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Alpha 3 bugs/quirks

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Alpha 3 bugs/quirks
Here are things I've found as I've wandered through the program, that are more 'buggish' than incomplete coding.

1) you need to create the defs and backup directories
-- otherwise the admin program is _really_ cool... setup was 2 screens?

2) On the editor/tools/validate area, the following error was returned:

Error: Invalid template 'tools_validate.htm' requested (File does not exist)

That prompted me to look at the admin_templates directory.

The files there are all .htm files.

That creates an inconsistency for the user. While it might aid in development (.htm and .html files can coexist on most 32 bit+ systems) it will inevitably cause errors for the users that are easily avoided by sticking with one extension for the 'templates'.

Because of historical reasons, .txt is a file that is a template, but is not 'html' processed, I've taken to using .inc for my 'include' files. That is anything that designed to be included by the system into another file. Thus, header.txt is processed into header.inc, footer.txt into footer.inc, category_sidebar.html into category_sidebar.inc, etc.

So, that the .html and .txt files are 'templates'.

The .inc are 'included' and can be written out by the program with no ill effects for speed or to be used by .shtml extension files.

For instance, Top5.inc would be generated by the program on the first pass through the nph-build.cgi and then could be included in _any_ template from that point on, including server parsed ones -- such as SSI calls. No need to recompile it. Other uses are for directory sidebars that link to main categories, or anything else that may possibly change between any given build, but is static during any given build.

Anyway, I digress greatly. Point being stick with .html and.txt, and get rid of the .htm as it starts to confuse the issue, and _some_ servers may still only parse .htm and not .html files (yes, they do exist for 'security' reasons <sigh>), so using different extensions just muddies the pond.



http://www.postcards.com
FAQ: http://www.postcards.com/FAQ/LinkSQL/

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Re: Alpha 3 bugs/quirks In reply to
Pugdog.. you are a die hard :)

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Re: Alpha 3 bugs/quirks In reply to
1. Thanks, that is a bug in our packaging script, it's not creating the empty directories properly.

2. Yes, that file is missing. Your point is taken about the differences (user templates are .html, admin .htm, ugh). The reason for the .htm is:

- people can double click in windows and view/edit them properly.
- they transfer over in ascii if peoples extensions are setup

Although, I think they should both be .html. =)

Cheers,

Alex

--
Gossamer Threads Inc.
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Re: Alpha 3 bugs/quirks In reply to
Oh.... there _are_ other missing templates, I just figured they had not been added yet. But, looking at the directory (for the .htm vs .html) made me think about the inconsistencies.

It would seem to me that _most_ people would be editing the user templates, which are .html, rather than the admin templates which are .htm, so they would hit the problem on a windows system anyway.

If one directory is .htm and one is .html already there is the groundwork for some confusion -- both in programming and maintaining -- it's not 'standard'. It means remembering that the templates in one directory are .htm and not .html, and it paves the way for short cuts -- not taking the pains to make sure everything works the same way in all modules and areas.

It took me by surprise, really. Thought I'd try to make a case for getting it all 'standardized' again.


http://www.postcards.com
FAQ: http://www.postcards.com/FAQ/LinkSQL/

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Re: Alpha 3 bugs/quirks In reply to
Just a suggestion...couldn't the HTML or HTM extension be replaced by a custom tag like $LINKS{template_ext} that would allow Links SQL users to choose the extension they want to use for template files. This could be added into the "Custom Tag" configuration section of the program. It would reduce some time of "under the hood" maintenance...since it seems that this version will be heavily "web-based administration". In addition, it would reduce the time and hassle of standardizing some of the nuts and bolts of the program...no offense, pugdog.

Just my two cents.

Regards,

Eliot Lee

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Re: Alpha 3 bugs/quirks In reply to
I thought about that, but the problem is that .html and .txt are used for different types of templates -- ie: those that contain html and those that don't.

Rather than getting too complex, I just didn't want to see some digression into .htm(l)

Really, I'd like to see the templates _not_ hard coded at all, but in a template array/hash that can be edited, so that sub build_category_page uses the template located at $TEMPLATES{build_category_page}, etc.

This sounds simple, but it requires a level or two of abstraction, ie: where do you keep this list, and how do you make a system for organizing the templates. Also, what do you do with templates that are called internal to routines (not a great idea, actually, but probably do exist)?

http://www.postcards.com
FAQ: http://www.postcards.com/FAQ/LinkSQL/