[dokuwiki] Re: FW: About the backlink button
- From: "Christopher Mc Carthy" <christopher.mccarthy@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <dokuwiki@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 7 Jun 2005 17:52:12 +0200
I'll try to finish reading the page you point to, however I'd just like
to say that IMHO a wiki is *not* a standard website - consequently there
is much less of a 'social contract' (as Krug puts it) with users. IMHO
it all depends on the community using the wiki, and the purpose of the
wiki. Also remember that someone has to set up a wiki, so that person
will normally think about namespaces/navigation issues (and so may
decide on the structure).
I like the idea of a optional sidebar being available (inactivate by
default). To be honest in the couple of minutes of looking at your page
and using the sidebar, I actually found it semi-confusing - I don't like
the fact that there is a heading 'Navigation in DokuWiki' that does not
actually correspond to a page or a namespace.
I'm still thinking about how I am going to use and organise my dokuwikis
(plural), but so far I think I'll go for an 'index' page per namespace.
This brings me onto a couple of related things that I've been thinking
of recently (which have to do with navigation):
1. is it possible to have a completely 'exploded' index page?
'exploded' in the sense that all pages of all namespaces are listed?
Perhaps a new 'sitemap' button/function?
2. is it possible (through a setting, 0 or 1 for example) to
automatically generate a (an index) page for a namespace and list all
pages that it contains?
Another thing I've seen (but which requires changing some code
(documented)) is hierarchical breadcrumbs. IMHO hierarchical
breadcrumbs are better (for DokuWiki) because they show where a user is
and so help battle the 'lost' feeling; the current breadcrumb system is
superfluous IMHO because a user can retrace their route using the
browser back button (but of course this only works for that current
session?).
Lastly (just finished reading your page), I believe that a sidebar is no
longer really needed if the wiki homepage clearly describes (and so
links to) the namespaces it contains. Remember there are also index,
backlinks and search features to aid navigation.
Anyway, sorry for this semi stream of conscious (got to get back to
work, so I'll just have time to re-read this very quickly) but to
conclude I'd say/request:
1. include sidebar templates but by default use the current template
2. highlight last breadcrumb
3. allow admin to choose breadcrumb system (current/hierarchy) though a
preference
4. add a sitemap function/button (i.e. index all pages of all
namespaces)
(5. not sure about this one - make it possible to create automatically
namespace index pages - really not sure about this one!)
Voila, hope that helps (and I must get round to grabbing a copy of
'Don't' Make Me Think').
Chris
P.s. I like the new search feature ('matching pagenames')
http://wiki.splitbrain.org/wiki:dokuwiki although I'm not too sure of
the shade of yellow!
-----Original Message-----
>> Moreover, I believe I have an appropriate
>>solution for conventional (forward) navigation. See:
>>
>> http://jandecaluwe.com/testwiki/doku.php
>
>
> You mean using a sidebar? (I followed the link but don't quite get
what
> you want to say).
I'll try to be more specific. I believe DokuWiki out-of-the-box
has a number of issues with respect to navigation. I describe
those issues in detail here:
http://jandecaluwe.com/testwiki/doku.php/navigation:issues
Further on that site, you also find my proposed solution. An
important part of that solution is indeed a sidebar template.
The point I try to make is that the solution provides enough
conventional navigation methods so that there's no need
for special, uncommon ones anymore.
Regards, Jan
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