Community feautures.

Hi there,

While im digging in to learning advanced SQL and PHP during the
next upcoming months, i thought id share some ideas that i wish could
be in this wounderful CMS!

- Personal guestbook for each user
- Personal Profile page
- Avatar/picture feature
- Buddie "module" with ajax integration
- Ajax chat with room management and user rights
- Advanced user search function
- Personal picture gallery
- MSN/ICQ/AIM connectivity
- Personal notes
- Last visitors to you profile

Overview functions like:
- My last posts, my last blogs, my last...
- New mail, new guestbook, new blogs, new posts, new...
Should be ajax and near realtime if possible.

I understand that some of these may already be implemented, but im shure that the features can be built further.
The goal here is to surpass Joomla and other CMS´s neat "community" features and run them over with ModX flexibily

Joomla already have most of these functions, but they are not integrated with eachother nicely enough to actually be usable.
Community builder is one component that has all of these features and much more, but it is really bulky and a superresource HOG thanx to its use of tabs that dont use ajax to keep down loading size (imagine 30 pictures, 30 videos, alot of blogs, and other plugins). I would be better to make more use of ajax and keep all modules in blocks that get called like tabs/buttons. That way one could style each block with CSS to.

One of the things that we’ve focused on is not feeling like we have to build YAPS: Yet Another Portal System. There’s tons of great features in other solutions if your focus is on community building via "modules/blocks/blah/whatever". MODx is not the answer to everything in other words!

However, if you look around, you’ll find that you can find pieces of code for some of those features, such as PPP for the profiles, plenty of Gallery solutions, Jot can be used for guest-books easily, etc. Your forum software should be able to handle the Overview functions.

Yeah, ive looked thru most of the things already written to ModX.

And altough you say that it already exists in other CMS´s doesnt mean it cant be done with ModX power...

New Engine, New Layout, New Ajax, New everything... All the other portal systems ive seen so far, are just not.. complete, and userfriendly.

Sure you can do it with MODx, no sweat, but that will take a bit more personnal investment since the learning curve might be steeper...

It’s really two opposite sets of philosophy : MODx is build with flexibility in mind (beyond anything I have seen, and it can be overwhelming at first) : building a website is more like art (like a painter you choose which tools will help you achieve what you want to - you’re the creator - it means you start from scratch or some starting patterns like the demo template), while YAPS are "all-in-one" solutions based upon a "one click install" paradigm (inducing great rigidity in the process : choices are made and you’re just a user - you start with something already 3/4 done but your creativity is limited)...

I agree with that when you create something, you create a piece of art. And that this is limited to the creators creativity. So, i am a painter, and designer really much more than im currently a programmer. Im quite shure though, that with enough effort and time i can make all the listed above, with help from this great community. I have to say, that i have not seen such entusiasm in a CMS since ive browsed thru these forums. Ive actually never read with such interrest for many years... it feels like getting the spirit of creativity back.

Yes it sure is stimulating creativity to wander the forums ! So many great people around here, it’s non-stop learning !

I never meant you couldn’t make it through the learning curve, just not lying about it and advertising "free" power : how long it takes for you with MODx really depends of the way your mind works too, in my case things were smooth and "natural" but it depends of your previous experience also (I came from 2 years using Textpattern, some similarities in spirit)... For the record, I am no programmer either (rather on the XHTML/CSS side) : there’s no automatic link between coding skills and fast-lane learning MODx, though it helps not to be afraid to dig into it Being curious, and a taste for experimentation might be the best key to MODx if I can sum it up.

Anyway, you can sure count on the community to help you, the forums are very vital and nice indeed and we do everything we can to keep it that way (not always easy with the growth of the community but yes the good spirit is communicative 90% of the case ). Last but not least, the team is pretty open to suggestions and quick to spot talents... MODx might be bleeding edge, but IMHO its most definite advantage is the people behind the scenes My, that sounded like pep talk, self satisfaction or bragging but I really believe and mean it !

Im shure it could take months, maybe years to get into this and polishing it to the very extent. But i know myself very well, and i learn best by practise and by seeing what others do and how they do it. That is what is so unique about this forum, people here are - for the most part - really good to make themself understood! Ive even seen video tutorials in the blogs, that is a superb way of showing people how to do it, and what will happen if you do it.

Im going to try and animate what i have in my mind, il get back when i have an early version of it.

Given what you just said, I have no doubt it’ll work out quite fast

beryl,

I have done this to some extent with ppp, eform, and a modified hyperflexSearch. Send me a PM and we can see if we can work together on it. (My goal is to build a much better CommunityBuilder for MODx).

Chuck

I couldn find ppp until "prowebscape" showed me a link.
Seems like this is the deal, i will be writing and learning how it works.
I´l be writing in this thread when i have learned more.