Alex,
the idea of mods vs options is a powerful one, and really should be considered.
The more 'common' things that can be built into Links the better for everyone, since fewer people will have to modify the code, and upgrades will be easier.
Anything that alters the behavior of links, or changes how it displays or does things, should be an 'option' -- such as date, sort order, images, uploads, etc.
"mods" should be things that appeal to a smaller group of people, or alter links behavior in more drastic ways.
The small amount of extra code for these options, will not 'bloat' Links, and it will cut the support quite a bit.
There are a lot of simple things that have been asked time and again, and incorporating them into Links makes it more valuable, not bloated or complex - especially if these features can be turned on/off in the config file, rather than edited into the code.
Many of the code files should not be touched directly by users, but should be accessed by config options, or subroutines.
Maybe, putting the module config options at the top of the modules, rather than the config file, can solve interim problems. Things such as sort order can be changed by changing options at the top of the module, _not_ by changing lines of code in the module.
Anyone have suggestions for what the "options" should be, rather than mods?
1) The keyword logger is one -- and Alex found a 5-line solution that hopefully will be incorporated into the next links version.
2) Sort order on the different pages -- since what's new often should be sorted in reverse order, as should ratings, but links may want to be sorted randomly -- to allow even exposure -- or chronologically.
3) priority field mod -- officially incorporated. This can be a user-defined criteria, with it's own set of display and sort rules.
4) mods to allow multi-new level ratings, and updated flags, with options to sort the links so that:
priority - can go first -- arbitrary criteria, with options for 'rank', rating, random, or other sort order.
new goes next -
updated goes next
links follow -- sorted reverse, random or chronologically.
There are more, but this is a start. These are things that should be part of the functionality of links.
The "image" gallery I'm running is a 'mod' since most people don't need, or use images, or if they do, they want a logo or advertising image. But, if the logo option is installed, allowing it to be expanded to a full gallery/option should be considered, and hooks left in for people who would need to do it.
the idea of mods vs options is a powerful one, and really should be considered.
The more 'common' things that can be built into Links the better for everyone, since fewer people will have to modify the code, and upgrades will be easier.
Anything that alters the behavior of links, or changes how it displays or does things, should be an 'option' -- such as date, sort order, images, uploads, etc.
"mods" should be things that appeal to a smaller group of people, or alter links behavior in more drastic ways.
The small amount of extra code for these options, will not 'bloat' Links, and it will cut the support quite a bit.
There are a lot of simple things that have been asked time and again, and incorporating them into Links makes it more valuable, not bloated or complex - especially if these features can be turned on/off in the config file, rather than edited into the code.
Many of the code files should not be touched directly by users, but should be accessed by config options, or subroutines.
Maybe, putting the module config options at the top of the modules, rather than the config file, can solve interim problems. Things such as sort order can be changed by changing options at the top of the module, _not_ by changing lines of code in the module.
Anyone have suggestions for what the "options" should be, rather than mods?
1) The keyword logger is one -- and Alex found a 5-line solution that hopefully will be incorporated into the next links version.
2) Sort order on the different pages -- since what's new often should be sorted in reverse order, as should ratings, but links may want to be sorted randomly -- to allow even exposure -- or chronologically.
3) priority field mod -- officially incorporated. This can be a user-defined criteria, with it's own set of display and sort rules.
4) mods to allow multi-new level ratings, and updated flags, with options to sort the links so that:
priority - can go first -- arbitrary criteria, with options for 'rank', rating, random, or other sort order.
new goes next -
updated goes next
links follow -- sorted reverse, random or chronologically.
There are more, but this is a start. These are things that should be part of the functionality of links.
The "image" gallery I'm running is a 'mod' since most people don't need, or use images, or if they do, they want a logo or advertising image. But, if the logo option is installed, allowing it to be expanded to a full gallery/option should be considered, and hooks left in for people who would need to do it.