[TYPO3-hci] alternative starting page for BE users

[Andreas Balzer]

Hi!
I'm Andreas Balzer, 17 yrs from Germany. The following is from the TYPO3 
Wiki (projects):

  Typo3 Project: Alternative BE starting page

This is a suggestion

... for an alternative starting page extension for Typo3 BE users. This 
page could introduce Typo3 for new beginner users. It should provide a 
simple way to get help, offer daily-used functions like "Create a new 
page", "Do this, do that" etc. For admins, it could provide fast access 
to database and system managing stuff of TYPO3.

With a special API it could provide a simple way for other extensions to 
add a possibility for the users to select special operations to be shown 
on their starting page. (Which means, that every user has its own 
configurable starting page)

What do I mean exactly? Are there any examples of such a thing?

Yes there are. If you look at media applications from M$ or your 
favourite fruit company, you'll notice that their 'living room' programs 
have special introducing pages that show the most important icons in the 
middle.

So for TYPO3 it would be nice to get redirected to a BE page, where you 
have the full menu in the left, but in the middle you see the most 
important things like "Create page", "Tasks", "Help" with a nice welcome 
message and a nice digital clock in the upper right.. :)

Current questions:

Currently we ask us, whether the starting page should have its own 
design, or whether it should be able to 'get the design from the current 
skin'. (See skinning topics in dev mailing list) The next question we 
are talking about is, if a possible starting page should offer help 
system bots. These bots could offer help through a 'ask me your 
question' system which could answer with an intelligent ai. This bot 
could be like a MS Agent or made with Flash or just a simple image.


Ok, so let's try to see what a "tool" like the starting page could and 
should offer to the user:

     * Show the exact time for better organization
     * lists the next tasks that have to be done.. The best would be an 
order from important (task has to be done today) to unimportant (task 
deadline is far far away.. (configurable - f.e. 7 days..)
     * gives the possibility to reach often done things very fast and 
easily. ("Create new page", "Create new task", "Create new...", and of 
course it should give the possibility to do advanced things. "Daily 
checkups done ;)"
     * It could offer some help in an easy "ask what you want and I’ll 
show it up" kind. So no more long documents and bad searches for "how to 
disable the arrow in the rte when insert a link", but a nice search with 
this question in a nice conversation bot. He could search the databases 
and list the right docs in a short way. Different user groups (admin, 
news writer, designer, etc..) could be linked with different databases 
and the installed extensions from TER could offer some 
ADDtoStartpageHelpsystem(linktodatabasefile);
     * This would give the possibility to extend the help system to the 
needs of everyone. While I as a student prefer to be informed about the 
current television program and press releases about my school (so I can 
add them to our school website) while keep the site running, some others 
might want to know.... The amazing thing is that bots are able to do 
that already. So it could be nice to have some bot like that..
     * Perhaps use AJAX to drag and drop new items from a list onto the 
window? (Configuration)
     * AWstats extension: Overview of most important stats. Like 
views/pages today, this week this month. Last referrer. Etc.
     * Products extension: Latest order. Add products/categories button.
     * News extension: Latest news items + edit button. Add new news item.
     * Log: Latest 5 errors from log; Last changes, logins etc.


ToDo List

who is willing to take a task, please say so here.

     * create API for the modules (any volunteers?)
     * create design for draggable modules
     * how are these modules configured? this should be self-explanatory

Current project members:

Andreas Balzer, René Häfliger, Sebastian Kurfuerst (for core 
implications and coordination)

Please add your name here if you wish to participate


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What do you think about it?

Greetings
Andreas