Feature Proposal: Default topics that handle admin topics

Motivation

When I install Foswiki for clients, the first thing I do is clean up and organize the "web admin topics" vs everything else. I'd love for the default to handle this.

Description and Documentation

I re-do the _default web in several ways:

• a WebAdmin topic that lists all Web* topics in the current web
• A WebTools topic that contains the list that has previously been at the bottom of WebHome
• WebHome doesn't have a list of utilities in it
• WebLeftBar contains a link to WebTools
• All Web* topics are parented by WebAdmin

Examples

WebAdmin

%METASEARCH{
    type="parent"
    web="%WEB%"
    topic="%TOPIC%"
    format="   * [[$topic]]"
  }%

example in situ

WebTools

   * WebTopicList - all topics in alphabetical order
   * WebChanges - recent topic changes in this web
   * WebNotify - subscribe to an e-mail alert sent when topics change
   * WebRss, WebAtom - RSS and ATOM news feeds of topic changes %IF{"istopic '%STATISTICSTOPIC%'" then="
   * %STATISTICSTOPIC% - listing popular topics and top contributors"}%
   * WebPreferences - preferences of this web

example in situ

WebHome

example in situ

Impact

• Better organization
  • All "adminish" topics organized together, listed together, with shared parent topic
  • Web Tools on their own page; editing of WebHome no longer makes this list disappear!

• No more orphaned topics as shipped
  • example in situ

• Obvious naming convention: Web* topics are administrative

No impact on existing installations or webs.

WhatDoesItAffect:

Implementation

-- Contributors: VickiBrown - 05 Apr 2014

Discussion

I think the line between WebTools and WebAdmin may be a bit fuzzy. Some that you list as Admin I'd be more likely to classify as tools.

However rather than searching for Web* or require a "fixed determination", your proposal fits well with AddFormToAllDistributedTopics. Rather than hard coding the association, if each topic had a form associated, then it could be categorized as a Tool or Administration topic. The WebTools then just searches for topics with Catetory="WebTools" etc. An admin who wants to adjust where a topic shows up edits the form and chooses a different category from the drop-down.

Generally though I think it's a decent idea. This looks like a good one for you to put yourself down as CommittedDeveloper for, an set a DateOfCommitment. Create the topic: VickiBrownWouldLikeToCheckIn to get commit access to the repository.

-- GeorgeClark - 05 Apr 2014

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