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[contrib] Tips & Tutorials: where?
The How-tos and Examples forum is closed to new posts. We have TXP Tips, txp manual, and TextBook tutorials as possible locations for posting tips & tutorials. txp manual seems to be mainly aimed at new users (although there are also pages on plugin authoring). The other two are much wider (or more miscellaneous) in scope. TXP Tips is organized by category. The TextBook page is arranged alphabetically by title, which is not so helpful. (It is also laid out in three columns, which I think makes the page nearly unreadable.)
TXP Tips is quite active and seems to be the go-to place for such instructional items. But how to choose? I think there would be value in each site focusing on a particular range of topics or intended audience.
BTW, txp manual seems worthy of a spot in the Txp Network Links dropdown on this forum.
Code is topiary
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Re: [contrib] Tips & Tutorials: where?
yeesh i didnt even know about txp tips till now. thanks.
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Re: [contrib] Tips & Tutorials: where?
Glad you know about it now Steve! In my opinion, TextBook should hold tutorials on basic functionality of TXP – how to get it working after installation. TXP Tips is for everything else – heavy duty tutorials and quick tips. That’s the way I approach it anyway.
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Re: [contrib] Tips & Tutorials: where?
jstubbs wrote:
In my opinion, TextBook should hold tutorials on basic functionality of TXP – how to get it working after installation. TXP Tips is for everything else – heavy duty tutorials and quick tips. That’s the way I approach it anyway.
Sounds good. The TextBook page does say:
Tutorials on core functionality that work with the current Txp release are mostly desired
and it could certainly use some attention. While it does have a fair number of basic tutorials, it also has highly specialized ones — Geoblogging with Textpattern and the Google Maps API, for example. And the page should be organized by topic, and laid out in a single column.
Anyway, what got me onto this topic in the first place was having rewritten this TXP Tips post. New version here. Jonathan, I don’t know whether it is better to replace the old Tip or add the new version and point the old one to it?
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Re: [contrib] Tips & Tutorials: where?
Jeff, I think its better to create a new tip because at first glance it appears quite different. We can link from the old one to the new one and vice versa.
Would it be possible for you to send it in to me? Textile’d?
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Re: [contrib] Tips & Tutorials: where?
It’s hard to find info on creating txp plugins for beginners. Unless you’re an experienced coder the tidbits at textbook and the phpxref are not an easy place to start imho
Last edited by JanDW (2009-09-25 01:28:31)
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Re: [contrib] Tips & Tutorials: where?
JanDW wrote:
It’s hard to find info on creating txp plugins for beginners. Unless you’re an experienced coder the tidbits at textbook and the phpxref are not an easy place to start imho
I agree, partly. It’s both, yes and no. Only thing that you need to know to able to code a plugin, is to know the basics of PHP and understand the method that TXP uses to load plugins (plain PHP scripts). We really can’t do a full-sized guides about “Into PHP”.
The documentation of the code, is the TXP’s source itself. Yes, the code could be commented, as it is not, but well, we can neither write a full-sized documentation about the source. Only thing that could be better is the commenting and formating of the TXP’s source code. Learning PHP is up to the developer itself.
I have to ask, what do you want to know, and what info should be provided in your opinion? Should be something like:
- How to register a new admin tab?
- How to do admin side
stepandeventhooks? - How to compile plugins, and write documentantion?
- How to use XHTML shortcut functions?
- How to use TXP’s classes?
- How to use functions?
- How TXPs tag parser works?
If it’s something like number #1 or #3, I agree. Altho, almost all of those are standard PHP thingys. For example there is no wrong or right way to create admin pages. Classes do work like should and functions can be found from the source. Could be commented, but are there. Imo.
Last edited by Gocom (2009-09-25 02:48:45)
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Re: [contrib] Tips & Tutorials: where?
All of the above! I too would love some more tutorials on writing plugins. The zem’s articles gave me a taste but left me wanting more. In general, I think it’s safe to assume some knowledge (but not extensive?) of PHP, and of course familiarity with Textpattern. What would be useful to know is more about how TXP works under-the-hood, and how to utilize its capabilities when writing a plugin. How can I leverage what TXP can already do to make it do something else, or something even better?
That would be killer.
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Re: [contrib] Tips & Tutorials: where?
nabrown78 wrote:
What would be useful to know is more about how TXP works under-the-hood, and how to utilize its capabilities when writing a plugin.
Try the Textpattern API.
Oh, sorry, there is no Textpattern API. There’s the TextBook page on extending Txp, a smattering of useful bits. Probably worth thinking about whether/how this section of TextBook might be re-organized/expanded.
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Re: [contrib] Tips & Tutorials: where?
JanDW wrote:
It’s hard to find info on creating txp plugins for beginners.
Agreed. As jsoo points out, the Extending Textpattern wiki page is where stuff is gradually being added. I’ve had a good go at documenting the actual techie bits of 4.2.0 and there are a few articles on how to go about plugins from first principles but it coud be improved. As there’s a need for some more docs about hands-on plugin writing — the likes of which Gocom mentions — then someone please suggest some titles on things you’d like to know how to do, and between us we’ll do our best to put some useful stuff up there.
EDIT: I’ve had a go
Last edited by Bloke (2009-10-03 22:40:48)
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