So the description used to be :

To create a new content type, enter the human-readable name, the machine-readable name, and all other relevant fields that are on this page. Once created, users of your site will be able to create posts that are instances of this content type.

So I am up for removing this, for the following reasons:

- All sounds a bit like, please fill out this form.
- Posts that are instances of this content type? Sounds rather cryptic, and isn't true since you have to set the permission.
- I think removing this is better then improving it, lets get them to just create the content type.

CommentFileSizeAuthor
#18 contenttypedesc.patch1.15 KByoroy
#10 content_type_desc_before.png26.82 KBarianek
#10 content_type_desc_after.png23.31 KBarianek
#10 content_type_desc.patch1.28 KBarianek
#8 content_type_desc_before.png26.82 KBarianek
#8 content_type_desc_after.png33.87 KBarianek
#6 content_type_desc.patch1.43 KBarianek
description.remove.content.type_.add_.patch1 KBBojhan
After-Content-types.png10.65 KBBojhan
Before-Content-types.png20.53 KBBojhan

Comments

catch’s picture

catch
he/him
Primary language English
commented
Status: Needs review » Reviewed & tested by the community

Makes sense to me, if anything we could have a help icon which goes to an explanation of how to use content types properly etc., but that's not here, and shouldn't be on the page anyway.

webchick’s picture

webchick
she/they
Primary language English
Location Vancouver 🇨🇦
commented
Component: base system » documentation
Status: Reviewed & tested by the community » Needs work

Hmm. I'm not so sure. I agree that the existing help text is next to useless, but content types are a very abstract concept in Drupal that people genuinely struggle with, and we could do with some explanation as to what they're actually creating in this form. "Name, machine name, etc" are not at all self-explanatory, unlike "Title" and "Body" on a piece of content. Furthermore, that observation about permissions sounds like exactly the kind of thing we ought to codify in help text, no?

Could we try something that's more like a definition of what a content type is?

catch’s picture

catch
he/him
Primary language English
commented

admin/help#node has this, can we get away with just a link to there?

Bojhan’s picture

Bojhan commented

I am a bit torn between, explaining the concept of content types and letting people just create one and succeed/fail. If someone knows a good description, I am surely up for putting it there - yet I can't come up with a good one.

@webchick Do you still think people will be confused, if we add an edit link on the /node/add page?

@catch we should probally have a link to that yes. Just found it, it does explain the concept - although its rather vaguely mapped under 'node' - which I am not sure if its really helpful.

catch’s picture

catch
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Primary language English
commented

I'm pretty sure modules can only have one page of help text each with hook_help(), so there's not loads we can do about that, however really the only place people run into real trouble with nodes is content type admin, so we could always shift that help text around a bit to start with that first. We also need to update the definition of nodes in D7 a bit - since they really are going to be more 'content' now, and less 'anonymous magical things you can attach different fields to' - because that's now 'entities' instead, but that's by the by.

arianek’s picture

arianek commented
Status: Needs work » Needs review
StatusFileSize
new content_type_desc.patch1.43 KB

I have to agree with webchick, it is useful to have *something* there (especially for newer users), but yes a description of what a content type is, and also a mention of the permissions issue seems most appropriate. Took a stab at writing some new text for it:

"Each content type is a different type of post that you can create for your site. It can have different fields, behaviors, and permissions assigned to it on a per type basis. Once you fill out the required fields and save your new content type, be sure to set the associated permissions on the Permissions page."

Undecided about the link to the help page, if so maybe throw in brackets (also referred to as a node) and link node to /admin/help/node (it's no longer at /admin/help#node). The /admin/help/node page is a mess btw (even a typo!), might take a stab at that next...

I'm a novice coder, so someone please double check with a keen eye, especially the array at the end.

Bojhan’s picture

Bojhan commented

Could you provide a screenshot?

arianek’s picture

arianek commented
StatusFileSize
new content_type_desc_after.png33.87 KB
new content_type_desc_before.png26.82 KB

adding screenshots

Bojhan’s picture

Bojhan commented

Lets remove "Once you fill out the required fields and save your new content type, be sure to set the associated permissions on the Permissions page." - we should not put this in the text. It should be a drupal set message part.

Try to avoid using post, we are trying to kill it out of our interface.

"Each content type is a different type of post that you can create for your site."

I am wondering if we can make this even more clear?

arianek’s picture

arianek commented
StatusFileSize
new content_type_desc.patch1.28 KB
new content_type_desc_after.png23.31 KB
new content_type_desc_before.png26.82 KB

Ok, I cut all that out and am left with "Each content type can have different fields, behaviors, and permissions assigned to it on a per type basis." Is that *too* sparse now?

Bojhan’s picture

Bojhan commented

Hah, it does look kind of funny now yhea - not sure if I have a good suggestion about it though. I think its really good, but it needs something before it.

arianek’s picture

arianek commented

"Each different style of [node/object/post/???] is a unique content type, and can have different fields, behaviors, and permissions assigned to it on a per type basis."

warmer or colder? also, i don't know what word to use now rather than "post"...

Bojhan’s picture

Bojhan commented

hmm colder, I will ponder over this some more later this evening - it seems to be the only thing that we have to work on for this patch to be RTBC'd.

http://drupal.org/node/501452 see Don't use section, for other suggestions.

arianek’s picture

arianek commented

Ah good link - "piece of content", only use post as verb. Got it! Will check back to see what you've come up with...

Bojhan’s picture

Bojhan commented

Each piece of content is a specific content type, and this content type can have different fields, behaviors, and permissions assigned to it on a per type basis."

yoroy’s picture

yoroy commented

"Each piece of content is of a specific content type. Each content type can have different fields, behaviors, and permissions assigned to it."

Can't help but think the 'on a per type basis' is largely redundant, esp. if we use 'Each' to start that sentence and already using 'different' before fields, behaviours etc.

catch’s picture

catch
he/him
Primary language English
commented

I like #16, except I'd italicize the whole of content type.

yoroy’s picture

yoroy commented
StatusFileSize
new contenttypedesc.patch1.15 KB

Agreed, spotted the same after posting.

Bojhan’s picture

Bojhan commented
Status: Needs review » Reviewed & tested by the community

Looks good.

arianek’s picture

arianek commented

yoroy - nice work, i like it! *high fives*

webchick’s picture

webchick
she/they
Primary language English
Location Vancouver 🇨🇦
commented
Status: Reviewed & tested by the community » Fixed

Great work, folks! Much nicer now. :)

Committed to HEAD.

Status: Fixed » Closed (fixed)
Issue tags: -Usability, -ui-text

Automatically closed -- issue fixed for 2 weeks with no activity.

Issue tags: +Usability, +ui-text

Restoring issue tags, see #2125755: System messages removed all issue tags during D7 upgrade.