Posted by AriX on December 10, 2007 at 2:30am
8 followers
| Project: | Drupal core |
| Version: | 6.x-dev |
| Component: | install system |
| Category: | task |
| Priority: | normal |
| Assigned: | Unassigned |
| Status: | closed (fixed) |
Issue Summary
The default value for the Site Name during the configuration process should not be Drupal, when a field has a default it makes people think that they shouldn't change it.
Comments
#1
+1
Great catch.
A default value must meet the following test: If the user doesn't change it, the default serves as a good choice for many, if not most, use cases.
In this case "Drupal" makes no sense as a title for ANY web site except for Drupal.org. The user should be forced to pick a name with the help of some help text.
#2
Maybe the easiest solution to this is to maintain the default there, but one that announces itself more boldly as requiring change like "Put your site's name here." If the person doesn't change it, when they go to their home page they'll see "Put your site's name here" and it will be obvious they have to fix it.
This solution may not be that elegant, but it seems to be one that could get in to Drupal core quickly.
#3
We don't do things like "Put your site's name here.". We already have label for the form element, which should inform users properly.
#4
Gabor,
I think a better solution than what I said in #2 would be for the field to be empty in the form but validated as a required field, so that the person installing the site would get an error message saying "site name is a required field" should they not fill it in. This validation would force them to read the label that they may not have noticed.
I don't understand how having the word "Drupal" as a default in that field is any better than putting "Put your site's name here." When unchanged, they are both wrong, it's just that the latter is more obviously wrong and therefore more likely to get the attention of of the person sooner. But I much prefer no value being placed there as a default.
Though AriX's sampling was only three people, all three responded the same way. I'm confident that if we did a larger sampling we'd find a significant number of people having this problem. The point is, the label isn't all that effective.
You might respond, "I don't run in to sites that have the site name listed as 'Drupal.' So people must figure it out." Yes, but it is also likely that many give up before publishing their site. This is just one small, but valid, usability issue. Together with other UI improvements, this kind of change will surely contribute to Drupal being easier to use.
Shai
#5
Changing title to match the task. I like this idea. I think to make sure this is better before we change it would be useful to do some validation of the alternative.
To remove that default, edit sites/default/settings.php and remove the default_form_alter function from profiles/default/default.profile (sorry, it's hard for me to create patches now). Then we can show that screen to a few people and see if it is confusing or not deciding what to put in that field.
#6
The attached patch removes the form alter from the default profile and borrows the site name description from the "Site information" page.
#7
I like keith.smith's idea & patch
While I don't think the description is completely necessary, I think the field not having a default is :)
#8
I would prefer to keep some sort of default if at all possible. Attached patch uses $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] as the default, which should be acceptable for most sites.
-1 to adding worthless descriptions to form elements.
#9
This should be set at install-time, not post-install.
#10
#8 is a great idea, applies cleanly, works fine.
#11
Thanks, committed.
#12
Automatically closed -- issue fixed for two weeks with no activity.