Implemented Featured Items Discussion & Input

[Bob]

Wanted to start a thread to get user input on what functionality you'd like to see implemented in regards to "featured" items. (please no arguing when you don't like someone else's input).

Things that WILL be implemented that you don't have to bring up as they are already done:

Moderator Permission 'Mark Item Featured'. Any one with that permission set to allow will be able to mark an Item "Featured".

Marking/Unmarking a Featured Item. This will be done via AJAX on the Item Page itself. Its a simple link saying 'Mark as Featured', ya click it and walla.. its now featured (and the link changes to say 'Remove from Featured'). The link is only visible to those with the 'Mark Item Featured' permission.

Things that I have in MIND, but not set in stone:

Featured Modules for the Showcase Landing Page. This is an obvious feature, but there are so many ways that this can be done. The only thing right now that I am not open too are SLIDERS. There is just way to much to support with them and I won't be locked into spending 8 hours a day supporting slider issues with everyone's custom styles and sites , so you are on your own with those. Feel free to provide any input you want for the Featured Module.

Category/Member Pages. Again, open to suggestions. Wasn't sure if people wanted Featured Items to act like "Stickies" do for XenForo (which are seperate arrays) That sit a top the list on page 1 and are stripped from the main array (meaning that won't also display in their normal position based on sorting). Also, did you want them to have different CSS class for custom styling etc etc etc... again, provide your input/opinion.

Widgets... kinda figured Administrators would want at least 1 featured items widget. Again, open to suggestions on functionality, look, behavior etc etc etc..

Discussion is now open. I will lock once I have enough input for me to make the final decisions.

 

[Mathis Neumann]

The only thing right now that I am not open too are SLIDERS

My Idea would be to just design the template file (one file per module) where a webdesigner who has enough time could play around with and create a slider hisself (maybe share it with the community).
I already thought about doing something like that in the current version, but did not look into that at all. (To be hones, I don't even know if there are seperate files already).

Category/Member Pages - Wasn't sure if people wanted Featured Items to act like "Stickies" do for XenForo

Would be cool, something like "more from this user" or -"this category". I would handle the sticky part in another way, by adding options to sort the list (could be a seperate feature request, I guess), so in the default view featured ones are just highlighted (e.g. with a star and a background color), but there would be a option at the top of the list to "just show featured" or even order them alphabetically/date of creation/user/...

Also, did you want them to have different CSS class for custom styling etc etc etc... again, provide your input/opinion.

Always a great idea!


Overall great ideas.

 

[Bob]

any "modules" I do, I always use individual chunks of template code as that gives members the most flexibility to customize. They don't HAVE to be individual templates btw... they can be individual chunks of code with in a single template as well (which is the case with the index page template). You can modify the index template to replace the entire "featured" block of code with something completely different without effecting any of the others.

 

[Bob]

no other input?

 

[Mathis Neumann]

That is basicly just design stuff, but how about a special design for featured items on the main page. I am not talking about a slider, but just a visual difference between the featured box and every other, like "most popular" and so on.
For example somehow like this (not the sliding, but the layout of the sliding panels): http://www.apple.com/itunes/charts/

And/or a banner for featured items, like on this site:
http://www.internethandel.de/news-detail/Informationsplattform-Auktionskalender-de
(the magazine cover has one with "Gratis Leseprobe")

 

[Volion]

no other input?

Disable Forms Tab, would be super usefully for people using allot of mods.
Also, make root categories invisible for "chose a category" on item creation.

 

[Bob]

Disable Forms Tab, would be super usefully for people using allot of mods.
Also, make root categories invisible for "chose a category" on item creation.

What do those have to do with "featured" items? Those both sound like individual individual bits of functionality that have nothing to do with the topic of this thread.

 

[Volion]

What do those have to do with "featured" items? Those both sound like individual individual bits of functionality that have nothing to do with the topic of this thread.

Sorry Bob, I completely misread the thread, (what I get for multitasking and talking on the phone) for some reason all I saw was discussion and input.

 

[Bob]

lol.. been there, done that.. feel free to create individual threads for each request tho