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MyLinks SQL
Hokay,

I posted in the Gossamer Forum forum asking if anyone could think of any plugins that they'd like me to create and I was asked about MyLinks for Links SQL so I decided to post here.

I'll consider restarting this project as there seems to be several people requesting it.

I'll just need people to give me a clear list of features they'd like to see.

This will be a paid plugin as the last version was around 100kb in size which obviously takes a lot of work.

Last edited by:

Paul: Mar 23, 2003, 10:04 AM
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Re: [Paul] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Hi Paul,

A few ideas/suggestions:

1. Allow the user to organise links in folders and move items around - sort of like the browser.cgi - so I could ex. make a new folder - name it 'constrauction' and then dump links there

2. Possibility of working across Links installations so you can bookmark items across installations (perhaps even products - ex. save a thread from a forum)

That's a start

Cheers
Klaus

http://www.ameinfo.com
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Re: [klauslovgreen] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Hi,

Thanks. Folders is something I'll add. Not sure about the second suggestion though. In order to bookmark a thread from Gossamer Forum or save a link from another Links SQL installation you'd have to gain access to the database for that installation to retrieve the details of that bookmark which would require usernames and passwords and creating a new GT::SQL object and I think it may get a little messy.

I'm adding the ability to let users save custom bookmarks so that may implement your suggestion *in a way* as it will let you save bookmarks relating to other sites.

Last edited by:

Paul: Mar 23, 2003, 11:03 AM
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Re: [Paul] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Hi,

Well with Community in place will it not solve the username/password issue at least?

Klaus

http://www.ameinfo.com
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Re: [klauslovgreen] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Perhaps, but then not everyone will be using community.
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Re: [Paul] MyLinks SQL In reply to
I am very interested in this plugin, and would be very eager to purchase it should it be released.

Possible changes:

1) Upgrade script from old version. I think lsql 2.12 brought in the enumerated ID's for the lsql_Users table, so I guess any new script will now be using the user ID rather than the username in the lsql_mylinks join table. I'd like to be able to import/convert my existing lsql_mylinks to use the new system.

2) I don't think that the grouping worked properly in the old version. No matter what the grouping was set to, you always had the full category path above the link. I'd like to turn this off or put it in folders in the new version.

3) Perhaps some integration with the pagebuilder plugin, so that you can have a proper title_linked on the mylinks pages.

4) Given that you can already update certain user settings in the mylinks script, it might also be useful to be able to update contact details and passwords via the script.
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Re: [Paul] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Maybe a community version on top then?

Klaus

http://www.ameinfo.com
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Re: [cwi] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Thanks for the suggestions. The new plugin can be installed alongside the original plugin as the plugin file names and templates are different to the original, so whilst you set up the new version you can leave the old one installed. I will make a seperate upgrade script instead of building it into the plugin.

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Perhaps some integration with the pagebuilder plugin, so that you can have a proper title_linked on the mylinks pages.

I've not used this plugin before so am not sure what you mean exactly?

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Given that you can already update certain user settings in the mylinks script, it might also be useful to be able to update contact details and passwords via the script.

Ok.
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Re: [Paul] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Paul,



Are you starting "now"? Do you have any idea of how long it will take you?

What will it coast (I have already payed for your last version)?

Also, I remember deleting a user from the lsql database and that user's links are still listed. Can you fix this in the new one?
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Re: [Paul] MyLinks SQL In reply to
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Perhaps some integration with the pagebuilder plugin, so that you can have a proper title_linked on the mylinks pages.

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I've not used this plugin before so am not sure what you mean exactly?

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The pagebuilder plugin allows you to create pages with "breadcrumbed" navigation as such:

Home > Help Pages > How to Use X > More Info > Details

It would be quite nice to have similar functionality in the mysqlinks script, particularly as it may constitute a large section of the site in some instances. So, for example, on the mylsqllinks main page you can have as the navigation:

Home > My Links > Main Page

and then for the other pages:

Home > My Links > User Settings and Options > Update Contact Details

and for the categories

Home > My Links > Information and Technology > Other Custom Folder > Page 2

etc etc. Just increases usability, makes navigation more intuitive, and makes everything look more professional.



Also, another thing, that may or may not come under the mylinks plugin. There has been some mention of need for improved category support. Some people (including me) would like to link parallel categories together and develop some way of managing this.



For example, if you had a database of website design related sites, you might have a taxonomy constituted as such:

Home > By Region > United Kingdom > Flash Specialists > Page 1
Home > By Region > United States > Flash Specialists > Page 1

as well as

Home > By Speciality > Flash > United Kingdom > Page 1
Home > By Speciality > Flash > United States > Page 2

things become more complex when you have additional categories and properties of links. It would be useful if you could just define some fields or join tables as such:

Join Table 1 --> Country LinkID
Join Table 2 --> SpecialityID LinkID
Join Table 3 --> PriceRange LinkID
Join Table 4 --> NumberOfEmployees LinkID

Then, the plugin would automatically update the catlinks table and allow you to have a much more sophisticated directory and category structure. If you could make a decent UI for this and make it intuitive there should be some demand for this, as it seems like a logical necessity of any directory. Or perhaps not. Unimpressed
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Re: [nt6] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Quote:
Are you starting "now"?

Yes, I started earlier this evening.

Quote:
Do you have any idea of how long it will take you?

Currently not. The basic mylinks functionality shouldn't take more than a few days to finish, it is just all the extra features that may take some time and also the templates are time consuming, more so than the code on occasions. Currently I've added shells for 11 templates and I expect a few more will be needed so you may be looking at 15 templates. I hope to at least to have the bulk done within two weeks. This may be less if I get time to do lots of work on it.

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What will it coast (I have already payed for your last version)?

I'm not 100% sure yet on the price. It depends on what features are added along the way amongst other things. I'd say defintely under $75. I will deduct $40 for anyone who purchased the original mylinks.

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Also, I remember deleting a user from the lsql database and that user's links are still listed. Can you fix this in the new one?

Yes this was an issue as I forgot to add foreign keys. This will be fixed.

Last edited by:

Paul: Mar 23, 2003, 1:43 PM
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Re: [cwi] MyLinks SQL In reply to
I'll make the breadcrumb available as a tag so it can be removed for those not desiring it.

So far the features are:

Saving directory links
Saving custom links
Recommending links to friends
Folder support
Links SQL profile editing capabilities
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Re: [Paul] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Paul;

Fantastic! I am very happy you are starting this back up. You can count me in for a purchase. I am requesting the following features.

Feature Suggestions:

1. Link Notes/Comments/Reviews

- Sometimes we later forget why we have bookmarked a link, also when emailing others these links, it may be good to tell them exactly what is special about them, or to pass on a short summary/review. A single comment field may suffice.

2. Link Checking

- After the links are in the system a while, likely there would be bad ones.

Before looking stupid by sending out a email saying how great these broken links are, it would be fantastic for a quick link check to give us the edit/delete/keep options.
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Re: [webslicer] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Thanks for the ideas. I'll see what I can do :)
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Re: [Paul] MyLinks SQL In reply to
I'd love to see this too, working alongside Community.
Piers
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Re: [cwi] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Quote:
I think lsql 2.12 brought in the enumerated ID's for the lsql_Users table, so I guess any new script will now be using the user ID rather than the username in the lsql_mylinks join table.

I just upgraded to 2.1.2 and started making the plugin using the user id in the mylinks table but I just took a look at the users table and I don't see an ID column?
Quote Reply
Re: [Paul] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Paul,

Glad to see you back. You are one of the more insightful people here (There are many) and I've learned a lot from your posts. I'm not sure if this has been said before but adding a catagory (and then all of its subcatagories) would be nice.

I was also toying a 'quick add' idea. A rundown - Remember when a bunch of you guys were on the '404 error pages' postings. Well, we have a catagory in our directory for '404 error pages'. It would be nice, to email a catagory to someone, with a 'quick add to MyLinks' icon. Just a thought.

Howard J. Brubaker
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Re: [Paul] MyLinks SQL In reply to
In Reply To:
Quote:
I think lsql 2.12 brought in the enumerated ID's for the lsql_Users table, so I guess any new script will now be using the user ID rather than the username in the lsql_mylinks join table.

I just upgraded to 2.1.2 and started making the plugin using the user id in the mylinks table but I just took a look at the users table and I don't see an ID column?


Sorry for wasting your time, I assumed after Alex mentioned that such a change (I think) that it would be implemented, as it would be needed for community. I guess that it hasn't, and, as such, no import script is necessary.
Quote Reply
Re: [wizcom] MyLinks SQL In reply to
>>>Glad to see you back. <<<

He never really went Wink

Cheers

Andy (mod)
andy@ultranerds.co.uk
Want to give me something back for my help? Please see my Amazon Wish List
GLinks ULTRA Package | GLinks ULTRA Package PRO
Links SQL Plugins | Website Design and SEO | UltraNerds | ULTRAGLobals Plugin | Pre-Made Template Sets | FREE GLinks Plugins!
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Re: [wizcom] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Quote:
adding a catagory (and then all of its subcatagories) would be nice.

By this do you mean you'd like to bookmark categories or bookmark all the links within a category?

I guess the answer to that will clear up this point also...

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It would be nice, to email a catagory to someone

Last edited by:

Paul: Mar 24, 2003, 5:57 AM
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Re: [cwi] MyLinks SQL In reply to
It's ok, I hadn't gotten too far into the coding. Perhaps the ID column is added when you install community?

I was thinking about getting my plugin to add in the ID column to the users table....any thoughts on that?....maybe it would be easier just to keep using the username. It poops on the idea of relational databases a little but that's Alex's fault for not having an ID column Wink

Last edited by:

Paul: Mar 24, 2003, 5:59 AM
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Re: [Paul] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Hmmm,

I think bookmarking a catagory would make more sense. If you bm all of the links and choose an incorrect catagory in error you'd have potentially thousands of links, plus not really knowing where they were from.

hjb
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Re: [Paul] MyLinks SQL In reply to
I'm not sure if community adds the ID column. Nevertheless, in the long run the ID column is going to be a necessity, and as soon as it is added in the mylinks plugin might has problems, given that users may be able to alter their username as in gforum. Perhaps it might be useful to check with Alex?

Personally, I would find this very useful.

Last edited by:

cwi: Mar 24, 2003, 6:07 AM
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Re: [Andy] MyLinks SQL In reply to
Andy,

I meant in developing the MyLinks plugin.

I'll have to hire an email writer if you guys nitpick me like that. :)

hjb
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Re: [wizcom] MyLinks SQL In reply to
>>>I'll have to hire an email writer if you guys nitpick .me like that. <<<

Laugh

Its a good thing he started work on it....otherwise you would have been left with my programming skills on a SQL version of my MyFaves Smile

Andy (mod)
andy@ultranerds.co.uk
Want to give me something back for my help? Please see my Amazon Wish List
GLinks ULTRA Package | GLinks ULTRA Package PRO
Links SQL Plugins | Website Design and SEO | UltraNerds | ULTRAGLobals Plugin | Pre-Made Template Sets | FREE GLinks Plugins!
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