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[wiki] Tutorials
Is anyone interested in writing a series of tutorials for using txp? I think it needs doing…..I know there are resources already teaching you different kinds of stuff, but it’s still confusing for non-coders.
What would be great is a series of tutorials showing you how to build, say, four different kinds of site. So you get to see the finished site at the beginning (blog, photoblog, magazine, and e commerce), and then the tutorial guides you through how to build it, while introducing the semantics and architecture of txp at the same time. Then, once that’s been done more people could be invited to offer more tutorials, using the same four types of site but using different design and css.
For some people it’s just not an easy thing to understand the ‘meaning’ of code and site-building. For such people (and I’m one of them), the way you have to learn it is by repetition until eventually the connection between code and finished product (the site) becomes clearer. At the moment, the assumption is sometimes that you do it the other way round: first, understand the txp semantics. Then, apply your understanding and build your site. That’s maybe not the best educational strategy to use, and certainly it will not suit everyone. I think what’s needed is some structured build-it exercises, where you can see the finished product at the beginning so you have something to aim for and each build-it stage is related to the completed site.
www.textguidance.org?
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Re: [wiki] Tutorials
Hi James!
I think that’s a great idea. There are several tutorials in German and I think it would be nice to have of somethings like that in English, too.
But please: Not another web domain :o) What about something like www.textpattern.com/tutorials oder www.textpattern.net/tutorials.
There are some discussions about a new/different use of textpattern.net and about the navigation and organisation of the TextBook itself. Perhaps we could get an “all-in-one” solution. There are some tutorials at textpattern.org and some on textpattern.net, others are on websites in other languages – it would really be nice if all these resources could be concentrated and enhanced!
Nils
Last edited by Skubidu (2006-04-01 13:16:31)
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#3 2006-04-01 18:59:29
- Mary
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- Registered: 2004-06-27
- Posts: 6,236
Re: [wiki] Tutorials
This (site-type how-tos) was part of the wiki at one point (I dunno if it’s still there), but nobody updated it.
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Re: [wiki] Tutorials
jameslomax wrote: What would be great is a series of tutorials showing you how to build, say, four different kinds of site. So you get to see the finished site at the beginning (blog, photoblog, magazine, and e commerce), and then the tutorial guides you through how to build it, while introducing the semantics and architecture of txp at the same time.
I hope you get some takers, James, I really do. That’s been the point of TextBook all along. I don’t want to sound discouraging, but I’ve been with TextBook since day one and your request only brings us back to where we’ve been before.
Back when TextBook had a Table of Contents for a main page, Chapter 3 was in fact devoted to the process of walking a newbie through the development of different kinds of Textpattern sites (Weblog, photo gallery, etc.)…and guess what? Nobody wrote anything. Not only that, but feedback was once given (during the last wiki assessment) that the chapter was probably out of scope for a user manual (which is what TextBook started out to be). Whether out of scope or not (and I don’t think it was, really), the fact remained that nobody was writing anything and that chapter sat empty and ugly for a long time. We finally just removed it like a bad tumor since it attracted more negative remarks about being empty than it did potential writers to fill it with the information you are asking for.
I’m sure everyone is interested in writing a series of articles, and a lot of people have even admitted they don’t write enough, but the fact of the matter is people who know how to write tutorials seemingly don’t have the time. I mean I can only speak for myself, and that is the case for me. It’s all I can do to just to oversee TextBook and address people’s good feedback about improving it, and my time there is even suffering at the moment.
It’s going to just take time, or perhaps money, both would be a sure-fire bet. ;)
In any case, I don’t see any harm in bringing those concepts back, and maybe a good way to do it is to create a fourth column of links in the Getting Started section of the main page. That would at least give a jump-off point for any would-be takers. I envision each first page from those respective links would be a cover page with links to the various topics to be covered for a given type of site development. Make sense? I’ll add them in soon and we’ll see what happens. (Fair warning though, I wouldn’t hold your breath for sudden volumes of information.)
<strong>@Mary:</strong> Any chance we can resurrect the following topic/threads back to where they were? I have links to them from outside that I just realized were broken. (I knew about the house cleaning you did, but overlooked that page.):
(basically, all the links that broke in that TxB history page of mine.)
Last edited by Destry (2006-04-02 15:57:04)
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#5 2006-04-07 02:32:02
- Mary
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- Registered: 2004-06-27
- Posts: 6,236
Re: [wiki] Tutorials
Any chance we can resurrect the following topic/threads…
Not sure why they went, but they’re just about all back.
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Re: [wiki] Tutorials
jameslomax wrote:
What would be great is a series of tutorials showing you how to build, say, four different kinds of site. So you get to see the finished site at the beginning (blog, photoblog, magazine, and e commerce)
I think most of the information is out there. It’s just a question of find it and then adapt it to the TXB.
For example, threshold state (zem’s site) has a great photolog tutorial
Of course, maybe it’s a bit basic.
But I’m about to create a photolog section in my band site and I will follow the instructions there as starting point.
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Re: [wiki] Tutorials
Mary wrote:
bq. Any chance we can resurrect the following topic/threads…
Not sure why they went, but they’re just about all back.
Thanks, Mary. Sorry for the trouble.
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