Thread

I have just made a fresh local installation to understand some new features, mainly Pages Module and Category Custom Fields.
I have looked into the use guide for explanations about it, which cover the how to.

What I am looking for is a more general overview about these two features (advantages, meet functionality, etc) and may be some examples to make the things clear. I did not found any thing in the forum, except this great tutorial i am going through now.

For instance i did not found how to use custom fields inside a template

Any pointers or explanations appreciated and i guess it should be the same for other users.

Errr…my tutorial is pre EE 1.6—so doesn’t cover either the native Pages module or Category Custom Fields.

I should actually update the verbage used there to clarify things…

No, your tutorial is great and clear. I understood it is not reffering to EE 1.6 (your post dated 11 apr 2007).
What I mean is that it is the only found about how to use static page and i would appreciate the same kind of explaination about Pages Module…

Using category custom fields is just like using normal custom fields - they just have to be in the right context.  For instance, in the {exp:weblog:entries} container, if you wanted to call a category custom field you’d have to place it inside the {categories} variable pair.  This is explained in the documentation at the bottom of this page.

I hope that helps, it’s only one place you can use them.  Let us know if you have more questions.  You might also look at this thread and this thread =)

And, of course, Pages Quick Start Guide.

Yes, I already read these 2 threads and as at the end I came to no conclusion on my basic question I tried this new thread.

My basic question is : is there an advantage to use Pages Module to make a static page as home page ?

The fine tune using special tags which are discussed in these threads will come later, after I get a general overview on the subject.

I am sorry but Vik explains right while saying:

I’m not sure yet what goes in the Body section on the Publish page when the Pages tab is selected. Is it the full html for a page - head section, body section etc? Probably not, because the page is supposed to be associated with a template. But if it’s associated with a template, what makes it different from a non-Pages Body section?

You can note that the following posts discuss if documentation is right or no, how to make some testing and so one, which is interesting but little bit far away the original question.

I am ready to go in such detailed discussion but first I need to know if I am going in the right way.

Yes EE is very flexible - and I appreciate it - but it is not the question now. EE introduces a new feature Pages Module .

By now to make a static page as home page I use a special template calling a given post, which is not very advanced but works.

Now I am asking myself if using Pages Module will improve the situation and would like to learn advantages, if any.

IMHO a good general example should clarify. But if it is not possible, may be it is interesting to know the reasons for the Pages Module has been designed.

Really at the moment I don’t intent to go ahead in the Pages Module as I can not make it clear without spending time - and I see I am not alone !

but many thanks for all the time to support these special guys !

Here’s the basics.  A “Page” is simply an entry in a weblog that you have pre-set which template it should use and have given it a special URL.

So, in the “body” you put only your text.  In the Pages tab you choose which template will display this information.

Now you could certainly use this for your homepage but using the appropriate weblog entries parameters, such as url_title or entry_id.  But it is not necessary - it is up to you for how you wish to manage that content.  I don’t really think that, for the particular of a homepage, that it offers any particular advantage.  But if you want to give someone access to the Pages Module, then that lists all the pages and gives an edit and view - and that may, itself, be an advantage to you.

The Pages module was designed because people wanted a way to set up “static” pages with their own URLs.  It’s been requested for awhile and was a clearly needed feature.  Not everyone will want or use it, or even understand the need for it.  I hope I have clarified some of the advantages that some perceive with this kind of system.

Let me know if you have more questions, I hope I am answering here.  The Pages module is really very simple, so I think it’s easy to complicate it and try to see something that isn’t there.

Thanks for the reply Lisa and sorry to come back late.

As a summary I quote

A “Page” is simply an entry in a weblog that you have pre-set which template it should use and have given it a special URL.

The Pages module was designed because people wanted a way to set up “static” pages with their own URLs.

I understand static page allows to build “classic” page using navigation links etc as a standard html page.

Of course we can do the same using EE tags. Can we say static page is a “black box” inside EE ?

set up “static” pages with their own URLs.

I do not see the possibility to avoid the .../index.php/... in the url

But if you want to give someone access to the Pages Module, then that lists all the pages and gives an edit and view - and that may, itself, be an advantage to you.

I do not understand what you mean

Of course we can do the same using EE tags. Can we say static page is a “black box” inside EE ?

No idea what a black box is in your experience, so I can’t answer this question, I’m sorry.  A static page means many things to different people - for me it means information that is published that isn’t updated all that often.  For info, a short biography about myself on my own site; information about a company on their website, etc.

I do not see the possibility to avoid the .../index.php/… in the url

index.php is a gatekeeper, it is *the* way EE knows you are accessing it, and it is the processor for the engine.  You have to run it and nothing in a module can stop that - if you didn’t hit index.php then no modules would know you were trying to work with EE at all.

You remove index.php and there are instructions in the wiki for that - but it is still processed. 

For the part you didn’t understand, a picture, perhaps?  Of my personal site’s CP.

Also see Wiki:// Pages Quick Start Guide.

Many thanks for the time and the explanations.
In the mean time I tried to make myself my personnal point of view on the subject.
As you said

A static page means many things to different people

.
Therefore it is difficult to discuss and clarify.

IMHO if the Page Module is a great feature - what it seems to be - it must be somewhere easy to figure it, which is not really the situation.

My suggestion should be to see it in action through examples (from users) - the best way to see which advantages to get.

For instance I appreciated the link Wiki:// Pages Quick Start Guide.

Jim, let me try a moment here.

- it seems to me that you are thinking of mysteries and black boxes because you are really trying to mix three different questions together.  Those I believe are:
—how to get a simple ‘html’ page for a home page
—how to get rid of ‘index.php’ in your url addresses
—how to use a Pages page

- For getting a simple html page as home page, you would edit the site’s ‘index’ template to have only the simple html.  You’d then need menus or links to get to the active ExpressionEngine templates for other pages.  ‘Pages Module’ would not be involved, mainly since you can’t over-ride the index template with it.

- For getting rid of the ‘index.php’ in your url addresses, there are methods in the Knowledge Base and Wiki for this, and many of us use one of them on our own sites (as EE does for this site).  You probably want to get the rest of your site fully working before doing this, however, as there are many ways to become confused with one of these methods active.  That is probably why EE doesn’t directly support removing index.php.

- What about the new Pages module, then?  If it’s not for making index pages, or removing index.php, what is it for, and what does it do?

—mainly, Pages allows you to have a url you choose, rather than the usual forced EE template url, to some content you want to publish.  An example would be http://your.site.com/about for an about page, rather than http://your.site.com/templatesname/about.

—the way this is arranged is by marking _entries_ with your chosen URL and chosen template to display them by.  You can enter this information either from the Pages module, or from the Pages tab on the right top of the entry editor.

—since Pages are arranged for entries (i.e. text entry with Body, and possibly Summary and Extended sections), the concept is slightly confusing.  If you just want to create a static html page, that html still needs to go in the Template you specify for the Page.  And in that case, nothing from the Entry would be used. 

—On the other hand, take the example above of making an About page for your site.  You might have some descriptive information that could change from time to time.  Then you could use the Entry fields for it—say the Body field for the main description text for your site.  Since you can put some html into the entry (or any html, if you configure so), you can format your descriptive text with titles, etc., all in the Entry editing, and never have to touch the Templatepage.

Ok, and hoping the above helps get the concepts into a picture.  And yes, EE could do better at laying these out…

Regards,
Clive