Ability to create transparent links to admin console sections

[Alexander Obuhovich]

In-Portal can create links from one page to another. In case, when target page has <inp2:m_RequireLogin .../> tag on it, then user will be redirected to login page.

After performing login user will be automatically redirected back to the page, that has <inp2:m_RequireLogin .../> tag on it. I call this transparent redirect, since "login page" seamlessly integrates on pages, where it's required.

It's great feature for Front-end, but it's not very usable in Admin Console, since "login page" in admin console is a regular page, but whole Admin Console is a frameset of 3 frames, where "main" frame should display proper page.

We need to determine a way to create a link to an Admin Console page, that will force user to login to Admin Console (if not already) and then display proper page in "main" frame.

For regular page (e.g. user list) we can do it by:

1. passing "main" frame url in separate parameter to login page
2. use it that parameter value instead of "<inp2:adm_MainFrameLink .../>" tag on "index.tpl" template (where frameset definition is).

It's more harder to create a link for editing specific item, since it requires:

1. going to list template where that item is usually displayed
2. clicking on it (to select it)
3. clicking "Edit" toolbar button to edit it

Then editing could be opened in same/popup/modal window according to site settings.

I'm even not talking about editing catalog items (e.g. links, articles), since it's ajax-based list there and things become more complicated.

--
Best Regards,

http://www.in-portal.com
http://www.alex-time.com

[Phil -- wbtc.fr --]

this would greatly improve the admin-side browsing!

I do something else to bypass this actually: I use another tab with
admin tags in URL, to browse normally on website and edit pages. This
editing ability from front-end is usefull for slight changes and users
who don't need to perform any administrative tasks.

2011/2/19 Alexander Obuhovich <aik....@gmail.com>:

[Alexander Obuhovich]

I'm not talking about that.

I imagined this as ability to have "edit" links in emails form LINK.ADD events or so, where you get to newly added item editing straight away instead of manually finding that item's ID in item list in admin console.

[Phil -- wbtc.fr --]

oh, sorry the final feature wasn't clear in your post, but this is
really a good idea :)

2011/2/19 Alexander Obuhovich <aik....@gmail.com>:

[Dmitry A.]

Alex, are you trying to say you want to automate/simulate clicks in Admin?

DA

[Alexander Obuhovich]

I just want to have ability to create links from emails to a particular admin console pages, including item edit pages.

On Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 9:08 PM, Dmitry A. <dand...@gmail.com> wrote:

Alex, are you trying to say you want to automate/simulate clicks in Admin?

DA

[Nikita]

Sorry for offtopic, but when we finally will get rid of frames? Its
web 2.0 time already :(

On Feb 19, 9:15 pm, Alexander Obuhovich <aik.b...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I just want to have ability to create links from emails to a particular
> admin console pages, including item edit pages.
>

[Dmitry Andrejev]

Hi Nikita,

Thanks for your input!

Well, it's very painful process and we have tried going through it once (spent many hours trying) unsuccessfully :(

The truth is that we need to invest LOTs of time into completely new Admin interfaces. We've a discussion for this under Design & Interfaces Group ( https://groups.google.com/d/topic/in-portal-design/Mx6zqdQ7724/discussion ), but so far it hasn't been anywhere close to be finalized. The main problem we have a lock of Designer resources capable making our dream come true. I was looking for the pre-made Admin theme - there are some, but still need lot's of work on all levels, not only proramming.

We'd love you and others to join that discussion and express your opinion with good arguments of course! :)

DA

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Best regards,

Dmitry A.

[Alexander Obuhovich]

Yes, we tried at some point to create 3 divs instead of 3 frames. In this case link from left div (tree) were loaded using ajax into right div (main).

Unfortunately with such approach page is never fully refreshed (like when user presses F5) and so web-browser process eats a lot of memory on that.

Also wrapping all existing code (e.g. for upgrading a project) to work using new scheme was pretty hard. Although that wrapping process was successful, when we implemented a "modal window" approach, where divs with iframes in them were opened instead of new popup windows and all window management interface was kept the same.