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Re: Custom fields as part of core
I’m not sure centre column is best default place for all custom fields. Maybe textareas yes but not other input types.
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
This is all great to hear!
I second Marc’s ideas above, both would be HUGE workflow improvements for larger sites.
Long ago, in a land of forks and spoons I had a similar idea for the location of custom fields.
Looking forward to 4.6.
:)
Last edited by renobird (2012-06-23 21:55:19)
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
maruchan wrote:
It’d be cool to be able to select and change the order of custom fields per page template.
Indeed it would.
I’m not sure how that CF order could be tied to a given Page, though, and then represent those designating controls in the UI somehow/somewhere. Tough one. For the first part, maybe the trick is to tie it to the article’s Section rather than a Page.
If a CF order to Section relationship couldn’t be made, then maybe just have hide/show arrows on each CF textarea and let the editor manage it by hiding the CF not needed per article.
philwareham wrote:
I’m not sure centre column is best default place for all custom fields. Maybe textareas yes but not other input types.
I agree with Phil here. Sometimes I just need a CF for a number, or a price. That’s too granular of a value to be taking up vertical space in the main content, IMO. Keep CF text fields to the left, and CF textareas (paragraphs, essentially) in the middle.
Speaking of left and middle, it might be nice if the current left and middle columns switched position so that the left was the widest (and top in mobile orientations), and the “two right” columns at that point would be the narrower “complementary” data/settings. I thought I saw a mockup of something like that from Jakob some time ago. I remember liking it quite a bit. I wonder if he’s got that handy just to have a look.
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#16 2012-06-24 00:00:13
- masa
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
Destry wrote:
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).
I agree.
Just being able to see all the text entered in a CF would be great. A toggle switch to change it to an auto-expanding textarea would do the trick.
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
@destry
I did this mockup last year which had columns switched.
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
philwareham wrote:
I did this mockup last year which had columns switched.
I like the concept. Without analyzing this particular mockup, I’d just say from the birds-eye view that I like having the main content in the left like this. It has my +1 for implementation. The rest could be fine-tuned, perhaps, but textareas in the left is a good call, I think.
I’m pretty sure Jakob did a mockup of this layout idea too, back during the Xpattern mutiny. Wish I could find it.
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
I like it as well but Shouldn’t there be a ‘convert line breaks’ option too?
Yiannis
——————————
NeMe | hblack.art | EMAP | A Sea change | Toolkit of Care
I do my best editing after I click on the submit button.
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
Destry wrote:
I’m pretty sure Jakob did a mockup of this layout idea too, back during the Xpattern mutiny. Wish I could find it.
You mean this one?
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
Destry,
I seem to remember a theme Jakob did as well — I don’t think it had anything to do with the xPattern mutiny, haha — I like that. ;)
I’ll dig around and see if I can find it, the thread is probably ancient at this point, but I suspect it’s still around.
I see your point about sometimes using custom fields for just a number or a price.
What about a column width setting for the smaller fields (similar to Processwire)?
That way you could have a consistent location for all custom fields in the main column, but the ability to reduce vertical space by having fields float next to each other.
Larger text inputs that need to show more information could take up an entire line, and the same for textareas.
This Processwire demo video doesn’t completely translate, but at about 0:28 you can see how the width of a particular field is set.
Lazyadmin,
That mockup you linked was the initial concept for the xPattern admin — just a rough concept. :)
Last edited by renobird (2012-06-24 16:51:29)
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
Fwiw, Sandspace 4 alpha [*] and previous version(s) uses a similar layout as Phil’s mockup linked up-thread (2 column layout for the Write pane, with less reshuffle than what Phil has done; it has to work with the current html codebase :-p ).
Ideally, I would probably end up with something very similar as that mockup.
[*] probably slightly broken due to the most recent changes in the code base, I’ll post an updated version soonish.
Where is that emoji for a solar powered submarine when you need it ?
Sand space – admin theme for Textpattern
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
Destry wrote:
…back during the Xpattern mutiny…
lol. Mutiny meaning a frustrated inability to have contributed ideas taken seriously by then pompous and uncommunicative devs followed by a brief pythonesque attempt at putting those ideas into practice, yes.
arg… this salty dog likes the cut of your jib. P)
Q: Did you ever participate in a forkin’ mutiny.
A: Well, yes. Once in 2007ish. but I never inhaled.
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Re: Custom fields as part of core
@Dale: Frustration is often the start of mutiny, for sure!
All,
I found those mockups by Jakob, in context here, and this is the one I was thinking of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39591683@N00/3259270849/sizes/m/in/photostream/
To bad it’s kind of small, but I think it’s a great concept, and I really like how he’s organized the right column, including the custom fields when they’re not textareas.
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