[TYPO3-hci] Consistency between programs

[Matteo Anceschi]

Hi Bernhard,

Il 17/05/2006 2.22, Bernhard Kraft ha scritto:
> Benjamin Wilger wrote:
> 
>> Another thing to mention is the "Configuration" Module. It does not only
>> just SHOW (without an direct way to change it) the Typo3 configuration,
>> either it is not the only configuration of Typo3 (TypoScript, TSconf)
>> available. The real module for configurating the typo3conf is the
>> "Installation" Module, which is actually an installer plus a full
>> featured configuration editor (which is just fine but misplaced). As a
>> beginner in Typo3 I was very confused about the fact, that there is no
>> intuitive interface for the configuration of Typo3. All the available
>> configuration is widely spread around the whole system. You can find
>> something in the installer, the other stuff in TSconf and so on.
>>
>> Everybody is used to *one* central module for configuration.
> 
> No ... not really ... In Word for example you can configure your complete
> workspace and it will show up every time you start the application (global
> configuration like in the install tool) ...
> 
> but then you can also save macros for example with each single document which
> will only be valid when this document is opened - this can get compared with
> page/user TS config where pages would equal word-documents and such a thing as
> Windows-user bound macros in word isn't there ... AFAIK ...
> 
> The TypoScript again could get compared to the markup of your word(XML/BINARY) file
> which defines how the document get's rendered ... in case of typoscript how a single
> page gets rendered. TypoScript again is not available in the Backend so most BE configuration
> is done via TSconfig.
> 

[snip]
> 
> You can not compare those in all cases as Word does not have such things as Backend and
> Frontend view ... or FE/BE users ...
> 
> but as the complexity in programs/applications get bigger there will become more places
> on where you have to configure different aspects of the system.
> 
> 
> I think a nice example directly from the T3 world is the difference between Page and User/Group
> TSconfig.
> Some statements can get written in either of them ... so it is up to your decision that they have
> to get entered in different places (once where the pages are stored the other time where the users
> are) and you end up with different behaviour ....
> 
> 
> 
> greets,
> Bernhard

You're true, perhaps having a central place for configuration is 
unrealistic and not applicable for a CMF where the 80% of work is 
configuration :)

But I want to stress this Benjamin point:
"The real module for configurating the typo3conf is the "Installation" 
Module, which is actually an installer plus a full featured 
configuration editor (which is just fine but misplaced). As a beginner 
in Typo3 I was very confused about the fact, that there is no intuitive 
interface for the configuration of Typo3."

It's wrong words meaning: when you install a thing, you go through the 
install process.
Then, process install disappear and you may configure it when all is 
already running.
Majority of CMS/BBS do this way: when you have finished the 
installation, you can't re-do the installation process, you can only 
configure the system.

I think that a good usability improvement of Install tool/configuration 
with very LITTLE effort would be:
1) fill the explanations of every configuration item: who will change 
the value of "niceFlexFormXMLtags" or "pageCacheToExternalFiles" if 
can't understand what this means (lacking every explanation)? (me,not) :)
2) tab the configuration section (SYSTEM, BACKEND, etc) (perhaps 
Sebastian or Karsten worked on this, I don't remember clearly)
3) Add explanation in the "Database Analyzer" step (for "Compare with 
TCA", "Reset User Preferences", "Clear Table")
4) In the main menu, section Tools, rename "Install" to "Global 
Configuration" or similar.

Last but not least: I think that "Configuration" (in the "Tools" 
section) would be a great tool if we can modify values, not only see 
them...but I think this need an effort not so little :)


Thank you in advance,
Matteo


-- 


______________________________________________
Per una collaborazione migliore, segui le regole
delle mailing list di Typo3: http://typo3.org/1438.0.html