Public Software Group e. V. · LiquidFeedback-Core

LiquidFeedback Core (Backend)

This page is dedicated to the backend of LiquidFeedback (“the core”). You may also want to visit the main page of LiquidFeedback.

The core consists of a database scheme for the PostgreSQL database, including the algorithms for delegations, feedback and the voting procedure implemented as SQL views and database procedures written in PL/pgSQL. As it is licensed under the liberal MIT/X11-License you can include it in any software project you like, as long as there is PostgreSQL support for your programming language available.

Dependencies

PostgreSQL 8.4 or higher

Releases

Older releases are found here.

Repository

mercurial repository

Changes

2013-03-23: Version 2.2.3
- Code cleanup: Replaced table internal_session_store by table temporary_transaction_data, which is now using the unique 64-bit transaction id as part of its primary key
2013-03-22: Version 2.2.2
- Bugfix regarding an error, which occurred when deleting votes from voters, which lost their voting right during voting phase
2013-03-18: Version 2.2.1
- Proportional ordering of suggestions based on calculations in new background job lf_update_suggestion_order
2013-03-10: Version 2.2.0
- Locking and transaction model rebuilt to avoid deadlocks and improve performance
- Bugfix regarding queries which could not utilize certain database indices (removes a major performance bottleneck for larger installations)
- New feature: Harmonic weighting of initiatives within an issue
2012-10-15: Version 2.1.0
- New polling mode (includes changes in the contingent and privilege tables)
- issue comments removed, voting comments integrated in direct_voter table
- Changed locking behavior to avoid deadlocks
- Better documentation of function delete_private_data()
- Removal of function vote_ratio in update script (was missing in previous update script to version 2.0.12)
2012-10-05: Version 2.0.12
- Removed unwanted (and broken) tie-breaking by approval ratio
2012-06-20: Version 2.0.11
- Simulation of default delegation (i.e. unit delegation for areas, or unit or area delegation for issues) in functions delegation_chain and delegation_info
2012-06-15: Version 2.0.10
- Extended function delegation_info: New field participating_member_id indicating which member in delegation chain is currently participating
2012-05-15: Version 2.0.9
- Better information on delegation chains
  - Function delegation_chain improved
    - Returns unknown participation for other members during voting
    - Support for closed issues by using data from direct_voter and delegating_voter tables
  - New function delegation_info, returning a row containing condensed information about an issue's delegation chain
- Fixes in update script from v1.4.0 to v2.0.0
  - Keep unused invite codes when updating from v1.4.0 to v2.0.0
  - Allow rows in member table containing no name (this backports changes from v2.0.4, but is necessary to keep unused invite codes while updating)
  - Explicitly drop NOT NULL constraint of columns winning_/losing_initiative_id (also fixed when updating to v2.0.9)
- Bug in view unit_member_count fixed, which caused wrong unit member counts to be calculated
- Improved function calculate_ranks, allowing re-counting of votes after issue state has been manually reset
2012-03-15: Version 2.0.8
- Bugfix: Delete member fields lang, notify_level and formatting_engine in function delete_private_data
2012-03-13: Version 2.0.7
- Bugfix: Added lost functionality regarding deletion of sessions:
  - when they expire
  - in function delete_private_data
    (security relevant in certain setups)
  - in function delete_member
2012-03-11: Version 2.0.6
- New column invite_code_expiry in table member
- Bugfix: Do not write history entries for non-activated members
- Bugfix in function write_event_initiative_revoked_trigger regarding initiative_revoked events
2012-03-05: Version 2.0.5
- Bugfix: Delete column admin_comment in table member when executing function delete_private_data
2012-03-01: Version 2.0.4
- Re-added session table to the core
- New column lang in member table
- Changes in event system
  - removed column notify_event_id of member table and added singleton table notification_sent
  - removed view pending_notification and added view selected_event_seen_by_member
- Added index for column occurrence in table event
- Removed generic NOT NULL constraints on columns name and notify_level in table member, to allow non-activated accounts to have NULL values in these columns
- Remove all non-activated members when running function delete_private_data
2012-02-22: Version 2.0.3
- Bugfix regarding unintended NULL values in column eligible of table initiative
- Use vote_ratio function for tie-breaking
- Changed determination of rank for non-winning but admitted initiatives
2012-02-17: Version 2.0.2
- Added column authentication to table member
2012-01-29: Version 2.0.1
- Bugfix in update script from v1.3.1 to v1.4.0 regarding missing default for state column in issue table (updating to v2.0.1 will fix this error too)
- New table unit_setting
- Added column draft_id to table direct_supporter_snapshot
- Bugfix in function delete_private_data: Use invite_code column in member table instead of table invite_code
- Changed/clarified some comments
2011-09-11: Version 2.0.0
- Changes in final vote counting using the Schulze Method
  - Treat the "status quo" as an implicit candidate
  - Configurable implementation of supermajority requirements, including those specified in chapter 7 of Markus Schulze's paper schulze1.pdf
- Allow (wiki) formatting for member statements and suggestions
- Storage of invite codes in table member instead of table invite_code to avoid redundancy
- Removal of vote now/later feature
- Removal of auto-reject feature
- New demo.sql file containing basic settings, units and areas for an imaginary "Solar System" installation
- API related changes
  - Removed session table (it is up to frontends or the API layer to have their own session store)
  - New table "member_application" to be used by the API layer
  - Member deactivation based on last_activity instead of last_login
2011-09-11: Version 1.4.0
- (no changes since release candidate 4)
2011-06-05: Version 1.4.0_rc4 (release candidate 4)
- Bug fixed in function close_voting: Do not create autoreject votes for initiatives which have not been admitted for voting
- Bug fixed in function clean_issue, which caused database error due to constraint violation
- Delete entries from tables issue_comment and voting_comment, when calling function clean_issue
2011-06-02: Version 1.4.0_rc3 (release candidate 3)
- Bug in function close_voting fixed, which caused autoreject votes being inserted, even when members had no voting privilege in the area
2011-05-24: Version 1.4.0_rc2 (release candidate 2)
- Bug in function close_voting fixed, which caused wrong results or database errors
2011-03-13: Version 1.4.0_rc1 (release candidate 1)
- Event log and support for notification system
  - Table event, which is automatically filled by triggers
  - Columns notify_level and notify_event_id in member table
  - Tables ignored_member and ignored_initiative
  - Views event_seen_by_member and pending_notification
- Support for organizational units
  - Table unit stores organizational units as a tree
  - Table privilege selects which members have (voting) rights in a particular organizational unit
  - Global delegations are replaced by unit-delegations
  - References to unit(id) in multiple tables, views and functions
- Deprecated timeline views
- New column state in issue table, tagging each issue with one state of:
  admission, discussion, verification, voting, canceled_revoked_before_accepted, canceled_issue_not_accepted, canceled_after_revocation_during_discussion, canceled_after_revocation_during_verification, calculation, canceled_no_initiative_admitted, finished_without_winner, finished_with_winner
- Changes related to revocation of initiatives
  - New column revoked_by_member_id in table initiative records which member revoked an initiative
  - Revocation of last initiative closes issue without delay, if issue has not been accepted yet
- New tables (rendered_)issue_comment and (rendered_)voting_comment to store comments of members
- Issues do no longer enter rank-calculation phase, if no initiative has passed the second quorum
- Function delete_member deletes sessions to force immediate log-out
- Dropped table ignored_issue
- New table non_voter (partly replacing ignored_issue table) to indicate that somebody does not want to vote him/herself
- Other minor changes
  - INT8 primary key for invite_code table
  - New index contact_other_member_id_idx ON contact(other_member_id)
  - Old update scripts removed from release (only affecting versions before beta26)
  - Included update instructions in README file