Jørn Wildt

Pagesetter should definitely support categories in addition to topics - just to enable to classification in two dimensions. But how?

1) Should PG categories use PostNuke's categories for News (which I know nothing about, I find difficult to even find in the systeem)?

2) Should PG categories be implemented separately in PG - and if so, should there be separate category sets for the different publication types or should they share?

3) Should categories be nested?

4) Should categories be multi-selectable - or single instance pr. publication like topics?

My suggestions are:

Categories are defined as separate sets without any knowledge of publications. They could even be implemented in a separate module (won't do that). These category sets can then be assigned to the publication types. This combines both possibilities in (2) - they can either by one per type or one for many types.

Categories should definitely be nested.

I don't wote for multi-select categories (saying a publication belongs in both "hiking" and "cooking"). Mostly because it is difficult to implement but also because it would clutter the interface. You could use keywords instead to get some of the desired effect.

Comments?

[Edited on 17/11/2003 by J?rn]

Multi-select categories are the major thing missing from most category implementations. There is no reason they have to "clutter" the interface. This is a huge utility to many people and one that isn't that hard to implement. Look for efiction in google for one implementation.

- halfelven

An example of the utility of multi-select categories:

I run fiction sites, a lot of fiction fits in more than one category - Historical Mysteries, Science Fiction Erotica. Etcetera.

The ability to do filter seaches on ANY of the added fields would be approximately equivalent to Categories. Especially if the added fields included ones that allowed multi-select from option lists.

- Halfelven

Here's a follow up:

Categories will be dropped. One needs those for searching, filtering, and browsing - but who says you can do that on categories only? At the same time Pagesetter needs user defined lists (selecting a level, a record type, or product category - you see the coincidence?)

So I suggest this instead:

Make it possible to define generic nested list structures - a hierarchical tree-structure just like a file system or a menu. These lists will be like enumerated types in a programming language.

New fields of these list types can then be added to publications.

Specific functions/URLs will be supplied for browsing by specific fields.

In this way we eliminate the need for specialized categories.

This solution makes it further more possible to auto-create menus that unfolds like the list structure.

Multi-select lists will be decided on later - but I do see the usefullness, no doubt.

Be aware that the .8 version of PostNuke will provide a generic Categories module which should be used.

J?rg

Nice! But ...

1) Is it possible to use it now? This would save me quite some work.

2) If possible to use now - when will it be possible to release the next Pagesetter version. That's another way of asking - when is .8 available :)

3) I have installed the pnRender release candidate on my .726 system and it works fine. Can I do something similar with the categories module - and will it be possible for other Pagesetter users?

4) Does the categories module supply mutiple category sets? For instance a Books category with a bunch of book types, a Record category and so on.

5) Does the categories module supply nested categories?

See here -- Mark explained it better than I would have ;-)


J?rg

Got it - thanks.

Excellent news all around. :) Looking forward to .8 PN and the next version of Pagesetter. Probably going live with current versions in the next week or so. :)

- halfelven