[wiki] Textbook Terms and Terminology

saccade · 2009-01-15 13:43:43

OK, I see.
Article Editing Area doesn’t apply exactly for only the mid column, because at least you ‘edit’ as well in the left column. That’s the reason, why I thought of “Main” Editing Area, which will clearly indicate, that there are additional places to edit.
Condition I meant as “mode” (which already is in use for another thing). But you’re right, that it could be misunderstood as an “if”-clause.

And you’re right as well, given the highly improved interface of Textpattern 4.0.7 we don’t really need column names. (This was different before, when there weren’t the names and frames around e.g. “Sort and Display”-fields.)

So I’d decide to leave the names and only refer to the main editing area in the middle and “left” or “right” column. The images also will make it pretty clear.

I’ll revise that parts.

saccade · 2009-01-17 02:23:13

Now I have started revising the Write article. For the columns I’ll use simply middle/left/right, but give them description in the headers. I found this distinctions helpful:

Write Panel Middle Column – Main Editing Area
Write Panel Left Column – Options
Write Panel Right Column – Publishing Controls

Publishing Controls is exactly what the right column provides: Every aspect of publishing (or unpublishing) an article. This is more specific than the (in my view) too vague “settings” which I prefer to keep related to “preferences”.

Destry · 2009-01-17 20:36:29

Looks good. I hope it has boiled down to something that translates well to all languages.

saccade · 2009-01-17 20:54:11

Another question regarding headings:

There are two things I’d like to combine in a rather separated way:

Plain headings where panel modules (“Status”, “Expired”) are regarded,
and though some form of heading which will bring its use (or workflow or anything like that) to mind.

For example: “Timestamp – Time Management”
As they are now in Write I’m not quite satisfied – because one portion of (module) headings is really plain (and I think helpful), the other is different because of its additions, which on the other hand I don’t like to delete.

My idea: Is it possible to have a plain heading – and starting the paragraph below with a running in heading in bold? Like this:

Timestamp

Time Management. See (9). This setting might be considered two different settings because you use either one or the other, but since they both deal with the date and time that you associate with your new article, they are both discussed here.

Of course then is the question: Make the running in header any h4 h5 or simply bold text?

For “See (9)” I’ll post another proposal later.

Last edited by saccade (2009-01-17 20:56:04)

Destry · 2009-01-17 21:49:58

This is a good point. I vaguely remember having trouble with how to go about headings in some of the pages before too because of all the numbered topics (against the images). I would say your thinking is good and just go for it. If we need to adjust later no big deal.

I think it plays into the content too. From the cursory glances I’ve been able to give the admin-side panel pages, it looks like some need a word cleaver taken to them. A few of those pages need serious editing. There’s a lot of crap that could be dropped and facts that could be said more simply. Maybe after solid editing gets done, it will be easier to see how headings should used.

By the way, I’m not a big fan anymore of the big images with numbered/lettered items in them and trying to match the text copy against it. It’s asking for trouble, as it has already proven. If the admin side changes, the images are invalid and then both images and text need changed. I think a better approach from this moment on would be to simply refer to panel items/features in context by name/label or whatever and not by some forced numbering/lettering scheme in the images. Make sense? I’m not saying do all this yourself right now, but just that this is how it should be done going into the future and when people have time to give to it.

Which brings me to my last thought. I don’t have any time to edit pages right now, but if you do then I can only say have at it. Just do it and if they need changed later for whatever reason then so be it. It’s a wiki, so we can’t expect to be perfect the first time around. It’s often hard for new wiki writers (not suggesting you) to get overly attached with their contributions and/or treat the effort like someone would a reviewed article before publishing. But the truth is there’s not enough helpers, or time for the helpers we do have (me included) to analyze it too deeply too often. I wish the wasn’t the case, but it is, as history has shown.

Keep up the great work. You’re a star!

saccade · 2009-01-17 22:05:37

Thanks!, I’ll keep up editing.

Here my plans so far:
Finish “Write” (and possibly adjust geman translation).
Adjust images and propose how to handle references in a better way.
Then review “Article” and get some good patterns for the other content panels (where things are quite similar).

Then … enough work to come and a huge load of ideas emerging in my brain – let’s see what lasts.

One thing I’d like to introduce or at least think about:

Shouldn’t we make a simple “user” version of all content panels, with all admin/presentation/tag-things stripped and concentrated on the needs of editors and staff writers which will find a neatly paged/formed/styled site and only have to supply the content?
This at least is, what I seek for my clients.

saccade · 2009-01-18 14:56:46

Now a technical question:
I like to give the following (already mentioned above) a try:

1) Plain headings where panel modules are referred to.
2) Interpreting “heading extensions” as in-line, err …, yes, heading extension. :-) Which should simply be specially designed text on the beginning of the first line after the related heading.
I wouldn’t tag it as ‘header’ because this would be semantically problematic causing another entry on the same level or a “false” sublevel – and of course also would result in another anchor on the page. So my thought is to simply tag it as a special class of text (maybe neatly designed). Class-name: heading-extension.

Of course I also could make a simple first sentence of it. But I think it should be a thing that is like a heading, helping to quickly decide what the section talks about and if the part is of interest. Somethig like an explaining label.

Reasonable?

But then I need a way to give text a class-span. And of course there needs to be a related style.
As a first solution I could give it a span with class and e.g. a color, entering the tags. But I need to know if this is acceptable editing or if there is another, better way.
And surely I’ll make a decent matching design.

Destry · 2009-01-18 17:10:47

Sure, I can add a custom class for this, but I’m having trouble visualizing what your getting at exactly. Why don’t you throw a little text mockup together so I can see what you mean, and I’ll add the class rules.

saccade · 2009-01-18 17:19:22

You can (now) see what I mean directly in “Write”.
There see “Status”, “Section”, “Category”, “More”, “Timestamp” and “Expires”.
For the moment I formatted my “heading extensions” simply as “bolditalic”. Instead of that a span with class could give more control.
I’d like more space to the normal text or additionally maybe some separator symbol (Pipe?).

~~But I will make some mockups – only at the moment I have to finish another job first.~~
Here a mockup – just a suggestion:

Last edited by saccade (2009-01-18 17:53:34)

Destry · 2009-01-18 17:50:25

OK, I see. So you don’t mean to have a line break, and thus it is indeed a span. Got it.

Standing by for the visual nonetheless.

saccade · 2009-01-18 17:54:46

Updated my post above.

Destry · 2009-01-19 00:26:18

OK. Details added to the inline styles help page.

Basically: class=“topic-lead”

I wanted to use a shorter class name because people will not like typing anything too long. Also, I want to avoid using the Txp brown because that is the wiki link color, so I made it a earthy green color which I think stands out but works OK with the brown and yellow colors too. The pipe is not added automatically, but done by author, if needed.

Last edited by Destry (2009-01-19 00:27:54)

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#25 2009-01-15 13:43:43

Re: [wiki] Textbook Terms and Terminology

#26 2009-01-17 02:23:13

Re: [wiki] Textbook Terms and Terminology

#27 2009-01-17 20:36:29

Re: [wiki] Textbook Terms and Terminology

#28 2009-01-17 20:54:11

Re: [wiki] Textbook Terms and Terminology

Timestamp

#29 2009-01-17 21:49:58

Re: [wiki] Textbook Terms and Terminology

#30 2009-01-17 22:05:37

Re: [wiki] Textbook Terms and Terminology

#31 2009-01-18 14:56:46

Re: [wiki] Textbook Terms and Terminology

#32 2009-01-18 17:10:47

Re: [wiki] Textbook Terms and Terminology

#33 2009-01-18 17:19:22

Re: [wiki] Textbook Terms and Terminology

#34 2009-01-18 17:50:25

Re: [wiki] Textbook Terms and Terminology

#35 2009-01-18 17:54:46

Re: [wiki] Textbook Terms and Terminology

#36 2009-01-19 00:26:18

Re: [wiki] Textbook Terms and Terminology

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