Subject: Requirements for updated site

From: "Dave Page" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 19:34:11 -0000

As we have some newcomers (g'day to them :-) ), I'll outline the basic
requirements for the new site that Andreas has been working on:

1) Should be multilingual for static and non-static pages.
2) The entire site must be able to be built into static HTML pages that
can be mirrored. 
3) XHTML/CSS compliant.
4) The page width should be variable.
5) All common code should be moved into global files as appropriate.
6) An interface must be implemented to allow easy translation of pages,
preferably without the need for the translators to know HTML.

That's it in a nutshell. Specifically, with the exception of the width
thing we do *not* want a new design yet - that can wait until the new
framework is in place.

Robert has outlined much of the todo stuff already so I won't go over
that again, but *please* we must coordinate any effort rather than have
various ppl working on their own on the same problems.

Any questions, email the list, or I'll be on the #postgresql channel on
irc.freenode.net for a bit tonight (nick: pgsnake) as well as Yahoo
(pgsnake again).

Regards, Dave.

---

From: Alexey Borzov <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 00:13:10 +0300

Hi!

> 1) Should be multilingual for static and non-static pages.

Looks like this part is working now. Although the l10n of the static (i.e. not 
kept in the DB) content can be made in a better way: using gettext or something 
similar. While the pages are mostly translated, the feedback messages in e.g. 
system/handleform.php are not.

> 2) The entire site must be able to be built into static HTML pages that

Looks like this part is working.

I only want to propose keeping English version in root, not in en/: most of the 
mirror sites will be completely static and unable to redirect to en/ if the user 
hits the root.

> 4) The page width should be variable.

The problem with the current code is that HTML is embedded in PHP. It is thus 
*extremely* difficult to edit it. Besides, files in system/layout contain not 
only presentation, but business logic as well (database queries, this kind of 
stuff).

I suggest either
a) Using a template engine
or
b) Creating HTML pages with *minimal* (presentation only) PHP embedded inside them.

Besides, can you give your opinion on sime other usability-related layout 
changes I proposed?

> 5) All common code should be moved into global files as appropriate.

Already done, I suppose. Although some of these global files can benefit from a 
bit of cleaning and commenting, I suppose. ;]

> preferably without the need for the translators to know HTML.

This can be done by using e.g. Wiki markup. But this will limit the layout 
possibilities.

Although I don't see a big problem here: translators will not need to *write* 
HTML, but just to translate the words between tags.

I'd also add another entry:
7) Robust admin interface. The current one does not offer any protection from 
user errors.