Latest Version: 1.0 Alpha Rev 217 (must obtain from Google SVN)

Built on SmartSection 2.14 as a starting base, but redone somewhat from the ground up to reduce the overall server load and deal with bugs and such. [Note: SmartSection author moved on to the XOOPS fork iCMS, so something else was needed for static/HTML content and articles and such that was stored and provided in a hierarchical manner.]

Features:

• Categories and Subcategories
• Pages
• Four basic templates, custom templates
• File Wrapping
• Page/Category images
• File attachments
• Scheduled publishing and expiration
• Order by date, ratings, sort order
• Ratings
• Comments
• SEO
• Permissions: Submissions, Submit/Edit fields, Categories, Pages, Moderation (global)
• CK Editor and others using XOOPSeditors
• Import from SmartSection and News modules
• Easy cloning (change the directory name)

Installation

Install using standard XOOPS module installation instructs. Currently, you have to pull from the SVN and then export it. Don't forget to keep language files and any modifications you've made (if need be).

Upgrade

Well, there isn't really an upgrade yet since this is the first version, but we'll assume you are upgrading from SmartSection (or news). Import categories and pages from SmartSection (or News). move preferences over manually (they have been re-arranged). Also, as appropriate, modify templates, language files, and such.

Bugs/Defects

jQuery

This will be increasingly a problem with XOOPS now that it has adopted jQuery for its interface to allow to be loaded. Further, this could be an enhancement request instead of an error/bug/defect, but the versions will make a difference. Modules are now separately loading all sorts of versions of jQuery and the UI and more. And my installs have been using jQuery for quite some time. Because javascripts are not required in the head of documents, these should be moved to the templates to prevent conflict when deploying. I've made changes to the module along those lines.

Enhancement Requests

The author has mainly worked on stability and errors (many thanks) along with a smaller memory footprint, so generally the same enhancements I'd like to see from SmartSection are still valid.

• Summary Field - should use selected XOOPSeditor (it already supports HTML)
• Admin Page/Category View and Ordering - I'd like to be able to both view and re-order the weight/sort order of pages and categories quickly in the administrative view (so an admin can re-arrange the order of pages in category views for those clients that want to do such). I'd suggest adding Category Selection to Sort Order (ID, Title, Date, Weight, ASC/DESC) and possibly with/without subcategory pages -- as well as the status. I've incorporated code that allows for category selection.
• Page Icon Permissions - on the permissions page, who gets to view/use which page icons (print, pdf, bookmark, send to friend, etc) - probably global
• Inherit Category Permissions - Newly submitted pages should inherit the permissions of categories. The page shows right away if submitted, but if I don't give that view to authors yet give them auto-submission, then it defaults to "partial view" immediately.
• User Category Edit - capability for editing category in user side for non-admin moderator/editors with assigned permission
• User Page Approval - capability for page approval in user side for non-admin moderator/editors with assigned permission.
• Granular Permissions for Templates - more permission information generally available for use in templates to better control display of content overall (passing data instead of HTML)
• Groups Permissions for Submission Approval - ability to specify groups that require approval and groups that are auto-approved for page submissions, per category
• Workflow Permission/Approval - Hierarchical system of permissions for approve/edit of pages/categories. This would require an ability to store in a separate table until approved, as well as to accept (and either forward to next approver, or publish if final approver), return (for editing), or reject (for deletion)
  
  • Would prefer hierarchical approver aspects (allowing multiple workflow of approvers)
• Category Pages Searchable - make category page descriptions a searchable content item
• Category Pages More Page-Like - provide additional information for categories index page, similar to item/page including date, author, navbar, etc. for clients that use category pages as pages, too
• Page Modification Enhancements - page edit (both admin and user edit) (although allow edit to be considered minor and not trigger an update routine which would)
  • Automatically changes date based upon approved content
  • Provide minor update check-box to not change date and not send notification
  • Update routine would notify via notifications
  • Last update info (author and/or date/time)
• Rollback - Keep changed pages in rollback table to allow page roll-backs (this might be easier to do than approval mechanism) allowing admins or users with appropriate permission to see/view rollbacks (even better with changes highlighted), which would then have also ability to see who did the editing, the latest edit, etc.
• Page Listings for Categories with Pages Only in Sub-Categories - Category should display pages listing in Sub-Categories, even if none in Category, assuming they exist, just like Index Page does it. Should be able to use index page coding. $items doesn't exist though for pages in sub-categories.
• List All Articles - Ability to list all articles (to some administrative maximum JIC) in module, category (with or without sub-categories)
• Automatic Numbering - Ability to turn this into a manual that has automatic numbering, say for legal reference, policies/procedures manual, etc.
• Page/Category Weight/Sort Management - ability to view (especially) and quickly/easily edit the weight/sort-order value of pages and categories in the administration area

The author did fix/include these previous requests:

• Easy Cloning - the ability to clone this module by changing just the dirname. Other modules can do this, so should be able to do this pretty easily, too.
• User Page Edit - capability for editing in user side for non-admin moderator/editors with assigned permission
• Page weight now displayed but still have to touch every page to change display orders.

Modifications

Modifications I've made (for my own pages)

• blocks/items_menu.php - shows sub category and/or page listings in menu block
• images/rss.gif - replaced with one to my liking (could redirect and/or specify differently in the templates, but it's hard-coded)
• language/english - modifications to every file and mail template