Cartodb: time series' widget allows to select a non-date column

[piensaenpixel]

I created this map, and I found a small issue

https://team.carto.com/u/piensaenpixel/builder/529fa644-7bd6-4ae4-b4a3-3948b985d2b0/embed

I created a time series widget with a non-date column (a numeric one). It works and it's lovely, but in the mobile public view 'the histogram' doesn't show the columns bar

Maybe the solution it's to not allow to select a time series with a non-date column.

@noguerol ?

[noguerol]

I find no reason for not doing it, right @xavijam ?

[xavijam]

I don't think we should "restrict" time-series widget to only date columns. There are several use cases where the customers don't want to aggregate dates.

[noguerol]

Which use cases are those? Because if it means people using TS as a big histogram, then we should rather disable this behavior and start thinking about enhancing the Histogram itself.

[ramiroaznar]

I can imagine one. Instead of having dates, you can have any order number or id that for the user make sense to have a temporal sequence. Regarding the original issue, we will need to check if this is also happening when using timestamp columns.

[noguerol]

But that data won't be temporarily aggregated, so I can't see the advantage.

[ramiroaznar]

@noguerol True.

[noguerol]

So, if we can't find use cases (cc @xavijam) I suggest we restrict TS widgets to timestamp columns.

[xavijam]

Not sure about that, because I remember several examples with only data (I remember a typical one with only cartodb_id). Let me give it a try (to my mind).

[noguerol]

Labeling this as a bug unless someone throws some evidence of the opposite.

[matallo]

we won't be able to make these kind of maps 😛

http://bl.ocks.org/andrewxhill/8544392

on a more serious note, I mostly agree with @ramiroaznar note, in any case if we were restricting to only _time_ columns, I think there is a bigger issue at hand as the aggregation only says "animated" (and it makes sense in the case where it is not time-bounded), applying the restriction I don't think the aggregation title would be really representative.

[ramiroaznar]

We need to fix the responsive design anyway. This is also happening with a date column:

[matallo]

while lacking info, if I'm not wrong that IS the expected behaviour (checked with @urbanphes when implemented the new timezone and time series changes)

[noguerol]

It is.

[ramiroaznar]

OK, don't get it. Why showing the time series widget then? There is only one bucket.

[matallo]

OK, don't get it. Why showing the time series widget then? There is only one bucket.

wrong, open it in desktop browser and interact with the mouse, it is a fixed-heigh-with-no-separation-between-bins time series (in order to make it fit in a constrained viewport)

[ramiroaznar]

Oh! Cool! That's great. Sorry mates.

[ramiroaznar]

But anyway, as commented with @matallo offline. It is not very intuitive at first sight. IMHO it looks like a long big button, not an interactive slider. cc @urbanphes