Item2293: Webs should have sensibly parented Web* topics

The following topics are shipped in the _default web:

• WebHome
  • WebAtom
  • WebNotify
  • WebTopicList
  • WebChanges
  • WebIndex
  • WebPreferences
  • WebSearch
    • WebSearchAdvanced
  • WebCreateNewTopic
  • WebLeftBar
  • WebRss
  • WebStatistics

This makes a mess of (and intimidates new users who've been given their own) new webs where the site skin is heavily dependent upon navigation via topic hierarchies.

I propose something along the lines of:

• WebHome
  • WebTopics Changed 10/11/2009
    • WebSearch
      • WebSearchAdvanced
    • WebChanges
      • WebNotify
      • WebAtom
      • WebRss
    • WebStatistics
    • WebIndex (? these ...
    • WebTopicList ... two need rethinking ?)
    • WebPreferences
    • WebCreateNewTopic
    • WebLeftBar

The placeholder topic (WebTopics) should be a "dashboard" area that should present the range of functions available to the user in a logical manner. This might mean re-thinking the content and purpose of some of our existing topics (Eg. WebIndex vs WebTopicList). For 1.1, I think it is reasonable to kill/rename/re-purpose some of these topics. But I would like to apply some sort of solution for 1.0.x as well. -- Main.PaulHarvey - 10 Nov 2009

We could also set TopicTitle metadata so that human friendly (without Web* prefix) titles could be displayed when rendering nav

Need to reconsider choice of word "WebFunctions"

-- PaulHarvey - 26 Oct 2009

I am not sure I like this idea

The breadcrumbs would become very long with 1 or 2 extra levels.

I meant to say "every system topic", not "every topic". Sorry for the confusion. -- PaulHarvey

How will this help new users?

-- KennethLavrsen - 26 Oct 2009

Maybe I'm the only one with this problem, but if every system topic is at the root of the web, it becomes harder to make use of hierarchies IMHO.

New users are given a web that looks like the first attachment (although I've now corrected the template we use for new webs).

It generally helps if I re-parent the Web* topics to a common parent, then the user content (as opposed to system content) is much more ovbious, shown in the second attachment.

I'll package up this AJAX-ified breadcrumbs browser nav thing into an SlickBreadCrumbsContrib when I've got the drag & drop re-parenting working (thanks to ideas from SvenDowideit's SlickSitemapContrib).

-- PaulHarvey - 26 Oct 2009

• without_parents_hierarchical_nav.png:
  

• with_parents_hierarchical_nav.png:
  

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I propose the use of WebThis to parent all web function topics to. See also: Item2336, Development.CleanUpTopicParentage

-- PaulHarvey - 07 Nov 2009

We should use WebTools instead. The site skin should offer subscribe (WebNotify), WebChanges, WebSearch, and rss feed (WebRSS) links itself.

-- PaulHarvey - 16 Jan 2010