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Extend the available tasks for pages in the pages list
#1
We already have a few tasks in a given page row, e.g. edit the page, delete the page, view the page. I'd like to request to extend this with more tasks like setting a page to 'private' - directly from the page list. Another task might be a possible future 'clone page'.

Toggling the 'private' status of a page currently requires 3 clicks (without the hack to have page options open on load):
  • click on the page name in the page list to edit the page
  • click on page options to open them up
  • click the checkbox itself

I'm of the opinion that this is too many clicks. Even for a site with only a few pages, it's an unnecessary time sink in my book which can generally add up. The 'private' function merely serves as an example here.

I've attached a screeny of how Contao CMS' page list looks in order to illustrate.

What's other users' take on this?

I've added issue 216 for this.
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#2
I suggested adding a 'clone page' link/button in the Page Manager in issue 207.
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#3
As for adding other options (not only actions, like view, delete, clone), I think the default Page Manager shouldn't be stuffed with many... Maybe it would be better to have some "Advanced Page Manager" plugin that allows editing page options like you suggest, or sorting the page list by other fields, not only by title, etc...
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#4
I hesitate to suggest adding a WordPress feature ... but the WP 'Quick Edit' is really useful, allowing changes to most of a post/page attributes other than editing the content.

I could see such a feature in GS giving quick access to the Page Options from the View All Pages tab.
--
Nick.
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#5
Carlos Wrote:I suggested adding a 'clone page' link/button in the Page Manager in issue 207.
Yeah, I think that's where I got the 'possible future' clone idea from...
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#6
hameau Wrote:the WP 'Quick Edit' is really useful
I had a quick (sic) look at it and it seems the general direction is the same. How the requested functionality might be implemented would be another matter anyway.

My goal with this is to speed up and simplify page editing. As a hobbyist or with only a few pages it might not matter much, but it's still a pain in the bum I think.
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#7
FYI guys - "Clone" is already implemented inside 3.1... it currently resides as a link at the bottom of the edit page beside "CANCEL / DELETE / CLONE"

Not sure I care to add to the pages.php table though... maybe someone can convince me otherwise, but I feel that if 80% of the people that use GS aren't going to use a particular feature, then it should either:

1. not be included in the core (sometimes this is a drastic measure, and it should be added anyway, regardless of the amt of people wanting to use it)
2. Not be in a prominent location or take up prime real estate.

Unfortunately, I see "clone" & "private" as features that are nice to have, and maybe even essential for a CMS, but not necessarily features that deserve prime screen-real estate.
- Chris
Thanks for using GetSimple! - Download

Please do not email me directly for help regarding GetSimple. Please post all your questions/problems in the forum!
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#8
polyfragmented Wrote:How the requested functionality might be implemented would be another matter anyway.
Completely ignoring the practicality of doing it :-P, opening up the Page Options without leaving the View All Pages tab (in the same way that it works in WP) would be nice. That way, when any attribute changes are applied, you'd still be on the same page – usually the best outcome. Any page attributes added by plugins would also be accessible there.

As I said, this is just brain-storming without regard for the possible or (core) desirable.
--
Nick.
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#9
Chris,

maybe I should've asked for someone to code up a plugin which mods the page list table rows or attempt to do it myself instead of asking for it to be included into the core. While I understand your reasoning, I feel that making things easier, more accessible and possibly faster for the user are valid points though.

I looked through the backend hooks list and didn't immediately find anything which might help modding the page list table. Can you give me a few pointers how adding stuff to the table row might be achieved?
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#10
I have a plugin nearly ready to do this.

just got to get the private pages working and i'll release it.
My Github Repos: Github
Website: DigiMute
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#11
hameau Wrote:I hesitate to suggest adding a WordPress feature ... but the WP 'Quick Edit' is really useful, allowing changes to most of a post/page attributes other than editing the content.

I could see such a feature in GS giving quick access to the Page Options from the View All Pages tab.

I rather like to have it the way the WP Admin Management Xtended plugin is doing it.

btw. the attachment is a bit of a joke, since at least halve of the icon-functions are strictly related to WP (or related to a blog). But I think it shows their is enough space to ad some quick-edit buttons.
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#12
This what I have so far.

Icons are:

- Edit Page
- Create child page
- Clone page
- Menu on/Off
- Private on/off
- View page
- Delete page

Just working on the code for the toggles and it will be ready to go.

Icon graphics will more than likely change.....

Mike.
My Github Repos: Github
Website: DigiMute
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#13
Mike,

this is exactly what I am looking for! Pardon my French, but WTF Big Grin Looking forward to checking it out.
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#14
mvlcek in another thread Wrote:For this reason I would also rather see only the delete and edit links (unobtrusive like now instead of icons) and not a lot of (confusing) icons on the pages view.
Since you're bringing it up...

What's "confusing" about a few icons which depict what they're for and can additionally have the title attribute explain again what they're doing? We're currently having a hash glyph in the page list which doesn't depict at all what it's doing (view page), only hovering over it explains what is going on (sorry Chris, no offense). That's what I call confusing.

I find it hard to follow your argument there.
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#15
polyfragmented Wrote:What's "confusing" about a few icons which depict what they're for and can additionally have the title attribute explain again what they're doing? We're currently having a hash glyph in the page list which doesn't depict at all what it's doing (view page), only hovering over it explains what is going on (sorry Chris, no offense). That's what I call confusing.

Icons are also confusing:
I know that n00dles101 is still working on the icons (so, no offence), but looking at the screen shot, I can identify the first one as edit and the last one probably as delete (although I don't really see why a read x on a paper is a good icon for deleting a page - I'd prefer just a red x as being much clearer) - a new user will also have to hover over the icon to get an explanation.

But that's not really what I want to say: the page list's main purpose is to provide a list of pages and allow you to select one for the purpose of editing - all other tasks like deleting and viewing can also be done from the edit view.

Currently the most prominent item in a line is the page title/link and naturally a user will look at them, find the correct one and click on it to do something - and that's what he wants to do!
If you have multiple colorful icons that's where a user automatically looks instead of on the titles, although they do not convey any real information, especially as they repeat for each line. It's like colorful ads distracting you from the real content.

And we should not forget that GetSimple is designed for small websites, where the user doesn't work with it every day. He will probably add a page or two every few weeks. It doesn't matter, if he has to do two or three clicks.

What I would like to see is a possibility to replace the default pages view with a different one from a plugin. E.g. I don't need the default one, because I use the I18N one - and seeing first the default one and then clicking on the I18N one is really one click too much ;-)
(and I don't want the user ask me: "where are my french translations" because he is looking on the default pages list instead of the I18N pages list - he should just see one list)

P.S.: If I would make the perfect pages list for power users I would probably
  • make the filter field visible all time and give it the default focus (like in the I18N plugin)
  • use a better symbol for the view icon, but in gray
  • add an additional options icon, also in gray
  • only on hovering over a line the icons of this line are changed to more colorful representations - but not too colorful
  • by moving the mouse over the options icon a (menu) box is displayed where you can turn on/off, if the page is private and in the menu, maybe even change the menu text, etc.

P.P.S.: When implementing the navigation tree manipulation page I thought about including it in the I18N pages list. But I think it would have been too much functionality in one page and too confusing. Besides when you are organizing the navigation you need to see the menu texts and not the page titles...
I18N, I18N Search, I18N Gallery, I18N Special Pages - essential plugins for multi-language sites.
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#16
Instead of icons, there could also be a pull down menu with options for every page (maybe only accessible when you hover the mouse over it, although this is again hiding-behavior). In the pull down-menu there's probably enough space to put a description. On the settings page you set an option to enable this (if it wouldn't be a plugin).

It could also be combined with checkboxes on every page.
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#17
mvlcek Wrote:If you have multiple colorful icons that's where a user automatically looks instead of on the titles, although they do not convey any real information, especially as they repeat for each line. It's like colorful ads distracting you from the real content.
I wouldn't use extremely distracting colours for the icons myself, so I'm with you on using colours which blend in well and don't distract. But those icons would indeed convey useful information (and a way to easily act on it!), namely what the user can do with each page. Since the discussed functionality is being developed as a plugin now, user/webdev can freely decide on how the page list is displayed now.

mvlcek Wrote:And we should not forget that GetSimple is designed for small websites, where the user doesn't work with it every day. He will probably add a page or two every few weeks. It doesn't matter, if he has to do two or three clicks.
Why should a user put up with something just because it only occurs occasionally? It's still something that could be improved and made simpler or more efficient for the user. I venture to say that users will want to edit their pages in a quick and efficient manner.

Core GS might be designed with small sites in mind, but its abilities by way of plugins make it suitable for much bigger and more complex stuff. The core GS already serves the envisioned target audience pretty well I'd say. But adding in all those extensions like multi-user, internationalisation, page caching, etc. kinda change the game a little for me. Maybe it took me a while to realise that, in order not to violate GS' vision, relying on plugins is sometimes the only way to go here.

If other people (you, anybody else) are of the opinion that the page list is okay the way it is, I can accept that and move on to noodle's plugin. Which is what I'll probably do if it works well. I guess we'll see in a while how successfull the extended approach is and if users actually adopt it (or not).
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#18
polyfragmented Wrote:Core GS might be designed with small sites in mind, but its abilities by way of plugins make it suitable for much bigger and more complex stuff. The core GS already serves the envisioned target audience pretty well I'd say. But adding in all those extensions like multi-user, internationalisation, page caching, etc. kinda change the game a little for me. Maybe it took me a while to realise that, in order not to violate GS' vision, relying on plugins is sometimes the only way to go here.

Yes, core GS is designed for small sites in mind, and thus I think core GS should be as simple as possible.

But I agree with you that with some of the plugins, you can also manage much larger sites, and when it comes to "power" users managing these sites, such shortcuts would be nice. That is the reason that I suggest that GS allows plugins to replace this page with more powerful versions.

BTW, I have added toggles for private and menu status to the I18N navigation structure view - but no icons ;-)
See here.
I18N, I18N Search, I18N Gallery, I18N Special Pages - essential plugins for multi-language sites.
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#19
mvlcek Wrote:That is the reason that I suggest that GS allows plugins to replace this page with more powerful versions.

While this does not replace GS's Page Admin default, you can easily change the backend start page by a small patch to the core:
http://get-simple.info/forum/topic/823/c...tart-page/

My suggestion for GS team is: add a GSADMINSTARTPAGE (or whatever) constant with value 'pages.php' to gsconfig, then use it in /admin/configuration.php line 18. That way you could define the default for a GS install.
It would also be nice being able to define different start pages for each user that override that default.

edit: in the last line maybe I'm asking too much and may not be so needed... :-) ignore it...
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#20
I've uploaded version 1.1 to Extend.

http://get-simple.info/extend/plugin/pag...tions/183/

Page Clone and Add Child page are disabled in GS versions < 3.1 as the code does not exist for
this functionality. They will be enabled when updating to version 3.1 and above.
My Github Repos: Github
Website: DigiMute
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