Dear Monks,
Idea 1: If possible, I like to have a question node, and sections to post in as radio button or checkboxes or dropdown button, rather than going to appropriate section and type question at the end. This box should also be easily accesible from the frontpage or from your homenode.

Idea 2: I like to have draft for my question, so while I am typing and like to add soemthing to my question later, before I submit, I should be able to save it. Scratchpad won't serve the purpose here. Draft should directly have submit button. One draft per person should be suffice.

The advantage is that I can think something at one place (home), put little bit and continue at other place (work), with more handy details, so not much is lost in transition.

artist
==========================================
Beautify your existence.

Title edit by tye

  • Comment on Node just for adding new questions; persist one preview

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: Question Node
by WhiteBird (Hermit) on May 20, 2003 at 00:19 UTC
    I like these ideas. If I understand you correctly, it wouldn't be so much a question node, as a posting node--one page where all input would be created and submitted. It sounds much tidier. The snippet of information about how and where to post would just need to be on the one page, instead of on the bottom of all of the sections. In fact, the short explanations of where-to-post-what could be listed next to each radio button or check box used to. I think it would make it easier for new people to figure out the dynamics of participating.

    And I could use a draft page as well, since, like artist, I often start something at work and can't finish it until later. I've been using the scratchpad which isn't open to public viewing yet. I can see that if I wanted it to be available, then a draft page would be helpful.

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Re: Question Node
by tjh (Curate) on May 20, 2003 at 03:54 UTC
    The Question node, or Post node, is a good idea.

    Wonder if it has come up before?

    If your post is a reply, the drop downs aren't needed, but a "draft" concept is excellent. No limits though - one draft will not be enough on Day One.

    ++'s artist.

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      I'm fairly certain this has come up before in discussion during the last ~8 months, but I can't find the thread. Anyhoo, I tend to agree that consolidating the various places where one can post a question/code snippet or start a new discussion is a good idea from both usability and code maintenance perspectives.

      At some point in the next year as well we're going to have to start migrating toward supporting both Perl 5 and 6. Having a unified front end with options to specify e.g., "SOPW" and "Perl5" or "Meditations" and "Perl6" might be a good way to start dealing with the issue.

      "The dead do not recognize context" -- Kai, Lexx
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        I've long wanted a node just for "post a new SoPW" and to have your most recent "preview" saved (just in case your computer crashes).

        The drop-down for which section to post to would only work for the sections that have the same DB schema (those that nodes can currently be moved between). I'd never considered that idea before, and it is a good one.

        tjh, having more than one preview saved means that you have to pick which slot you want the current preview saved into. It greatly complicates the interface. With a single saved preview, the interface is simply one new button "load most recent preview". If you want to save more than one preview, then simply cut-n-paste the node contents somewhere that already has interfaces designed for dealing with naming items you want to save (such as a file system).

        I wouldn't use the most recent preview as a way to save something I'm working on over a long period of time. I'd save that to a real file and use a real editor on it. I'd want a "most recent preview" just for emergencies.

        djantzen, on the several occasions when "separate Perl 5 SoPW from Perl 6 SoPW" has come up in the past, my read was that the consensus was "we don't need a new section". I certainly don't think we need new sections.

                        - tye
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Re: Question Node
by Coruscate (Sexton) on May 20, 2003 at 04:29 UTC

    Nice idea. This strikes me as something that you could probably write up on your own site though. A personal script for doing such things ;) Though having it on the site to use your CSS and options, etc would be neat ;)

    If the above content is missing any vital points or you feel that any of the information is misleading, incorrect or irrelevant, please feel free to downvote the post. At the same time, please reply to this node or /msg me to inform me as to what is wrong with the post, so that I may update the node to the best of my ability.

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