[Typo3] RealURL For Dummies?

[A-san]

Lars Houmark wrote:
> Hello multimegaposting stranger,
> 
> 
>>I just read the configuration section there and I am absolutely
>>baffled that anyone would expect a person new to Typo3 who wants to
>>get a site up would understand any of it.
> 
> 
> Depends on your knowledge level before starting with TYPO3.
> 
> 

Is not everyone's knowledge minimum when starting Typo3?  Ofcourse, some 
may know PHP, some may not... its more likely that the people who come 
to Typo3 do not know PHP, because if they did know, they would consider 
making their own CMS.  The fact is most people go to a CMS to get their 
site started and manageable.  Ofcourse, you can't do it in an hour with 
Typo3, but I believe that a more organized and more comprehensive 
documentation and guides would make it much better.

>>Is there a more comprehensive guide on how to configure realURL to do
>>what you want?  Or simply, to just make the url's normal.  What is
>>normal?  Simple, normal is what normal sites are, the way sites would
>>be if they are static.  It would be best if that can be the default
>>configuration, and if someone needs drastic changes, they can learn it
>>and do it.
> 
> 
> It's all very well documented, and there is several configuration guides 
> with "standard" configuration.
> Here's one [1]. Here's another [2].
> But your right. RealURL can be difficult. It's a VERY nice extension, which 
> has many features, and can be adjusted in many ways. That's why you should 
> maybe shoot for something less, unless your ready to spend some hours 
> reading.
> 
> 

First of all, much of the documentation is written by people with 
English as their second language.  Ofcourse, there is nothing wrong with 
that, however you must understand that reading it is quite difficult 
especially when you are trying to learn something complicated as RealURL.

Shoot for something else?  Like...?  Why should for less, just explain 
it better and it will be easier for me to use!

The best example I can show you is Marlies Creative Universe.  WHen I 
have a problem, I pray that I can find a tutorial for it there, because 
I will be more then likely to find a way to fix it through her 
tutorials.  I am not sure what exactly makes them more comprehensive 
then many of the Typo3 documentation, but it just is.  Maybe its again, 
the language.

Also you note spending hours of reading... the Configuration section of 
RealURL is short, and that may also be a problem.  Alot of terms and 
words are used, without proper explanation that can get anyone lost.  I 
think more explanation is needed.

>>On the other hand, for people like me who just want to display the
>>page names right and readable, its not easy, and I need easier
>>solutions.  I probably speak for many people when I say that typo3
>>needs more comprehensive and noob-easy guides.
> 
> 
> TYPO3 is a comprehensive system. Pretty much everything is configurable. 
> This means that learning everything of TYPO3 is not done in a week or two, 
> which I after reading many of your posts tend to believe you think it should 
> be. If you think that you'll be a TYPO3 supahmaster within the next couple 
> of months, then stop dreaming. It's not like that. But in one year or so (if 
> your still around) your happy that you did stick in.

Sure, but you speak for yourself.  Everything is configurable if you 
have extensive knowledge of the language Typo3 uses, which I assume is 
PHP.  If you read a bit closer, I have been posting here since May. 
That is about 7 months, and yet I still run into problems.

> 
> I also tend to think that you don't read much, but type a lot - this in the 
> amount of post in this group.
> At least one friendly person has kindly asked you to READ the guidelines for 
> using these newsgroups and made a pretty clear hint about you changing your 
> sender name to your real name. Not doing that, makes me pretty sure that you 
> won't be getting many replies to your posts.

I had my sender name as a real name.  I tried using this new name to see 
if people would actually post in the topics.  ;)  It has been working 
temporarily.

Might I add, reading charts and tables of what each TS variable means is 
USELESS.  Believe me.  You can read it for a full day, and yet I doubt 
you will remember what it is.  The fact that there is not enough 
documentation is not the problem, its the way its organized, and how it 
is written that bothers me, and makes it hard for people like myself to 
find information on a problem.

Typo3 is perfect as a CMS however I believe its support is lacking in 
organization.  You can make a list of probably over 10 ways for me to 
find information on a problem, spending probably 3 hours trying to find 
a solution.  Googling the keywords (what keywords?  how will you know 
what to type?) using typo3.org as the site domain.  Search the mailing 
list archive.  Go to the wiki.  Check the documentation matrix, tsref, 
typoscript by example, etc.. etc.. the list goes on.

Its just not efficient!  Many of us dont have hours apon hours to spend 
just to find out why Typo3 is making your image a couple pixels wider 
then it should be!

Anyways, if someone wants an idea, it would be to organize all the 
information about typo3 into one site.  One site where we can go to get 
support and the solutions to our problem.  One search form that searches 
everything at once.  	

And once again, if you want an example of what I mean by a good 
tutorial, check out some of Marlie's tutorials.

> 
> The time I spend on replying to you, could have been used better. I could 
> have made guides for RealURL or another extension or something else.
> Your question has been answered many times, even though it's all in the 
> manual, so try searching the archives [3] before posting away.
> Finally [4] is a link someone has given you before. In hopes that you would 
> read it this time.
> 
> Also, could you please adjust your computer clock. It's about 12 hours in 
> front, and that makes your topic stay in top and also the online go rather 
> nuts.
> 
> Now start reading ;)
> 
> - Lars
> 
> [1] http://wiki.typo3.org/index.php/EXT/realurl/examples
> [2] http://wiki.typo3.org/index.php/EXT/realurl/manual
> [3] http://typo3.org/documentation/mailing-lists/english-main-list-archive/
> [4] http://typo3.org/community/mailing-lists/mailing-list-rules-guidelines/ 
> 
>