Textpattern CMS

#1 2010-01-12 23:10:56

Aalandriel

New Member

From: Denmark

Registered: 2009-12-27

Posts: 7

Need to bounce a few ideas - sections, categories and custom fields

I’ve been spending most of the evening reading about subsections (or the lack thereof), section and categories in Textpattern, and now I need to throw a few ideas in the air, and hopefully get some response that will help me move on.

I have a site where I need more or less this setup:

Tutorials

• Indesign
• Photoshop
• Flash
• etc.

Glossary

• Indesign
• Photoshop
• Flash
• etc.

I’m thinking tutorials and glossary are seperate sections. However this will be a pure content separation and not a page layout / style separation as the style definitions are linked to the various programs and not the section. This is not in line with how Textpattern works best – right?

I will be using excerpts from the glossary section for tooltips on the various tutorials but I’m guessing I could just as easily do this if glossary was a category instead.

Question 1: Should I change it so my textpattern sections are the program names and use Tutorial and glossary as categories?

Question 2: I’m thinking it’s still possible to have the aforementioned menu setup even if I switch sections and categories? If nothing else it should be doable with a custom field if nothing else works – no?

An article about say InDesign can have several assets like the program version ie. CS3 AND/OR CS4 and difficulty level

Question 3: I’m thinking using of using custom fields for these values and use a plugin to allow for more values in 1 custom field. Wouldn’t this be the best solution? Currently I’m using categories for this but it just feels like the wrong thing to do…

Any input is greatly appreciated, thanks.

/Ida

Last edited by Aalandriel (2010-01-12 23:13:32)

#2 2010-01-13 01:41:38

rsilletti

Moderator

From: Spokane WA

Registered: 2004-04-28

Posts: 707

Re: Need to bounce a few ideas - sections, categories and custom fields

Common style and page templates can be assigned to as many sections as you need, assigning them to one doesn’t preclude you assigning them to another. Sections are primarily a content specific separation. Categories tend, by design, to work across sections; but much with categories can be worked around that design tendency. There is plenty of flexibility with both to accomplish what you have described.

Q1 : I would remain with sections assigned as is, category behaviors can be confined logically to a section – I believe.

I’m not sure what to tell you for Q 2 & 3 until you decide about section usage.

glz_custom_fields , I always recommend a look at this plugin anytime the custom field questions are brought up.

Last edited by rsilletti (2010-01-13 03:26:22)

#3 2010-01-14 08:41:36

Aalandriel

New Member

From: Denmark

Registered: 2009-12-27

Posts: 7

Re: Need to bounce a few ideas - sections, categories and custom fields

Thanks. A few more plugins and the use of custom fields, and it appears to work :)