when a user notices that they create may pages that look the same, they should be able to make a html forms edit from one of them...

my idea for how is to use VARIABLE stye markers for different form elements, and to set that new page to TopicClassification=Template. then the edit script needs to be changed to notice this, and to render a forms edit page instead of the standard one...

similarly, you could set a next template topic to create a workflow.

Any topic that uses a template needs to be able to specify that it should be edited using the forms..

one example for a templatized page could be an extention of the categories stuff.. ( TWikiCategoryTable )

---

Some literal text
<select|{name}|{selSize}|{val1}|{val2}|{val3}>val1</SELECT>
<checkbox|{name}|{checkFlag}|{itemsPerLine}|{val1}|{val2}|{val3}>val1,val2</checkbox>
<radio|{name}|{itemsPerLine}|{val1}|{val2}|{val3}>val2</radio>
<text|{name}|{charSize}>Enter some text here</text>

---

then when you hit edit, you get a html form.. and there would have to be a 'special' way to edit the template form.

-- SvenDowideit - 11 Feb 2001

Nice idea, Sven. Funny, I noticed this topic when I was typing the new SelectableNewTopicTemplates, which is somewht related to this idea.

Related: WorkFlow, PoorManWorkFlow, GenericFormBuilder

-- PeterThoeny - 13 Feb 2001

I have started on a simple prototype of this where the template page contains html form elements that I replace with the entered info. (I need a quick prototype for tomorrow). Later we can work on making a readable markup like the one above. This is basically a generic version of the Registration script..

-- SvenDowideit - 18 Feb 2001

The next thing that we decided would be nice was to be able to flag that if a user wants to create a page, that it should be done using a template.. (This is more important for Procedure/WorkFlow pages..) so as a first stab I suggested that I add a new bit of markup

EG

• TEMPLATE:CreateNewProcess:BugProcess
• TEMPLATE:Process.CreateNewProcess:BugProcess
• TEMPLATE:CreateNewProcess:Codev.BugProcess

where is the user clicks on the ? the CreateNewProcess page appears with the new Page to be created using that TemplateTopic being called BugProcess

-- SvenDowideit - 19 Feb 2001

In the topic called ModularTemplates I "coined" (or thought i coined) the term TemplateTopic upon saving I found it was already in use...I will explain here how I intended to define the term as it applies to my discussion, and who knows maybe the ideas are related.

TemplateTopic: noun; any wiki topic which contains "active" information being used by a template ie: a custom view.tmpl has an = Warning: Can't find topic Codev.SomeTopic = variable where "SomeTopic" containes information needed for proper resolution of the variable in the actual template itself, the "SomeTopic" is a TemplateTopic. TemplateTopics allow for "on the fly" changes to components which are usually only accessable through modification of the "template," also creates an oprotunity to back out of "bad" changes via the back button where it was not possible before.

-- TravisBarker - 26 Jan 2003

Travis - feel free to rename this topic - it was a precursor for the current MetaData and TwikiForms system. I don't delete it though - I still think this approach may have merits especially for non-technical users -- SvenDowideit - 26 Jan 2003