Ideas for new features

1. Redesign the admin interface, splitting preset management, list creation, and preview in separate tabs.

2. Add the ability to generate lists with hierarchies, i.e. lists of categories which include child categories in a separate format.

For example if you have these categories:

-Articles
--Politics
--Technology
--Music

Right now, if I just include 'Articles', then all the posts in the sub-categories are listed under 'Articles' without any organization.

I'd like to be able to include only the parent category (Articles), and have the list display the contents of the three sub-categories with the posts organized under their respective titles automatically.

3. Create collapsible lists. I know this can be done manually, but it would be convenient if the user did not have to write the code, but just select from the admin interface if a list should be collapsible or not.

4. Create lists with specific effects, for example, carousel, accordion, etc.

5. Have an area in the list editor where the user can define CSS rules. These rules should be global (i.e. many different list presets can use the same CSS rules) and previewable in the admin interface.

This is very interesting. I might need some clarification though, but its got me thinking on a couple different notes.

1. Redesign the admin interface, splitting preset management, list creation, and preview in separate tabs

This is definitely part of my plan. I've been thinking about making separate pages (the plugin will also have its own tab on the left sidebar of course) for separate tasks. The 2 main basic functions for making post lists is design/style and content. I've thought about seperating them to 2 different pages. Which would also offer an alternate feature. Being able to create post list with the [post_list] params and add the content settings from there. I also want to figure out a way to create bulk presets that you can save and create all the post lists at once for one page.

A preset management with a new preset table is going to be a must. I'm pretty sure everyone has a preset list table that extends pretty far. I would like to have a table that features multiple pages, bulk actions, and a few others.

...but the preview section, i'm probably going to keep it close by.

2. Add the ability to generate lists with hierarchies, i.e. lists of categories which include child categories in a separate format...

Yea, this is another thing that drives me nuts sometimes. Esspecially the way it is displayed. What I was thinking about doing was adding another checkbox that allows the web dev. to include the child categories or not (parent content only), or a hierarchy that has two selection types for the checkbox (probably make it collapsible). There's still people that rely on a hierarchy system that lists subcategories, so i can't completely toss it out.

3. Create collapsible lists. I know this can be done manually, but it would be convenient if the user did not have to write the code, but just select from the admin interface if a list should be collapsible or not.

Are you talking about the post lists the web developer creates? I could probably make it easier to access, but i usually don't like going too fancy if its not needed. I'd rather leave that one to the web developers. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if someone decides to share their version within the preset designs section.

4. Create lists with specific effects, for example, carousel, accordion, etc.

Again, this is going a lil to fancy for my liking to just add easy to use animations.I've always thought going too fancy makes an ugly outcome. Although this should already be available for the web developer through javascript.

5. Have an area in the list editor where the user can define CSS rules. These rules should be global (i.e. many different list presets can use the same CSS rules) and previewable in the admin interface.

This one I probably liked the most. Even knowing the web developer can hard-code a css file or use styles in the post_list design. Adding a css feature to the post list designs would make things faster and perhaps easier. Plus having a css file for post list would make redesigning a website's style a lot smoother.

Anyways, thanks for the feedback. Those were some pretty good ideas.

Another idea:

I was creating several lists which were basically copies of one another, simply with different posts displayed.

Then I thought: "If I ever need to change the appearance of these lists, I'll have to do them again one by one."

So why not separate the list presets into 'list appearance' presets and 'list content' presets?

For example, you can have the shortcode to be something like:

[post_list apparance="blue_table" content="latest_sports_articles"]

This way, you can have several lists using the same appearance, and make it far easier to modify the appearance of all the lists in one go.

That would be the same as utilizing css (same as your 5th idea). i would like to be able to add a class either in a shortcode (before html) or as a param (i would like to move toward having the option of adding additional params to the post_list shortcode). Then redesign them all at one time through a css editor in the plugin.

...but you did bring up content settings. This one I'm still going over in my head, and i don't have any 'blueprint' ideas. There's varies ways i can go about splitting design and content, but its a subject that i was waiting to go more in-depth with the community at a later date. ...but, creating bulk presets would have to use some kind of pre-settings for content.

Admin wrote:This is very interesting. I might need some clarification though, but its got me thinking on a couple different notes.

I could make a mockup of what I have in mind, if you think it would help. I think this plugin has huge potential, because it can solve all kinds of content display needs.

There are several other plugins which offer similar functionality, and I tried many of them, but none offer the flexibility of this plugin. This is why I'm so interested in its development.

Admin wrote:but the preview section, i'm probably going to keep it close by.

Right now the preview function is very flawed. First of all, it does not allow the user to see anything before he saves the changes, which in trial-and-error development is a no-no.

Changes should always be previewed before committing to save. That's the definition of the term 'preview'.

So you're going to need a button that forces the preview to be drawn *before* the user saves the preset.

Since you're going to need this 'draw preview' button anyway, why not turn it into a tab? this way you can see a preview of the list uncluttered by other interface elements. This is especially useful when you create really long lists, and after you preview it, you find yourself scrolling, and scrolling, and scrolling to reach the preset table and the shortcodes reference list...

Also, having a 'draw preview' button/tab elegantly solves the problem of having to create a live preview, which would update every time the user made changes to the list code. Having the preview on a separate tab guides the user to trigger a 'draw preview' event only when it's actually needed.

A preview tab also solves the problem of developing in smaller screens. Not everybody has a 1920x1080 display. Having the preview underneath the existing user interface elements would result in constant scrolling up and down. A tab is only a single click away.

Yes, I admit I feel strongly about this issue.

Admin wrote:Are you talking about the post lists the web developer creates? I could probably make it easier to access, but i usually don't like going too fancy if its not needed. I'd rather leave that one to the web developers. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if someone decides to share their version within the preset designs section.

Again, this is going a lil to fancy for my liking to just add easy to use animations.I've always thought going too fancy makes an ugly outcome. Although this should already be available for the web developer through javascript.

I think it would be great it there was a unified code to handle common list effects. Yes, each developer could presumably write his own code, but offering some standard effects would be very convenient for those of us (like me) who are not into Javascript. It would also enhance the appeal of the plugin to non-developers.

I realize that this is not an essential feature and if it's ever implemented, it'll certainly not be in the next few versions which have to focus on the interface. However, I think it's a worthy long-term goal.

Admin wrote:Anyways, thanks for the feedback. Those were some pretty good ideas.

You're very welcome. And thank you for keeping this plugin alive.

Admin wrote:That would be the same as utilizing css.

Not really. CSS would simply enhance the appearance of the lists.

My idea is to separate the current concept of the list preset into two independent presets, which then can be used in any combination : one preset for the list appearance, and another preset for the list content.

Let me give you an example:

Let's say I have created ten lists for ten article categories.

Each list is the same, and it uses <ul> and <li> elements

Then I discover I have to change the lists so that they use <table>, <tr> and <td> elements instead.

If I there's a list appearance preset, I can change all ten lists from <ul> to <table> in one go.

There are several other plugins which offer similar functionality, and I tried many of them, but none offer the flexibility of this plugin. This is why I'm so interested in its development.

I know you feel. I dug around and went through multiple plugins (that were limited) until i found Kalin's plugin.

Right now the preview function is very flawed. First of all, it does not allow the user to see anything before he saves the changes, which in trial-and-error development is a no-no.

Yea, its just one of those things i'm still working on getting to . I'll still take input on it, but i can't expand on it myself quite yet.

Lastly, I'll have to see how things go with preset creations submitted by people and demands for features. I do plan on implementing some kind of dynamic styling for preset apperance. Right now I can only focus on major fixes and features Sorry I can't really explore certain ideas at the moment. Too many things bouncing in my head already, and well, the holidays don't really help. Plus, I'm pretty tired atm xP