By pwolanin on
I just wrote a new module, and I'm looking for testers. I've not yet created a project, but it can be downloaded from CVS:
http://cvs.drupal.org/viewcvs/drupal/contributions/modules/volunteer_tim...
This is an add-on module for the event module, so you mut have event activated first.
I just wrote this for our Democratic organization to help with volunteer sginups for voter reg tabling. It defines a new content type where you can set up time slots where site users can sign up to volunteer. I think this should be useful for non-profites/political organizations. Unlike the volunteer module, this does not require CiviCRM.
Please try it and give me your feedback!
Comments
Worked Well for Me
I just installed it on a local test site. I liked the functionality and it worked with no hitches. Just looking at "view source" it looks pretty themeable also..
Thanks
Joe Moraca
http://www.moraca.org
works great!
This module is awesome. Easy to use. I like the way people can sign up for multiple volunteer slots, and view who else is signed up for slots.
Could not find any bugs. Runs smoothly.
I don't know if you are planning on developing the module further, but if you are, here are a few feature requests that I think could make it even more useful:
1. The ability for users with proper permissions to view a page showing all people that are signed up for volunteer slots. Maybe expose the output of this module to views so that users can create different kinds of views.
2. The ability to keep track of who volunteers, when, how many times, and a field to note what kind of job they did.
3. A customizable thank you for signing up to volunteer email, unique to each event, but with a customizable global default that prepopulates the form.
4. The ability to customize the reminder email, unique to each event, but with a customizable global default that prepopulates the form.
5. The ability to set whether or not the usernames of people who sign up are publicly viewable or not.
6. The ability for users to set in their account settings whether or not they would like to be publicly visible or not when volunteering.
7. The ability to send an email or private message to all volunteers on an event.
Thanks!
blue
Blue Cobalt
dianovo, inc.
http://www.dianovo.com
Blue Cobalt
http://livingparadise.org
Conscious living for a better world.
Interesting module.
Interesting module.
Based on my own experience working with a very diverse group of volunteers, I think it'd be better if these two features were combined into one simple 'send me a copy of these details' check-box upon sign-up, like the one currently found with the contact module.
Thinking in terms of keeping it as simple as possible and also to reduce the risk of anyone relying on thanking volunteers with automated form letters. For orgs that have volunteers whose main reason for volunteering is to meet people and socialize etc. you can easily lose them with too much automation.
thanks for the feedback
I think it's likely I'll implement that sort of "send me a copy" checkbox. I had thought about making such an e-mail automatic (and maybe the box will be checked by default), but it's better to make it optional.
Also, I'm thinking about swtiching to use site usernames (in an autocomplete field) instead of e-mail addresses for the organizers. Since an admin can obviously make an account for anyone who doesn't have one, it seems like this is a better option. Plus, the usernames can be validated more stringently and converted to the uid when saved to the database. In addition, having the organizers be site users has additional benefits (See below)
Finally, I'm thinking about adding an additional column of checkboxes on the far right of the signup form so that users with permission to administrator these events can remove individual volunteers from the list. Also, I might reveal these boxes for those who are listed as the event organizers, and maybe even allow the organizers (or just the 1st organizer?) to edit the node.
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Work: BioRAFT
good ideas
Good idea. Keeps it simple.
Oh, that sounds interesting. I wonder if it could easily be done w/ a sort of a ranking (weight) rather than a check box? This would allow individual organizers to select their 'first string' and be able to pull up the 2nd list when someone has to unexpectedly cancel. And maybe they could choose the equivalent of a 'weighted 10' ranking for the one or two incompatible can't/won't/don't work with for whatever reason.
Just tossing out an idea as it came to mind as I was reading. Here's the context: The volunteer org I managed had some twenty different crews each with crew leader(s). The crew leaders are golden to the organization and it was a challenge to quickly fill their crew needs/wants given hundreds of volunteers who logged hours in one-three different crews.
Cannot Create event with Volunteer timeslots
In my drupal site only the main user (first account created) can create events with timeslots.
Other users get the link to create it in the "Create Content" menu in the sidebar. However, when they click on it the "node/add/volunteer_timeslots" shows up in the address bar, but the "node/add" page only loads. Also the "node/add page" does not contain the link to create the volunteer event.
Has anyone ever had this problem? I have enabled all access rights for this module for all user roles, but it still doesn't work.
Aurian
a bug?
FYI, for anyone interested in this module, I did create a project for this and you can now download a tarball via the regular mechanisms: http://drupal.org/project/volunteer_timeslots
I'll take a look into the problem you mention- hmm, yes seems to be a problem.
I have it working fine as user #2 on our site, so I thought everything was set right. However, that user's role has "administer nodes" permission.
I posted an issue: http://drupal.org/node/84564, and I think I have already spotted the bug.
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Work: BioRAFT
The User can add .. but only in the Firefox Browser
The code works now. Thanks for the fix. But this works only on the firefox web browser. In Internet Explorer, the volunteer page works the first time, but if you click on preview before you submit, it loads the preview but after that the buttons "submit" & "preview" stop working and there's and "error on page" in the status bar which has the following:
Line: 195
Char: 3
Error: Object required
Code:0
URL: http://xyz.com/node/add/volunteer_timeslots
However, I tried submitting directly without preview and it works.
Some more info:
Browser: IE, works fine in Firefox
User: Has permissions to create and edit own events.
Error: click preview, the post shows the preview but now the submit and preview buttons stop working.
Oh, and before I forget, This is an AWESOME module. I use it on my MMORPG corp website. Lets users from different timezones and schedules play together.
Aurian
error, timezone friendliness
Well, the timezone friendliness is all due to the event module- I'm using that API and I just mimicked the code present in that module, so i'm glad it's working well.
As far as the other error, I'm really at a loss as to why it would not work in IE. However, I've done all the testing in FF. The line number you report doesn't make any sense as the source or the error (there is no object manipulation on that line). Can you open an issue for this, and we'll try to figure it out?
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Work: BioRAFT
IE error - on preview
Aurian
I am facing the same error u faced. FF works fine, but in IE, when the user presses the "Preview" button, it loads the preview - but after that the submit and the preview buttons stop working. The error is:
Line: 195
Char: 3
Error: Object required
Code:0
URL: http://xyz.com/articles/form.php
Any idea how u were able to solve this one?
PS: I think it is unrelated to this module(since i dont have this module installed)
Contact info
It'd be really great if there was a way to show the person's name and phone number, either on the page or as some printable/downloadable page.
What we're using it for is scheduling volunteers for our campaign events. But we need to be able to call these people the day before for a reminder call.
Having this info all in one place would be great.
--
Jenni S.
contact info
I'm confronting somewhat the same issue myself. We have the profile module set up with (real) name and phone# fields, but the problem is that since the field names are user-defined, it's hard to use them generically.
I suppose a possible generic solution would be to display the entire profile?
Drop me a line, and we can discuss futher.
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Work: BioRAFT
trouble w/ installation
Sorry to appear dopey, but I'm having trouble installing the module (which I'm very excited about, BTW). Apparently, the install is not creating the mysql table, as I'm getting multiple errors indicating that the volunteer_timeslots table does not exist. Can anyone advise?
Thanks, --Tim
uninstall, try again
By any chance was there an error during the initial install process?
Sometimes a module is marked in the system as being installed, but there is an error before the tables are created.
Try this (make sure everything is backup up first, of course): go into your database and delete the corresponding row from the system table then Drupal will actually do a full install when you activate the module again.
From the mysql command line, the query would be like:
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Work: BioRAFT
Yep, that did it
The DELETE and re-install did it. Works like a charm. (Really like the module, too.) Many thanks!