Forget Wiki !

[Monty]

Check this out - I found a simple but powerful "article" system that works within vbulletin. We can set permissions for which usergroups can view and/or edit the articles. The advantage that this has over Wiki is that users will not have to learn a new markup language - the interface is almost exactly the same as vbulletin, and all the tags are the same as in the forum.

The biggest shortcoming I see is that someone with admincp access has to actually CREATE the blank article. Once the article is created, it can be edited by anyone (if we choose)... just like in Wiki.

Anyway, the link to the index page is here:

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/view.php?pg=wtarticleindex

There is a way to set it up for search-engine friendly URLs but I'm too tired to get into that right now... Just check it out and let me know what ya'll think.

I think we should resolve a few questions before we consider offering this. For example the issue of feather ruffling was mentioned in that other thread - would the members be willing to contribute an article if they know it may be edited? Are the admins willing to respond to requests for new articles? I could easily set up a framework of blank articles to start with (like the scrollsaw page). However if a member wants to create a new article, the blank template has to be created in the admincp (about 30 seconds of work). Is it a good idea to even offer an article system like this in the first place?

By the way, this addon came from here: WebTemplates 3.5.x: VB Integrated CMS (Content Management System) - no forum templates were modified for this.

 

[Ray Martin]

I agree that we should discuss whether we want to do this, but if we do, this is the one that would get my vote. People don't use things that are cumbersome or require protracteded learning curves. I edited the hollow chisel artlcle... and I didn't need instructions. It's neither cumbersome nor difficult to learn.

Can we have a set of articles that is for Mods or Admins only? I'm thinking of our run book for site administration and moderation tasks. Don't really know enough about this one to say this would have any advantage over the secret posts we now have... or if we might be editing each others instructions for how to move threads and ban users. Just exploring the possibilities.

Ray

 

[cskipper]

Cool. Could we make any changes made automatically appear in a different color font? Suggested deletions could be done with a stike-through or italicize the suggested deletion?

 

[cskipper]

I should have read the post on strike-throughs before posting, huh?

 

[Monty]

Cathy, I think the whole idea would be to go ahead and make the changes/additions. If everyone just does strikethroughs, then someone will have to come along and clean up the articles frequently. I know I don't want to have to do that!!

I guess we would have to have some sort of ground rules - you can make changes to correct typos, fix grammar errors, etc. If you have additional info to add, just add it. However, if you have a difference of opinion vs. what the article says, it should be ADDED to the article (in the appropriate place within the text) instead of just overwriting the text that is already there.

The whole idea is this article will become a sort of living document -- it will change with time. Over time corrections will be made and knowledge gaps will be filled and we will end up with a great article on the subject!

 

[Monty]

Ray - yes we can have "secret" articles that only mods & admins can see. We can also have articles that only Western NC Woodworkers can see, or only .COM, or whatever. We can use this anywhere you think we could benefit from an ARTICLE as opposed to a POST with a series of replies.

In fact I think this would be a great way to maintain the wood suppliers list - this way we can edit the list much more easily than we can now.

 

[chris99z71]

Awesome idea Monty! Just need to make it clear that folks need to add their point of view instead of replacing someone else's. I think that everyone here is adult enough to make it work.

 

[Monty]

Here is how I would propose to do the wood list: link

Again, this would be easy to edit/update by any forum member.

 

[SteveColes]

Fantastic! should I put that in menu to replace current one?????

 

[Monty]

I suppose so, if we decide to go with this...

 

[SteveColes]

I suppose so, if we decide to go with this...

How hard is the initial setup of a page???

 

[Monty]

Admin CP -> Logician's WebTemplates -> WebTemplates -> Add a new Webtemplate

Webtemplate name: this is the name that shows in the address bar, so it can't have special characters or spaces
User friendly name: this appears as the "title" of the template/article
Parse method: TEXT
Content: Just leave it blank, or type a generic message here - something like Click the "Edit This Page" link (below) to add content to this page
Theme: Default Basic Theme
Page Secrity Features: this whole section is pretty self-explanatory

You really don't have to specify anything else to make a basic blank page. Once you're finished click on "Create WebTemplate" and you'll see your new template listed. Now click on "Visit" in the far right column, and you'll be taken to your new (blank) page. At that point you can edit it using the standard vbulletin interface to add content.

 

[SteveColes]

I think I can mamnge that:eusa_danc

Admin CP -> Logician's WebTemplates -> WebTemplates -> Add a new Webtemplate

Webtemplate name: this is the name that shows in the address bar, so it can't have special characters or spaces
User friendly name: this appears as the "title" of the template/article
Parse method: TEXT
Content: Just leave it blank, or type a generic message here - something like Click the "Edit This Page" link (below) to add content to this page
Theme: Default Basic Theme
Page Secrity Features: this whole section is pretty self-explanatory

You really don't have to specify anything else to make a basic blank page. Once you're finished click on "Create WebTemplate" and you'll see your new template listed. Now click on "Visit" in the far right column, and you'll be taken to your new (blank) page. At that point you can edit it using the standard vbulletin interface to add content.

 

[chris99z71]

That rocks Monty! I especially like the map!
If someone accidentally erases the content, will it be recoverable? And will there be a log of who edits it?

One suggestion - Could you make the "edit this page" link stand out a little more? I think that might help in making people realize that they can add to it.

 

[Monty]

Good idea - I'll work on the link a little, probably later tonight.

You have brought up one of the points I was a most concerned about with this system. With Wiki, you can see a history of changes along with who made the changes. Not so with this system. I think we might potentially run into problems if a user accidentally (or maliciously) wipes out a template, which certainly could happen. The templates are backed up along with the rest of the database, but restoring them would require getting the data from the database. And I am guessing that if the error is not caught before the next database backup, the data may be permanently lost. :-? Maybe we can come up with a separate routine to back these up separately... I'm not sure.

 

[Monty]

OK I just fixed the link... you like?

 

[D L Ames]

Cool........this one looks like a pretty simple to use system.

D L

 

[McRabbet]

Excellent addition, Monty -- I just did a quick edit to add Peter and Fred Tennant's names to the Bee Tree listing and their cell phone number. Very nice feature.

Rob

 

[Monty]

I think we need to make a decision on this. I think it's great, but my only real hesitation is the lack of the ability to revert the templates, or undo changes. My biggest concern is that some member may accidently wipe out a whole lot of effort and we have no way to restore it. I know the WebTemplates tables get backed up along with the rest of the database, but I'm not sure that we can rely on that to be foolproof - in other words, the "wiped out" template will overwrite the "good" version that we need to restore. Or is there a way to work around this? Steve - is there a query we can run to export the data to text? Can we do it as a scheduled task? The WebTemplate "Export" function has a bug - it may be simple but I don't see what the problem is right now. And besides, it won't schedule a backup.

If nothing else, we can use it for the woodlist and maybe other specialized pages like the policy page, and just restrict editing permissions accordingly.

 

[SteveColes]

How often would you want to back up. ? How many distinct copies would you want. Where would they be saved? It seems to me that what you really want is a real undo capability. But that would have to be built into the application itself.

The issue you are describing exists for any collorabitive system that doesn't have undo built in.

Anyway, if you can answer the questions above I can probably do something

I think we need to make a decision on this. I think it's great, but my only real hesitation is the lack of the ability to revert the templates, or undo changes. My biggest concern is that some member may accidently wipe out a whole lot of effort and we have no way to restore it. I know the WebTemplates tables get backed up along with the rest of the database, but I'm not sure that we can rely on that to be foolproof - in other words, the "wiped out" template will overwrite the "good" version that we need to restore. Or is there a way to work around this? Steve - is there a query we can run to export the data to text? Can we do it as a scheduled task? The WebTemplate "Export" function has a bug - it may be simple but I don't see what the problem is right now. And besides, it won't schedule a backup.

If nothing else, we can use it for the woodlist and maybe other specialized pages like the policy page, and just restrict editing permissions accordingly.