We (SurveyStack.io) mostly work with hosted instances through Farmier, which is awesome. Also, many of the people we work with don’t really use their farmOS instance (yet 
) but use it primarily as a database, the starting point for this much discussed ‘ag data wallet’ idea.
Anywho, it means we are kind of a tech support layer between the core hosting and the end user (the producer/farmer/instance owner) because we help them set things up - but it’s kind of hard for us to see the core of what’s ‘in’ their instance when we’re trying to troubleshoot. Things like:
- What modules do I have installed
- When was my instance last updated?
- Where is my instance hosted
- Maybe some limited (can’t break things or learn too much stuff) logs (?)
- … probably other things
Users may not be able to change these things (Farmier has turned some stuff off, and that’s ok), but being able to see it would help support folks.
We’re probably the only ones with this problem (most folks here as self-hosting) but just throwing it out there if it’s helpful. Any additional things that could go on this tech support page (info that can help troubleshoot) would be helpful if you have ideas!
Interesting idea! Makes me wonder if putting some of this info in the API would be worthwhile (although a lot of what you described pretty much exists there already).
What modules do I have installed
Curious what the use-case for this is. If it is “I want to know what data types exist.” then this information is already available in the UI, and I would argue it’s better to ask about the specific types/fields you plan to use rather than the modules more broadly, because it’s possible for types/fields to move from one module to another, so if you base your logic on modules that could break later (probably not, but worth noting).
I could see other reasons for wanting to know the installed modules, other than data types/fields, though - so I’m curious if you have anything specific in mind for that one.
When was my instance last updated?
Do you mean when was the farmOS or module versions updated? Or when was data updated?
Where is my instance hosted
Do you mean “who is the hosting provider”? Or “where is the server geographically located”? What would be the use-case for these? And would the owner want to have some control over whether or not this information is shared?
Maybe some limited (can’t break things or learn too much stuff) logs (?)
This implies that the support person has a login to the site, but maybe a limited access role? Perhaps this question applies to all of the above. Are you imagining a “Support role” perhaps?
I think for us, the case is:
I’m someone using SurveyStack and/or FarmOS or someone who’s an admin in SurveyStack of a group this person is in. If they are having issues or failures in using FarmOS through SurveyStack, it may be due to outdated modules, incorrectly installed modules, etc. Even if we’re maintaining people’s modules, I guess I’m worried it may not be perfect or errors will occur without people knowing, in which case this would help.
To me this is similar to what one would see in Wordpress.
Knowing what data types exist is useful… but that’s not what I want to know. I want to know if what I’m attempting to submit is compatible with this instance broadly speaking, and that’s the function that modules are serving because they define many data types.
instance last updated I think both. In the same UI it’d be good to see when updates have happened.
where is it hosted - this is relevant to me because hosting is different between different plans, and may be a failure point for use of certain functionality. Just guessing but it seems worth it (?).
limited logs… yes, I assume this person is logging in through the SurveyStack Admin role and through the Owner role created when creating a site through Farmier.