Modules, plugins & snippet optimisation ?

Hello,

Modules, plugins and snippets are greats because everybody can write one of these.
However, this addons (addins ?) can make Modx become slower.
A way to limit this will be to create a charter for developers with good ways to make addons for Modx. (1)
And more will be to create a "label" for the addons would respect this charter to encourage developer.

(1) I think of addons internationalization : I have already many problems to format dates in french, UTF-8 and accentuated characters.
Also, I think of use of variables which consume memory (the php function unset() can resolve it) and time spent to parse the string with quote (") when it’s not needed.

What do you think about that ?

Regards

Quote from: Guillaume at Mar 09, 2006, 09:18 PM

(1) I think of addons internationalization : I have already many problems to format dates in french, UTF-8 and accentuated characters.

Lol, I raised a similar idea over in this thread earlier on.

Good idea, I’d like to see some coding guidelines - not really stringent but just a few best practice guidelines that could be followed - I think it would help beginner programmers to pick up some of the basics as well.

Just my thoughts, Garry

Lol, I raised a similar idea over in this thread earlier on. Cheesy

lol. I had not paid attention

And more will be to create a "label" for the addons would respect this charter to encourage developer.

It’s extrem I know, but it is to make react

If this idea can be interest, I think a subforum could be created to post pre released for verify and make suggestion about code.
I know it’s not easy to read his code to "optimize" it (I’m PHP developer )

Edit:
After suggestions, free with the developer to modify its code.

Hi, I really agree to this. In fact I did asked Zi, last month I believe, to pass my proposal about having a sub forum for 2nd tier users to start developing quality addon without having to sacrifice performance and etc. We can decrease this with peer review on that sub forum. I believe Zi forgot to pass my message to the core team.

Anyway, I think having a peer review will be great, but for now, I should believe that all snippets and everything can be released to the public, even though it’s not being reviewed for performance and security. All we need is to label the addons (like what you mentioned) with specific label that differentiate the different betwen well-tested addons and untested addon. We also need another label to differentiate the official addons that comes with MODx and the unofficial one. I see the benefit of having peer reviewed for newslisting, dropmenu, tinymce, and bla2, that currently being used actively by MODx users.

I would propose the name of the subforum to be "Project".

All new addons need to be posted inside the Project subforum. If it hs been reviewed, it will be moved to the current resources subforum. The reviewer will not only review the performance and the security part of the code, but they need to review the usability of the addons. With this in mind, basically we can review several addons that might be able to be combined together, instead of being released separately. It willalso ensure slexibility of each adons. Remember, MODx is all about flexibility, so I believe flexibility of the addons will be counted as well. We also need to review the popularity and usefulness of the addons. With all of this being sum up, we will have the right score to rate each addons. This score can be use internally or externally.

The use for inetrnal score will be to grade which addons that need to be moved on to the repository forum, or which one that still lacking on certain section, but it can be altered to be moved to repository. We can also use it to eliminate addons that can be combined with other addons to make a better usability.

For external use, it will help the end user to undertsand the current grading of the addons, so they know what they are getting. This will be a little bit controversial and make some users affraid to contribute their fabulous addons. So I would propose to use it internally only. Any input on this will be great.

Thanks for bringing up this topic Guillaume.
I believe if we are going to brought this into the surface, we will ned to have a clearly defined mechanism to rate the addons. We also need a dedicated team to do this. As we know that the first tier user (core members) has been working hard on the core system, while the second tier user, such as me, you, garryn, and most active users in here, can contribute to make a better extension for MODx, so people can easily get attracted by the wide variety of selection that we have.

Input or response to this will be awesome.

Anyway, I think having a peer review will be great, but for now, I should believe that all snippets and everything can be released to the public, even though it’s not being reviewed for performance and security.

I agree with you : I don’t think of blocking snippets and everythings to the public but asking to developers to put these in pre released ⁽¹⁾ (and accessible for everybody) on a dedicated sub forum, so that each one can download if it wants while knowing that it was not validated by the "Projects Team"

All we need is to label the addons (like what you mentioned) with specific label that differentiate the different betwen well-tested addons and untested addon. We also need another label to differentiate the official addons that comes with MODx and the unofficial one.

Great idea.

It willalso ensure slexibility of each adons. Remember, MODx is all about flexibility, so I believe flexibility of the addons will be counted as well.

I don’t understand "slexibility of each adons". I don’t see what you want to say about the addons and which flexibility there is. Could you give me an example (with NewsListing for example) ?

We also need to review the popularity and usefulness of the addons. With all of this being sum up, we will have the right score to rate each addons. This score can be use internally or externally.

I don’t understand the goal of review popularity and usefulness. It is very subjective I think.

We can also use it to eliminate addons that can be combined with other addons to make a better usability.

Good idea !! But it is necessary to be careful : NewsListing and ListIndexer resemble a lot but they’re not the same functionality.

This will be a little bit controversial and make some users afraid to contribute their fabulous addons. So I would propose to use it internally only. Any input on this will be great.

I think so and label must be presenting like a guarantee of quality : labeled addons will be most downloaded than other. It will have to be explained clearly that is not to promote such or such addon but to incite people to preserve Modx at the top with the addition of these addons.

⁽¹⁾Released Candidate ? but it is not the right word. I don’t how name it...

I still don’t get what the different Tiers of users are and I’ve been in on those conversations. Let’s just call ’em what they are be it "developers", "advanced users" or "end users".

I like the "MODx approved" idea as well, and I definitely see merit in a forum for non-vetted/in development code (maybe "sandbox"?) and for tested/released stuff as well.

@rtrash
I don’t understand well your text. Sorry... english is not always obvious for me.

I think a subforum is needed to post snippets and other. This subforum will be to propose code by developers (everyone who creates snippet and other) to get the approval of a Modx Team (dedicated team to validate snippets). This code will be not alpha or beta version. Alpha and beta will be downloadable in the "Modules, plugins & snippet" forum.
When approval is given, this team could indicate this into the repository.
This way will permit to have quality with snippets (and others) and it will leave the choice to the developpers/users to develop/use snippets non approved.

Quote
It willalso ensure slexibility of each adons. Remember, MODx is all about flexibility, so I believe flexibility of the addons will be counted as well.
I don’t understand "slexibility of each adons".

I don’t see what you want to say about the addons and which flexibility there is. Could you give me an example (with NewsListing for example) ?

Sorry about my bad typo. I’m using dell 700m, if you read the review, or if you own one of this laptop, you will understand why I make so many typo. (Hints: small keyboard)

Anyway, what I mean by that, some snippet will do just fine by having it simple and straight forward, but I can see that some of the snippets being released in here to overlap with one another, I can’t name them all, but I notice a few of them can be combined together. In fact, this shows that the flexibility of MODx allowing the user to make a different approach and build it from scracth with less overhead. This is part of having a dedicated team, to make sure that resources like this can be combined together and have the resources configured specifically for each specific task.

In terms about newslisting and listindexer, I can’t comment on the different, because I never use listindexer, but I can see the use of newslisting to multiple different specific task. By learning all the parameters provided by the snippets, it allows me to accomplish several different task, without having to look for another snippet that basically do alsmot the same task, but they differ in only several small part.

@Ryan, sorry about the use of second tier or thir tier user.
My only problem in defining them by name is a little bit longer, because consider form this list.
1st tier: Foundation members, Core developers, Core designers
2nd tier: Advanced users (developers and designers)
3rd tier: End user that requires a pre-built solution

Anyway, by implementing this, we will be able to attract more advanced user with our quality resources, and it will encourage our advanced user to support each resources that they build. Basically we will have a wider advanced user base in our community, which will help us prepared for the next step, to have a pre-build solution that can be used completely out of the box.

Hope I’m making any sense here, I have to go now.
Take care

The typo wasn’t the problem . I did’nt understand "flexibility". Now, I see what you want to say.
However, my opinion is not to intervene for the different approach to make something. On the contrary, I think that is a good thing to leave developpers make different code. With the evolution of each snippets, functionnalities can appeared.
On the other hand, re group differents snippets (and others) in sub category can help users to choice or to found the must adapted snippet for his needs :
Snippets
|_ Listing
| |_ NewsListing
| |_ ListIndexer
| |_ ....
|
|_ WebUser
| |_ WebUser Preference
| |_ WebSignup
| |_ ....
|_ ....

Is it possible to create now a forum to discuss seriously of "how write a Modx approved xxx" and write (after) a post with all recommendations, and to continue this conversation on what the team of validation should do or not in this thread ?

Quote from: rthrash at Mar 10, 2006, 04:06 PM

I like the "MODx approved" idea as well, and I definitely see merit in a forum for non-vetted/in development code (maybe "sandbox"?) and for tested/released stuff as well.

Ohhh, can we please have a sandbox forum? I, for one, would love to have a place to post pre-release versions of code. Some of my development stuff could really do with thorough testing before it gets released to the populous and a place to be able to post pre-releases and get feedback is something that I would find as a real benefit to the community. Also, it would be great to be able to tie up with people developing similar stuff so we’re not duplicating effort anywhere, and the potential of combining various efforts right at the development stage to deliver more powerful end products.
Quote from: Guillaume at Mar 11, 2006, 11:32 PM

On the other hand, re group differents snippets (and others) in sub category can help users to choice or to found the must adapted snippet for his needs

I think that this will become easier when the main module, plugins and snippets Repository gets set up as this will provide all the necessary functions needed for people to be able to better find resources.

Just my thoughts, Garry