New online documentation

Quote from: RussLipton at Aug 02, 2006, 04:50 PM

Paul - OK, are you saying I could define the default value of TV1 to be another TV2 (that used a different widget)? I assume I would simply leave the widget value for the TV1 blank.

I must admit at this point that I’m not an expert on the whole system and don’t know the exact nuances of how everything comes together - I just have a grasp of the mechanics in overview and only investigate the specifics when I actually need to do something. In abstract, leaving TV1 widgetless would indeed seem safest but I believe there is a mechanism for getting the raw value as opposed to the "widget-rendered" value.
Quote from: RussLipton at Aug 02, 2006, 04:50 PM

Your binding example would reduce the chance of coding errors and simplify maintenance of data in one location that may be referred to in many places. Taking Ryan’s example of data inheritance and yours of data abstraction, would you say those are the two primary uses for bindings?

Yes, you’ve got it.

Thanks everyone. I think I’m finally starting to understand these TVs (kickass -- I’ll dissect your template later when I have a bit more time to see if I can REALLY figure it out).  Sorry this thread has gone a bit off-topic since my post.
So just to get it back on topic, I think a little more explanation of "TV’s for Designers" would be helpful in the Designer Guide section of the Documentation.

Basically, they are the same as the default document variables, such as [*content*] or [*pagetitle*]. These by default are empty. You put what you want for each document.

At their simplest, TVs are the same. You can create a new TV and just leave it empty. The TV gets edited for every document, just as its content does.

The difference is that you can give them default content (that would be like having the default [*content*] being filler text of some kind), and they have input bindings and can be connected to output widgets.

I fear I must be completely stupid. Is there an assumption that someone new to ModX is NOT new to using CMS?

I’ve been coding in HTML, basic javascript, CSS for about 10 years. My background is design-graphics and I have almost never administered a CMS or blogging system before because I cannot fathom the jargon, let alone the disjointed way everything fits together. I say almost because I have set up a customised osCommerce site and phpbb2 forum before.

Comparing ModX to other CMS I’ve attempted to use, I believe that ModX has what I need, HOWEVER I cannot seem to get over the initial stumbling block of where to start. I have been stepping through the tutorials and documentation but I think I’m missing an overall plan/picture.

The Content Editor’s guide, seemed like the logical next step after Installation and Configuration. Although the documentation explains how to use Modx features, it doesn’t quite explain how to create a site from scratch. It’s a bit confusing too when the terminology suggests that documents can become folders by moving a document or folder to a document. I have an inkling what is happening here, and I can’t suggest better terminology at this stage, but I hope someone can appreciate that the terminology doesn’t match the function and structure of what is happening. I digress though, what is more apparent is that one needs a template. Next I went to the Designer’s guide.

Nope, obviously ModX is meant for teams of people who know everything. Is there an easier starting point?

www.modxhost.com has some beginners info, but not alot there either.. this is discussed allready in numerous threads, but at this point of the MODx project the system is more targeted to developers and advanced designers who are willing to learn by experimenting. The docs will catch up when the project get’s more mature.. I’m also hoping that you’ll see a new wiki site quite soon to allow public collaboration to help with the docs issue.

Consider this a vote for the wiki.

This is really needed for the modx community to grow. I know y’all work hard on this forum to answer questions, but the search function is sometimes . . . um . . . lacking. And the sheer amount of info, much of it about former versions, can make it even more confusing. A well organized wiki with simple how to guides will go far toward freeing up the forum for more esoteric and intricate problems.

Wiki is coming sooner than later (hopefully this week).

Well I’m determined to get on top of ModX, then maybe I can be of some help with tutorial content, which is something I do professionally.

I’m looking forward to seeing the wiki, in the meantime I’m off to see what I can learn from modxhost site. thanks.

I haven’t checked the tutorials yet, but if your a xhtml/css guy, build a flat xhtml/css site first with one page for each different layout before you start building a MODx site. Use dummy navigation too. I’ve used this procedure for Joomla, Xayara, Textpattern and most cms template building. Once you get that down, you can start modifying these pages to convert to MODx templates. Do something simple first (just content & navigation replacement tags) until you get the hang of it.

...oh yea, I’m artist/graphic designer first, code guy second. Most of my sites are not too complex.

I’ve created an account in the Wiki system, but how do I add an article to the Tips section?

Andy