[Gforge-devel] HTML Interface

[Francisco Gimeno]

Hi all gforge developers!

Sorry my English...

Recentenly I'm hacking a bit on Gforge code. The result is that is difficult 
because the complexity of HTML generation with Data management code.

Gforge interface seems cool. But when seening inside the code you can see a 
lot of horrible hacks.
The code of themes is awful. Besides that, if a bug is discovered in Layout 
and you have overloaded this class in your Theme ( yes, I think every site 
should have its own theme ), the patch doesn't apply to it ( just to the 
Layout ).

Now, release 3.1 has been opened... Roland thinks about using CVS Branches. So 
I think that Gforge presentation thing should be remake using the new systems 
availables such as templates or something like them. It will make:
- code more legible
- theme designing easier
- clean patches...

So, I think it's such an important thing that all Gforge developer have to say 
something about it.

Presentation changes are really a BIG thing. It means touching almost every 
www file. 

It would be a good idea that we discuss about these subjects:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HTML, generated code:
Great emphasis should be put into the standards compliance... what will we 
use? XHTML 1.0 ? transitional? HTML 4.01? CSS?

Contents composition:
Should project info be encasulated into Blocks? Blocks is the unit of data 
showed in the page. Examples of Blocks are: for user info: "My Tasks", "My 
Assigned Items"; for project info: "Developer Info", "Latest File Releases", 
"Statistics", and so...
Would be great if pages could be composed ( and the compossition administred 
via Web itself )

ACL:
Relationship ACL<->Blocks? ACL could be more easily implemented with Blocks... 
Blocks could be listed/registered into a Central Blocks Management code to 
support ACL and Compossition Module. 

Gforge Developer API:
Documents about HTML code -> The developers should know the "Gforge standard" 
way to make Boxes, Info, Headers, Free Text and so...
Could be interesting making this like an API, so others interfaces could be 
implemented: WAP, Avantgo, and so...

Gforge External API:
SOAP stuff, exports to RSS, imports from other RSS...
----
As you can see, a lot of things are implied in this proccess. 
But, in this way we can have a lot of flexibility... Just imagine that I made 
a Block for Projects that show RSS's... Projects Admin could put into the 
main page (Summary) of the project the RSS from another place of interest.

It could be interesting that external webs ( in the same host ) could call 
some of this blocks... Just imaging, I want to show in the WebPage of a 
project ( http://project.mygforgesite.org ) some information of a GForge 
Block. ( it could be the Statistics of the project, or File Releases... )
The actual system is a bit horrible ( HTML is generated by cron and yoou have 
to embed into your page... )

Yours,
        Francisco Gimeno <address@hidden>

Comments are really welcome!