Quote:

It's open registration now...
Are you going to be starting it as a project there? I think a lot of us would be open to helping you out with it if you did.

Just wondering if any further progress was made toward two requests previously made by other users:

1) Place a single listing in multiple categories (without having to duplicate the listing in the database)

2) Adding custom fields to the input form and the database - For example, I'll need several text fields and a couple of drop-down 'select' menus. If possible, I could also use a 'select' list box that allows multiple selections to be made (by holding the ctrl key).

If anyone has info on any hacks, 'official' mods or anything else that might help, it would be greatly appreciated.

I'd also be willing to pay for these features to be developed and will make the resulting code/new module available for all. I would do it myself, but I'm new to PHP and don't have the time to struggle my way through it right now. Therefore, I don't mind compensating someone else for their time.

Wow! Talk about resurrecting a thread from the dead! I think there are a lot of people out there who "feel your pain". I have a need for this module to be improved, but (like you) don't have the programming experience to make it happen.

About a year ago I talked with the guy who created xDirectory. He developed it for his site (www.folsomliving.com). He has since made many improvements to the original distribution found in XOOPS->Modules. At the time I spoke with him, however, he indicated that he was unwilling to share his improvements... basically he didn't want to give away his work to the "competition".

Regardless, this module has viability and purpose. These issues have been languishing toooo long. How can we knock this off center and get it rolling?

I have spoken with Adam at Folsomliving.com as well. He is selling a business model at this point. He has several others up and running. I am to the point where I have called to negotiate a price with him, Since I don't fit his business model, local city guides, I don’t know how that will work.

I've duplicated the directory and renamed it "guide" (folsomliving has at least two copies), but I can't figure how to add multiple categories. I can see how it’s done, but can't get there from here, if you know what I mean.

My Guide:
http://www.advenquest.com/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=1
(You'll need to register)

Chris on this thread lined out multiple categories:
https://xoops.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=21570&forum=4&post_id=137576#forumpost137576

I think weree all in the same boat. We can see how it needs to be done, we just don't have the time or experience to do it.

Just looking at Folsomliving and working with your own xDirectory -- its fairly straight forward on Folsomliving works. Getting there is the issue.

How can we get it done?

Any ideas?

Can we hire someone and split the cost?

If you need a programmer for this I can be of help. I can start on the project within about a week, after finishing the next version of the Amazon Store module.

If enough people are interested and willing to make a donation I will be willing to develop the module for this group.

Regards,

Martijn

Hi Martijn-

Thanks for stepping up. I know that I am personally willing to donate funds for the development of this module.

Depending upon the viability and the consensus of the other contributors (if any), I have a small "wish list" which includes the previously mentioned features as well as a few others:

Quote:

3) I'd also like to resurrect the "Alphabetical" listings idea (in addition to the regular categories), so that users can browse by category or by letter, as needed.

4) And the good old "Search" function idea, for the xDirectory only (not a site-wide Search)

I'm sure other people will have additional requests.

Thanks again, Martijn. I look forward to working with you

-Veronica

I am just now installing the existing module to my site. I will use this module for now. I need some time to get my feet wet with it to understand what it can do for me. I will be monitoring this thread closely.

I definitely can foresee myself donating to its future development once I have more experience with it.

Hi Veronica, BJB,

Most of your requests should be possible without too much of programming. Number 1, 2 and 4 can be done pretty easily.

The number 2 feature would be a bit harder, to create customizable fields requires quite some time to develop if they involve fields that require query input.

BJB, would it be nice to have an optional extra selection field for a location? If you only use it for towns/cities, this would be the easiest solution. Probably the easiest way to select all entries for one location then would be to add a parameter to the url representing the location and using it as a filter in the query to get the listings.

Please let me know which other requirements would be desirable.

Best wishes,

Martijn

Martijn,

Here is what builderb has built and what everyone salivates over when they go to folsomliving Quote:


Here is what is important to me in order:
-Multiple categories
-Alphabetical Listings
-E-commerce (paypal only) for a monthly subscription or a one year subscription where you get one month free.
-Premium Listings with start and expiration dates(premium listings can be defined for each category the listing appears in)
-Coupons

Look at my directory, when it gets big it becomes a mess of numbers at the bottom of the screen.
http://www.advenquest.com/modules/xdirectory/viewcat.php?cid=169

I need to be able to sort these by location. State, city or zip code. I see this as being very popular for more vertical directories like mine instead of local directories, but interchangeable enough, so that if you did Los Angeles you could have a location for Hollywood and a location for Pasadena and Santa Monica etc...


builderb once suggested in an earlier post that I just list this as a category i.e. United States, Colorado, Denver or New Zealand, Christchurch. The issue there is I have no Idea if there are states, Provinces, counties or shires to list in New Zealand and I am sure that if someone from Europe was looking for kayak outfitter near Jackson Hole that they wouldn't need to know that Jackson Hole is in Wyoming.
Here is the Physical address of one company that posted in my xDirectory

Name: Dive South Africa
Physical Address: 8 Moodie Street, Umkomaas, KwaZulu Natal
Postal Address: PO Box 38890, Faerie Glen, 0043
Tel: +27 12 991 3134
Fax: +27 12 991 5523
Mobile: +27 82 322 0182
E-mail: info@divesouth.co.za

They are not all going to fit in any convention we come up with, but we can try! One issue I can think of is if you’re looking for a hotel in Venice California who really knows where Venice stops and Marina Del Ray starts? Except for postal codes which few know - I don’t think we can get there 100%, but close is good! Another hotel example is Phillipsburg, Sint Maarten, St Maarten, St. Martin and Marigot, Saint Martin - Check out any hotel booking engine and you’ll find multiple entries and few know it’s actually Netherlands Antilles and French West Indies.

I am eager to donate and get this done for all! I think this module should be built as guide, because that is what folsom dies.

http://www.folsomliving.com/modules/xdirectory/

and

http://www.folsomliving.com/modules/guide/

Note his restaurants are listed in his guide not his xDirectory

http://www.folsomliving.com/modules/xdirectory/viewcat.php?cid=14

They don't appear to share the database, but who knows. In the guide you see that he has built several custom php pages for his specific area of interest Dining, Rent, shopping, and spa. I would need to have that but I'll have to modify it to my specific interests. Paddle sports, Scuba diving, Snow cat skiing, etc...

Thanks for your input and feel free to contact me directly. Use the 800 number on my site if anything needs further clarification.


GST -6:00 USA - CST

Thanks,

BJ

BJB, you've hit the nail on the head by sharing the BuilderB list of features. On a more microscopic level, there are some functional differences that BuilderB has implemented. Example... New data entry fields in the "submit" area; and, new-and-improved display of company information in listings area. These functional differences can be seen and experienced on his Folsom site.

Martijn, I'd be willing to contribute to the cause as well.

One area of HUGE importance to me is the ability of the site visitor to limit the scope of directory based on "fuzzy" geography. Wrap your mind around this and you'll soon understand how massively important it is to a site's visitors........

I used to live in Dallas, TX. Dallas is a geographically LARGE city. Often, residents and visitors want to find services located in a particular section or region of Dallas. Examples of regions would include "Downtown", or "Market District", or "Deep Ellum". All of these fuzzy geographic regions help to delineate Dallas neighborhoods into bite-sized chunks that a user can easily wrap their mind around.

This is a much better approach than, say, limiting the scope based on postal code.

In an ideal world, this process would be handled in a manner such as "Limit the directory to within X miles" of a specific point on a map. This method, of course, is probably very difficult to implement. However, to make the process extremely simple to implement, you provide the administrator with the ability to create a list of "regions". When a business owner adds their listing to the site, they can select which region they're closest to. Later, when a someone visits the site and they're looking for businesses, say, in-or-near "downtown", they can select it from a drop-down list of administrator defined regions and the data set that's returned to them will be limited to only those businesses that have associated themselves with that particular region.

Clear as mud?