Week 16: Developing the Rank Emcee Module

What I Did

This week, I started working on the Rank Emcee module. Before implementing the feature, I spent some time understanding how bulk updates in CouchDB work so I could apply the correct approach when updating multiple performances simultaneously.

I successfully developed the core components of the module:

• RankEmceeService to handle event transitions, individual performance actions, and bulk start/stop operations.
• RankEmceeController using Riverpod to manage the service and expose bulk actions.
• RankEmceePage, which reuses the existing Emcee layout while introducing a bulk-only workflow for starting performances.

During testing, I also discovered two existing issues in the original Emcee module. The first was that the timer did not stop correctly when a performance state changed externally, and the second allowed an event to stop even when performances were still running. I fixed both issues and confirmed that they were pre-existing bugs rather than issues introduced by the Rank Emcee implementation.

Challenge This Week

One challenge I encountered was that the category buttons appeared to be unresponsive during testing. Initially, I thought there was an issue with my implementation, but after further investigation, I realised that the event and performance states in the admin panel had not been updated correctly.

It turned out to be a simple oversight rather than a coding issue.

Solution

After updating the event and performance states in the admin panel, the category buttons functioned normally. This reminded me to always verify the application data and backend state before assuming that the code is the source of the problem.

Reflection

This week allowed me to gain a better understanding of how bulk operations work in CouchDB and how to implement them using Riverpod. I also became more confident in developing new features while maintaining consistency with the existing application structure.

Looking Ahead

Next week, I plan to improve the Rank Emcee module based on Dr. Shawn’s review and feedback. After that, I will begin drafting and developing the Rank Judge module as the next major component of the Rank-Based System project.