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1
brash
Article Management System Module

  • 2004/10/18 0:40

  • brash

  • Friend of XOOPS

  • Posts: 2206

  • Since: 2003/4/10


Hi All,

It's been a long time coming, but we are finally there! We have just launched a demo site of the new AMS (Article Management System) module myself and a few others have been working on very intently over the last half a year or so. It's not available for download yet, but once you register on the site you will have full admin access to the new module so you can see all it has to offer . You can check it out over at;

ams.it-hq.org
2
Rhomal
Re: Article Management System Module

  • 2004/12/21 18:52

  • Rhomal

  • Quite a regular

  • Posts: 274

  • Since: 2004/10/5


My feedback on AMS -

My first impression is how similar it is to WF-Articles now. Not thats a bad/good thing just a observation.

The added document functionality is nice, though I think for most sites it wont be used.

I am not going to go into 'praise' mode with this post, whats good about the module has been said to death. Here is my list of issues I take with the module:

- The removal of the edit/delete admin function on the front page news items. These should NOT have been removed. Poor choice IMO to do so. Now we have to wade though the admin menu to do a edit.

- This is more opinion/suggestion then anything. But a more functional editor should have been included such as the Kovik (sp?) editor.

- Removed the editor from the admin menu, Now I have to submit articles from the main menu. Would be more efficient if the editor wasnt removed from the admin menu of the module.

Aside from the listed above I think its a excellent module, and I look forward to the next version. Keep up the good work!
3
Mithrandir
Re: Article Management System Module

Quote:

My first impression is how similar it is to WF-Articles now. Not thats a bad/good thing just a observation.

Similar? I don't think so (not that it would be a bad thing - I just don't see it like that)
Quote:

- The removal of the edit/delete admin function on the front page news items. These should NOT have been removed. Poor choice IMO to do so. Now we have to wade though the admin menu to do a edit.

This is the first step towards better caching possibilities in the module. Especially the front page is crucial to load fast and therefore it should not by default hold user-dependant options such as moderator-only editing links
Quote:

- This is more opinion/suggestion then anything. But a more functional editor should have been included such as the Kovik (sp?) editor.

We tested it, but couldn't get it to work properly at the time. We will try again with the newest Koivi version
Quote:

- Removed the editor from the admin menu, Now I have to submit articles from the main menu. Would be more efficient if the editor wasnt removed from the admin menu of the module.

I disagree. Content should be added through as few gateways as possible to decrease the likelihood of errors. Besides, I personally never used the admin-side news submission, whereas I often am in the frontend of the module. Only thing, I will agree to, is that when you edit a news item, it should redirect back to the administration area and not go to the news index page.

Thank you for using AMS.
4
council
Re: Article Management System Module

  • 2004/12/21 19:53

  • council

  • Not too shy to talk

  • Posts: 184

  • Since: 2004/12/18


I've installed this module and now it's just taking up space because I don't know what to do with it, or what it can do.

It would be nice if developers would start keeping beginners in mind. I need maxium document flexibility and capability, but nowhere does AMS show or tell what it can do. It doesn't even come with instructions. Moreover, once it's installed nothing is clear.

And now it seems I have to register at the AMS to get of glimpse of what this module can do.

Oh, well...
5
m0nty
Re: Article Management System Module

  • 2004/12/21 20:26

  • m0nty

  • XOOPS is my life!

  • Posts: 3337

  • Since: 2003/10/24


Quote:

council wrote:
I've installed this module and now it's just taking up space because I don't know what to do with it, or what it can do.

It would be nice if developers would start keeping beginners in mind. I need maxium document flexibility and capability, but nowhere does AMS show or tell what it can do. It doesn't even come with instructions. Moreover, once it's installed nothing is clear.

And now it seems I have to register at the AMS to get of glimpse of what this module can do.

Oh, well...


it does what the description says.. it manages users aricles like the news module does.. that should be a clear enough indication as to what it does.

i also thought it was pretty clear of what to do once installed.. i don't know about you or any1 else, but when i install something i like to go thru each and every setting anyway to see what each setting does, most i think are clearly identifiable as to what each setting does just by the description.nobody is forcing youto registr a it-hq either, that isn't necessary anyway to get a glimpse of what it can do.. if u want a real glimpse, just install it and use it..

The trouble with keeping beginners in mind is that every module would look basic and not do anything that other users want them to do. if u want a simple module, use the news module, if u want somethin a bit more advanced then use AMS or wf-section and experiment yourself.. The best way of figuring out what a module does is to PLAY with it instead of complaining.
6
brash
Re: Article Management System Module

  • 2004/12/21 20:54

  • brash

  • Friend of XOOPS

  • Posts: 2206

  • Since: 2003/4/10


Quote:

council wrote:
I've installed this module and now it's just taking up space because I don't know what to do with it, or what it can do.

It would be nice if developers would start keeping beginners in mind. I need maxium document flexibility and capability, but nowhere does AMS show or tell what it can do. It doesn't even come with instructions. Moreover, once it's installed nothing is clear.

And now it seems I have to register at the AMS to get of glimpse of what this module can do.

Oh, well...


Patience council. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither are modules. AMS was built with user friendliness in mind, but keep in mind that the A to Z of module development (coding, graphics, design, documentation, testing, etc) is a REALLY hard slog (first version of AMS took 6 months), and it is impossible to keep all users experience levels in mind while maintaining a lot of features. Adding to this further is the fact modules are usually only ever developed by a handful of individuals in their spare time, so in most cases there just simply isn't enough available man power to dot all the i's and cross all the t's.

You said you need maximum document flexability and capability. Regardless of what module you use, for a module at the level you are wanting it IS going to require some effort on your behalf in learning your way around the module. Module developers simply do NOT have the resources to be able to produce a module as well as teach people how to use it. I have created 8 articles so far to try and help step people through the basics of the AMS interface, but as m0nty said by far the best way of teaching yourself how to use a new module is to install it, and play with all it's options.

The only thing you have to register for at my site is if you want to post on the forums. All other functions of the site are available to everyone.
7
council
Re: Article Management System Module

  • 2004/12/22 9:50

  • council

  • Not too shy to talk

  • Posts: 184

  • Since: 2004/12/18


It's not a question of teaching yourself what AMS can do, it's having some idea whether you want to learn what it does.

I have no idea what this module does -- so why should I invest the time in learning it?

My point is, most beginners are in the same boat. In addition, I've searched for a site that uses AMS to see what it does, but haven't found one.

Also, tried registering in your site yesterday, still haven't received email confirmation.

Finally, to the guy who told me to "quit complaining," this thread asks for comments. I'm giving comments. If you rather I not give comments, I won't.
8
council
Re: Article Management System Module

  • 2004/12/22 10:13

  • council

  • Not too shy to talk

  • Posts: 184

  • Since: 2004/12/18


By the way, I'm getting this when I click on articles:

Fatal error: Call to a member function on a non-object in /home/councilb/public_html/modules/AMS/class/class.newsstory.php on line 740
Notice [PHP]: Undefined index: 0 in file modules/AMS/class/class.newsstory.php line 82
9
brash
Re: Article Management System Module

  • 2004/12/22 13:05

  • brash

  • Friend of XOOPS

  • Posts: 2206

  • Since: 2003/4/10


Hi council,

I do appreciate your feedback, I might struggle to see you viewpoint, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the time you put in to make a comment.

However, I do not see where, or how there could be any confusion about what AMS is about. Article Management System seems very straight forward to me, and should be perfectly adequate to give even the most novice user at least some idea of what the module is about. As far as I see it, the confusion is not in what AMS does, but in what AMS does in relation to what you are wanting. You have obviously identified AMS as a module of interest for your needs (otherwise we wouldn't be here). As already suggested, by far the best way of finding the module most suited to your needs is to define your requirements, make a shortlist of modules that are of closest fit, and then test them. If you (or anyone) do nothave this level of commitment towards developing your own site, then there is little I can do for you.

There won't be a lot of sites running live with AMS yet as it has only been out just over a week. Here are a few that I know of;

www.it-hq.org
www.iis-resources.com
www.hl2mapcentral.com

As for registration, what e-mail address did you use? There might be some issues with using the large free email providers such as Hotmail, Yahoo and the like. It is definitley working though as I get several e-mail notifications from my site each day.

P.S - Your error will be due to you submitting an article as a webmaster before creating a topic and setting the submit permissions.
10
Rhomal
Re: Article Management System Module

  • 2004/12/22 21:40

  • Rhomal

  • Quite a regular

  • Posts: 274

  • Since: 2004/10/5


>This is the first step towards better caching possibilities in the module. Especially the front page is crucial to load fast and therefore it should not by default hold user-dependant options such as moderator-only editing links

ahh.. well that makes sense. STILL annoying to edit if you see a typo or what not but I understand there's a bigger picture to attend too.

> We tested it, but couldn't get it to work properly at the time. We will try again with the newest Koivi version

Good, perhaps in the near future it can be built in. I look forward to seeing progress.

> I disagree. Content should be added through as few gateways as possible to decrease the likelihood of errors. Besides, I personally never used the admin-side news submission, whereas I often am in the frontend of the module. Only thing, I will agree to, is that when you edit a news item, it should redirect back to the administration area and not go to the news index page.

Thats fair. I am just used to all the admin functions on one page as the orginial news module had. I could add, edit, delete all from the main admin news page. I suppose its just a matter of getting used to something new.

Thanks for the reply
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