Subforums layout

Message

tomk · Post by **tomk** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 6:39 pm

We've successfully tested the funtionality of the subforums, but before we add any support subforums we want to find out which layout would suit people best.

It's fine as it is:
http://dev.gentoo.org/~tomk/forums/scre ... _as_is.png

Adding an option in the profile to show/hide the subforums:
If set to show subforums then it would appear as it does now, otherwise it would hide all subfoums.

Having javascript collapsable subforums:
There would be a button which would show/hide each set of subforums, similar to http://gathering.tweakers.net/.

Add a server-side option to hide the subforums:
Same as the javascript option but with the code being run server-side, similar to only showing a certain category.

Only showing links to the subforums:
http://dev.gentoo.org/~tomk/forums/scre ... _links.png

Indenting the subforums:
http://dev.gentoo.org/~tomk/forums/scre ... dented.png

Profile + javascript:
Having a profile option but with javascript collapsable layout, so if you set it to show subforums they will all be expanded otherwise they would all be collapsed.

Profile + server-side:
Same as Profile + javascript, but using server-side code.

Profile + links:
Setting the profile to show subforums would show them expanded, otherwise it should only show links to the subforums.

Some other combination/option (please explain):
If you've got a better solution please explain it, preferably with links to either a site that uses that layout or a screenshot.

Aries-Belgium · Post by **Aries-Belgium** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 6:56 pm

The option with "Javascript and a Profile option" has my vote.
The layout now is also okay, but it would be cool if this would be collapsable.

Post by **kallamej** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 8:49 pm

I prefer the Profile + links alternative.

jmbsvicetto · Post by **jmbsvicetto** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 9:19 pm

I prefer the profile + javascript option.

Coffee_drinker · Post by **Coffee_drinker** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:37 am

I like the way it works with gathering.tweakers.net. I'm using it for a long time and i'm quite happy with it.
It could be an improvement for f.g.o. IMO.

SirYes · Post by **SirYes** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:53 am

Javascript is cool UNLESS the forums are browsed in lynx/links - when doing manual installation using console. By default such browsers have no Javascript support compiled in (!). This is especially unfair for all arches except x86, when their respective LiveCD doesn't boot into a GNOME session (yet)...

So, profile + links could be an option, or profile + server-side (the least common denominator). Maybe the last one could be some kind of a fallback if the server detects that the browser in questions doesn't support Javascript? ASP.NET does this for a long time (and I know that this particular example is not "kosher" enough...

).

But there's one issue - visibility. Compare the current view:

Polish
Witajcie na polskim forum uzytkowników Gentoo! Polski portal: www.gentoo.pl
Moderators muchar, Raku, Poe, arsen, milu, Global Moderators
|| Instalacja i sprzet
|| Pytania i problemy zwiazane z instalacja Gentoo oraz sprzetem
|| Moderators muchar, Raku, Poe, arsen, milu, Global Moderators

with the one proposed in http://dev.gentoo.org/~tomk/forums/scre ... _links.png :

Polish
Witajcie na polskim forum uzytkowników Gentoo! Polski portal: www.gentoo.pl
Subforums: Instalacja i sprzet
Moderators muchar, Raku, Poe, arsen, milu, Global Moderators

The subforums are almost invisible!

I'd suggest to at least mark the "Subforums:" text bold:

Polish
Witajcie na polskim forum uzytkowników Gentoo! Polski portal: www.gentoo.pl
Subforums: Instalacja i sprzet
Moderators muchar, Raku, Poe, arsen, milu, Global Moderators

or better yet, all subforums:

Polish
Witajcie na polskim forum uzytkowników Gentoo! Polski portal: www.gentoo.pl
Subforums: Instalacja i sprzet
Moderators muchar, Raku, Poe, arsen, milu, Global Moderators

And maybe some smaller graphic of the folder image could be added as well? (here I used the @ sign as a marker)

Polish
Witajcie na polskim forum uzytkowników Gentoo! Polski portal: www.gentoo.pl
@ Subforums: Instalacja i sprzet
Moderators muchar, Raku, Poe, arsen, milu, Global Moderators

Anyway, I voted finally profile + javascript, because for my everyday use it would be great!

Just my POV

Deathwing00 · Post by **Deathwing00** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 10:47 am

kallamej wrote:I prefer the Profile + links alternative.

Ditto... why did you add the "Profile + javascript"? I thought we decided that we would not implement that one for sure :/

Javascript = sucks

RiverRat · Post by **RiverRat** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 10:58 am

How about a profile switch that is expanded/collapsed and then use the java to expanad/collapse the subforms? Basically, just select the original setting in the profile. Or for that matter make it all selectable, expand/collapse, links, indented, etc. within the profile. Just a thought. And I'm a n00b again, I resigned my Arch Tester status.

mark_alec · Post by **mark_alec** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:04 pm

An option in the profile to view the subforums as either indented or linked in the parent forum is what I would find most usable.

LinuxBlues · Post by **LinuxBlues** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:10 pm

Profile+server side

castor_fou · Post by **castor_fou** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:12 pm

we have a very active community around Gentoo and the forums are the cornerstone of this success.
However how does it work in other popular linux distribution ? Maybe we should look around at other linux forums (ubuntu of course, fedora, etc) to see if we can inspire to get more efficient forum.

I think that profile + server-side would be great (but I am pretty happy with the current layout, I would prefer seeing an improvement on the search engine)

Venceremos · Post by **Venceremos** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:33 pm

profile + javascript would be nice. I second the idea of improving the search engine. It could be much more usefull.

Maedhros · Post by **Maedhros** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:47 pm

Venceremos wrote:I second the idea of improving the search engine. It could be much more usefull.

Well, that's an ongoing project. This is something we can do now.

eddymulyono · Post by **eddymulyono** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 2:28 pm

I voted for profile + JS.

I am aiming to reduce our top-ten-busiest phpBB server's work. Using JS, hopefully the (phpBB) server only need to generate 1 version of the document, and don't do too much processing until the next posting.

I have another agenda voting for this option.

Let's think about how subforums are being used today.

It appears that people (forum admins?) use subforums mainly to contain translations/adaptations of English content to another language. We can safely assume that the ordinary Polish forum user Sergey doesn't visit the Italian forum very often. Then Sergey's profile should probably let him define "extra _language=PL". That way, when Sergey user logs in, he sees both the English content, and the Polish subforums expanded by JS, while other languages will be collapsed.

Implementing this "extra_language" should be feasible after we got the original "profile + JS" in place.

jmbsvicetto · Post by **jmbsvicetto** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 3:25 pm

eddymulyono,

I think there might be two problems with your suggestion:
1. Some users partiicipate in more than one national forum. They might prefer that extra_language be defined as a list, instead of a string. That way, all the forums present in that list would be expanded by default and the others collapsed.
2. This poll has been started with tomk stating that

tomk wrote:We've successfully tested the funtionality of the subforums, but before we add any support subforums we want to find out which layout would suit people best.

So we hope to have some sub-forums within support forums such as Installing Gentoo soon.
However, your idea for having national forums expanded or collapsed according to a user variable is interesting. Let's see if the admins think it's feasible.

codergeek42 · Post by **codergeek42** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 4:32 pm

I think indentiing the subforums is the most viable option. as it's a great visual cue and - if implemented properly - works both in graphical browsers like Firefox as well as text-based browsers like Lynx.

Edit: Grammar fixups.

RlC · Post by **RlC** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 4:55 pm

Indenting the subforums has my vote. please... no js

at240 · Post by **at240** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 5:05 pm

Profile + links seems sensible to me.

Would it be possible to set this up so that if the subforums are chosen to be expanded, they will be indented too? That would kill two birds with one stone.

Penguin of Wonder · Post by **Penguin of Wonder** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 5:07 pm

Indenting is very easy on the eyes, but also keeps the sub-forums within easy distance of the mainpage without reloading. If you must get rid of them though the profile option and perhaps the javascripts button option seem to be the two best ways.

Post by **pjp** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 5:12 pm

tomk wrote:Profile + server-side:
Same as Profile + javascript, but using server-side code.

JavaScript just seems like a bad idea for a key element of navigation.

MmmmJoel · Post by **MmmmJoel** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 6:02 pm

I think we should simply have different forums for each language:

forums.gentoo.de
forums.gentoo.be

etc....

This way they can each maintain their own structure and stay within their own search space. I personally don't like getting results of a search for a common term in 7 different languages. I don't see much value in keeping them all in one massive forum.

Deathwing00 · Post by **Deathwing00** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 6:32 pm

MmmmJoel wrote:I think we should simply have different forums for each language:

forums.gentoo.de
forums.gentoo.be

etc....

This way they can each maintain their own structure and stay within their own search space. I personally don't like getting results of a search for a common term in 7 different languages. I don't see much value in keeping them all in one massive forum.

For minoritary languages like Finnish or Greek, that is not viable.

Post by **pjp** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 6:36 pm

de-forums.gentoo.org could work.

MmmmJoel · Post by **MmmmJoel** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 6:40 pm

Deathwing00 wrote:
MmmmJoel wrote:I think we should simply have different forums for each language:

forums.gentoo.de
forums.gentoo.be

etc....

This way they can each maintain their own structure and stay within their own search space. I personally don't like getting results of a search for a common term in 7 different languages. I don't see much value in keeping them all in one massive forum.
For minoritary languages like Finnish or Greek, that is not viable.

Why?

They wouldn't have 100 different forums like English does, but they could have one and scale as need be.

Post by **kallamej** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 7:41 pm

MmmmJoel wrote:... stay within their own search space. I personally don't like getting results of a search for a common term in 7 different languages. I don't see much value in keeping them all in one massive forum.

The international forums are not included in a standard "All available" search. You have to select them explicitly.

Subforums layout

Which layout should we use for subforums?

Subforums layout

Another Option

Re: Subforums layout

Re: Subforums layout

Re: Subforums layout

Re: Subforums layout

Re: Subforums layout