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Custom fields as part of core
Multiple custom fields are such an important part of Textpattern that the reliance on a third-party plugin (glz_custom_fields) for functionality makes me nervous. Especially since Gerhard Lazu, the author of glz_custom_fields, has stated a number times that he no longer uses PHP, or Textpattern – so would now be a good time to reconsider adding at least some of this functionality to the core feature set?
Just throwing that out there. Discuss!
Last edited by philwareham (2012-06-22 15:41:12)
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
+1
Also, tangentially related: everyone, remember this ongoing request for questions by TXP magazine, to be answered by Robert Wetzlmayr (wet), lead developer:
http://twitter.com/txpmag/status/212860836740468737
Last edited by maniqui (2012-06-22 16:23:34)
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
Gerhard did a really nice job, but I agree it’s time that Textpattern core had some expanded custom field capabilities. I know TXP5 was supporsed to be able to do this, but my secret crush on TXP 4.5 has me wondering if the spaghetti could hold it up.
This is me at the beginning of every project:
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
maruchan wrote:
my secret crush on TXP 4.5 has me wondering if the spaghetti could hold it up.
You’d be surprised how strong spaghetti can be :-)
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
I think we should address this in 4.6
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
Yay! In the meantime I’ve contacted Gerhard and I’ll work with him to get glz_custom_fields working nicely in 4.5.
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
Great move
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
Nice.
This might be a good time/place to bring up something in relation to the Write panel. There are a lot of times when I’d like to use custom fields for a fair bit more text than there is visual room in the field for, and thus edits to that content are rather awkward (not user-friendly). And there has been times when I’d wished I could move those fields (as desired/designed) from out of the left column and into the middle column of the panel as specific content types in a textarea field.
Here’s an example using a couple of article components like we use in the magazine, but not as conveniently as if they were presented front and center like this…
You could imagine other possible article components that people might like to manage more easily, like a Subtitle or a Pullquote (or two).
Understanding not everybody would need or want these things front and center all the time, myself included, they could be managed (conceptually speaking) similar to how they are now but with one little addition. A checkbox could be added to each CF in the prefs. When checked, Txp knows to add the custom field in the Write panel’s center column instead of the custom field list in the left column. There must be a CF name for it to work.
Not shown here, but easily imagined, is the desire to arrange active CF’s in the center column. The best way for that, if possible via AJAX, would be to make them draggable. But the next best thing might be to put little ‘ordering’ fields after the CF labels in the center column of the Write panel (viewable by a certain role and higher) where 1, 2, 3, etc could be added to create a top to bottom ordering. As the first image above suggests, this includes putting them on the Title, Excerpt and Body fields too. I’ve often wanted excerpts above the bodies, because I always use and edit them. Something like this makes it possible to have it anyway somebody wants.
v.4.6? :)
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
@destry
In the meantime you can use bot_wtc to move custom field areas into the centre column.
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
I know, and it’s a great plugin.
But look at what I’m saying. It’s a refinement to existing functionality that makes it more palatable to more kinds of people/users. Just because a plugin can do something, doesn’t mean it wouldn’t raise the usability/convenience by making the functionality built-in.
But you know that. :)
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
Tru dat
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
It’d be cool to be able to select and change the order of custom fields per page template. That way, there wouldn’t be a brief moment where every custom field appears on the page while some javascript loads. :-)
It also seems the center column is a better place for custom fields by default.
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