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View Full Version : TWO off-topic forums!!

David Prahl
07-26-2003, 01:41 AM
Why are there TWO "Off-Topic" forums? There is this one, of course, and then another call OFF-TOPIC at http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=7

What's going on? A naming mix-up? :huh:
Mark Kenepp
07-26-2003, 01:59 AM
The other forum holds the comments from "Off-Topic" front Page Posts. :)
David Prahl
07-26-2003, 02:09 AM
Are there different kinds of "Off Topic?" Why not combine them?
GoldKey
07-26-2003, 02:26 AM
Only admins can post new topics to the other Off topic. The last section of forums is for discussing items from the front page. I have always thought they should really be at the top of the forums list.
Steven Cedrone
07-26-2003, 02:31 AM
OFF-TOPIC = The news team can post to, and it appears on the front page...

Off-Topic = The registered users can post a new topic to...

Steve
GoldKey
07-26-2003, 02:38 AM
Steve,

I always wondered how the behinds the scenes worked on this. Do you litterally just make a post to the forums in one of those restricted boards and it is automatically served up to the main page?
Janak Parekh
07-26-2003, 04:20 AM
I always wondered how the behinds the scenes worked on this. Do you litterally just make a post to the forums in one of those restricted boards and it is automatically served up to the main page?
It's quite a bit more complicated than that. A front-page post triggers a rebuild of the static non-subscriber frontpage. Subscribers are served by a dynamic query of all recent frontpage items.

--janak
Steven Cedrone
07-26-2003, 05:41 AM
It's quite a bit more complicated than that. A front-page post triggers a rebuild of the static non-subscriber frontpage. Subscribers are served by a dynamic query of all recent frontpage items.

What he said... :wink: :way to go: :wink:

Steve
Pony99CA
07-26-2003, 09:53 AM
I always wondered how the behinds the scenes worked on this. Do you litterally just make a post to the forums in one of those restricted boards and it is automatically served up to the main page?
It's quite a bit more complicated than that. A front-page post triggers a rebuild of the static non-subscriber frontpage. Subscribers are served by a dynamic query of all recent frontpage items.

But, from the point of view of the poster, Goldkey was correct right? You just post there and it shows up on the home page, right? The post may be made via a control panel or content management system, but do the admins really have to do much more than post?

Steve
Janak Parekh
07-26-2003, 05:58 PM
But, from the point of view of the poster, Goldkey was correct right? You just post there and it shows up on the home page, right? The post may be made via a control panel or content management system, but do the admins really have to do much more than post?
Ah, you're asking about the UI. It's similar to a standard phpBB post screen, although there's about 3 times as much stuff on the page. We've got lots of cool features to make posting flexible. 8)

--janak
GoldKey
07-26-2003, 06:16 PM
Ah, you're asking about the UI. It's similar to a standard phpBB post screen, although there's about 3 times as much stuff on the page. We've got lots of cool features to make posting flexible. 8)

--janak

Very cool. I run the website for my homeowners association and I was somewhat inspired by this site in that every news post we have has an associated thread in our forums that allows the residents to discuss anything we post about. But it is pretty basic in that I have to really double post, ie I make the entry in the forums and then I copy it into the html of the main page with links at the end of the news.
Janak Parekh
07-26-2003, 06:21 PM
But it is pretty basic in that I have to really double post, ie I make the entry in the forums and then I copy it into the html of the main page with links at the end of the news.
Right - we don't have to double-post - that's the point of the Thoughts Media Engine. I believe Dale over at PPCP has historically double-posted as well, although I believe he's working on an integrated solution too...

--janak
GoldKey
07-26-2003, 06:25 PM
Right - we don't have to double-post - that's the point of the Thoughts Media Engine. I believe Dale over at PPCP has historically double-posted as well, although I believe he's working on an integrated solution too...

--janak

Have not ever used their forums and pretty much quit looking there because there has been noting new on the front page for like a month. I wonder if he is putting all his time into the new solution, so hence no new news.
easylife
07-27-2003, 10:12 PM
Ah, you're asking about the UI. It's similar to a standard phpBB post screen, although there's about 3 times as much stuff on the page. We've got lots of cool features to make posting flexible. 8)

Screenshot? Please? :D
Janak Parekh
07-28-2003, 12:08 AM
Screenshot? Please? :D
I don't know, we'd probably give away some of the secrets of how this site works. ;) It doesn't look that impressive... imagine a phpBB post screen, but a whole bunch of options below it.

--janak
easylife
07-28-2003, 03:12 AM
It doesn't look that impressive... imagine a phpBB post screen, but a whole bunch of options below it.

What are some of the options? :?
Janak Parekh
07-28-2003, 03:18 AM
What are some of the options? :?
What the frontpage link is, who gets credit for the post, when the post goes up... those are the "easy" ones. Then there are the complicated ones for article handling, etc. If I put a screenshot up, I'd generate more questions than answers. ;)

--janak
easylife
07-28-2003, 03:47 AM
If I put a screenshot up, I'd generate more questions than answers. ;)

All right all right. :D I'm just curious how this "Thoughts Media Engine" works, that's all... :wink: