Hi Thyon,
I thought of something that I just wanted to get your thoughts on before clogging your feature request system with ridiculous ideas (I'd rather clog your message board with those ). It seems like a cool idea, but my gut says there are a 100 reasons that make this impossible/unfeasible/stupid/etc. that I am just unaware of.
As I read others forum posts, I notice people use the Catalog for more and more diverse and interesting things as time goes on and more features are added. It seems like it's not just a method for creating databases of items anymore -- it's really evolving into a method for delivering ANY type of template-driven content -- in essence catalogs are being used as a way to create custom backend modules without having to write code.
So I was wondering if it was possible to take this one step further -- what if, when you defined a catalog, you had the option (a checkbox that was obviously off by default) to show that catalog as a backend module -- in essence making it appear in the left column of the backend navigation -- where other custom modules reside when installed.
How I would envision something like this working is -- in addition to the checkbox, you'd have a text field to create the label that appears in the navigation, and finally another checkbox for "single-instance mode" -- so if you wanted your "module" to act as a single page of custom settings, rather than a listing of multiple records, you'd have the option to. When checked, clicking the catalog or "module" would take you directly to the single record.
Then, in user groups, where you already have the options to define access to catalogs, you would have an additional set of permissions that define what catalog "modules" appear to what users (not sure if this can be worked in to the regular module access settings). So you could uncheck a catalog but tick it as a module, in which case the catalog is hidden in the real "catalog" module, but still appears as its own "module".
The main benefit I would see is usability/simplicity for the client or end user. Most of the time going to the catalog first makes sense in context. But -- like others who are adapting the catalog for their needs -- I'm completing a project now for a client that uses the catalog module to update rainout status for baseball fields, list/manage a board of directors, and update baseball teams' league standings -- three completely unrelated applications that are still perfectly suited for the Catalog.
From the point-of-view of the user with no knowledge of the inner workings of the system -- who sees "articles, news, events, etc." all separate and top-level, to have other site areas seemingly arbitrarily grouped under this mysterious "catalog" section is a bit less intuitive FOR THEM (although it makes perfect sense to us). I admit it isn't a huge deal, but it would help simplify things, and greatly heighten the feeling of having a "custom" solution in their minds.
I realize this isn't your original intention for the Catalog, but in my opinion, adding this functionality, if possible, would be an ABSOLUTE GAME CHANGER for designers and developers!!!
Would the core even allow something like this? Is it a crazy idea? Unfeasible? Please bring me back down to earth! (I know, I need to pick up some more PHP and learn how to make my own modules -- I get that...)
Thanks for you time -- know you're busy...
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