Sub-Categories

[u3games]

Hello!

For some time it strives to add sub-categories to the forum, but I can not because my knowledge.

Why I want to add sub​​-categories? Simply to improve the appearance of the community and have everything much more attractive.

Some time ago I posted it in the community, here the post: http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=420830.msg2943051#msg2943051

Example:

· Categorie
    - Forum
          -Sub-Forum
    - Forum
· Categorie
    - Forum
         - Sub-categorie
               - Forum
                     - Sub-Forum
                     - Sub-Forum
           - Sub-categorie
               - Forum
               - Forum

Best regards, u3games ^ ^

[Es] ======================================================================

Hola!

Desde hace bastante tiempo intente añadirle sub-categorías al foro, pero me es imposible dado mis conocimientos.

El por que quiero añadirle sub-categorías? Simplemente para mejorar el aspecto de la comunidad y tener todo mucho mas atractivo.

Hace tiempo lo postee en la comunidad, aquí el post: http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=420830.msg2943051#msg2943051

Un saludo, u3games ^^

[Kindred]

Wow...  IMO, that is confusing and purposeless...

But you coud already do that using boards and child boards...  Just make the subcategory board into an empty, locked, no posting board.

[u3games]

Basically, is to have the same look in the index and sub​​-forums.

In sub-forum to have the ability to have "categories" and therefore have spaces between the sub-forums created.

· Categorie
        · Forum
               ·Categorie
                        · Forum
                               · Sub-Forum
                               · Sub-Forum
                        · Forum
                               · Sub-Forum
                        · Forum
                ·Categorie
                        · Forum
                               · Sub-Forum
                        · Forum
                        · Forum

[Kindred]

no... I understood the request the first time...
I stand by my statement, however. It seems confusing and pointless.

However, I leave it to a developer to have the final say.

[mashby]

I think this looks rather gnarly and not in the good way. Looks like a maze. I don't see this as a feature but a detriment. Maybe you could ask in the mod requests area though?

[DenDen60]

Actually, when you look at it through the eyes of knowledge management eyes, and even usability, it does make sense.

[Kindred]

no it doesn't....    I work on UX/UI for websites as part of my RL job and I would advise any of my clients against doing something like that.

[DenDen60]

Are your websites knowledge management tools?

[Kindred]

in some cases....

However, that argument is not valid for the categorization of the forum. A forum is not a FAQ or KnowledgeBase and should not be used as such.

[DenDen60]

A forum is not a FAQ or KnowledgeBase and should not be used as such.

Why are you so drastic in you responses? Knowledge is not necessarily a dictionary.

[Kindred]

because -- you use the right software to do the job...  you don't try to fit a single software to every variation or possibility.

a forum is not a knowledge base software...     we tried to use it like that for the old docs site here...   eventually, we decided that a Wiki was better suited. The same applies here.


A forum is a community.
it is about participation of the community of users.
Sub dividing and separating this in this fashion makes it into silos and do not encourage users to participate, which contradicts the very concept of a forum.
I argue with marketing folks and other non-tehcnical managers who seem to think that it's simple to make software "A" to work for task "B".  Most of the time, they are so very very wrong.

If you intend to use the forum as a knolwedgebase, then I suggest either the FAQ or the KB mods...   or a specific FAQ or KB software.

[emanuele]

mmm...well...
The comparison between the wiki and the doc site is a bit different: the old doc site was something that only few people were allowed to edit, the wiki is something that anyone can edit. Since the idea was to open the doc site to external contributions a way to track changes was needed and since SMF doesn't provide any, a "wiki" script has been the obvious choice (warning: I'm just guessing since I don't know the reasons behind!)

In that particular case, you can already obtain pretty much the same thing using boards and child boards, the rest is just a matter of presentation.

I'm using SMF as a sort of..half blog, half content (documents) distribution and it works quite well (as far as I can tell, it's a week that is up and running, but people using it are quite happy). Yes, there is some customization, but everything is still based on topics and messages.

If you want to use it as a FAQ I think it's pretty easy with some changes to the theme (and maybe some ajax to load the answers clicking on the subject in "MessageIndex" instead of having to enter into "Display"). The basic consept is exactly the same: a subject (the question) and a message (the answer), plus some categories. The only thing that may be improved is a way to present answer "cross-categories".

[u3games]

[ES] Mi idea principal, es el poder clasificar los subforos en categorias. De este modo, le daremos un aspecto más atractivo al foro. Además de hacerlo más personalizable.

[EN] My main idea is to classify them into categories subforums. Thus, we will look more attractive to the forum. Besides making it more customizable.

------------------ Example:

[Kindred]

no... I understood the request the first time...
I stand by my statement, however. It seems confusing and pointless.

However, I leave it to a developer to have the final say.

We understood...   several of us just disagree.
I don't think it looks attractive, myself...

And repeating yourself doesn't serve any purpose....

[emanuele]

And as I said above, just change the MessageIndex template to display child-boards in another way.

[Arantor]

BUT THAT'S TOO HARD I WANT IT HOW IT WANT IT

[u3games]

I understand ...

Anyone know how I can make this possible, it's easy?

Thx for your time ^^

[Arantor]

It isn't easy. It's very complicated, and adds a lot of unnecessary performance complications to how SMF works, at least to properly implement actual sub categories.

You can of course do as suggested and create a style that looks like a sub category but since you made it clear you don't want that, I don't see anyone actually helping you...

[u3games]

Maybe this idea Interests you most and meets my needs.

As an option to "select a forum / sub-forum redirection" add a new option (example Section Divider), in which the forum / sub-forum becomes a category.



Ie something like this:



To classify by category subforums.

[Arantor]

If only it were even remotely that simple, which it isn't.

[u3games]

If only it were even remotely that simple, which it isn't.

.... psssss

Ok, no problem... i dev the feature

[Arantor]

Have lots of fun because if you're doing it properly you need to alter surprising great chunks of SMF.

[u3games]

Have lots of fun because if you're doing it properly you need to alter surprising great chunks of SMF.

No is necessary, it's more easier than you think

[Arantor]

Oh, you're only having one level of child board in that 'category'?

(SMF does all kinds of artificial limiting on child-of-a-child board. But I'm sure you knew that already. I'm sure you know SMF better than I do. But 48,000 posts, 7 years SMF experience and 70 mods counts for little, I guess.)

[Arantor]

As per all the comments, this will not be implemented in the core.