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  4.  / Could 'preference' navigation be improved when configuring modules ?
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1
tititou36
Could 'preference' navigation be improved when configuring modules ?

  • 2009/8/16 10:13

  • tititou36

  • Just popping in

  • Posts: 16

  • Since: 2009/8/15


Hi,

there is something I found sad about module configuration is that when you go on the 'preference' link you leave the module itself and arrive in the system module.
There is no easy way (except the back button of the browser...) to come back in the module where we were previously.
2
Mamba
Re: Could 'preference' navigation be improved when configuring modules ?

  • 2009/8/16 11:10

  • Mamba

  • Moderator

  • Posts: 11409

  • Since: 2004/4/23


Both of your posts make sense.

Could you please enter them seperately as "Feature request"

Thanks...
3
ghia
Re: Could 'preference' navigation be improved when configuring modules ?

  • 2009/8/16 11:12

  • ghia

  • Community Support Member

  • Posts: 4953

  • Since: 2008/7/3 1


Technically, these module preferences belong to the system module who manage them all from all modules, that's why it is separated. It is up to the module developer to implement such redirects from the preferences to the module itself.
A problem may arise when a module has more than one serie of preferences. In that case you want going first through all the preferences.
However preferences are a one time setting, at the setup of the module. Later on they are seldom used in comparison of the other module administration functions, where mosttimes several are used and this is why these stay grouped.
4
Mamba
Re: Could 'preference' navigation be improved when configuring modules ?

  • 2009/8/16 12:00

  • Mamba

  • Moderator

  • Posts: 11409

  • Since: 2004/4/23


While technically there might be a reason, from a user perspective I totally agree with tititou36, as I've always hated the fact that I have to leave the module to change my preferences, and then look for a way to get back.

Preferences should be part of the Module GUI (e.g. as just another Tab), even if technically underneath it is part of the System Module.
5
trabis
Re: Could 'preference' navigation be improved when configuring modules ?

  • 2009/8/16 23:59

  • trabis

  • Core Developer

  • Posts: 2269

  • Since: 2006/9/1 1


Technically there is a reason and the reason is missing technology!
We need to build the API, modules really need one common admin interface. But I think it is not to come soon.

First we need to:
- Finish this 2.4 bug hunter
- Move our focus to 2.5 (go php5 movement), build a XOOPS module framework 'XMF'. XMF will be a module itself and it will provide alternative libraries. XMF will be an interface between modules and core.
Build comments, notification, imagemanager modules using XMF.
Implement a hooking system(observer pattern) so modules using XMF can extend other modules using XMF with plugins (listen and respond to events such as: onUserDelete, onModuleInstall, onSearch, etc).
- 2.5.5 : Make new system module with XMF (the hooking system will be heavily used here)
- 2.5.9: Have every possible module using XMF
- 2.6 : Move XMF to core
- 2.7 : Feature request go here :)

This is not an official roadmap!!!

By the way, I would like to call this XMF 'Hera'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hera

It will be a new 'hera' for Xoops!

'era' in portuguese also means 'trepadeira'(vine, climbing plant).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climbing_plant

So it is something that represents climbing, growing. An era plant would go just fine for the Hera logo!

6
ghia
Re: Could 'preference' navigation be improved when configuring modules ?

  • 2009/8/17 2:54

  • ghia

  • Community Support Member

  • Posts: 4953

  • Since: 2008/7/3 1


Quote:
Technically there is a reason and the reason is missing technology!
No no, it is not that bad!
After finishing the preferences a redirect is done to the admin preferences menu.
What has to be done is that the directory name of the module used is looked up and then the redirect gets done to /modules/module_used/admin.php which means that always when you enter some module it preferences that you will not return to the general admin menu with preferences but get right in the module admin section of the module.
This can get annoyed too, so maybe an additional preference is needed (don't shoot)) for having the choice between classic preferences or redirect to the modules admin page.
7
bumciach
Re: Could 'preference' navigation be improved when configuring modules ?

  • 2009/8/17 7:13

  • bumciach

  • Not too shy to talk

  • Posts: 153

  • Since: 2007/6/25


Quote:

trabis wrote:
We need to build the API, modules really need one common admin interface. But I think it is not to come soon.

Exactly.
Practically every module uses the loadModuleAdminMenu Frameworks or his clone. Always taking me to why this is not the core thing.

Your vision of the future is great. But what can we do today...
Support preferences in module, however, depends on the modules developers.
If the system displays a preference it should at least put the title of the module to which it relates.

Doing it fast:
in /modules/system/admin/preferences/main.php after line 345 (xoops 2.3.2) add
echo '

'._PREFERENCES.': .XOOPS_URL.'/modules/'.$module->getVar('dirname').'/admin/">'.$module->getVar('name').'

';

The user thus will not be so lost... so little need.
8
trabis
Re: Could 'preference' navigation be improved when configuring modules ?

  • 2009/8/17 10:39

  • trabis

  • Core Developer

  • Posts: 2269

  • Since: 2006/9/1 1


!
Ok, we can do that, we can consider it a bug!

I would like to see preferences integrated in modules menu so we do not have to loose the module admin interface. Meanwhile we can use link and redirecting to solve this issue. Thanks.
9
trabis
Re: Could 'preference' navigation be improved when configuring modules ?

  • 2009/8/17 11:07

  • trabis

  • Core Developer

  • Posts: 2269

  • Since: 2006/9/1 1


Hi again. The redirection system was already implemented. You can force redirection by adding &redirect in url and, if redirect is not given, you will be redirected to the url you provide has adminindex on module xoops_version.

A link was added to the top of preferences page with a link to module admin area(if module has admin area).

I also noticed that there was no falling back for english translation. If someone was using some language other than english, and if module did not provide modinfo.php for that language, you would have undefined strings in preferences.
This was fixed by using the xoops_loadLanguage() function.

Thanks.
10
tititou36
Re: Could 'preference' navigation be improved when configuring modules ?

  • 2009/8/17 19:53

  • tititou36

  • Just popping in

  • Posts: 16

  • Since: 2009/8/15


Hi,

1] with your patch, I do have strange behaviour when I go, with oxygen theme, in the menu 'preferences' value 'system'.

I get a "Taking you back to where you were..." message. I think it is related to the redirection you talked about, but anyway, this is strange.

2] More over, I think that displaying the module name of the preferences we are editing is a good idea but it is not displayed the way as the other 'main preferences' category. You use

and the oxygen.php file seems to use something like

(1) 2 »

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