I'm a novice mturk user. I created HITs for crowdsourcing using external question hosted on a server. I wanted to know if there is a web interface where I can see progress of my HITs. I tried looking at the https://requester.mturk.com/manage and https://requestersandbox.mturk.com/manage. But I cannot see the HITs programatically created using boto3. Should I look somewhere else? If not what's the way to get this information?
I share your pain right now. As of June 2020, this situation hasn't changed. HITs that are NOT created through the MTurk web interface STILL do not display on the web interface. It's terrible. We have 3 options for seeing and managing the HITs:
Use scripting and boto3. <-- Best option for now.
Use the AWS CLI.
Use the AWS shell (aws-shell).
I think the best option is to make scripts that do exactly what you need. Chances are you'll need to do things more efficiently than you could using the AWS CLI only. aws-shell isn't easy enough to use, and it also looks unsupported for over a year at this point (judging by their official github issue tracker).
For what you're asking specifically you'll need to use the method list_hits() and possibly list_assignments_for_hit(). See https://boto3.amazonaws.com/v1/documentation/api/latest/reference/services/mturk.html
Also I'm very new to this, so if it sounds like a barely or only sorta know what I'm talking about, that's correct. But I also wished there had been a straightforward answer to this question a couple weeks ago when I was sitting here dumbfounded.
I will soon be developing an application to log and priorities worker shifts. It only needs to be small, and simple, but I am wondering what framework to use. All that needs to happen is boxes with names are in 3 lists, and the user can switch these around at will. It must log the times, which I will need access to in real time.
Im new to application development of this sort, and would like any suggestions. I have time to learn new technologies / languages.
Portability / device independence would also be useful. Should I consider a Web Application in Javascript? or something more like Python.
Thanks.
Even if your application is going to be simple that does not mean that whole system will be simple too. I can imagine that your app will serve only as a front end to something much bigger. If that is a case and you really have freedom to choose what language you will develop your app with consider choosing something that you will feel comfortable to work with. But before you will make your decision I would go to whoever gave you that task and try to get as much information about it as you can because expected features can help in choosing technology.
First of all, it seems that it is up to you to decide if it should be web or desktop app. In my opinion it is completely wrong situation. You should get clear requirements on what kind of application customer expects and in what environment it should work. And I would not move a finger towards a code before somebody gave me that information. You write that portability and device independence would be useful but is it actual requirement or you just think it would be nice feature to deliver?
EDITED (to answer a question in comment)
Probably there is as much possible solutions as people that would answer you so in the end you will have to make your own choices.
One way of doing it (considering that you want to learn something new and have a challenge :) would be implement WCF service that would act as a data provider from your database (so every GetUsers(), GetVacationDays() methods would be in it) and it would take care of some business logic (for example CalculateMaxValidWorkingTime() or whatever). That service would be a real power horse of your system. Since you don't have clear requirement whether it should be desktop or web app you could satisfy both possibilities by creating thin clients that would communicate with your service and they would be just a pretty front ends. And if you keep in mind that you can consume webservices practically with everything from C++ to .NET (C#/VB) to Javascript to Python to PHP after you done with service you would not be constrained with one particular technology/language.
Regarding databases I won't advice because personally I hate dealing with them and it always was somebody else's task to provide me with pretty API :)
For some time I have been looking at the possibility to integrate PowerShell as a scripting engine in SharePoint but I haven't found the right solution yet.
My main objective is to enable event triggers in e.g. a list to call and execute a PowerShell script (by filename) on the local server. This would give me a lot of flexibility compared to using an ordinary event handler written in visual studio, but the question is whether it is possible and whether I have overlooked some serious security issues?
Since each and every unique idea that I come up with in many years have already be invented by somebody else, I might have missed an existing product/project so any links to such projects will be appreciated, thanks
In the spirit of "already being invented by somebody else", check out http://www.codeplex.com/iLoveSharePoint for some very interesting uses of PowerShell inside SharePoint. Some great code samples and documentation. Haven't tried myself yet, but seems interesting.
I see what you're trying to achieve, but there's something that just doesn't "feel right" about a user indirectly running script code on your server.
The key difference is that the script can be run by anyone logging into the server. Event handlers can only be run by SharePoint. Strict validation of any inputs would be essential. You should also ensure the script is signed so tampered scripts won't execute.
Also, scripts by their nature aren't really designed for enterprise solutions. There is less opportunity for best practices such as good software architecture, design patterns, source control, code analysis, unit testing, and reuse of code. It's also messy/difficult to share code with a common code base that contains web parts, controls, entities, etc.
Finally, introducing PowerShell means another technology to be maintained in the mix we already have with SharePoint. This might be OK if you are comfortable with it.
Depending on how much customisation has already been done or is planned for the future some of the points above may not matter. Be sure to think about how this idea would feel if implemented 6, 12 and 24 months down the track.
Are there any tools that go beyond requiring deep and intimate knowledge of every configuration option and nuance and will just setup an application with a minimum of inputs. Something like a wizard that produces the XML configuration based on those simple inputs. I don't care about security I just need the service to work. Ideally the tool would be able to setup IIS6 as well or at least with a given set of options it would produce a list of steps I needed to complete in IIS.
The Microsoft Service Configuration Editor is no better than direct editing of the XMl. I did find a web site that has the right idea but it wasn't able to solve my simple installation. (http://www.noemax.com/support/wcf_binding_configuration_wizard.html).
Is there anything out there that puts some convention into play over this mountain of configuration?
WCF configuration can look very daunting at first, indeed! I like that configuration wizard you linked to - why wasn't it good enough for you?
I don't know of any tool right now, that would solve your problem and help you figure out the proper configuration - it really boils down to learning the ropes and getting to know the ins and outs of it, I'm afraid.
Basically, what I've learned is : don't even start to imagine all the things you could do - try to focus on what you should do (and what you need).
Really, it boils down to about five scenarios as outlined in the excellent book "Programming WCF" by Juval Lowy:
intranet apps (use the NetTcp binding, Windows security)
internet apps (use the wsHttp binding if ever possible, username/pwd or certificates for security)
business-to-business apps (use whatever binding makes sense, secure by certificates)
queue message delivery (MSMQ)
no-security apps (legacy ASMX support, interop with "dumb" webservice clients)
Basically, pick the one you need, and from there, you're pretty much set as to what to do and how to do it. I would definitely recommend checking out Juval's book - excellent excellent resource!
So the question is: which category does your app fit in? Based on that, you can pretty much determine all that's needed from there.
Also, I watched two screencasts that really helped me get over the heaps of configuration options in WCF, and focus on what's really important:
Extreme WCF with Miguel Castro
Demystifying WCF with Keith Elder
Both gave me a good feel for what configuration is really needed - and what is just fluff.
Hope that helps some!
Marc
I am looking for a simple system to manage inbound emails from a support mailbox for a group with about 3 support people. I've looked at OTRS which seems to have the features that we need. Unfortunately, so far the UI still looks like a confusing mess.
Are there any good FOSS tools that would meet this need? I've heard murmurings that something called fooogzeeebugzo might have similar features, but it seems quite expensive for such simple needs.
Did you try IssueBurner? It was designed for this purpose. You can forward your mailbox (e.g. support#yourcompany.com) to a IssueBurner group and you can track the inbound mails until they are closed.
Here is a link to their video: http://issueburner.com/a/video
I have to agree, Fogbugz is probably the best out there. I have used both the hosted version and the purchased version which I hosted. It is top-notch.
BugTracker.NET is free, open source, and widely used. It has integration with incoming email. In other words, it will accept an incoming email and turn it into a support ticket.
My company recently started using Mojo Helpdesk: www.mojohelpdesk.com. It's a hosted service, not FOSS, but it's pretty cheap and the interface is slick.
TicketDesk- C# issue tracking system and support system
http://www.codeplex.com/TicketDesk
TicketDesk is efficient and designed to do only one thing, facilitate communications between help desk staff and end users. The overriding design goal is to be as simple and frictionless for both users and help desk staff as is possible.
TicketDesk is an asp.net web application written in C# targeting the .net 3.5 framework. It includes a simple database with support for SQL 2005 Express or SQL Server 2005. It can leverage SQL server for membership and role based security or integrate with windows authentication and Active Directory groups.
RT - Request Tracker handles inbound mail. I'm working to add inbound mail support to TicketDesk, but that might be a little while before that makes it into a release.
FogBugz is great as others have mentioned. I use it for my bug/feature tracking system, but I like to separate out my support ticketing system for my support staff to use. Another tool that has great email integration also is called HelpSpot, they have hosted and non-hosted versions for purchase, depending on your budget. It has a lot of great features, that make the prices worth it. Take the tour and see for yourself.
Scope out SmarterTrack, Help Desk Software from SmarterTools:
We use FogBugz...er, "fooogzeeebugzo"...and while it may be a bit expensive for your needs, it works very well.
bugzilla is more of an issue tracker than a request tracker, but it can be configured to handle email-based status tracking. That said, I think Steven has it- RT is the standard recommendation for this that I've seen.
The on-demand version of Fogbugz is a pretty cheap option for just a few people, and works really well. We did that for a while before moving it inhouse.
I've used fogbugz for over 12 months now and more and more I'm finding one of the most valuable features is the in built email support. I've got an on demand account and I'm finding more and more that I don't even check my email in the morning as all my business correspondence is put straight into fogbugz.
I realize that FOSS is your primary desire and I definitely agree with this. If I were to limit myself to FOSS, I would go with RT 3.8, http://blog.bestpractical.com/2008/07/today-were-rele.html#screenshots
However, if you are willing to entertain commercial solutions and are looking for a Helpdesk-"ish" application. I just deployed WebHelpDesk with great success at my current employment, where I am the primary sysadmin and Corporate IT person. They just released a new version, 9.1.1 and it is very well done. The email integration is superb and beyond what I have seen with most other FOSS and commercial issue/bug trackers, given that it is built to run a Helpdesk and not be a software or source code issue tracker. It runs on Windows and *nix, they have a great demo and you can obtain a 30 day trial installer. I have become a big fan of this software and think it has a reasonable price of $250/year/technician (support person).
If you want more info on how we deployed it, please email me and I'd be happy to discuss it at length. I have no more connection with them than I am a very happy customer.
Thanks for all the tips. For the moment, I am looking heavily at eTicket as it was trivial to setup and seems to be developing nicely at the moment. I may look at RT as well, though.
I'll second the suggestion for RT. See my post here for more thoughts and details on our setup.
From my personal experience I can recommend using Bridgetrak.
It works pretty smooth in our environment and includes rich helpdesk functionality for powerful tickets tracking.
I have a lot of experience using this tools - feel free to ask any questions!
As most of the answers are a little bit outdated, I would definitely recommend OsTicket (http://osticket.com/), a great open source project that offers lots of customization and a user friendly interface.
I have been using it for the last two years and I would rather choose OsTicket than OTRS or RT.