Other Moving Showcase items to regular threads... creating a thread showcase.

[Sonnie]

We have AV Showcase here: https://www.avnirvana.com/showcase/

Depending on the category you select to post your showcase, a duplicate thread is created in the forums. For example, if you choose to post your showcase in the Finished Home Theaters / AV Systems category, it creates the showcase in AV Showcase, as well as a discussion thread in the AV Showcase forum here: https://www.avnirvana.com/forums/av-showcase.29/ ... OR... if you choose the category Home Audio or Home Theater Room Construction, it creates the showcase in AV Showcase as well as a discussion thread in the forum here: https://www.avnirvana.com/forums/listening-room-home-theater-build-projects.17/

We'd like to simplify this and do away with the AV Showcase so that everything in listed in the forum in the AV Showcase or Construction forum. We are somewhat hoping we can come up with something using thread fields, etc that will allow photos/images (that can be updated as the room/equipment updates) and an equipment listing (that can be updated)... but we are not sure how to go about creating it... or if something along these lines is doable. We also like to move the AV Showcase items to their appropriate threads that were created in the forum.

If you have some ideas and are willing to discuss some estimates on creating something for us, please let me know. Thanks!

 

[Mouth]

We'd like to simplify this and do away with the AV Showcase so that everything in listed in the forum in the AV Showcase or Construction forum.

It seems the showcase is an add-on that provides features and functionality beyond what core xf can achieve, yet you want to somehow bring that into the core xf threads? What is it about the showcase that you don't like?

 

[Sonnie]

It seems the showcase is an add-on that provides features and functionality beyond what core xf can achieve, yet you want to somehow bring that into the core xf threads? What is it about the showcase that you don't like?

It just doesn't flow with the forum like our members like, at least that is the consensus we are getting feedback on. While it has some functions that XF does not have... it is also missing other XF functions.

 

[Sonnie]

To be more specific... as I personally like our Showcase, but would like to figure out a way to merge it and have in with the main forum listing, which may be nothing more than a link in the forum listing. I just have to convince our staff and a few members that it works best for us... and we'd need a little more flexibility... mainly in moving forum posts to their respective Showcase posts... and customizing the labels for Discussions at the top of the Showcase listing.

It is thread specific... can't move threads and posts is probably the biggest missing function. We have it set to create a discussion thread in the forum (which we probably should not have done), but we can't get rid of them now because we can't move those posts into the Showcase. We were trying to figure out a way to merge them and then stop the discussion threads from being created.

This is confusing... showing 0 discussion about it... when if you scroll down there is definitely discussion about it.

When the Showcase tab on our forum shows a new item... it doesn't reflect what's new when you click on it.

Perhaps we have something setup incorrectly for notifications of new items and posts within those new items, as members have complained about not getting notifications for new posts, despite getting notifications for forum posts.

We can also promote threads to articles to cycle thru the front page highlighting certain threads... and we are not seeing a way to promote the Showcase items.

 

[Mouth]

We have it set to create a discussion thread in the forum (which we probably should not have done), but we can't get rid of them now because we can't move those posts into the Showcase. We were trying to figure out a way to merge them and then stop the discussion threads from being created.

I'd be inclined to follow this line of thinking, before spending big on some once-off custom to extract some of the Showcase data and insert it into threads. i) Disable the creation of discussion threads for new Showcase items, and ii) de-link existing Showcase items from it's discussion thread. See if that promotes your users into using more of the Showcase functionality, and less trying to make it the same as threads.