Metadata-Version: 1.0
Name: redturtle.custommenu.factories
Version: 0.2.0b
Summary: Customize the Plone "add portal content" menu
Home-page: http://svn.plone.org/svn/collective/redturtle.custommenu.factories
Author: RedTurtle Technology
Author-email: luca.fabbri@redturtle.net
License: GPL
Description: Summary
        =======
        
        This product make possible the customization of the Plone "*Add new...*" menu, commonly filled
        from the Plone available content types.
        
        This is designed for avoiding useless content types but, at the same time, help UI experience of
        non-technical users.
        
        This product has been tested on **Plone 3.3** and **Plone 4**.
        
        You can use this to add new non-standard stuff to the menu (like Javascript links). See below.
        
        Idea behind this
        ================
        
        The case is related to developed content types that gets added to Plone only for *usability* enhancements.
        
        One example: have you ever used Plone4ArtistsVideo, or `collective.flowplayer`__?
        In those products users that want to add new video to a site must use the "*Add new...*" menu and select
        the *File* content.
        
        __ http://pypi.python.org/pypi/collective.flowplayer
        
        So the editor (that is *never* a developer in real life... you must accept it) must know that when he add
        a new file, it magically became a video... This is not so simple to understand; also is impossible to
        understand it without a training or by past experience.
        Can't be better if the user could read "*Add new video*" in the menu instead?
        
        Right now the best usability choice is to add a new content type to the menu, or develop a new helper portlet
        that show some links like "*add a new video here*".
        
        In the first case, just copy/paste the original used content if enough (copy/paste the *File* content type and
        rename it in something like "Video").
        But you know... we don't really need those new content types.
        
        In the second case all is ok, but what Plone users know is to look at the right menu to search for addable
        types, not to look in a menu and *also* in another place.
        
        So:
        
        * user know that for adding new content types, they must use the "*Add new...*"
        * users often ignores the magic behind Plone (like the File that became a Video)
        * developer don't like to add new silly content types only to help end users (no, the are not bad guys).
        
        The problem above is related to the not-customizable state of the "Add new..." menu: the editor and the
        developer will be both happy if a new, fake entry could be added to this menu.
        Going back to the video example:
        
        * the classic *File* entry (that point to *http://myhost/mysite/createObject?type_name=File*)
        * a new "Video" entry (again pointing to *http://myhost/mysite/createObject?type_name=File*)
        
        This products is designed only for this or similar usability issues, however can help you to customize
        existing elements of the menu on context (for example: the action of adding a new "News Item" content in
        a folder can be customized to be an alias for another content type, but only for this special folder)
        
        How to use
        ==========
        
        Installation
        ------------
        
        Simply add the egg to your buildout, and re-run it. Remember to add also the ZCML overrides.
        
        ::
        
        [instance]
        ...
        eggs =
        ...
        redturtle.custommenu.factories
        ...
        
        zcml =
        ...
        redturtle.custommenu.factories
        redturtle.custommenu.factories-overrides
        ...
        
        After this, install the new product in Plone.
        
        Uninstallation
        --------------
        
        You can *reinstall* the products safely without lose any customization data.
        If you *uninstall* it, all customization will be removed from your Plone site, leaving no garbage
        behind.
        
        Customize the menu
        ------------------
        
        In your "Add new..." menu you'll find a new "*Customize menu...*" entry. This will lead you to a
        form where you must enable customization feature on the current context.
        After this you can use the a customization form where you can manage local menu changes.
        
        .. figure:: http://keul.it/images/plone/redturtle.customizemenu.factories1.png
        :align: left
        
        The used *context* is always the *container* where you can find the context, or the context itself if it's
        a container.
        
        for every new entry you can/must fill this informations:
        
        `id`
        Enter here a string to be used to add an HTML id attribute to the new element. You can not provide
        it, but if you use an already existing ids, the new one will override the old.
        In this way you can *replace* one of the native (or inherited) menu entry with a new ones.
        `name`
        Required.
        Provide the string to be used for displaying the new element.
        `description`
        The description is used to provide a tooltips hovering the element.
        `icon`
        A TALES expression that can be used to give an icon to the new element (very common).
        `condition`
        A TALES condition expression. If not provided, the new element is added to the menu. In provided
        it is evaluated as True or False, so the element is displayed or not.
        `URL`
        Required.
        A TALES expression used to render the HREF attribute on the link in the element. You have total freedom
        here: you can also render a string as "*javascript:...*" to provide some Javascript features.
        
        Also you can inherit the customization done in the site root everywhere in the site, adding this to all
        other customizations. You can also locally block the inherit of root customization but you can also make
        new menu elements defined in the root available only in the root itself.
        
        Also, you can give a right *id* to new entries not only to override menu element from Plone normal
        behaviour, but also for change a customization done in the site root.
        
        .. figure:: http://keul.it/images/plone/redturtle.customizemenu.factories2.png
        :align: left
        
        TALES expressions
        -----------------
        
        In the TALES expression above, you can use those variables:
        
        `context`
        The current context, as Plone normal meaning
        `container`
        The container of the current context, or the context itself if the context is a container. This is
        useful when writing expression that keep in mind the default document in a folder.
        `portal_url`
        The *portal_url* tool, taken from the Plone site.
        
        Examples and advanced features
        ------------------------------
        
        Take a look to the README.txt file included to see some examples and to discover what this products can
        do in your Plone site.
        
        TODO
        ====
        
        * localization
        * javascript features for managing entries
        * code needs refactoring
        * think about inherit customizations not only from portal root
        
        Changelog
        =========
        
        0.2.0b - (2010-02-17)
        ---------------------
        
        * now local customizations must be enabled and disabled per-context
        * fixes to XHTML structure and validation
        * fixed CSS class names to be camelCase as Plone does
        * added tests
        * fixed templates to be test compatible
        * fixed a bug on entry deletion
        * added missing check on required element for entries (in facts were optional)
        * added egg support for z3c.autoinclude
        * now False condition for an element with id hide inherited element with same id
        * added Plone 4 compatibility
        
        0.1.0a - (2010-01-04)
        ---------------------
        
        * initial release
        
        
Keywords: plone menu factories customize
Platform: UNKNOWN
Classifier: Framework :: Plone
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python
Classifier: Development Status :: 4 - Beta
