smd_where_used: help keep your admin side tidy

johnstephens · 2011-03-24 00:53:22

Els, you are the mirror that shows a normal man that he is a clown. Thank you!

merz1 · 2011-03-24 12:07:22

Stef, does it make sense to add a filter ‘closing tags’?

Last edited by merz1 (2011-03-24 12:07:40)

Bloke · 2011-07-10 17:07:12

I’m considering adding ‘search/replace’ functionality to this plugin — and give the ability to resave articles for those that want to regenerate the HTML en-masse from Textiled markup — but I want it to work in a specific way. My ideas are here and here (not set in stone).

I’m a bit stuck on how to factor this into the interface workflow though. Please, if anybody has any thoughts on this, design ideas, mockups, stuff like that, feel free to post/send me anything you have. The answer’s probably reasonably simple but it’ll require a GUI guru to point me in the right direction. Thanks!

Last edited by Bloke (2011-07-10 17:22:21)

stephan · 2011-07-10 19:25:34

Hi Bloke,

when I toyed around with Movable Type search & replace was actually one of the features I really liked. In case you have never seen their UI, here is a quick intro:

This is the standard search mask. It is pretty straight forward and allows you to define the content type in which to look and also date ranges and regex.

Once you have performed the search you are able to replace the search string in one or more of the hits:

Maybe this serves as some kind of inspiration.

Bloke · 2011-07-10 19:46:00

Thanks stephan. That sorta looks like the direction I was considering. I’d need to simplify it a bit since the search is ‘global’ and results are in columns spanning content types. So I’d probably try and strip it down to this:

initially, the interface appears pretty much as you see it today on tab load
search for something / orphan with associated attributes (regex, exact, include, blah blah)
results appear with checkboxes next to each matching item
new widget row also appears below / alongside the Search results heading with ‘Actions…’ dropdown (last action remembered) and a ‘Go’ button. The actions I can currently think of are:
1. replace
2. delete
3. re-save (articles only)
depending on chosen action, a further input box may appear alongside the dropdown if you choose ‘replace’ (in all other cases, there is no additional input box to reduce screen clutter)
when you click ‘Go’, your chosen action is applied to all checked resources in the result set and you are returned to the original search screen to perform your next find operation

Not sure if that workflow is ideal, but that was my first stab. I’d look to finding some way of making multiple checkbox selections simple — like TXP’s multi-edit facility (but perhaps not as feature rich, as I’m not sure how I’d squeeze it in). My opening gambit was simply a select all/none toggle facility if you clicked the heading in one of the columns.

If anyone has any improvements or ideas, please share them.

Last edited by Bloke (2011-07-10 19:49:34)

Zanza · 2011-07-10 22:34:00

Very useful ideas (I’ve just had the need to save a bunch of articles again to rebuild internal links after moving from a subdirectory). I’d just make a call for a “feedback” message after point 6 and before the new blank search screen. Especially with actions on multiple records, it may help to know that everything has gone fine (or not). Not sure if that could be shown in the same screen with a new blank search operation, but a nice feedback message is always a bless for me as a user…

Bloke · 2011-07-10 22:38:16

Zanza wrote:

I’d just make a call for a “feedback” message after point 6 and before the new blank search screen

Yeah, that’d probably appear in the usual message area, e.g. 311 replacements made. Will that do? Or are you talking about a complete report on what was done?

Zanza · 2011-07-11 07:50:26

It depends on the actual task, I suppose. What if some task are successfully done only on a part of the record set? Or if a part of the task is ok and part can’t be done? I admit I don’t know if the case is realistic, because I don’t know mysql well, how often db connection could be lost, so maybe this is just a paranoid thought. You are a betted judge than me. The point is that I have some piece of software in mind (mailing sender) that fails to communicate the point at which a big task has been suspended, to resume it. That kind of problem. Maybe not a problem at all in your plugin, and usual message fits. Just in case, consider it!

Actually, I’m sure you were already considering it. Only a paranoid attack from my part… :)

Bloke · 2011-07-11 07:58:38

Zanza wrote:

What if some task are successfully done only on a part of the record set?

Perhaps the ability to have a report would be best then. I’d probably make it optional (like in smd_tags) so you could see the results of the last action.

Actually, I wonder now if it might make sense to not take you back to the search screen again but leave the same results set from the previous search selected. That would allow you to perform multiple search/replace actions on the same group of results. The ability to start a new search is always available from the top of the panel so I don’t think we’d lose functionality. Will see how it pans out when I get round to looking at it.

If anyone has any further ideas, do shout.

jstubbs · 2012-01-23 04:19:26

Stef, is it possible to extend where used to search inside article image fields? On a site with MANY images, the user would like to search to find where an image is utilized. Where used finds image #ids within articles but not the article image field. Unless I missed something…

Bloke · 2012-01-23 09:11:38

jstubbs wrote:

Stef, is it possible to extend where used to search inside article image fields?

It should be possible. Under the ‘Look at:’ row of checkboxes is a link reading Article search fields. Click, check, save, done. At least, in theory. ymmv depending on how many other places numbers are used and which other places you elect to search.

jstubbs · 2012-01-23 10:42:03

Note to self: Don’t post anything before reading the docs or checking the options. Doh.

Thanks Stef.

mrdale · 2012-04-14 16:25:51

Got an idea for this one that would {cue the infomercial music} make cleanup a snap…

On the results page, add a checkbox next to each item, and allow multi-edit functions (most importantly delete).

At present I zip back and forth from the results screen and the forms area. busily getting rid of all the forms that I am not using.

Last edited by mrdale (2012-04-14 16:35:01)

Bloke · 2012-04-15 10:13:37

mrdale wrote:

add a checkbox next to each item, and allow multi-edit functions (most importantly delete).

It’s under consideration pending time to actually go and do it.

uli · 2012-04-15 17:06:10

Bloke wrote:

I’d look to finding some way of making multiple checkbox selections simple — like TXP’s multi-edit facility (but perhaps not as feature rich.

I played around with shiftcheckbox a while back. Needs some words of explanation, though, like in the demo.

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#91 2011-03-24 00:53:22

Re: smd_where_used: help keep your admin side tidy

#92 2011-03-24 12:07:22

Re: smd_where_used: help keep your admin side tidy

#93 2011-07-10 17:07:12

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#94 2011-07-10 19:25:34

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#95 2011-07-10 19:46:00

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#98 2011-07-11 07:50:26

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#99 2011-07-11 07:58:38

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#100 2012-01-23 04:19:26

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#101 2012-01-23 09:11:38

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#102 2012-01-23 10:42:03

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#103 2012-04-14 16:25:51

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