XF 1.0 Pages

Pages allow you to manage simple content in the node tree. Find out more here:

http://xenforo.com/community/pages/example-page/

The node list display could do with some improvements. We have some ideas about that.

The exact look of the auto-generated navigation is a work-in-progress as well.

 

[Kier]

Great, so it possible then to create custom pages and get rid of the automatically generated navigation menu (which consists of links to forums now) and replace it with just links to the pages I created?

Which links exactly do you mean? The ones in the little block by the side of the page? Those are optional, if those are the ones you are referring to.

 

[Grover]

Which links exactly do you mean? The ones in the little block by the side of the page? Those are optional, if those are the ones you are referring to.

Yup, those.

 

[Peggy]

Yup, those.

Yup, that example page is just that, an example. You can do just about anything your imagination conjures up.

 

[erich37]

is it possible (as an option) to have the example-page as the Home-Page ?

I guess that is what many people have asked for when talking about an "article system" ? It seems they want to have their own articles at the Home-page...?

 

[Peggy]

I think someone asked that earlier in this thread. What I would do it not post the page in the forums, and have the homepage url point to the created page.
Would that work?

 

[erich37]

well, I guess that would work fine for many people who have asked for a simple article-system.
It seems there are many guys here who did not recognize the "Pages"-feature yet.

 

[Anthony Parsons]

The first thing that comes to mind with the pages feature is the ability to insert a "forum rules" page directly into the structure, without the cumbersome entire forum with commenting for what really is a one page event, without having to go create custom php files.

 

[Booth]

Although for simplicity I'd like an admin set site rules page that's editable in admin. This is possible in ipb3 and you also have the option for a link to it to display on all pages. It's a specific part of the admin area which by default is off.

Check out www.roversweb.co.uk/forums/ to see what I mean. I only needed to fill that in and tick a box and it appears on all pages on the opposite side to the breadcrumbs.

 

[Brandon_R]

The first thing that comes to mind with the pages feature is the ability to insert a "forum rules" page directly into the structure, without the cumbersome entire forum with commenting for what really is a one page event, without having to go create custom php files.

Agreed, i really hate when Admins make an entire forum to post one thread in with rules in it.

 

[Peggy]

Although for simplicity I'd like an admin set site rules page that's editable in admin. This is possible in ipb3 and you also have the option for a link to it to display on all pages. It's a specific part of the admin area which by default is off.

Check out www.roversweb.co.uk/forums/ to see what I mean. I only needed to fill that in and tick a box and it appears on all pages on the opposite side to the breadcrumbs.

There's no reason you couldn't do that with this pages feature.

 

[Booth]

There's no reason you couldn't do that with this pages feature.

Oh I totally agree but doing it with pages must surely take far more clicks. I would hope something as important as a rules page has it's own designated area in the admin area, that's all

 

[Dean]

The possibilities of what the Pages can do is incredible.

I hope we have a 'Show us your pages' discussion in the coming months.

 

[erich37]

Oh I totally agree but doing it with pages must surely take far more clicks. I would hope something as important as a rules page has it's own designated area in the admin area, that's all

If you would like to have a specific pre-customized page or section for "Forum-rules" within ACP, then there would be also a need for a few other pages, like "Imprint" and "Terms & Conditions", etc. which are required by law in countries like e.g. Germany and Austria.

This is something which is still missing in VB as webmasters from Germany need to install a specific "third-party Add-on" in order to be able to create a simple static "Imprint"-page.

 

[Anthony Parsons]

Thinking more... I could see good use of this for custom "how to" pages admins write for their users on how to do something, or even better, if xenforo make available all how to videos in an accumulated area, either downloadable for use in forums or centralised for ease to point users to watch a video compared to reading pages of tedious how to information. Video is just so simple for FAQ's... combine this within pages by inserting them in the forum structure / relevant product structure, and admins even adding their own little spiels and tidbids... flexible is the key thing I personally see with this along with putting it directly in the users face, without cluttering the product itself.

 

[Shanj]

Thinking more... I could see good use of this for custom "how to" pages admins write for their users on how to do something, or even better, if xenforo make available all how to videos... .

Yes I'd like to have some videos - but not for the majority of how to. A video means a lot of wasted time waiting till it gets to the bit of info I need. GRRRRR!
Videos are god for 3 reasons:
- For the most top level bare outline how top - a welcome video would be lovely. I b tter make one!
-- To personalise - it was great for example to have aq video here where I got some info but also listened to Kier's voice. A voice tells us a lot about a person and makes the relationship more alive. So again the first welcome level is good.
- To demo something that really doesn't go across well in descriptive text. This would be very short and supplementary.

Otherwise there's nothing to beat words n pics. Then I can scan across irrelevant stuff fast and get to what I really need.
ALSO re-read it easil;y if I didn't quite get it.,

 

[Anthony Parsons]

Yes, that is precisely what I mean as well Shanj... being a mix of "to the point" short video tutorials, just like we are already watching as xenforo release specifics, in combination with written points that can be quickly referred upon / admin points added specific to design and features used.

Nothing worse than looking through FAQ's that are default "everything" and not specific to the actual features being used / relevant. Members don't need to read about moderator functions, only moderators need know this information. Same for admins... mods don't need to know admin specific information, just what is relevant to them.

I see pages being very useful, especially if they can also inherit permissions for usergroups.

 

[HydraulicJack]

Thinking more... I could see good use of this for custom "how to" pages admins write for their users on how to do something, or even better, if xenforo make available all how to videos in an accumulated area, either downloadable for use in forums or centralised for ease to point users to watch a video compared to reading pages of tedious how to information. Video is just so simple for FAQ's... combine this within pages by inserting them in the forum structure / relevant product structure, and admins even adding their own little spiels and tidbids... flexible is the key thing I personally see with this along with putting it directly in the users face, without cluttering the product itself.

I like these ideas a LOT, Anthony... I hope we get to see them from the original XF crew or at least as an add-on. These are the kinds of tools that relieve the admin of having to be a programmer when what he prefers is to be an admin or forum host.

 

[HydraulicJack]

...snip...
- To demo something that really doesn't go across well in descriptive text. This would be very short and supplementary.

Otherwise there's nothing to beat words n pics. Then I can scan across irrelevant stuff fast and get to what I really need.
ALSO re-read it easil;y if I didn't quite get it.,

Yeah that sounds like a productive balance.

 

[HydraulicJack]

...I hope we have a 'Show us your pages' discussion in the coming months.

Yeah! Please start one and show us your work (once we can get our hands on XF that is!

 

[Grover]

Thinking more... I could see good use of this for custom "how to" pages admins write for their users on how to do something, or even better, if xenforo make available all how to videos in an accumulated area, either downloadable for use in forums or centralised for ease to point users to watch a video compared to reading pages of tedious how to information. Video is just so simple for FAQ's... combine this within pages by inserting them in the forum structure / relevant product structure, and admins even adding their own little spiels and tidbids... flexible is the key thing I personally see with this along with putting it directly in the users face, without cluttering the product itself.

Well... now you are thinking indeed! . And imagine what would happen in you combined your great idea (of comprehensive FAQ's) with this brilliant idea: http://xenforo.com/community/threads/suggestion-vb-alike-notices-system-for-xenforo.446/. In other words: the new to be build XenForo Notices System check a conditional of the user and according to this value it presents a little 'how-to tip/instruction' at the top of the screen... and this information is extracted from the FAQ-entries.

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/show...-INLINE-Help-for-users.&p=1184441#post1184441
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?102303-Moderator-Manual&p=1364798#post1364798
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/show...dge-Base-inside-Notices&p=1739001#post1739001

... but I believe this (providing movies by XenForo Ltd.) will never happen. Because of the simple fact that it will be to labour-intensive. If a user/mod function gets enhanced/extended/changed, the movie is not up-to-date anymore and would need to be changed completely (you can not edit a movie in the middle of it to explain a new checkbox you've just created in XF2.1). Next to that: not every audience that uses XenForo as an enduser (not talking about admins) understands English. So even the language in the movies have to be adapted to local languages. I never see it happening. At least, not in that form.