Edit themes from web interface
sparkguitar05 - June 12, 2008 - 16:37
| Project: | Drupal |
| Version: | 7.x-dev |
| Component: | usability |
| Category: | feature request |
| Priority: | minor |
| Assigned: | Unassigned |
| Status: | won't fix |
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Description
As much as a prefer Drupal over Wordpress, there is one feature in Wordpress that's an invaluable time saver. It has the ability to edit PHP and CSS files directly from a web interface.
There's not much that irritates me about Drupal, but one thing I hate is how when I edit a theme I have to download files from the server, edit them, upload them, edit some more, upload again, etc.
Having a module where you can edit files directly on the server would be an invaluable time saver and would greatly help new users who want to create their own themes as well as hardcore themers like myself.
#1
This type of functionality would make Drupal the absolute "Gold" solution in the CMS world. Personally, I can not thing of any one thing I would ask to take priority over this.
my 2 cents...
Cozmo
#2
Lets thing about cost/benefit proportion:
- implementation cost: huge
- benefit: poor
This are some reasons:
- To make that happen it should be opened a new whole branch to think about it (analysis & design) and then implement it (code, testing & feedback)
- Who want such a thing? Users who prefer to hard code a theme directly in production!?!
No body should ever be playing around directly on the production server (that's unprofessional and risky), so you always will have to make changes happen first in a development environment, then testing, then preferably staging, an lastly production.
It's just incredible how much damage a single and simple CSS mistake can impact on your end users (certainly it wont brake the site). Thats why styles (and all thing related with presentation) must be tested on your targeted audience's browsers.
Are you gonna make a change in a live server and then test if is viable for the browsers you care? Well, you shouldn't.
How frequently do you make corrections to your themes?
If it is a major change there is nothing painful about doing it in the developers machine.
If it is a minor change:
- should be isolated and infrequently (because you planned, designed, tested it in several browsers, and then published)
- if it is frequently you should ask your self what are you doing and why don't you stick with something for once.
Nevertheless, it would be an utopia, oriented to make newbies' live easier.
(But newbies can't remain being newbies for to long...)
#3
Moving issues from User experience project to Drupal core usability component.
#4
I thought this thread was about a WYSIWYG style theme editor, but as I re-read this I see it is not. I therefore fully agree with arhak. Actually, being able to edit PHP code or CCS directly, in my opinion, provides no benifit to the newbie and actually just opens up a new method for them to screw up a functioning system.
#5
Is won't fix ok in this case?