Actually this could/should be a generic documentation improvement inclusion for all modules but I though the brilliant new admin.module can feature this rather than via individual modules.

Would not be an documentation and ux improvement (especially useful after a module installed and after) to include flat text files such as README.txt and LICENSE.txt (-similar to the .info files fashion) into the admin/modules with php - file write: fwrite function to include somehow if possible?
something like...

<?Php 
$file = $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . "/README.txt"; //Path to README *.txt file 
$contents = file($file); 
$string = implode($contents); 
echo $string; 
?>

or specific info within the .txt with fwrite

<?Php
$file = $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . "/README.txt"; //Path to README *.txt file 
$fh = fopen($file, 'w') or die("can't open file");
$stringData = "CONTENTS\n";
fwrite($fh, $stringData);
$stringData = "Introduction\n";
fwrite($fh, $stringData);
fclose($fh);
?>

-an apology an warning :) I am not a PHP coder and above code just to explain the idea not for a 'code review'

Comments

yhahn’s picture

yhahn CreditAttribution: yhahn commented
Assigned: Unassigned » yhahn
Status: Active » Postponed

This is an interesting idea and would probably need to be worked into a more general overhaul of admin/build/modules.

Postponing for the 1.0 release cycle but definitely something to revisit once we start experimenting again.

ica’s picture

ica CreditAttribution: ica commented
Title: modules documentation inclusion flat txt files with php - file write of the README.txt and LICENSE.txt etc. » modules 'Documentation UX' improvement. Inclusion of README.txt - with 'PHP fwrite function'

you are right, my suggestion would be more appropriate for the admin/build/modules.
and as you point out since there is an overhaul in works on that regarding the UX, possible update.module integration etc. scope at the moment it might fit in somehow as an 'Documentation UX' improvement
I initially though about it but precisely hesitated for the same reason to add yet another one and i thought the new admin.module may integrate that.
-maybe i should submit this feature request issue to there i am not sure.

Another issue on this suggestion is not every Drupal module README files documentation is up to a desirable formatting quality, specific info within the .txt with fwrite may require a better and strict-ish README.txt formatting guidelines, which would be another improvement for Drupal.

sticking with the plain text file format and basic general text formatting TOC, numbering, reference etc.
there are many example guidelines especially of academic, open source and commercial software

I discovered there is already an discussion on this
http://groups.drupal.org/node/14523
and here is 'sun's proposal - (and your admin.module README.txt is also good example)
http://groups.drupal.org/node/14523#comment-48377

thanks