This feature request proposes to change handbook pages on drupal.org. The proposal is to add "and view revisions" to the string: "Login or register to post comments." So the string would read, "Login or register to post comments and view revisions."

The feature request to make the revisions tab visible for anonymous users is currently marked, "won't fix." This is an alternative proposal.

Advertising the revisions functionality of handbook pages at Drupal.org is a good thing. It communicates the transparency of the Drupal project. It will likely function as an incentive for people to register at drupal.org and thereby help to get more people involved in the Drupal community.

Comments

David_Rothstein’s picture

David_Rothstein commented

This sounds like a good idea and a very reasonable compromise to me.

The only issue I can think of is a technical one. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that Drupal adds that exact same text to all nodes, yet we would want the text to be changed for book pages only. I think this might need to be done (most easily) via hook_link_alter(). Probably not a major deal, though.

Another minor issue is that I've always personally found the word "revisions" a bit confusing in this context, and now seeing it in a sentence rather than just on a menu tab, it looks even more confusing. I think something like "Login or register to post comments and view this page's revision history" might be better?

Shai’s picture

Shai commented

David, you suggested a different string, "Login or register to post comments and view this page's revision history"

I agree. I think that formulation is better.

I actually had something very similar to what you suggested except I used the word "node" instead of "page" -- so I ditched it. As someone with a long-term infection of "Drupal disease" the word "page" had faded from my brain :).

Shai

catch’s picture

catch
he/him
Primary language English
commented

That link is provided by comment.module, and when you log in, iirc, it takes you to the comment form. I'd be very much -1 to such a change.

I think efforts would be better spent on the contributions block.

IMO there's at least two issues it needs to address:

1. People looking at a handbook page can't see way to edit it (or add an extra page if they're not logged in).

Information about joining the docs team is displayed prominently in the handbook tree as sepeck pointed out on that thread, but in my experience on other sites with a reasonable amount of content, most traffic to these pages will not be via this tree - it'll be in and out of multiple related pages via core search or google - rarely down from the main navigation, and rarely upwards back to the main navigation.

2. Some people want more obvious credits for contributors to documentation. Some (like me), don't want their name plastered over handbook pages they may have changed a typo on and forgotten about a minute later.

Very, very rough outline of what might be in the block - would need to be shown depending on user permissions:

'Register or log in to comment on this page, see revision history or create a new handbook page.' - so similar text, but not in $links

'Join the documentation team to edit this page'.

'View contributors to this page'. - linking to something like node/nid/contributors

Block would be enabled by default, but optional in user profile. Right column, weighted just above the contributor blocks.

catch’s picture

catch
he/him
Primary language English
commented

And until there's a node/nid/contributions - it could be (Log in to) view contributors to this page with a link to node/nid/revisions. So all you'd need then is a block with some text in it, with some if checks for user permissions. Slightly more work than the string change but I think it gets us a bit further towards where we want to be.

Shai’s picture

Shai commented
Status: Active » Closed (fixed)

@catch -- Nat, I like your approach very much. I'll mark this page "closed" with enthusiasm for your other ideas. Work has begin on such a block idea and you should re-post your suggestions at: http://drupal.org/node/263767.

When you get to the other page, you'll see Michelle's suggestion of a humble way --without links, to include the contributors in the block. There is a query from killes there already for that function. I'd go with that over your contributors page idea. Check it out.

Shai

David_Rothstein’s picture

David_Rothstein commented

Agreed, trying to include this in the block makes better sense if we can do it. And I like @catch's other ideas a lot too (I followed up at the other issue).

For the record (if we need to revisit this one).... I don't think it's a problem that the link is created by comment.module. The text for anonymous users is generated separately from the "Add new comment" link for logged-in users. So if I'm not mistaken, a hook_link_alter() implementation could just modify/replace the anonymous user text only without touching the other one...