As we are slowly approaching the release date for Mys v1.3.3, I've completed the one last new feature planned for the new version of the script. This one is a customizable sidebar system, which makes uses of the new GUI/Module system I have implemented two months ago.
Before we get into serious business, lemme first introduce a minor change to the site links manager in ACP. Those links were just for navlinks in dropdown menu for Mys v1.3.2 or earlier, but now you can specify the links to be sidebar links. So yes, it is possible for admins to customize sidebar links through ACP, the screenshot below shows how it is supposed to work:
[image unavailable]
Simple isnt it? Another minor improvement is that you can order those links manually by filling in the link order field. The old script orders links simply through ID, but its inflexible. This time, all you have to do move a link up is to give it a lower number in link order, as links are sorted through ascending method. It may be a bit difficult to explain in words, but you can play with it to see how it works out for your site.
Now lettuce get into the main topic, the customizable modular sidebar system for Mys v1.3.3. With this, you can determine which modules will show up in sidebar and their corresponding orders. You may specify whether a module is visible to only members, guests, or all users, and you may enable/disable a module. The below screenshot displays module manager in ACP, which looks somewhat similar to site link manager if you ask me:
[image unavailable]
The first four modules should be familiar to you all, these are built-in default modules for sidebar. It is not recommended to play with them too much, although you can always change their orders or enable/disable them as you wish. Did you notice the last two modules that do not look familiar to you in Mys v1.3.2? Yes, these are new modules you can create with this customizable system. Below is another screenshot showing the process of adding new modules for your sidebar:
[image unavailable]
As you can see, there are lots of interesting stuff there. Other than specifying the order and status for your modules, you can enter HTML and even PHP code to allow your modules to work dynamically. HTML code should not be a problem for most of you, though specifying PHP code for a module can get tricky. You will have to get used to the GUI system in Mys v1.3.3 to make use of this feature, but anyway it is not that complicated and I am sure it will help many users here. Unfortunately, the modular system is only available for sidebar right now, you cannot define modules for header, dropdown menu or footer, as they just simply wont work. In future I will design a widget system that every component on your page can be customized with ease.
An example of customized sidebar with user created modules will look like the way below. It may not be a good idea to have way too many modules in your sidebar, as it can get rather long:
[image unavailable]
And this concludes my not-so-brief introduction to the last new feature for Mys v1.3.3, the customizable module/sidebar system. Starting from now I will be focusing on betatesting the script before it is finally made available to public. The release date can be as early as tomorrow or 3-5 days from now, depending on how many bugs/flaws I find within the script. It is my spring break now, so I may either begin working on Mys v1.3.4/v1.4.0 after this or doing a few Mods/plugins for Mys v1.3.3. If you have any interesting ideas to suggest, please lemme know too.
Have a great weekend everyone, I hope you enjoy what I've been doing for the script.
Hall of Famer
Before we get into serious business, lemme first introduce a minor change to the site links manager in ACP. Those links were just for navlinks in dropdown menu for Mys v1.3.2 or earlier, but now you can specify the links to be sidebar links. So yes, it is possible for admins to customize sidebar links through ACP, the screenshot below shows how it is supposed to work:
[image unavailable]
Simple isnt it? Another minor improvement is that you can order those links manually by filling in the link order field. The old script orders links simply through ID, but its inflexible. This time, all you have to do move a link up is to give it a lower number in link order, as links are sorted through ascending method. It may be a bit difficult to explain in words, but you can play with it to see how it works out for your site.
Now lettuce get into the main topic, the customizable modular sidebar system for Mys v1.3.3. With this, you can determine which modules will show up in sidebar and their corresponding orders. You may specify whether a module is visible to only members, guests, or all users, and you may enable/disable a module. The below screenshot displays module manager in ACP, which looks somewhat similar to site link manager if you ask me:
[image unavailable]
The first four modules should be familiar to you all, these are built-in default modules for sidebar. It is not recommended to play with them too much, although you can always change their orders or enable/disable them as you wish. Did you notice the last two modules that do not look familiar to you in Mys v1.3.2? Yes, these are new modules you can create with this customizable system. Below is another screenshot showing the process of adding new modules for your sidebar:
[image unavailable]
As you can see, there are lots of interesting stuff there. Other than specifying the order and status for your modules, you can enter HTML and even PHP code to allow your modules to work dynamically. HTML code should not be a problem for most of you, though specifying PHP code for a module can get tricky. You will have to get used to the GUI system in Mys v1.3.3 to make use of this feature, but anyway it is not that complicated and I am sure it will help many users here. Unfortunately, the modular system is only available for sidebar right now, you cannot define modules for header, dropdown menu or footer, as they just simply wont work. In future I will design a widget system that every component on your page can be customized with ease.
An example of customized sidebar with user created modules will look like the way below. It may not be a good idea to have way too many modules in your sidebar, as it can get rather long:
[image unavailable]
And this concludes my not-so-brief introduction to the last new feature for Mys v1.3.3, the customizable module/sidebar system. Starting from now I will be focusing on betatesting the script before it is finally made available to public. The release date can be as early as tomorrow or 3-5 days from now, depending on how many bugs/flaws I find within the script. It is my spring break now, so I may either begin working on Mys v1.3.4/v1.4.0 after this or doing a few Mods/plugins for Mys v1.3.3. If you have any interesting ideas to suggest, please lemme know too.
Have a great weekend everyone, I hope you enjoy what I've been doing for the script.
Hall of Famer