XF 2.3 Creating a 'form-based' template for posts?

[TBB-AU]

Hi, for a site where users can submit short reviews of things like movies, restaurants etc, where there's a desire to have those reviews structured and following a 'template' of sorts, is that possible in XF?

I was initially thinking of something very form-like, eg like Google Forms, but then realised we'd need a 'post-review' process which pastes & publishes the data from each field, and that adds an extra few layers of complexity. So I thought maybe it's more like a template where field names are set by the admin and visible to users but the user can only enter data in a text box or select from a drop-down list, and when their post is published, the 'review' shows the field names followed by the UGC, such as:

Movie: Revenge of Paddington Bear
Rating: R 18+
Recommended for: date nights, if you are dating a psycho

The option of course is to have an actual template where field names are pre-entered and users just click after them to add their text, but I was sorta hoping for something a bit more elegant and automated.

 

[Opus X]

use custom fields?
i think i also remember seeing a plug in that did something like this?

https://xenforo.com/community/resources/ozzmodz-advanced-forms.5632/

there is also an review plug in that is used on the site I am staff on that might work.
edit: added about a review plug in and added a link to site using it.

 

[Opus X]

if you want to know about the review plugin it is from xenaddons.
the owner of that site i linked you to is not allowed to post here.

 

[maxd]

we’re interested in having our forum members provide feedback on a specific type of product, so a template or form-based add-on is of great interest to us. the idea being that a post would be a form that gets filled out, not the usual free-form “type whatever you want” thing that posts normally are.

i see that the long-time go-to solution for this has now been deleted from the Xenforo site so … what are people doing for this type of feature requirement? is there a recognised and accepted add-on for this?

 

[smallwheels]

if you want to know about the review plugin it is from xenaddons.
the owner of that site i linked you to is not allowed to post here.

I think he would still be allowed to post (he has not been banned AFAIK) but decided on his own that he no longer wants to be active here.

i see that the long-time go-to solution for this has now been deleted from the Xenforo site so … what are people doing for this type of feature requirement? is there a recognised and accepted add-on for this?

Advnced Forms. The fact that it is not listed here any more (as a decision of the developer of the AddOn) does neither stop it from working nor from being bought nor does this mean it would not be developed further.

 

[maxd]

thank you. i did know about AF but since it is no longer listed here i was hoping there might be something of that sort that was.
if that’s not the case then yes, we’ll probably have to look at AF to see what the current status is and if a case can be made for choosing it.

fwiw i have no idea what the backstory of the AF developer leaving the XF forums might be. i’m sure each party had their reasons but not my rodeo. we just want something that is fit for purpose, 100% compatible (as far as that is possible), and fully supported. being under the XF umbrella is obviously preferred but i guess we’ll cross that bridge soon enough.

 

[smallwheels]

i have no idea what the backstory of the AF developer leaving the XF forums might be.

From my point of view it was a clash of egos, unneccessary and not helpful, but with bad consequences for everyone: for the users, for this forum, for XF and for @Ozzy47

we just want something that is fit for purpose, 100% compatible (as far as that is possible), and fully supported. being under the XF umbrella is obviously preferred but i guess we’ll cross that bridge soon enough.

While Advanced Forms works well it is in my eyes not ideal for what the OP of this threads intends and maybe also not for what you intend. While it is easy to design the form and to collect the data the problem starts with making something out of it. You can automatically generate postings from the form-answers, however: They are all within the same thread and as standard there is no attractive layout in those postings. The information is there, just it is not really attractive to read and also every answer being posted in the same thread may or may not be fine for you.

Depending from the usecase a valid alternative could i.e. be Showcase by @Bob or one of his other add ons, configured with a bunch of custom fields. Also not listed here as a ressource but a top notch add on with zero doubts regarding quality or further development.

 

[maxd]

wow, thank you for all that! and many thanks for the tip re Showcase, looks V E R Y promising! mucho gracias!

 

[Alpha1]

Also check out Review Management System. It's really awesome .

Review Management System - Premium

RMS is designed for forum owners to provide an interface for their members to check-in, review and ask questions about various item types (Brands, Businesses, Hotels, Items, Restaurants, Stores and Venues/Events) in the database.

xenaddons.com