Help document the Panels 2 API
| Project: | Google Highly Open Participation Contest (GHOP) |
| Component: | Task idea |
| Category: | task |
| Priority: | normal |
| Assigned: | Unassigned |
| Status: | reviewed & tested by the community |
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This is task #1 of a two task project to document the extensive API in Panels 2. This task requires you to research and document the following sections of the Panels 2 API:
1) How to create a module that can use Panels 2 displays (such as the panels_node.module does) -- in particular it requires documenting how you use the panels_edit(), panels_edit_layout() and panels_edit_layout_settings().
2) How to create new layouts in a module, using hook_panels_layouts()
3) How to create new content types in a module, using hook_panels_content_types().
Documenting this might require searching through the Panels 2 code looking for module_invoke and $function() calls; the two hooks described above return a packet of data, and much of that data are pointers to functions that can be called. Describing that data and how those additional functions are used are key here.
Documentation provided should be placed here in this wiki: http://groups.drupal.org/node/7678
#1
#2
My feedback:
1) Needs resources in order to be even approachable by a student. If you're available to mentor, that would help.
2) I don't have very much experience with panels 2, but I have a feeling that this task wouldn't take a student very long, as they don't actually have to do it, they just have to explain how to.
3) Overall a moderately interesting task, especially for the documentation category of GHOP, as that often contains the least interesting tasks.
-cwgordon7
#3
Yes, I'm available as a resource to mentor. Maybe not a good mentor but no one else can.
I think it will take longer than you think, just because there's a fair bit of spaghetti in the Panels internals that every time I try to clean up, I seem to make worse. Keep in mind that each of these hooks has a packet of data, including several callback definitions that must be defined, plus a basic understanding of the context system and arguments and how they interact with content types. It's more complex than it sounds (or I would already have written this document =)
I definitely need to list the resources -- where panels module is at, at least. I'm not sure what other resources are available for this, since mostly this is: Study code, write outline, flesh out outline.
#4
Ok, you probably know the code much better than I do; if you add a list of available resources or ideas to help get started (Example: drupal's API module)(I have no idea if this would work, it's just an example), to your description, then this is a nicely-packaged interesting task that would appeal to many GHOP students who have experience with panels.
Marking as ready-to-be-committed (with webchick's permission).
-cwgordon7
#5
not exactly GHOP anymore, but panels documentation would still be nice. I updated http://groups.drupal.org/node/7678 with a skeleton full of ignorance :-) As I start using it, I'll try to add what I discover.