The example in `alavetelitheme` adds an extra help page. -You can also use this to override the behaviour of specific pages if -necessary. +You can extend the base routes in Alaveteli by modifying +<code>lib/themes/<em>yourtheme</em>/lib/config/custom-routes.rb</code>. +The example in `alavetelitheme` adds an extra help page. You can also use this +to override the behaviour of specific pages if necessary. ## Adding or overriding models and controllers -If you need to extend the behaviour of Alaveteli at the controller or model level, see `alavetelitheme/lib/controller_patches.rb` and `alavetelitheme/lib/model_patches.rb` for examples. +If you need to extend the behaviour of Alaveteli at the controller or model +level, see `alavetelitheme/lib/controller_patches.rb` and +`alavetelitheme/lib/model_patches.rb` for examples. + +## Quickly switching between themes + +On your +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#development" class="glossary__link">development server</a>, +you can use +[`script/switch-theme.rb`](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/script/switch-theme.rb) +to set the current theme if you are working with multiple themes. This can be +useful for switching between the default `alavetelitheme` and your own fork. + +## Testing your theme + +You can add tests for the changes in functionality that are implemented +in your theme. These use <a href="http://rspec.info/">rspec</a>, as does the main Alaveteli test suite. +They should be put in the `spec` directory of your theme. They are run +separately from the main Alaveteli tests by executing the following command in the directory in which Alaveteli is installed (substituting your theme directory for `alavetelitheme`): -## Working with themes + bundle exec rspec lib/themes/alavetelitheme/spec -You can use [`script/switch-theme.rb`](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/script/switch-theme.rb) to set the current theme if you are working with multiple themes. This might be useful for switching between the default `alavetelitheme` and your own fork. +You can see some example tests in the <a href="https://github.com/mysociety/whatdotheyknow-theme/tree/master/spec">whatdotheyknow-theme</a>. diff --git a/docs/customising/translation.md b/docs/customising/translation.md index d4ccedfa7..bc0b52b6e 100644 --- a/docs/customising/translation.md +++ b/docs/customising/translation.md @@ -48,13 +48,13 @@ translators a chance to catch up -- read the rest of this page for details. ## Alaveteli's translations You don't need to be a programmer to translate Alaveteli -- we use an external -website called Transifex to help manage translations. This makes it easy for +website called <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#transifex" class="glossary__link">Transifex</a> to help manage translations. This makes it easy for translators to get to work, but it does mean you (or your technical team) need to do a little extra work to get those translations back into Alaveteli when they are ready. The Transifex project is at -[https://www.transifex.net/projects/p/alaveteli](https://www.transifex.net/projects/p/alaveteli) +[https://www.transifex.com/projects/p/alaveteli](https://www.transifex.com/projects/p/alaveteli) -- you'll probably want an account there (ask on the mailing list). It has a fairly easy-to-use interface for contributing translations. @@ -161,6 +161,13 @@ This will be the job of the technical people on your team (or even mySociety's release manager). If translators aren't technical, they can use Transifex without needing to worry about this. +## The help pages + +As the help pages for Alaveteli contain lots of text, they're translated +outside Transifex, by translating each whole help page and replacing it +in the theme that Alaveteli is using, so that it overrides the default +page. See the [guide to Alaveteli's themes]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/themes/#customising-the-help-pages) for more +information on this. ## Developers and internationalisation diff --git a/docs/developers/i18n.md b/docs/developers/i18n.md index 24c0c31e0..fb7f2930b 100644 --- a/docs/developers/i18n.md +++ b/docs/developers/i18n.md @@ -6,8 +6,9 @@ title: Internationalisation (for devs) # Internationalisation in the code <p class="lead"> - This page describes some technical aspects of internationalising the - Alaveteli code. It's mostly aimed at devs who are working on the + This page describes some technical aspects of + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#i18n" class="glossary__link">internationalising</a> + the Alaveteli code. It's mostly aimed at devs who are working on the codebase — if you just want to translate Alaveteli into your own language, see <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/translation">translating Alaveteli</a> @@ -18,8 +19,7 @@ title: Internationalisation (for devs) Deployed translations for the project live in ``locale/``. -We encourage translations to be done on -[Transifex](https://www.transifex.net/projects/p/alaveteli/) +We encourage translations to be done on <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#transifex" class="glossary__link">Transifex</a> because translators can work through its web interface rather than needing to edit the <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#po" class="glossary__link">`.po` and `.pot` files</a> directly. Ultimately, Transifex just captures translators' diff --git a/docs/getting_started.md b/docs/getting_started.md index eddcf78a6..3ea67c818 100644 --- a/docs/getting_started.md +++ b/docs/getting_started.md @@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ available time. You can get a feeling for how things might turn out by reading [how an Alaveteli was set up in -Spain]({{ site.baseurl }}2012/04/16/a-right-to-know-site-for-spain/) +Spain](https://www.mysociety.org/2012/04/16/a-right-to-know-site-for-spain/) (remember that this was with an experienced developer in charge). You will also need to think about how you will run the website; a successful Alaveteli requires lots of ongoing effort to moderate and publicise (see Step 6 and Step @@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ If you email possible supporters asking for help, in addition to helping make your job easier, it will also help you identify eager people who might be interested in helping you maintain and run the website. We have written [a blog post about -this]({{ site.baseurl }}2011/07/29/you-need-volunteers-to-make-your-website-work/). +this](https://www.mysociety.org/2011/07/29/you-need-volunteers-to-make-your-website-work/). The admin interface includes a page where you can upload a CSV file (that's a file containing comma-separated values) to create or edit authorities. CSV is a @@ -216,17 +216,8 @@ often less. But complicated workflows might take a bit longer. The default help pages in Alaveteli are taken from WhatDoTheyKnow, and are therefore relevant only to the UK. You should take these pages as inspiration, -but review their content with a view to your jurisdiction. The important pages -to translate are: - -* [About](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/about.rhtml): why the website exists, why it works, etc -* [contact](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/contact.rhtml): how to get in touch -* [credits](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/credits.rhtml): who is involved in the site. Importantly, includes a section on how users can help the project. -* [officers](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/officers.rhtml): information for the officers who deal with FOI at authorities. They get a link to this page in emails that the site sends them. -* [privacy](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/privacy.rhtml): privacy policy, plus information making it clear that requests are going to appear on the internet. Let users know if they are allowed to use pseudonyms in your jurisdiction. -* [requesting](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/requesting.rhtml): the main help page about making requests. How it works, how to decide who to write to, what they can expect in terms of responses, how to make appeals, etc. -* [unhappy](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/unhappy.rhtml): users are taken to this page after a request that has been somehow unsuccessful (e.g. the request has been refused, or the authority is insisting on a postal request). The page should encourage them to keep going, e.g. by starting a new request or addressing it to a different body. -* [why email](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/app/views/help/_why_they_should_reply_by_email.rhtml): a snippet of information that explains why users should insist on replies by email. This is displayed next to requests that have "gone postal". +but review their content with a view to your jurisdiction. See [the documentation on Alaveteli's themes]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/themes/#customising-the-help-pages) for details +on which pages are important, and what content they need to have. The help pages contain some HTML. Your tech person should be able to advise on this. @@ -285,7 +276,7 @@ spreadsheet. The help pages need to have one copy saved for each language; your tech person will put them in the right place. The web interface translations are managed and collaborated via a website -called Transifex. This website allows teams of translators to collaborate in +called <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#transifex" class="glossary__link">Transifex</a>. This website allows teams of translators to collaborate in one place, using a fairly easy interface. The Alaveteli page on Transifex is at @@ -347,7 +338,7 @@ This will be easier to do with a small team of people sharing jobs. Hopefully you have been lucky enough to get funding to pay people to do these tasks. However, you are also likely to have to rely on volunteers. We've written [a blog post about the importance of -volunteers]({{ site.baseurl }}2011/07/29/you-need-volunteers-to-make-your-website-work/), which you should read. +volunteers](https://www.mysociety.org/2011/07/29/you-need-volunteers-to-make-your-website-work/), which you should read. You'll need to set up a group email address for all the people who will manage the website. All site user queries will go here, as will automatic diff --git a/docs/glossary.md b/docs/glossary.md index b5239a32a..585ca67be 100644 --- a/docs/glossary.md +++ b/docs/glossary.md @@ -15,23 +15,30 @@ Definitions ----------- <ul class="definitions"> + <li><a href="#admin">admin interface</a></li> + <li><a href="#advanced-search">advanced search</a></li> <li><a href="#alaveteli">Alaveteli</a></li> <li><a href="#agnostic">asker agnostic</a></li> <li><a href="#authority">authority</a></li> <li><a href="#blackhole">black hole</a></li> <li><a href="#bounce-message">bounce message</a></li> <li><a href="#capistrano">Capistrano</a></li> + <li><a href="#category">category</a></li> + <li><a href="#categorisation-game">categorisation game</a></li> <li><a href="#censor-rule">censor rule</a></li> <li><a href="#development">development site</a></li> + <li><a href="#disclosure-log">disclosure log</a></li> <li><a href="#emergency">emergency user</a></li> <li><a href="#foi">freedom of information</a></li> <li><a href="#git">git</a></li> <li><a href="#holding_pen">holding pen</a></li> + <li><a href="#i18n">internationalisation</a></li> <li><a href="#newrelic">New Relic</a></li> - <li><a href="#mta">MTA</a></li> + <li><a href="#mta">Mail Transfer Agent</a></li> <li><a href="#po">.po files</a></li> <li><a href="#production">production site</a></li> <li><a href="#publish">publish</a></li> + <li><a href="#publication-scheme">publication scheme</a></li> <li><a href="#recaptcha">recaptcha</a></li> <li><a href="#redact">redacting</a></li> <li><a href="#regexp">regular expression</a></li> @@ -40,15 +47,79 @@ Definitions <li><a href="#response">response</a></li> <li><a href="#rails">Ruby on Rails</a></li> <li><a href="#sass">Sass</a></li> + <li><a href="#spam-address-list">spam address list</a></li> <li><a href="#staging">staging site</a></li> <li><a href="#state">state</a></li> + <li><a href="#super">superuser</a></li> + <li><a href="#tag">tag</a></li> <li><a href="#theme">theme</a></li> + <li><a href="#transifex">Transifex</a></li> + <li><a href="#wdtk">WhatDoTheyKnow</a></li> </ul> <dl class="glossary"> <dt> + <a name="admin">admin interface</a> (also: admin) + </dt> + <dd> + The <strong>admin interface</strong> allows users who have + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#super" class="glossary__link">super</a> + administrator privilege to manage some aspects of how your + Alaveteli site runs. + <div class="more-info"> + <p>More information:</p> + <ul> + <li> + You can access your installation's <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#admin" class="glossary__link">admin interface</a> + at <code>/admin</code>. + </li> + <li> + To grant a user admin privilege, log into the admin and change + their <em>Admin level</em> to "super" (or revoke the privilege + by changing it to "none"). + </li> + <li> + On a newly-installed Alaveteli system, you can grant yourself + admin privilege by using the + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#emergency" class="glossary__link">emergency + user</a>. + </li> + <li> + For lots more about running an Alaveteli site, see the + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}running/admin_manual">adminstrator's guide</a>. + </li> + </ul> + </div> + </dd> + + <dt> + <a name="advanced-search">advanced search</a> + </dt> + <dd> + Alaveteli's <strong>advanced search</strong> lets users search using + more complex criteria than just words. This includes Boolean operators, + date ranges, and specific indexes such as <code>status:</code>, + <code>requested_by:</code>, <code>status:</code> and so on. + <div class="more-info"> + <p>More information:</p> + <ul> + <li> + Advanced search is available on your Alaveteli site at + <code>/advancedsearch</code>. That page shows suggestions and examples + of the searches that are supported. + </li> + <li> + For more about constructing complex queries, see + <a href="http://xapian.org/docs/queryparser.html">Xapian + search parser</a>. + </li> + </ul> + </div> + </dd> + + <dt> <a name="alaveteli">Alaveteli</a> </dt> <dd> @@ -57,7 +128,7 @@ Definitions managing and archiving Freedom of Information requests. <p> It grew from the successful FOI UK project - <a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com">WhatDoTheyKnow</a>. + <a href="#wdtk" class="glossary__link">WhatDoTheyKnow</a>. We use the name <em>Alaveteli</em> to distinguish the software that runs the platform from any specific website that it is powering. </p> @@ -108,7 +179,8 @@ Definitions <p>More information:</p> <ul> <li> - An administrator can add, edit, or remove authorities in the admin + An <a href="#super" class="glossary__link">administrator</a> + can add, edit, or remove authorities in the admin. </li> <li> Authorities are usually, but not always, public bodies that are obliged by the local @@ -118,6 +190,10 @@ Definitions site that are not subject to FoI law, but which have either voluntarily submitted themselves to it, or which we believe should be accountable in this way. </li> + <li> + You can organise your authorities using + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/categories_and_tags/">categories and tags</a>. + </li> </ul> </div> </dd> @@ -188,6 +264,41 @@ Definitions </dd> <dt> + <a name="category">category</a> + </dt> + <dd> + You can arrange your <a href="#authority" class="glossary__link">authorities</a> + into <strong>categories</strong> so that they are easier for your users + to find. For example, you might put all different schools into the + "School" category, and universities into "Universities". You can also + group categories under headings (such as "Education"). + <p> + These categories and headings appear on the list of public authorities that + is displayed on your site. + </p> + <p> + Use <a href="#tag" class="glossary__link">tags</a> to associate + authorities with specific categories. + </p> + More about + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/categories_and_tags/">categories and tags</a> +</dd> + <dt> + <a name="categorisation-game">categorisation game</a> + </dt> + <dd> + The categorisation game is a way that users of an Alaveteli site can help the site stay current and accurate by updating the status of old requests where the original requester has never said whether the authority responded with the information or not. + <div class="more-info"> + <p>More information:</p> + <ul> + <li> + the categorisation game on the <a href="http://demo.alaveteli.org/categorise/play">demo Alaveteli site</a>. + </li> + </ul> + </div> + </dd> + + <dt> <a name="censor-rule">censor rule</a> </dt> <dd> @@ -232,6 +343,26 @@ Definitions </dd> <dt> + <a name="disclosure-log">disclosure log</a> + </dt> + <dd> + Some <a href="#authority" class="glossary__link">authorities</a> routinely + publish their responses to <a href="#foi" class="glossary__link">Freedom of + Information</a> requests online. This collection of responses is called a + <strong>disclosure log</strong>, and if an authority has such a log on its + website, you can add the URL so Alaveteli can link to it. + <div class="more-info"> + <p>More information:</p> + <ul> + <li> + You can add a disclosure log URL by + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/admin_manual/#creating-changing-and-uploading-public-authority-data">updating authority data</a> in the admin. + </li> + </ul> + </div> + </dd> + + <dt> <a name="emergency">emergency user</a> </dt> <dd> @@ -249,7 +380,7 @@ Definitions <li> The username and password are defined by the configuration settings <code><a href="{{site.baseurl}}docs/customising/config/#admin_username">ADMIN_USERNAME</a></code> - and + and <code><a href="{{site.baseurl}}docs/customising/config/#admin_password">ADMIN_PASSWORD</a></code>. </li> <li> @@ -266,7 +397,7 @@ Definitions </dd> <dt> - <a name="foi">Freedom of Information</a> (also FOI) + <a name="foi">Freedom of Information</a> (also: FOI) </dt> <dd> <strong>Freedom of information</strong> laws allow access by the general public @@ -287,7 +418,7 @@ Definitions </dd> <dt> - <a name="git">git</a> (also github, git repository, and git repo) + <a name="git">git</a> (also: github, git repository, and git repo) </dt> <dd> We use a popular source code control system called <strong>git</strong>. This @@ -328,24 +459,79 @@ Definitions <a name="holding_pen">holding pen</a> </dt> <dd> - The <strong>holding pen</strong> is the conceptual place where responses that - could not be delivered are held. They need attention from a administrator. + The <strong>holding pen</strong> is the conceptual place where responses + that could not be delivered are held. They need attention from an + <a href="#super" class="glossary__link">administrator</a>. + <p> + In fact, the holding pen is really a special "sticky" <a href="#request" + class="glossary__link">request</a> that only exists to accept unmatched + responses. Whenever Alaveteli receives an email but can't work out which + request it is a response to, it attaches it to the holding pen instead. + </p> <div class="more-info"> <p>More information:</p> <ul> <li> - see the <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/admin_manual/">admin manual</a> for - information on dealing with emails in the holding pen + See more <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/holding_pen">about + the holding pen</a>, including why messages end up there, and + instructions on what to do with them. + </li> + <li> + The most common reason for a response to be in the holding pen is that + an <a href="#authority" class="glossary__link">authority</a> replied + to a request with the wrong email address (for example, by copying + the email address incorrectly). </li> </ul> </div> </dd> <dt> - <a name="mta">MTA</a> (Mail Transfer Agent) + <a name="i18n">internationalisation</a> (also: i18n) </dt> <dd> - A <strong>Mail Tranfer Agent</strong> is the the program which actually sends + <strong>Internationalisation</strong> is the way Alaveteli adapts the + way it presents text based on the language or languages that your website + supports. It's sometimes abbreviated as <em>i18n</em> (because there are + 18 letters between i and n). + <p> + Often you don't need to worry about the details of how this is done + because once you've configured your site's + <code><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/config/#default_locale">DEFAULT_LOCALE</a></code> + Alaveteli takes care of it for you. + But when you do need to work on i18n (for example, if you're customising + your site by + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/translation/">translating</a> it, or + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/admin_manual/#creating-changing-and-uploading-public-authority-data">uploading names</a> + of the public bodies in more than one language) at the very least you may + need to know the language codes you're site is using. + </p> + <div class="more-info"> + <p>More information:</p> + <ul> + <li> + More about <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/developers/i18n/">internationalising Alaveteli</a> + </li> + <li> + See mySociety's + <a href="http://mysociety.github.io/internationalization.html">i18n guidelines</a> for developers + </li> + <li> + <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ISO_639-1_codes">List of language codes</a> + </li> + <li> + For more about i18n in software generally, see + the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internationalization_and_localization">i18n Wikipedia article</a>. + </li> + </ul> + </div> + </dd> + + <dt> + <a name="mta">Mail Transfer Agent</a> (MTA) + </dt> + <dd> + A <strong>Mail Transfer Agent</strong> is the the program which actually sends and receives email. Alaveteli sends email on behalf of its users, and processes the <a href="#response" class="glossary__link">responses</a> and replies it receives. All this email goes through the MTA, which is a seperate service on your system. @@ -392,12 +578,13 @@ Definitions <a name="po"><code>.po</code> file</a> (and <code>.pot</code> file) </dt> <dd> - These are the files needed by the gettext mechanism Alaveteli uses for - localisation. A <code>.pot</code> file is effectively a list of all the - strings in the application that need translating. Each <code>.po</code> - file contains the mapping between those strings, used as keys, and their - translations for one particular language. The key is called the - <em>msgid</em>, and its corresponding translation is the <em>msgstr</em>. + These are the files needed by the <code>gettext</code> mechanism Alaveteli + uses for localisation. A <code>.pot</code> file is effectively a list of + all the strings in the application that need translating. Each + <code>.po</code> file contains the mapping between those strings, used as + keys, and their translations for one particular language. The key is called + the <em>msgid</em>, and its corresponding translation is the + <em>msgstr</em>. <div class="more-info"> <p>More information:</p> <ul> @@ -410,10 +597,15 @@ Definitions Alaveteli</a> for more technical details. </li> <li> - Alaveteli is on the <a href="https://www.transifex.net/projects/p/alaveteli/">Transifex</a> + Alaveteli is on the <a href="https://www.transifex.com/projects/p/alaveteli/">Transifex</a> website, which lets translators work on Alaveteli in a browser, without needing to worry about this underlying structure. </li> + <li> + See more about the + <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/"><code>gettext</code> + system</a>. + </li> </ul> </div> </dd> @@ -464,6 +656,29 @@ Definitions </dd> <dt> + <a name="publication-scheme">publication scheme</a> + </dt> + <dd> + Some <a href="#authority" class="glossary__link">authorities</a> have a + <strong>publication scheme</strong> which makes it clear what information + is readily available from them under <a href="#foi" + class="glossary__link">Freedom of Information</a> law, and how people can + get it. This may be a requirement for their compliance with the law, or it + may simply be good practice. If an authority has published such a scheme on + its website, you can add the URL so Alaveteli can link to it. + <div class="more-info"> + <p>More information:</p> + <ul> + <li> + You can add a publication scheme URL by + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/admin_manual/#creating-changing-and-uploading-public-authority-data">updating authority data</a> in the admin. + </li> + </ul> + </div> + </dd> + + + <dt> <a name="recaptcha">recaptcha</a> </dt> <dd> @@ -583,7 +798,7 @@ Definitions </li> <li> We try to coordinate releases with any active translation work too. - See <a href="http://localhost:4000/docs/customising/translation/">translating + See <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/translation/">translating Alaveteli</a> for more information. </li> <li> @@ -617,7 +832,7 @@ Definitions </dd> <dt> - <a name="rails">Ruby on Rails</a> (also Rails) + <a name="rails">Ruby on Rails</a> (also: Rails) </dt> <dd> Alaveteli is written in the Ruby programming language, using @@ -663,6 +878,33 @@ Definitions </dd> <dt> + <a name="spam-address-list">spam address list</a> + </dt> + <dd> + Alaveteli maintains a <strong>spam address list</strong>. Any incoming message to an email + address on that list will be rejected and won't appear in the admin. + <p> + This is mainly for email addresses whose messages are ending up + in the <a href="#holding_pen" class="glossary__link">holding pen</a>, because + those are typically addresses that can be safely ignored as they do not + relate to an active <a href="#request" class="glossary__link">request</a>. + </p> + <div class="more-info"> + <p>More information:</p> + <ul> + <li> + To add addresses to the spam address list , see + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/admin_manual/#rejecting-spam-that-arrives-in-the-holding-pen">Rejecting + spam that arrives in the holding pen</a>. + </li> + <li> + The spam address list is available on your site at <code>/admin/spam_addresses</code>. + </li> + </ul> + </div> + </dd> + + <dt> <a name="staging">staging server</a> (also: staging site) </dt> <dd> @@ -721,6 +963,62 @@ Definitions </dd> <dt> + <a name="super">superuser</a> (also: super privilege, administrator) + </dt> + <dd> + A <strong>superuser</strong>, or <strong>administrator</strong>, is an + Alaveteli user who has been granted the privilege to use all features of the + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#admin" + class="glossary__link">admin interface</a>. + <p> + The only way to access the admin without being an Alaveteli superuser + is as the <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#emergency" + class="glossary__link">emergency user</a>, which should be disabled in + normal operation. + </p> + <div class="more-info"> + <p>More information:</p> + <ul> + <li> + To grant a user admin privilege, log into the admin and change + their <em>Admin level</em> to "super" (or revoke the privilege + by changing it to "none"). + </li> + <li> + On a newly-installed Alaveteli system, you can grant yourself + admin privilege by using the + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#emergency" class="glossary__link">emergency + user</a>. + </li> + </ul> + </div> + </dd> + + <dt> + <a name="tag">tag</a> + </dt> + <dd> + A <strong>tag</strong> is a keyword added to an + <a href="#authority" class="glossary__link">authority</a>. Tags + are searchable, so can be useful to help users find authorities based + by topic or even unique data (for example, in the + <a href="#wdtk" class="glossary__link">WhatDoTheyKnow</a> we tag every + registered charity with its official charity number). You can also use + tags to assign authorities to + <a href="#category" class="glossary__link">categories</a>. + <div class="more-info"> + <p>More information:</p> + <ul> + <li> + More about + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/categories_and_tags/">categories and tags</a> + </li> + </ul> + </div> + </dd> + + + <dt> <a name="theme">theme</a> </dt> <dd> @@ -728,11 +1026,49 @@ Definitions and the code that causes the site to look or behave differently from the default. Typically you'll need a theme to make Alaveteli show your own brand. + <div class="more-info"> + <p>More information:</p> + <ul> + <li> + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/themes/">about themes</a> + </li> + </ul> + </div> + </dd> + <dt> + + <a name="transifex">Transifex</a> + </dt> + <dd> + + <a href="https://www.transifex.com/">Transifex</a> is a website that helps translators add translations for software projects. + <div class="more-info"> + <p>More information:</p> + <ul> + <li> + The Transifex project for Alaveteli is at <a href="https://www.transifex.com/projects/p/alaveteli">https://www.transifex.com/projects/p/alaveteli</a> + </li> + </ul> + </div> + </dd> + + + <dt> + <a name="wdtk">WhatDoTheyKnow</a> + </dt> + <dd> + The website <strong>WhatDoTheyKnow</strong>.com is the UK installation of + Alaveteli, run by <a href="http://mysociety.org">mySociety</a>. + <p> + In fact, WhatDoTheyKnow predates Alaveteli because the site started in + 2008, and was the foundation of the redeployable, customisable + Alaveteli plattorm released in 2011. + </p> <div class="more-info"> <p>More information:</p> <ul> <li> - <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/themes/">about themes</a> + <a href="http://www.whatdotheyknow.com">WhatDoTheyKnow.com</a> </li> </ul> </div> diff --git a/docs/installing/deploy.md b/docs/installing/deploy.md index a0a4c0abb..355c4f8a2 100644 --- a/docs/installing/deploy.md +++ b/docs/installing/deploy.md @@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ for the config that you've set up). Ensure you've got a `config/deploy.yml` file with the correct settings for your site. If there are other people in your team who need to deploy, you'll need to share it with them too -- it might be a good idea to keep the latest -version in a [Gist](http://gist.github.com/). +version in a private [Gist](http://gist.github.com/). * to deploy to staging, just run `cap deploy` * to deploy to production, run `cap -S stage=production deploy` diff --git a/docs/installing/macos.md b/docs/installing/macos.md index e93ea452f..2c08be0e5 100644 --- a/docs/installing/macos.md +++ b/docs/installing/macos.md @@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ Read `rvm notes` and `rvm requirements` carefully for further instructions. Then The `mahoro` and `pg` gems require special installation commands. Rubygems must be downgraded to 1.6.2 to avoid deprecation warnings when running tests. rvm 1.8.7 - gem update --system 1.6.2 + gem update --system 2.1.11 gem install mahoro -- --with-ldflags="-L/usr/local/Cellar/libmagic/5.09/lib" --with-cppflags="-I/usr/local/Cellar/libmagic/5.09/include" env ARCHFLAGS="-arch x86_64" gem install pg @@ -96,8 +96,9 @@ Create a `foi` user from the command line, like this: createuser -s -P foi -_Note:_ Leaving the password blank will cause great confusion if you're new to -PostgreSQL. +_Note:_ After running this command you will be prompted to set a +password for the user. Don't leave it blank if you are new to +PostgreSQL, or it could be difficult to set later for you. We'll create a template for our Alaveteli databases: @@ -112,18 +113,11 @@ Then create the databases: ### Clone Alaveteli -We don't want to vendor Rails, as it causes problems locally. - git clone https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli.git cd alaveteli git submodule init - - sed -i~ 's/\\[submodule "vendor\/rails"\\]//' .git/config - - sed -i~ 's/url = git:\/\/github.com\/rails\/rails.git//' .git/config git submodule update -**Note:** Due to Markdown bugs, the first `sed` command above does not display properly if it appears in blockquote. ### Configure Alaveteli diff --git a/docs/installing/manual_install.md b/docs/installing/manual_install.md index 8c9e2a8d6..9cad6b5b9 100644 --- a/docs/installing/manual_install.md +++ b/docs/installing/manual_install.md @@ -351,7 +351,12 @@ Example `development` section of `config/database.yml`: Make sure that the user specified in `database.yml` exists, and has full permissions on these databases. -As the user needs the ability to turn off constraints whilst running the tests they also need to be a superuser. If you don't want your database user to be a superuser, you can add this line to the `test` section in `database.yml` (as seen in `config/database.yml-example`): +As the user needs the ability to turn off constraints whilst running the tests +they also need to be a superuser (clarification: a <em>Postgres</em> superuser, +not an Alaveteli +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#super" class="glossary__link">superuser</a>). +If you don't want your database user to be a superuser, you can add this line +to the `test` section in `database.yml` (as seen in `config/database.yml-example`): constraint_disabling: false diff --git a/docs/installing/next_steps.md b/docs/installing/next_steps.md index d5c4675f0..2c6e84e1b 100644 --- a/docs/installing/next_steps.md +++ b/docs/installing/next_steps.md @@ -8,13 +8,22 @@ title: Next Steps OK, you've installed a copy of Alaveteli, and can see the site in a browser. What next? </p> + * [Create a superuser admin account](#create-a-superuser-admin-account) + * [Load sample data](#load-sample-data) + * [Test out the request process](#test-out-the-request-process) + * [Import Public Authorities](#import-public-authorities) + + + ## Create a superuser admin account Alaveteli ships with an <a href="{{site.baseurl}}docs/glossary/#emergency" class="glossary__link">emergency user</a> that has access to the admin. So when you've just created a new site, you should sign up to create your own account, then log into admin as the emergency -user to promote your new account to be an administrator with *super* privileges. +user to promote your new account to be an administrator with +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#super" class="glossary__link">super</a> +privilege. As soon as that's done, disable the emergency user, because you don't need to use it any more: you've superseded it with your new admin account. @@ -116,7 +125,8 @@ follow the steps described in the previous section. Alaveteli can import a list of public authorities and their contact email addresses from a CSV file. -You can find the uploader in under the "Authorities" tab of the admin section, or go straight to `/admin/body/import_csv`. +Follow the instructions for +[uploading public authority data]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/admin_manual/#creating-changing-and-uploading-public-authority-data). ## Set the amount of time authorities will be given to respond to requests diff --git a/docs/installing/vagrant.md b/docs/installing/vagrant.md index 8938d496b..a0b058da5 100644 --- a/docs/installing/vagrant.md +++ b/docs/installing/vagrant.md @@ -5,35 +5,38 @@ title: Vagrant # Alaveteli using Vagrant <p class="lead"> -Vagrant provides an easy method to set up virtual development environments; for -further information see <a href="http://www.vagrantup.com">the Vagrant website</a>. -We bundle an example Vagrantfile in the repository, which runs the -<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/installing/script/">install script</a> for you. + <a href="https://www.vagrantup.com">Vagrant</a> provides an easy method to set + up virtual development environments We bundle an example Vagrantfile in the + repository, which runs the + <a href="{{ site.baseurl}}docs/installing/script/">install script</a> for you. </p> Note that this is just one of [several ways to install Alaveteli]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/installing/). The included steps will use vagrant to create a development environment -where you can run the test suite, the development server and make +where you can run the test suite and the development server, and make changes to the codebase. -The basic process is to create a base virtual machine, and then +The basic process is to create a base virtual machine (VM), and then provision it with the software packages and setup needed. The supplied scripts will create you a Vagrant VM based on the server edition of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS that contains everything you need to work on Alaveteli. -1. Get a copy of Alaveteli from GitHub and create the Vagrant instance. - This will provision the system and can take some time - usually at - least 20 minutes. +1. Get a copy of Alaveteli from + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#git" class="glossary__link">GitHub</a>: # on your machine $ git clone git@github.com:mysociety/alaveteli.git $ cd alaveteli $ git submodule update --init + +2. Create the Vagrant VM. This will provision the system and can take some time + — sometimes as long as 20 minutes. + $ vagrant --no-color up -2. You should now be able to ssh in to the Vagrant guest OS and run the - test suite: +3. You should now be able to log in to the Vagrant guest OS with `ssh` and run + the test suite: $ vagrant ssh @@ -42,12 +45,34 @@ Ubuntu 12.04 LTS that contains everything you need to work on Alaveteli. $ bundle exec rake spec -3. Run the rails server and visit the application in your host browser - at http://10.10.10.30:3000 +4. Run the rails server: # in the virtual machine terminal bundle exec rails server +You can now visit the application in your browser (on the same machine that is +running Vagrant) at `http://10.10.10.30:3000`. + +If you need to stop the server, simply press **Ctl-C** within that shell. + +It's also possible to stop the server from a different terminal shell in the +Vagrant VM. Log in, find the process ID for the Alaveteli server (in the example +below, this is `1234`), and issue the `kill` command: + + $ vagrant ssh + + # now in a terminal on the virtual machine + $ cat /home/vagrant/alaveteli/tmp/pids/server.pid + 1234 + $ kill -2 1234 + +Alternatively, you can shut down the whole VM without deleting it with the +command <code>vagrant halt</code> +on the host command line. To start it up again, go to step 2, above — it +won't take so long this time, because the files are already in place. +See [the Vagrant documentation](https://docs.vagrantup.com/v2/) +for full instructions on using Vagrant. + ## What next? Check out the [next steps]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/installing/next_steps/). diff --git a/docs/running/admin_manual.md b/docs/running/admin_manual.md index d166cb859..7c112400c 100644 --- a/docs/running/admin_manual.md +++ b/docs/running/admin_manual.md @@ -31,10 +31,14 @@ In this guide: <ul> <li><a href="#administrator-privileges-and-accessing-the-admin-interface">Administrator privileges and accessing the admin interface</a></li> <li><a href="#removing-a-message-from-the-holding-pen">Removing a message from the 'Holding Pen'</a></li> - <li><a href="#editing-and-uploading-public-body-email-addresses">Editing and uploading public body email addresses</a></li> + <li><a href="#rejecting-spam-that-arrives-in-the-holding-pen">Rejecting spam that arrives in the holding pen</a></li> + <li><a href="#creating-changing-and-uploading-public-authority-data">Creating, changing and uploading public authority data</a></li> <li><a href="#banning-a-user">Banning a user</a></li> - <li><a href="#deleting-a-request">Deleting a request</a></li> + <li><a href="#allowing-a-user-to-make-more-requests">Allowing a user to make more requests</a></li> + <li><a href="#batch-requests">Batch requests</a></li> + <li><a href="#resending-a-request-or-sending-it-to-a-different-authority">Resending a request or sending it to a different authority</a></li> <li><a href="#hiding-a-request">Hiding a request</a></li> + <li><a href="#deleting-a-request">Deleting a request</a></li> <li><a href="#hiding-an-incoming-or-outgoing-message">Hiding an incoming or outgoing message</a></li> <li><a href="#editing-an-outgoing-message">Editing an outgoing message</a></li> <li><a href="#hiding-certain-text-from-a-request-using-censor-rules">Hiding certain text from a request</a></li> @@ -308,79 +312,456 @@ line, and piping the contents of that file into the mail handling script. e.g. ### Administrator privileges and accessing the admin interface -The administrative interface is at the URL `/admin`. +The <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#admin" class="glossary__link">administrative interface</a> +is at the URL `/admin`. Only users who are +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#admin" class="glossary__link">administrators</a> +can access the admin interface. + +To make a user an administrator on a brand new site, +[follow these steps]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/installing/next_steps/#create-a-superuser-admin-account). + +If you're already an administrator, you can grant other users administrator +privilege too. Go to `/admin/users` or click on **Users** at the top of +the admin. Find the user in the list, and click on the name to see the user +details. On that page, click **Edit**. Change the *Admin level* to “super” and +click **Save**. + +As well having access to the admin interface, users who are administrators also +have extra privileges in the main website front end. Administrators can: + + * categorise any request + * view items that have been hidden from the search + * follow "admin" links that appear next to individual requests and comments + +<div class="attention-box warning"> + It is possible completely to override the administrator authentication by + setting + <code><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/config/#skip_admin_auth">SKIP_ADMIN_AUTH</a></code> + to <code>true</code> in <code>general.yml</code>. Never do this, unless you + are working on a <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#development" + class="glossary__link">development</a> server. +</div> + +### Removing a message from the holding pen + +Alaveteli puts incoming messages (that is, +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#reponse" class="glossary__link">responses</a>) +into the +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#holding_pen" class="glossary__link">holding pen</a> +if their `To:` email addresses can't automatically be associated with a +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#reponse" class="glossary__link">request</a>. + +The two most common reasons for this are: + + * the request has closed + * the email address was wrongly spelled (for example, the sender missed the last + character off the email address when they copied it) + +When this happens, the messages wait in the holding pen until an administrator +redelivers them to the correct request, or else deletes them. + +To do this, log into the +The <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#admin" class="glossary__link">admin interface</a> +at `/admin`. If there are any messages in the holding pen, you'll see this +message under the title *Things to do*: + +> Put misdelivered responses with the right request + +Click on that message — you'll see a list of all the messages that need +your attention. Click on any one of them to see the details. + +<div class="attention-box helpful-hint"> + If the message does not belong to any request, you can delete it instead. + Simply click on the <strong>Destroy Message</strong> button instead of + redelivering it. +</div> + +When you inspect a message, you may see a guess made by Alaveteli as to which +request the message belongs to. Check this request. If the guess is right +— the incoming email really is a response to that request — +the request's *title_url* will already be in the input box: click the +**Redeliver to another request** button. + +If there is not a guess, or Alaveteli's guess is wrong, look at the `To:` +address of the raw email and the contents of the message itself. You need +to figure out which request it belongs to. You can browse and search +requests in the admin interface by clicking **Requests** at the top of the +admin. When you have found the correct request, copy either its *id* or +its *url_title*. + +<div class="attention-box info"> + <p><strong>How to find a request's <em>id</em> or <em>url_title</em></strong></p> + <p> + A request's <em>id</em> is the number after <code>/show/</code> in the + admin interface's URL when you are looking at that request. + For example, if the URL is <code>/admin/request/show/118</code>, then the + <em>id</em> is <code>118</code>. + </p> + <p> + A request's <em>url_title</em> is the part after <code>/request/</code> + in your Alaveteli site's URL when you are looking at that request. + In the URL <code>/request/how_many_vehicles</code>, the + <em>url_title</em> is <code>how_many_vehicles</code>. + </p> +</div> + +Once you have identified the request the message belongs to, return to the +holding pen message page. Find the incoming message's "Actions" and paste the +request *id* or *url_title* into the text input. Click on the **Redeliver to +another request** button. + +The message will now be associated with the correct request. It is no longer +in the holding pen, and is shown instead on the public request page. + + +### Rejecting spam that arrives in the holding pen + +Alaveteli maintains a +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#spam-address-list" class="glossary__link">spam address list</a>. +Any incoming message to an email address on that list +*that would otherwise be put in the holding pen* will be rejected and won't +appear in the admin. + +If you see spam messages in the +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#holding_pen" class="glossary__link">holding pen</a>, +check if they are being sent to a *specific* email address. If they are, that +email address has become a "spam-target" and you should add it to the spam +address list. Thereafter, Alaveteli will automatically reject any messages that +come to that address. + +An email address that is not associated with a request (that is, one whose +messages end up in the holding pen) becomes a spam-target once it's been +harvested by spammers. There are several reasons why such an invalid address +might exist — perhaps it was mis-spelled in a manual reply, for example. +Our experience from running +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#wdtk" class="glossary__link">WhatDoTheyKnow</a> +is that you can safely dismiss incoming email to such addresses once they have +been targeted in this way. Legitimate emails that arrive in the holding pen +tend to be unique errors (for example, missing the last character of the email +address due to a cut-and-paste mistake) and the nature of the lifecycle of +requests means they don't typically get used for spam until they are +effectively dead. + +To add an email address to the spam address list you need to copy it from an +incoming message and paste it into the spam addresss list. The easiest way to +do this is to click on **Summary** at the top of any admin page, and then click +on **Put misdelivered responses with the right requests** to see the contents +of the holding pen. + +<div class="attention-box info"> + If there are no messages in the holding pen, Alaveteli won't show you this + link. Great — there are no misdelivered responses needing your + attention right now! +</div> + +Inside the holding pen, you'll see the list of emails awaiting attention +— click on an email's subject line to see the whole message and its +details. Copy the `To:` email address, then click on the **Spam Addresses** +link under *Actions*. Paste the email address into the text input and click the +**Add Spam Address** button. + +You can see the spam address list (that is, all known spam-target email +addresses) at any time by going to the admin interface at `/admin/spam_addresses`. + +You can remove any address from the list by clicking the **Remove** button +next to it. Of course, this won't restore any messages that have been +rejected, but Alaveteli will not reject any new messages that are sent to +this address. + +Note that if you are seeing consistent spam email in your holding pen, you +should also consider implementing (or increasing) the anti-spam measures +running in your +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#mta" class="glossary__link">MTA</a>. + +### Creating, changing and uploading public authority data + +There are three ways to change public authority data on your site: + + * *Create* — + You can create a new public authority in the admin interface. Go to **Authorities**, and click the **New Public Authority** button. + + * *Edit* — + Once an authority is created, you can update its email address or other + details by editing it in the admin interface. Go to **Authorities**, find + the authority you want to update, and click on **edit**. + + * *Upload* — + You can also create or edit more than one authority at the same time by + uploading a file containing the data in comma-separated values (CSV) + format. This works for new authorities as well as those that already exist + on your site. Go to **Authorities** and click the **Import from CSV** button. See the rest of this section for more about uploading. + +The upload feature is useful — especially when an Alaveteli site is first +set up — because it's common to collect data such as the contact details +for the public authorities in a spreadsheet. Alaveteli's upload feature makes it +easy to initially load this data onto the site. It also lets you update the +data if it changes after it's already been loaded. + +To use the data in the spreadsheet to update the bodies on your site, export +("save as") the spreadsheet as a CSV file. This is the file you can upload. + +The first line of your CSV file should start with `#` (this indicates that this +line does not contain data) and must list the column names for the data that +follows on the subsequent lines. Column names must: + + * be on the first line + * match expected names *exactly*, and include `name` and `request_email` + (see table below) + * appear in the same order as corresponding items in the lines of data that follow + +Most spreadsheet programs will produce a suitable CSV file for you, provided +that you carefully specify correct titles at the top of each column. Be sure to +use names exactly as shown — if Alaveteli encounters an +unrecognised column name, the import will fail. + +<table class="table"> + <tr> + <th>column name</th> + <th>i18n suffix?</th> + <th>notes</th> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><code>name</code></td> + <td><em>yes</em></td> + <td> + <em>This column <strong>must</strong> be present.</em><br> + The full name of the authority.<br> + If it matches an existing authority's name, that authority will be + updated — otherwise, this will be added as a new authority. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><code>request_email</code></td> + <td><em>yes</em></td> + <td> + <em>This column <strong>must</strong> be present, + but can be left empty.</em><br> + The email to which requests are sent + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><code>short_name</code></td> + <td><em>yes</em></td> + <td>Some authorities are known by a shorter name</td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><code>notes</code></td> + <td><em>yes</em></td> + <td>Notes, displayed publicly (may contain HTML)</td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><code>publication_scheme</code></td> + <td><em>yes</em></td> + <td> + The URL of the authority's + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#publication-scheme" class="glossary__link">publication scheme</a>, + if they have one + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><code>disclosure_log</code></td> + <td><em>yes</em></td> + <td> + The URL of the authority's + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#disclosure-log" class="glossary__link">disclosure log</a>, + if they have one + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><code>home_page</code></td> + <td>no</td> + <td>The URL of the authority's home page</td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><code>tag_string</code></td> + <td>no</td> + <td>separated tags with spaces</td> + </tr> +</table> + + * Existing authorities cannot be renamed by uploading: if you need to do + this, use the admin interface to edit the existing record first, and + change its name in the web interface. + * If the authority already exists (the `name` matches an existing authority's + name exactly), a blank entry leaves the existing value for that column + unchanged — that is, that item of data on your site will not be + changed. This means you only really need to include data you want to + update. + * Columns with "i18n suffix" can accept + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#i18n" class="glossary__link">internationalised</a> + names. Add a full stop followed by the language code, for example: + `name.es` for Spanish (`es`). This *must* be a locale you've declared in + [`AVAILABLE_LOCALES`]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/config/#available_locales). + If you don't specify an i18n suffix, the default language for your site is + assumed. + * You can specify a blank entry in the CSV file by having no character + between commas. + * If an entry contains a comma, enclose it in double quotes like this: + `"Comma, Inc"`. + * If an entry contains any double quotes, you must replace each of + them with two (so `"` becomes `""`) and also enclose the whole entry in + double quotes like this: `"In ""quotes"""` (which will be imported as `In + "quotes"`). + +For example, here's data for three authorities in CSV format ready for upload. +The first line defines the column names, then the next three lines contain the +data (one line for each authority): + + #name,short_name,short_name.es,request_email,notes + XYZ Library Inc.,XYZ Library,XYX Biblioteca,info@xyz.example.com, + Ejemplo Town Council,,Ayuntamiento de Ejemplo,etc@example.com,Lorem ipsum. + "Comma, Inc.",Comma,,comma@example.com,"e.g. <a href=""x"">link</a>" + +Note that, if Ejemplo Town Council already exists on the site, the blank entry +for `short_name` will leave the existing value for that column unchanged. + +To upload a CSV file, log into the admin and click on **Authorities**. Click on +**Import from CSV file**, and choose the file you've prepared. + +Specify **What to do with existing tags?** with one of these options: + + * *Replace existing tags with new ones* <br/> + For each authority being updated, all existing tags will be removed, and + replaced with the ones in your CSV file. + + * *Add new tags to existing ones* <br/> + Existing tags will be left unchanged, and the tags in your CSV file will + be added to them. + +You can add a **Tag to add entries to / alter entries for**. This tag will +be applied to every body that is imported from your CSV file. + +We always recommend you click **Dry run** first -- this will run through the +file and report the changes it will make in the database, *without actually +changing the data*. Check the report: it shows what changes would be made if +you really uploaded this data, followed by a message like this: + + Dry run was successful, real run would do as above. + +If you see nothing above that line, it means the dry run has resulted in no +proposed changes. + +If everything was OK when you ran the dry run, click **Upload** instead. This +will repeat the process, but this time it will make the changes to your +site's database. + +If you see an error like `invalid email`, either you really have mistyped an +email address, or (more likely) your CSV file does not have a `request_email` +column. + +#### Creating a spreadsheet of existing authorities + +You can easily create a spreadsheet containing the authorities that <em>already +exist</em> on your site. Combined with the upload feature described above, this +may be a more convenient way to update your data than editing it in the admin +interface. + +To export the existing authorities' data, go to your site's home page (not the +admin) and click <strong>View Authorities</strong>. Then click <strong>List of +all authorities (CSV)</strong> to get a CSV file. You can then make changes to +this file using a spreadsheet program and upload it as described above. + +You'll need to remove some columns that are not accepted by the import feature +and possibly rename some that are — see the column names above. +Also, note that by default the exported spreadsheet does not contain a +`request_email` column. If you want to update email addresses, you should +manually add a column to your spreadsheet with the heading `request_email` and +fill in a new email address for each authority you want to update. Authorities +with blank values in any column will keep their existing value for that +attribute. + +<div class="attention-box info"> +Alaveteli never includes authorities which have the tag <code>site_administration</code> when it exports authorities in CSV format. +If you're running a development server with the sample data, the single example +body called "Internal admin authority" has this tag, so if you click +<strong>List of all authorities (CSV)</strong>, you'll get a CSV file which +contains no data. You need to add your own authorities (without the +<code>site_administration</code> tag) before you can export them. +</div> -Only users with the `super` admin level can access the admin interface. Users -create their own accounts in the usual way, and then administrators can give -them `super` privileges. +### Banning a user -There is an emergency user account which can be accessed via -`/admin?emergency=1`, using the credentials `ADMIN_USERNAME` and -`ADMIN_PASSWORD`, which are set in `general.yml`. To bootstrap the -first `super` level accounts, you will need to log in as the emergency -user. You can disable the emergency user account by setting `DISABLE_EMERGENCY_USER` to `true` in `general.yml`. +You may wish to completely ban a user from the website (such as a spammer or troll for example). You need to log into the admin interface at `/admin`. On the top row of links, locate and click on ‘Users’. -Users with the superuser role also have extra privileges in the website -front end, such as being able to categorise any request, being able to view -items that have been hidden from the search, and being presented with "admin" -links next to individual requests and comments in the front end. +Find the user you wish to ban on the list and click on their name. Once on the user page, select ‘edit’. -It is possible completely to override the administrator authentication by -setting `SKIP_ADMIN_AUTH` to `true` in `general.yml`. +Enter some text in the in the ‘Ban text’ box to explain why they have been banned. Please be aware, this is publicly viewable from the users' account. Then click on save and the user will be banned. -### Removing a message from the 'Holding Pen' +### Allowing a user to make more requests -The reason a message is in the holding pen is because the email can't be automatically associated with the request it is responding to. The email needs to be moved from the holding pen to the request it belongs with. +Alaveteli has a config setting <code><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/config/#max_requests_per_user_per_day">MAX_REQUESTS_PER_USER_PER_DAY</a></code>, +which determines the maximum number of requests that a normal user can +make in a day. If they try to make more than this number of requests +within a 24 hour period, they will see a message telling them that they +have hit the limit, and encouraging them to use the contact form if they +feel they have a good reason to ask for the request limit to be lifted. -First, log into the admin interface at `/admin`. You will see messages that are in the 'holding pen' under the title ‘Put misdelivered responses with the right request’. Click on the chevron to see the individual messages. +To lift the request limit for a particular user, go to the <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#admin" class="glossary__link">admin +interface</a>, click on **Users**, then click on the name of the user +you want to lift the request limit for. Click the **Edit** button. Tick +the checkbox **No rate limit**, and click the **Save** button. -If you click on a message in the holding pen, you may see a guess made by Alaveteli as to which request the message belongs to. Check this request. If it isn't the right one, or if Alaveteli hasn't made any guesses, you will need to look at the `To:` address of the raw email and the contents of the mail in order to figure out which request it belongs to. You can browse and search requests in the admin interface under the 'Requests' menu item. +### Batch requests -Once you have identified the request the message belongs to, you need to go back to the holding pen message page. Paste the request `id` or `url_title` into the box under 'Actions' in 'Incoming Message'. The request `id` can be found in the request URL in the admin interface - it is the part after `/show/`. In the admin request URL `/admin/request/show/118`, the request `id` is `118`. The `url_title` can be found in the request URL in the main interface - it is the part after `/request/`. In the URL `/request/documents_relating_to_meeting`, it is `documents_relating_to_meeting`. Then click on 'Redeliver to another request'. +Sometimes a user may want to send the same request to more than one authority, which we call a batch request. By default, Alaveteli does not allow users to make batch requests. -The message will now be associated with the correct request and will appear on the public request page. +<div class="attention-box info"> +<p>We believe that batch requests can be abused — users can send poorly thought-out or vexatious requests, which will annoy authorities and damage the reputation of your site. However, well thought-out batch requests can be an extremely useful tool in collecting comparative data sets across types of authority, for example, all police forces.</p> +<p> +We recommend that you enable batch requesting for users who you notice making the same good request to multiple authorities. +</p> +<p> +Users can choose which authorities to include in a batch requests. They can even send a request to <em>every single authority</em> on your site. Only give this power to users that you trust. +</p> +</div> -### Editing and uploading public body email addresses +To enable batch requests on your site, first you must set +<code><a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/config/#allow_batch_requests">ALLOW_BATCH_REQUESTS</a></code> +to <code>true</code> in <code>general.yml</code>. +This does not allow anyone to make batch requests yet. You must still +enable this for each user on an individual basis. To do this, go to the +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#admin" +class="glossary__link">admin interface</a>, click on **Users**, then +click on the name of the user who wants to make batch requests. Click +the **Edit** button. Tick the checkbox **Can make batch requests**, and +click the **Save** button. +If you've enabled batch requests for a user, when they start to make a +request, in addition to the box where they can select an authority, they +will see a link to "make a batch request". When the request is sent, +Alaveteli will make a request page for this request for each authority, +as if the user had made individual requests. -### Banning a user +### Resending a request or sending it to a different authority -You may wish to completely ban a user from the website (such as a spammer or troll for example). You need to log into the admin interface at `/admin`. On the top row of links, locate and click on ‘Users’. +If you have corrected the email address for an authority, you can resend +an existing request to that authority to the new email address. Alternatively, +a user may send a request to the wrong authority. In that situation, you can +change the authority on the request and then resend it to the correct authority. +For instructions, see +[resending a request or sending it to a different authority]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/requests/#resending-a-request-or-sending-it-to-a-different-authority). -Find the user you wish to ban on the list and click on their name. Once on the user page, select ‘edit’. -Enter some text in the in the ‘Ban text’ box to explain why they have been banned. Please be aware, this is publicly viewable from the users' account. Then click on save and the user will be banned. +### Hiding a request -### Deleting a request +If a request contains vexatious or inappropriate content, is libellous, or is +not a valid +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#foi" class="glossary__link">Freedom of Information</a> +request at all, you may want to hide it. A hidden request is still visible to +you and the other administrators, and (optionally) the requester themselves. +For instructions, see +[hiding a request]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/requests/#hiding-a-request). -You can delete a request entirely using the admin interface. You will mainly only need to do this if someone has posted private information. Go to the admin page for the request by searching or browsing in the 'Requests' section of the admin interface. In the first section, click the 'Edit metadata' button. At the bottom of the next page, click the red 'Destroy request entirely' button. +Responses to a hidden request will be accepted in the normal way, but because +they are added to the request's page, they too will be hidden. -### Hiding a request +### Deleting a request -You can hide an entire request from the admin interface. Log in to the -admin interface at `/admin`. On the top row of links, locate and click on -'Requests'. Search or browse to find the admin page for the request you -want to hide. You can also go directly to this page by following an -'admin' link from the public request page. You can hide a request in one -of two ways. - - * <strong>Hiding a vexatious or non-FOI request and notifying the - requester</strong> - Scroll down to the 'actions' section of the request - admin page. Select one of the options next to 'Hide the request and - notify the user:' and customise the text of the email that will be - sent to the user to let them know what you've done. When you're - ready, click the 'Hide request' button. - * <strong>Hiding a request or making it only visible to the - requester without notifying the requester</strong> - In the 'Request metadata' section of the request - admin page, click 'Edit metadata'. Change the 'Prominence' value to - 'requester_only' to only allow the requester to view the request, or - to 'hidden' to hide the request from everyone except site admins. - When you're ready, click 'Save changes' at the bottom of the 'Edit - metadata' section. No email will be sent to the requester to notify - them of what you've done. +You can delete a request from the site. For instructions, see +[deleting a request]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/requests/#deleting-a-request). + +Responses to a deleted request will be sent to the holding pen. ### Hiding an incoming or outgoing message @@ -454,4 +835,3 @@ text you wish to replace it with e.g. '[personal information has been hidden]', and a comment letting other admins know why you have hidden the information. - diff --git a/docs/running/categories_and_tags.md b/docs/running/categories_and_tags.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..f34c8fec3 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/running/categories_and_tags.md @@ -0,0 +1,196 @@ +--- +layout: page +title: Categories & tags +--- + +# Categories and tags for authorities + +<p class="lead"> + + Use tags to arrange + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#authority" + class="glossary__link">authorities</a> into categories, or to associate + related authorities with each other. This helps your users find the right + authority for the + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#request" class="glossary__link">request</a> + (or <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#response" class="glossary__link">response</a>) + they are interested in. +</p> + +## Categories & category headings + +Alaveteli lets you organise your authorities into *categories*. Categories can +themselves belong to *category headings*. For example, some of the categories +and headings on +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#wdtk" class="glossary__link">WhatDoTheyKnow</a>'s +<a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/body/list/all">View authorities</a> page look like this: + +> * **Media and culture** +> * Media +> * Museums and galleries +> * **Military and security services** +> * Armed Forces +> * Military colleges +> * Security services +> * **Emergency services** +> * Police forces +> * Fire & rescue services + + +In this example, "Emergency services" is a heading which contains the categories +"Police forces" and "Fire & rescue services". + +Tags are simply searchable words that you can add to an authority. Nominate a +tag for each category: any authority which has that tag is automatically +assigned to the category. For example, if the tag `police` is associated with +the category "Police forces", any authority which has the tag `police` will +appear in that category. + +Make sure you choose good category headings and names, because they help your +users find the specific authorities they are looking for. + +<div class="attention-box info"> + Try to use simple but descriptive words for tags. Tags cannot contain spaces + (use an underscore if you need to, <code>like_this</code>). + Remember that tags will be seen and used by the public (for example, in the + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#advanced-search" class="glossary__link">advanced search</a>). +</div> + +### Adding a new category + +In the admin interface, click on **Categories**. It's a good idea to create +category headings first (but don't worry if you don't — you can change +them later). + +Click on **New category heading**, enter a name (for example, "Emergency +services") and click **Create**. + +To create a category, click on **New category**. As well as providing a title +and a description, you must enter a category tag. Any authority with this tag +will be assigned to this category. + +Select the checkbox next to the category heading under which you want this +category to be listed. It's common for a category to be under just one heading. +But sometimes it makes sense for a category to go under more than one, so you +can select multiple checkboxes if you need to. + +Click **Save** to create the category. + +### Editing or deleting a category + +Click on **Categories** then find the category in the list (if the category is +under a heading, you may need to click on the heading's chevron to expand the +list to show it). Click the name of the category to select it. You can edit it +and click **Save**. + +If you want to destroy a category, go to edit it but instead of saving it, +click on the **Destroy** button at the bottom of the page. This does not +delete any authorities in that category — they simply no longer belong to +it. + +## Special tags + +Some tags are special. Alaveteli behaves differently when an authority has one +of these tags. + +<table class="table"> + <tr> + <th> + Tag + </th> + <th> + Effect + </th> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <code>site_administration</code> + </td> + <td> + This is a test/dummy authority. It is not displayed to the public on your + main site, and it is not included when you + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/admin_manual/#creating-changing-and-uploading-public-authority-data">export authorities in CSV format</a>. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <code>defunct</code> + </td> + <td> + This authority no longer operates: new requests cannot be sent to an + authority with this tag. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <code>not_apply</code> + </td> + <td> + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#foi" class="glossary__link">Freedom of Information</a> + law does not apply to this authority: new requests cannot be sent to an + authority with this tag. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <code>eir_only</code> + </td> + <td> + <em>Custom example:</em> (see below)<br> + On our UK installation of Alaveteli, + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#wdtk" class="glossary__link">WhatDoTheyKnow</a>, + this tag indicates that the authority is subject to an alternative law + (Environment Information Regulations, rather than the Freedom of + Information), which means Alaveteli must change the wording of these + requests appropriately. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <code>school</code> + </td> + <td> + <em>Custom example:</em> (see below)<br> + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#wdtk" class="glossary__link">WhatDoTheyKnow</a> + applies a different definition of "late" if an authority has the <code>school</code> tag. + </td> + </tr> +</table> + +## Custom tags and custom behaviour + +You can add any tag you want — they don't have to be associated with +categories. + +If you are a developer, and you want to add special behaviour to your site +based on your own tags, you need to add custom code, which should probably go +in your own +<a href="{{ site.baseurl}}docs/glossary/#theme" class="glossary__link">theme</a>. +For example, in the UK, schools are granted special concession in the law to allow for +requests that are made out of term-time. Alaveteli handles this by using the +[`SPECIAL_REPLY_VERY_LATE_AFTER_DAYS`]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/config/#special_reply_very_late_after_days) +config value if the authority has the `school` tag. +See +[`is_school?`](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/f0bbeb4abf4bf07e5cfb46668f39bbff72ed7210/app/models/public_body.rb#L391) +and +[`date_very_overdue_after`](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/81b778622ed47e24a2dea59c0529d1f928c68a58/app/models/info_request.rb#L752) +for the source code. + +## Searching with tags + +Alaveteli's +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#advanced-search" class="glossary__link">advanced search</a> +feature (which is available to all your users) can search for specific tags. So +if you add useful tags and publicise them, your users can use them to find +related authorities. For example, see the <a +href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/advancedsearch">advanced search on +WhatDoTheyKnow</a> to see this at work. + +You can add reference numbers or specific values to tags using a colon. On +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#wdtk" class="glossary__link">WhatDoTheyKnow</a> +we tag all authorities that are charities with the tag `charity:123456` (where +123456 is the authority's registered charity number). + + + + diff --git a/docs/running/holding_pen.md b/docs/running/holding_pen.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..5b7f08bec --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/running/holding_pen.md @@ -0,0 +1,101 @@ +--- +layout: page +title: The holding pen +--- + +# The holding pen + +<p class="lead"> + + The <em>holding pen</em> is where Alaveteli puts any incoming + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#response" class="glossary__link">responses</a> + that can't be matched to a + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#request" class="glossary__link">request</a> + automatically. +</p> + + +Alaveteli works by emailing requests to the correct target +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#authority" class="glossary__link">authority</a>. +That email message is sent from a unique email address — that is, an +email address that is associated with that single request (technically, +Alaveteli hashes the request ID to generate a unique address and uses this as +the `Reply-to:` address). + +So whenever an authority replies (by email) to a request that Alaveteli has +sent, that response will be addressed to that request's unique email address. +The email is received by your installation's +<a href="{{ site.baseurl}}docs/glossary/#mta" class="glossary__link">MTA</a>, +and is passed on to Alaveteli. In this way, incoming messages are easily +matched with the request they are responses to — this is important +because your site displays the responses underneath their original request, on +the request's page. + +Normally, this works fine. But sometimes things go wrong, and a message comes +in that can't be matched with a request. When this happens, Alaveteli puts the +message in the +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#holding_pen" class="glossary__link">holding +pen </a>. + +Messages wait in the holding pen until an +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#super" class="glossary__link">administrator</a> +redelivers them to the correct request, or else deletes them. + +## Why messages end up in the holding pen + +There are several reasons why a message might end up in the holding pen: + +* **the authority "broke" the reply-to email**<br> + This can happen if the authority replies "by hand" to the incoming email — + for example if the person at the authority accidentally loses the first + letter of the email address when they copy-and-paste it. Or if they copy + it manually and simply get it wrong. + +* **there's something unusual about the way it was sent**<br> + For example, if it was delivered here because the address is in the `Bcc:` + field, and is not the `To:` address. + +* **a partial email address may have been guessed**<br> + Someone guesses an email address which Alaveteli doesn't recognise. Perhaps + they have misunderstood how the addresses are formed, or maybe it's a + deliberate attempt to send spam. + +* **the response is to a request that has been deleted**<br> + If you [delete a request]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/requests/#deleting-a-request), + Alaveteli cannot deliver responses to it. + +* **the response has been rejected and rejections are set to go to the holding pen**<br> + Incoming mail that is correctly addressed but not accepted for the request + goes into the holding pen if the request's `handle_rejected_responses` + behaviour is set to `holding_pen` (rather than bouncing the email back to + the sender, or simply deleting it). Responses may be rejected for various + reasons — for example, if a response is sent from an unrecognised + email address for a request whose *Allow new responses from* setting is + `authority_only`. See instructions on + [how to manage requests]({{site.baseurl}}docs/running/requests/) for details. + +## What to do: redeliver or delete + +You need to be an +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#super" class="glossary__link">administrator</a> +to modify the holding pen. + +There are two things you can do to a message in the holding pen: + + * **find the right request, and redeliver the message**<br> + Alaveteli tries to guess the right request to help you, so sometimes + you can just accept its suggestion. + + * **delete the message**<br> + If the message is not a response, you can delete it. + +For instructions, see +[removing a message from the holding pen]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/admin_manual/#removing-a-message-from-the-holding-pen). + +If the `To:` address does not belong to a valid request and the message is +clearly spam you can add that email address to Alaveteli's +<a href="{{site.baseurl}}#spam-address-list" class="glossary__link">spam address list</a>. +Subsequent messages to that address will be automatically rejected — for +instructions see +[rejecting spam that arrives in the holding pen]({{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/admin_manual/#rejecting-spam-that-arrives-in-the-holding-pen). + diff --git a/docs/running/requests.md b/docs/running/requests.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..bf8655949 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/running/requests.md @@ -0,0 +1,322 @@ +--- +layout: page +title: Managing requests +--- + +# Managing Requests + + +<p class="lead"> + Alaveteli makes it easy for a user to make a + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#request" class="glossary__link">request</a>. + As an + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#super" class="glossary__link">administrator</a>, + there are some things about that request you can change once it’s been created. +</p> + +A request is automatically created when a user submits and (where necessary) +confirms it. Alaveteli sends it to the +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#authority" class="glossary__link">authority</a> +responsible and handles any +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#response" class="glossary__link">responses</a>. +Usually this process runs without needing any intervention from an +administrator. But sometimes you'll want to change some aspect of the request, +or the way Alaveteli is handling it. + +<ul class="toc"> + <li><a href="#what-state-is-the-request-in">What state is the request in?</a></li> + <li><a href="#changing-things-about-a-request">Changing things about a request</a></li> +<li><a href="#resending-a-request-or-sending-it-to-a-different-authority">Resending a request or sending a request to a different authority</a></li> + <li><a href="#hiding-a-request">Hiding a request</a></li> + <li><a href="#deleting-a-request">Deleting a request</a></li> +</ul> + +## What state is the request in? + +Every request moves through a series of +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#state" class="glossary__link">states</a>, +indicating its progress. Usually a new request will be in the +`waiting_response` state until something happens to change that — for +example, a response is received. + +However, states can't always be set automatically, because they require a +decision to be made on what kind of answer the authority provided in the +response. For states like this, Alaveteli invites the original requester to +describe it — for example, when a response is received they can change +the state to `successful`, `partially_successful` or `not_held` (if the +authority replied to say they don't have the information requested). + +<div class="attention-box info"> + If a request has been waiting for over three weeks for the original + requester to describe it but has still not been described, Alaveteli + lets <em>anyone</em> classify it. +</div> + +Internally, Alaveteli does not just record the "described state" of a request, +but also notices if anything has happened since it was last described and +sets its "awaiting description" status appropriately. + + +## Changing things about a request + +To change any of these settings, go to the +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#admin" class="glossary__link">admin interface</a>, +click on **Requests**, then click on the title of the request you want to affect. +Click the **Edit metadata** button. + +<table class="table"> + <tr> + <th> + What you can change + </th> + <th> + Details + </th> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + Title + </td> + <td> + The <em>title</em> is shown on the request’s page, but is also used + in the URL (the text is changed to lower case, punctuation is removed + and, if necessary, a number is added for disambiguation — this is + called the “slug”). + <p> + Note that changing the title changes the URL, because the slug changes + — this means any links to the <em>old</em> URL will no longer + work, and will return a 404 (file not found) error. + </p> + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + Who can see it? + </td> + <td> + Change the <strong>Prominence</strong> setting to one of: + <ul> + <li><code>normal</code></li> + <li> + <code>backpage</code>: request can be seen by anyone (by visiting + its URL, for example) but does not appear in lists, or search results + </li> + <li> + <code>requester_only</code>: request only visible to the person who + made the request + </li> + <li> + <code>hidden</code>: request is never shown (except to administrators) + </li> + </ul> + <br> + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + Who can respond? + </td> + <td> + The <strong>Allow new responses from...</strong> setting can be one of: + <ul> + <li><code>anybody</code></li> + <li> + <code>authority_only</code>: responses are allowed if they come + from the authority to which the request was sent, or from any domain + from which a a response has <em>already</em> been accepted + </li> + <li> + <code>nobody</code>: no responses are allowed on this request + </li> + </ul> + Any response from a sender who has been disallowed by this + setting will be rejected (see next entry). + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + What happens to rejected responses? + </td> + <td> + The <strong>Handle rejected responses...</strong> setting specificies + what happens to responses that are not allowed (see previous entry): + <ul> + <li> + <code>bounce</code>: responses are sent back to their sender + </li> + <li> + <code>holding pen</code>: responses are put in the + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#holding_pen" class="glossary__link">holding pen</a> + for an administrator to deal with + </li> + <li> + <code>blackhole</code>: responses are destroyed by being sent to a + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#blackhole" class="glossary__link">black hole</a> + </li> + </ul> + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + What state is it in? + </td> + <td> + See <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/customising/states/">more about + request states</a>, which can be customised for your installation. + <p> + You can force the state of the request by choosing it explicitly. + Change the <strong>Described state</strong> setting. + </p> + <p> + You may also need to set <strong>Awaiting description</strong> if, + having changed the state, you want the original requester to update the + description. For example, if the state depends on the information + within the response, and you want the requester to classify it — + see + <em><a href="#what-state-is-the-request-in">What state is the request in?</a></em> + above. + </p> + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + Are comments allowed? + </td> + <td> + The <strong>Are comments allowed?</strong> setting simply you choose to + allow or forbid annotations and comments on this request. + <p> + Note that this won’t hide any annotations that have already + been left on the reques — it only prevents users adding new ones. + </p> + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + Tags (search keywords) + </td> + <td> + Enter tags, separated by spaces, that are associated with this request. + A tag can be either a simple keyword, or a key-value pair (use a colon as + the separator, like this: <code>key:value</code>). + <p> + Tags are used for searching. Users and administators both benefit if + you tag requests with useful keywords, because it helps them find + specific requests — especially if your site gets busy and there + are very many in the database. + </p> + <p> + Although it’s a little more complex than tags on requests, + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#category" class="glossary__link">categories</a> + also use tags: + see + <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/running/categories_and_tags/">more about tags</a> + for a little more information. + </p> + </td> + </tr> +</table> + +## Resending a request or sending it to a different authority + +If you have corrected the email address for an authority, you can resend +an existing request to that authority to the new email address. Alternatively, +a user may send a request to the wrong authority. In that situation, you can +change the authority on the request and then resend it to the correct authority. + +To resend a request, go to +the <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#admin" +class="glossary__link">admin interface</a>, click on **Requests**, then +click on the name of the request you want to change. Go to the **Outgoing messages** heading. Click the chevron next to the first outgoing message, which is the initial request. A panel of information about that message will appear. Click on the **Resend** button. + +To send a request to a different authority, go to +the <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#admin" +class="glossary__link">admin interface</a>, click on **Requests**, then +click on the name of the request you want to change. In the **Request +metadata** section, there is a line which shows the authority. Click the +**move...** button next to it. Enter the **url_name** of the authority +that you want to send the request to. + +<div class="attention-box info"> +Users, requests and authorities all have <strong>url_names</strong>. This can be found in the metadata section of their admin page. The <code>url_name</code> makes up the last part of the URL for their public page. So, for a request with the <code>url_name</code> “example_request”, the public page URL will be <code>/request/example_request</code>. +</div> + +Now click the **Move request to +authority** button. You will see a notice at the top of the page telling +you that the request has been moved. You can now resend the request as above. + + +## Hiding a request + +You can hide an entire request. Typically you do this if it's not a valid +Freedom of Information request (for example, a request for personal +information), or if it is vexatious. + +Go to the <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#admin" class="glossary__link">admin interface</a>, +click on **Requests**, then click on the title of the request you want. You can +hide it in one of two ways: + + * [Hide the request and notify the requester](#hide-the-request-and-notify-the-requester) + * [Hide the request without notifying the requester](#hide-the-request-without-notifying-the-requester) + +Responses to a hidden request will be accepted in the normal way, but because +they are added to the request's page, they too will be hidden. + +### Hide the request and notify the requester + +Scroll down to the *Actions* section of the request's admin page. +Choose one of the options next to **Hide the request and notify the user:** + + * Not a valid FOI request + * A vexatious request + +Choosing one of these will reveal an email form. Customise the text of the +email that will be sent to the user, letting them know what you've done. When +you're ready, click the **Hide request** button. + +### Hide the request without notifying the requester + +<div class="attention-box helpful-hint"> + As well as hiding the request from everyone, you can also use this method if + you want to make the request only visible to the requester. +</div> + +In the *Request metadata* section of the request's admin page, click the +**Edit metadata** button. Change the *Prominence* value to one of these: + + * `requester_only`: only the requester can view the request + * `hidden`: nobody can see the request, except administrators. + +<div class="attention-box warning"> + If you want to hide the request, do not chooose <code>backpage</code> + as the prominence. The <code>backpage</code> option stops the request + appearing in lists and searches so that it is effectively only visible + to anyone who has its URL — but it <em>does not hide</em> the request. +</div> + +When you're ready, click the **Save changes** button at the bottom of the +*Edit metadata* section. No email will be sent to the requester to notify +them of what you've done. + + +## Deleting a request + +You can delete a request entirely. Typically, you only need to do this if +someone has posted private information. If you delete a request, any responses that it has already received will be +destroyed as well. + +<div class="attention-box warning"> + Deleting a request destroys it. There is no “undo” operation. + If you're not sure you want to do this, perhaps you should + <a href="#hiding-a-request">hide the request</a> instead. +</div> + +Go to the <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#admin" class="glossary__link">admin interface</a>, +click on **Requests**, then click on the title of the request you want to delete. +Click the **Edit metadata** button. Click on the red **Destroy request entirely** +button at the bottom of the page. + +Responses to a deleted request will be sent to the +<a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#holding_pen" class="glossary__link">holding pen</a>. + + diff --git a/docs/running/upgrading.md b/docs/running/upgrading.md index 533035892..81af8289f 100644 --- a/docs/running/upgrading.md +++ b/docs/running/upgrading.md @@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ Upgrading Alaveteli ==================== <p class="lead"> - Alaveteli is under active development — don't let the - version you're running get too far behind our latest + Alaveteli is under active development — don’t let the + version you’re running get too far behind our latest <a href="{{site.baseurl}}docs/glossary/#release" class="glossary__link">release</a>. - This page describes how to keep your site up-to-date + This page describes how to keep your site up to date. </p> ## How to upgrade the code @@ -29,23 +29,26 @@ you should always run the script `scripts/rails-post-deploy` after each deployment. This runs any database migrations for you, plus various other things that can be automated for deployment. -## Alaveteli Version Numbers +<div class="attention-box info"> + You don't need to run the script if you're using Capistrano, because the + deployment mechanism automatically runs it for you. +</div> -Alaveteli uses a shifted version of [semver](http://semver.org). +## Alaveteli version numbers -- Series `W` -- Major `X` -- Minor `Y` -- Patch `Z` +Alaveteli uses a “shifted” version of [semver](http://semver.org) +(just as [Rails version numbering](http://guides.rubyonrails.org/maintenance_policy.html) +does). This means that version numbers are of the form: `SERIES.MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH`. -At the time of writing the current release is `0.19.0.6`: +At the time of writing, the current release is `0.19.0.6`: - Series `0` - Major `19` - Minor `0` - Patch `6` -Alaveteli will transition to the [semver](http://semver.org) specification when it reaches `1.0.0`. +We'll use the [semver](http://semver.org) specification for Alaveteli's +version numbering when it reaches `1.0.0`. ## Master branch contains the latest stable release @@ -73,7 +76,7 @@ Patch version increases (e.g. 0.1.2.3 → 0.1.2.**4**) should not require any Minor version increases (e.g. 0.1.2.4 → 0.1.**3**.0) will usually require further action. You should read the [`CHANGES.md`](https://github.com/mysociety/alaveteli/blob/master/doc/CHANGES.md) document to see what's changed since your last deployment, paying special attention to anything in the "Upgrade notes" sections. Any upgrade may include new translations strings, that is, new or altered messages -to the user that need translating to your locale. You should visit Transifex +to the user that need translating to your locale. You should visit <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}docs/glossary/#transifex" class="glossary__link">Transifex</a> and try to get your translation up to 100% on each new release. Failure to do so means that any new words added to the Alaveteli source code will appear in your website in English by default. If your translations didn't make it to the @@ -92,7 +95,7 @@ Only major releases may remove existing functionality. You will be warned about Special instructions will accompany series releases. -## Deprecation Notices +## Deprecation notices You may start to see deprecation notices in your application log. They will look like: diff --git a/theme b/theme -Subproject 6b1b6580110c3070011f8f6a69fda18905c391a +Subproject 173e9d97b416b4427254dbc7330df85128708e3 |