[TYPO3-doc] No tutorials? Draft - Easy 5 minute TYPO3 v4 websites

[Erik Svendsen]

Hello Matthew,

>> Matthew do you need help?
>> 
> I am looking for good links to go in the additional resources section
> of these topics:
> 
> 1) Page Caching
> 2) Database specific character encoding issues
> 3) Then just general intermediary/advanced resources for the other
> sections.
> 
> 4) Are there any other topics you recall that hinder newbies from
> getting a site live?
> 
> Scan through and see if you recall or can find excellent resources for
> these.
> 
> Here is the almost latest version:
> http://www.aoline.com/typo3/061008_5mins_manual.sxw
> I have already split the document up into two parts and so I might end
> up making two documents anyway. Doc 1 to keep really simple and Doc 2
> to build on that first doc with the more advanced parts.
> 
> Matthew
> P.S. follow up to docs list

I give you some respons on your draft, mainly from own experience writing 
a newbie manual in Norwegian and and some training. I find you mostly on 
the right track. Even if I am a TV fan, the structure is somehow the same.

1) You should comment the use of TypoScript a bit more and give some direct 
references to TypoScript by Example and TSRef. In my tutorial I start with 
how to get TS show content (Default Page Object), then how to get a header/logo 
in to the page. Next how to make a menu work, explain HMENU/TMENU, states 
and wrapping. I also think a lot of newbies would want know how to make more 
than one level in a menu. Then I will tell about the page.config, how to 
set a default language (someone would have another language than english), 
and spamprotecting emails. I find the TypoScript someway a part of the soul 
in TYPO3, and are of the opinion that shall you learn TYPO3 you need to start 
the process of understanding TypoScript very early.

I don't find SimulateStatic very important in the first phase, and is something 
that could be moved to a second part. Else I prefer to learn people realURL.

2. The aspect of setting up the Extensions manager, handling language (importing 
thru EM), importing extensions and configuring extension in the import prosess 
should be given a bit more text. My experience is that most newbies want 
news, linklist and some other extensions (loginbox, search) on the site very 
early.

3. The stuff about external PHP-script should be in a part two, - same with 
extensions.

4. You should say something about search. A lot of people want search on 
their pages.

5. If you are using charset utf-8 the database should also use utf-8. Both 
in encoding and collation. But remember that in a lot of European countries 
the most used charset is ISO-8859-1 (and other ISO-8859 versions). If your 
database use ISO-8859-x, it's sometimes impossible to use utf-8 because of 
special characters in most European languages. But you should advise everyone 
to use utf-8 if possible.

6. I made also the choice to tell a little about configuring the install 
tool. Mostly the GDlib and ImageMagick settings. I think the Wiki need some 
update here.

And maybe you shouldn't call it a 5 min tutorial. First time it mostly takes 
a bit more time. I suppose the goal are more to get people help to get their 
first site up and running without running straight into the wall.

Hope my comments are some help.

WBR,
Erik Svendsen
www.linnearad.no