[geeklog-devel] Re: Geeklog 2 Module API

[Blaine Lang]

Comments:

1) Block formatting:
1.1: I like the idea of being able to restrict the block formatting but not
sure how that would be implemented
Are these user preferences - I want left blocks to be 20% , center to be 40%
and right to be 40% ?
User can decide to have a 2 col view vs 3 col view

1.2: I've used several commercial portals that allow the user to control the
layout of modules or blocks on the page
pages the user can control the layout and others are defined by the admin -
so user control.
Usefull if the admin so the admin can pre-define fixed layout and then let
users add content and blocks/plugins from a library and define the layout
they want.

1.3: I like the feature we have today where I can specify the template to be
used by a block.

1.4: The template functions.php is a great concept that we have today - need
to keep this.

2) Plugin API's

2.1: Not sure we need if getSimiles() was just an example or a suggested
API.
I think we need a more generic API call that a plugin can then provide any
post-processing (as example: smilie substitution)
How about an API that was called to post-process all stories upon post,
display or preview. This may then call the registered and enabled smilie
plugin or BB-Code plugin or ImageMgmt Plugin or SpellChecker plugin.

We may need additional calls to handle the return codes from these plugin
functions should there be exceptions

2.2: Publish and Subscribe API's
GL2 Needs to have a core subscription montoring capability. Allow a user to
identify what they want to subscribe to for alerts
Plugin would then call an API to register they can provide a subscription
service. Need to think about this a bit more but the I've created a few
plugins now that duplicate this functionality.
  - Forum: Users subscribe to topics and forums they want to watch
  - Project Mgmt Plugin: Users subscribe to tasks or projects they want to
be notified of any changes
  - FileMgmt Plugin: Uses subscribe to categories or files they want to be
notified of changes

Users may want to subsribe to GL Topics or Links or Authors.

2.3: Ability for the portal to track whats changed - may be a support
function of the subscribe feature
It would be great if a member could see all that has changed since his last
visit.
Plugins would call an API to register a change  - Is this a variation of
OnEvent()

2.4) Users should be able to define how they want to be notified of
subscribed alerts or subscriptions
This may be: email, PM plugin, Instant Messenger etc ...

I'd recommend the PM function not be a Core Service but that it be a plugin
so it could be replaced. There is a need for a Core messaging service and we
can provide a PM plugin as part of the general release. But it should not be
dependant on that module and could be replaced.

What are they called - choices:
Gadgets
Modules
Blocks
Plugins
Portlets
eclips
components
xApps
microapps

I still prefer: Plugins (for integrated mini-apps) and blocks.