Forums not useable out-of-the-box: disabled comments, no forums
| Project: | Drupal |
| Version: | 7.x-dev |
| Component: | forum.module |
| Category: | bug report |
| Priority: | critical |
| Assigned: | Unassigned |
| Status: | active |
| Issue tags: | Usability |
Walk you through what happened:
1. Clean HEAD install, enabled Forum module.
2. Went to create a Forum topic, it let me enter all the node details and I pressed save but since I didn't have any 'forums' or forum containers, it wouldn't let me save the Forum topic.
WTF... Can we maybe add a default Forum called 'General discussion' much like we created a default site-wide contact category? Or at least not allow forum topics to be created until a forum or forum container is created?
3. Once I created my forum and a new forum topic node, I noticed comments were disabled.
WTF... Can Forum module possibly enable comments for forum topic nodes by default? I have a feeling lots of people will have to go back just as I did and enable comments on each node until they figure out they have to change the content type's settings.
#1
I agree, Configuring the forum module could be made easier by having a default 'General Discussion' forum created to start.
We should make them easier to use; especially by configuring common settings by default.
I also think it's confusing you can add a forum topic, when no forum exists. See related issue: #221527: Don't show Create Forum topic (node/add/forum) when there isn't a forum
However, I didn't see your number 3: that comments were disabled by default?
Do you mean that permissions don't allow forum creation by authenticated users by default? That probably won't be changed.
Not sure I understand 3.
#2
Add usability tag so other Usability team people can find this.
#3
I just tested this out on a fresh install and was able to replicate #2. After enabling forum and attempting to add a new forum post, I received the validation error message that "Forums field is required."
Next, I added a term to my Forums vocabulary and was able to post without an error message.
After this, I tried to reproduce the error message "Forums field is required" by deleting the term I had added to my Forums vocabulary. However, when I clicked "edit" under Operations (screenshot attached), I am sent to the page listing all content tagged with that term. There doesn't appear to be any way to delete the forum taxonomy terms after you add them.
Finally, in reference to #3, my first forum topic had comments automatically enabled.
#4
Sure, patch please.
#5
A related issue, but it'd be really great if there was a system-wide setting to control whether modules were expected to create sample data when installed so that beginners had less of an "ok, now what" reaction upon installing something? This could be used to decide whether a single "General Chat" forum was added, maybe even an initial topic & comment?