Report to moderator column

[Joker™]

- SMF 2.0

The area where one writes to report a post to moderator is generated by using <input> tag (see screen shot 1), which merely gives a single line for reporter to write. Like, in morning when I was reporting to merge some threads I found it quite difficult to post those thread links in that box as the box width is too short to read your own content i.e what you have written in it, as a reporter will be willing to check it's own report content before submitting it for moderator.

So my request is can we change that area from input field to a textarea, I mean can we use <textarea> tags for that region (see screen shot 2).

[NanoSector]

Yes, that would indeed be handy.

Sometimes you feel the need for enters...or more space

[Kindred]

Actualy, I disagree... I feel that the report shold be short and sweet. There is no need for a novel in the report.  However, it's not that much of an update...

[Matthew K.]

It definitely wouldn't be that hard to change. Although there are multiple reasons that I don't think it should be changed.

1) As Kindred has already said, it should be short and sweet, and by having a text FIELD, it would encourage multiple line long answers.
2) It's another thing that has to be done, when there are already quite a few bugs left in the tracker that have to be taken care of.

[Arantor]

Well, how about, instead of continually arguing, why not spend 5 minutes finding the relevant line and testing it being changed, so that it's ready-done and tested so if it does make it on to the tracker, it's all ready to be added...? Then if it doesn't get approved, it can be packaged as a mod.

[Kindred]

Well, I would hardly call 4 responses in a few hours "continually arguing"

[Arantor]

Maybe I was a tad drastic with 'continually', but I've seen responses like Labradoodle's above, where it basically regurgitates the above post(s) without adding anything new to the debate, and in all honesty, in the time it took him to write that, he could have found the code that triggered it and started writing on a patch/mod for it because while you don't want 'essays', one line really isn't quite enough sometimes.

[mashby]

Another school of thought. There really isn't a need for a debate or a change. This isn't an issue at all. How long has the Report to moderator been like this? Years I'd guess. And it's worked for that long. Ain't broke, don't fix it. Move on to something more constructive/valuable.

[Joker™]

I think I've failed to placed what I exactly wanted to say. Let me give an example, yesterday I reported to merge 3 posts, so in such case one has to mention all post links which has to be merged. Let us assume the posts to be merged were

http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=379314.0 (Let us assume I was reporting from this thread)
http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=379326.0
http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=386252.0


Now the way I wrote that report was (see screen shot attached)

Please merge all these 3 posts, 1. From which I'm reporting, 2. http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=379314.0, 3.http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=386252.0.

Now can someone tell me in which way this report looks sweet or elegant? Also please give a look that it's very difficult to verify your own report before submitting it in that small text area.


The feature I've asked for has made the report in such style (see screen shot)

Please merge all these 3 posts,
1. From which I'm reporting,
2. http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=379314.0,
3.http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=386252.0.

Which surely looks elegant and sweet(personal opinion).


As far as code change is concern we need to make following changes,

Themes\Default\SendTopics.template.php

Code (Find) Select Expand

<input type="text" id="report_comment" name="comment" size="50" value="', $context['comment_body'], '" maxlength="255" />


Code (Replace it with) Select Expand

<textarea name="comment" id="report_comment" rows="4" cols="60" style="width: 60%;">', $context['comment_body'], '</textarea>


You can tweak the shape more as per liking. I just proposed this as I faced troubled while reporting to merge some posts yesterday. Rest upto you guys.

[Norv]

Thank you, Joker. I see your point.

It's likely those kinds of reports aren't that many, though (IMHO), otherwise we would have known sooner reports about the usability of the field. I agree it could be improved.

[emanuele]

https://github.com/emanuele45/playpen/commit/32548ae349b9a9b54533d191966d7ee1faced29b