Textpattern CMS

#1 2011-07-15 01:10:01

Destry

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From: Haut-Rhin

Registered: 2004-08-04

Posts: 4,912

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[wiki] Custom fields docs

Per this conversation, I made some edits to the docs concerning custom fields. The original text in question was on the custom_field tag page, but after giving it a look, I realized that someone had copied nearly the same content written for custom fields creation (as written in Advanced prefs docs) to the tag page. That’s not good, because 1) it’s unnecessarily redundant, and 2) it puts information out of context, where it’s not relevant. The latter especially impacts user comprehension (i.e., too much information when it’s not needed).

So, I ended up editing all three of the following locations (link labels are my own here):

1. Defining custom fields in preferences (largely concerns how to create names without causing code conflicts later)
2. Adding custom field data in context to Write panel (a relatively short doc that ties the creation, use, and tag wizardry together so user can refere to the other doc sections easier)
3. Using custom_field tag to output data

The aim was to make content focused to the purpose of a given page in context, while referring to the other sections with clear links in the event user are in the wrong place (e.g., if a person needs to create custom fields, they probably need to go read that doc first before worrying about how to build tag snippets; information about how to create custom field names should not be on the page where focus assumes the names are already created).

This is the kind of consideration and refinement we should be aiming for in the wiki. It requires thinking about where are all the relevant touchpoints for a given topic are in context of the admin-side, and it requires not creating redundant content out of context in each location. Challenging, I know, but we can do it. I’m positive. :)

One thing I read and was not clear about… that there is a 255 character limite for a custom field. Is that for creating the name in preferences, or for the data entered in context of the Write panel? I’m guessing that was for the latter, so I moved it in context to the Write panel doc, but if it’s with regard to the name, it needs moved to the CF creation doc under advanced prefs.