[request] Page revisions/history

Prodoc · 2007-02-14 16:44:57

I’m looking for a basic CMS and Textpattern looks promising.
The only thing I’m missing in basically all CMS’s I’ve looked at is page revisions or page history if you like. For specific pages I’d like to be able to provide users the option to look at the changes of the page. A dirty solution would be to archive a page and add a new one but this makes it hard for people to see the actual changes and we’re not really dealing with a new page, just a revision of one.

Would it be interesting to have revision support in Textpattern for more than just me? If yes, how difficult do you think it will be to create a plugin to add/integrate this functionality? Difficult as in will it require a lot of changes to Textpattern itself or is it worth while creating an extensive plugin while it would be easier to integrate it in Textpattern directly?

mrdale · 2007-02-14 18:15:52

Drupal has a great revisions capability and a diff module

I’ve long expressed interest in this capability for TXP, but there has not been much interest from others.

Try Drupal if you can stand the interface and lack of flexibility on the presentation end.

hakjoon · 2007-02-14 18:38:38

There’s been some interest on it but no one to step up and do it. I honestly don’t really know how to approach it or else I would have coded it myself as it’s something I really want.

mrdale · 2007-02-14 19:05:12

Architechture wise, this is how drupal does it.

there’s a node table (equiv to Textpattern in TXP) that lists an article and it’s current revision number.
there’s a revision table, that lists revisions and their parent article.
On the “write page” you have a revisions tab, listing the current and previous revisions, their dates and their editors.
A module (plugin) adds a “diff” tab which allows you to select an onld revision to compare against, and outputs a nicely styled (word-esque, track changes) diff page.

Works nicely. Intuitive. Users just seem to ‘get it’

TXPs content is a little less modular and flexible, so I don’t know how it could be done.

ruud · 2007-02-14 20:27:49

I think it can be done as a plugin without needing modifications to textpattern. It’s on my private TODO list, because I need this for one of my projects. Not just for articles, but also for forms, pages, stylesheets. I’d like to it working before the summer starts.

mrdale · 2007-02-14 20:58:52

Be happy to consult and collaborate… i have a lot of experience with the drupal equivalent…

Prodoc · 2007-02-15 09:58:19

Thanks for the replies. It’s good to see that I’m not asking for just something I only need.
I have to admit that I don’t have the time to start on it myself. That is, I shouldn’t do it because of other work which should have highest priority ;-)
Maybe we can work this out together. I will have a quick look at both Textpattern and Drupal to see what a good approach could be.

mrdale · 2007-02-15 15:55:15

I have a live, populated, Drupal installation where you can check out how that CMS handles revisions. I’d be happy to active some accounts for those interested in pursuing this. Email me if you’re interested

Last edited by mrdale (2007-02-15 15:55:56)

Prodoc · 2007-02-15 16:09:32

In addition to the Drupal diff module, I’d also would like to have the possibility to provide a history/changes link on the actual website front end for everyone to use instead of only in the back end section. This is my main requirement for getting the revision feature. From what I can tell from the website and provided info and images this isn’t possible with the Drupal diff module. Obviously normal users shouldn’t have the option to revert back to an older version of the content but they should be able to view the differences.

mrdale · 2007-02-15 17:14:57

>Prodoc

What I’d recommend is:

Start a new topic in Plugin Requests
Clearly detail the specs you require of the plugin, and encourage others to contribute to the specs
Offer a starting bounty, and…
Ask interested users for contributions.

I’d chip in, and it seems that others would too.

ruud · 2007-02-15 17:38:17

Prodoc, what you’re looking for sounds more like a wiki with restrictions on what users can edit pages.

Prodoc · 2007-02-15 22:41:09

ruud wrote:

Prodoc, what you’re looking for sounds more like a wiki with restrictions on what users can edit pages.

Not quite. A wiki will provide me with this functionality but the rest of the wiki is overkill. It’s also not necessary to provide a history for each page, only those were you choose to use revisions.

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#1 2007-02-14 16:44:57

[request] Page revisions/history

#2 2007-02-14 18:15:52

Re: [request] Page revisions/history

#3 2007-02-14 18:38:38

Re: [request] Page revisions/history

#4 2007-02-14 19:05:12

Re: [request] Page revisions/history

#5 2007-02-14 20:27:49

Re: [request] Page revisions/history

#6 2007-02-14 20:58:52

Re: [request] Page revisions/history

#7 2007-02-15 09:58:19

Re: [request] Page revisions/history

#8 2007-02-15 15:55:15

Re: [request] Page revisions/history

#9 2007-02-15 16:09:32

Re: [request] Page revisions/history

#10 2007-02-15 17:14:57

Re: [request] Page revisions/history

#11 2007-02-15 17:38:17

Re: [request] Page revisions/history

#12 2007-02-15 22:41:09

Re: [request] Page revisions/history

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