>At 3:00 AM -0700 5/13/98, Bill Berry wrote: >>I wish the html-side of Frontier were focused on >>giving us what we need. Without that, I don't see how it's going to work. > >I've been hearing two things: better support for JavaScript and support for >CSS. > >What else do you need? (I'm sure the list is longer than JavaScript and >CSS, because I know my personal wish list is longer than that.)

Let's see:

1. CSS. I'm just completing an entire site using CSS and love it!

2. Java and VB scripting, including the ability to, on any given page, name the scripts to be included, with scripts coming from a separate table. I'd like to have a database of useful scripts, and be able to include any set of scripts on a particular page.

3. Claybasket-style site outlines. I'd like next-prev-up-samelevel-down type links that mirror the actual structure of a site. And site or sub-site outlines that mirror *my* structure. To get that, we need to be able to set up a site outline that is followed for purposes of next-prev links, etc. At the moment, generating a next-prev list or site outline (or a siteline, for that matter) produces an alphabetical listing that takes folders into account. Each time I generate a listing, I have to manually move things around. That takes time and causes inevitible errors. Plus, the next-prev list goes in order without taking levels into account. In a folder, I'd like to have next-prev links in the folder only, with an ever-present link to the default page for the folder and the next level up. What's there now doesn't follow hiearchy, doesn't work the way the world works.

4. Well down on my list, but ... Frames. I invested a fair amount of time getting Claybasket to handle frames for me, but then Claybasket went into limbo so I dropped it. Haven't thought about where to begin with F5.

5. True hierarchy. We've discussed this lately wrt templates, but I'd like almost everything to work the way glossaries do. Site-wide templates, graphics, javascripts, etc., with local-overriding. This should be consistent so everything works the way we think it does (or should).

6. Solidity. This stuff should work consistently. A test is, can I give someone a table that contains everything they need to maintain it without having to remember the template in user.html.templates or other places. I care less about rendering speed than ease of setup and management. Speed is more important for CGI & serving stuff, imho.

7. Documentation. So the other day, I was trying to figure out how to use the #javascript directive. I went to scripting.com and looked around. Couldn't find anything, even though I knew there was something there. What I did find, after using the search engine, was a mention of the directive, a statement that it wouldn't be explained there, and something to the effect that when we needed to know it we'd be able to figure it out. Or something like that. It was accurate. I needed to know it and, through trial and error, I figured it out. Frontier is so complicated, so big, so grand, that it's hard to explain how to use it.

The HTML framework works fine as long as you keep it really simple. But what fun is that? OTOH, I know you guys are in development mode so I have no real complaints. This is only a wish list. I probably want some other stuff I don't even know about yet ;-)

Bill Berry

Enclosures

Replies