Blog Documentation Book a Demo
Vanilla 1 is no longer supported or maintained. If you need a copy, you can get it here.
HackerOne users: Testing against this community violates our program's Terms of Service and will result in your bounty being denied.

Back to talking about Poll functionality

2

Comments

  • timberfordtimberford
    "Then why not use the other software? It is a serious question. If you want ALL the functionality of other forum software, then I suggest you use it." i currently use phpbb but it is tables build and i'd like a css forum. if you could point me in the direction of a css forum with all the functionality of phpBB then I would be more than happy to go away and use that. i understand that you don't want vanilla to lose it's simplicity but that certainly doesn't mean there shouldn't be extensions for those that require further functionality. afterall, isn't that the point of the extensions?
  • BenBen
    I think the structure of vanilla is a great benefit. What other forum has that rearranged front page to show latest posts? That encourages people to post more because the ones they haven't read are flashing at them, so to speak.
  • KosmoKosmo
    If you can have the functionality of the bigger and more popular forums why not make the extensions? Why fight it? Now THERE is a serious question. I understand the Vanilla ideology perfectly, but if someone loves Vanilla simpilicity and soldi performance as much as I do, why the hell you go and tell him "oh you want a poll? Well bad luck but we don't want one, so go use some other forum software," it's just srange to me.
  • gigingergiginger New
    Maybe I misunderstood what some people said but I read it as being more a case of people stating it would never be a part of the main program but extensions are more than welcome.
  • KosmoKosmo
    Hell no, something like a poll, nor a calendar or any other unnecessary functions for a forum to work are not going to be a part of Vanilla, for obvious reasons. But what I don't understand is why people are against the poll extension is just beyond my imagination.
  • nathannathan
    edited September 2005
    I want a poll. I don't want it in core. I also stated that I can't understand why some people (no one in this thread mind you) want to make the switch to vanilla, if the are going to fill it with crap again. If you are simply 'duplicating' a feature set from the other forum software, why make the switch? That is all I am saying. I am all for the extensions. That is why the extensions are there. Lets move away from the 'should we have one' discussion, and start talking about how we make one. I like the idea of having it in the panel when you view that page.
  • timberfordtimberford
    one consideration with placing it in the side bar is that it doesn't give you much room... the other obvious place is at the top of the topic between the header and the first post on the page.
  • KosmoKosmo
    Yeah, I'd put it in to the sidepanel (the results not the answer form), it is just asking for more functionality based on the post you are viewing, and Poll is just the first one to come to my mind. But I'd like to see what the posters answered too, if that could be possible, maybe you'd have the poll answer thingies on the right hand side of the comment form so you'd answer to the poll at the same time as you post your comment so you can log the user answering and put his answer somewhere in his comment. I don't like the anonymitypolls since they just go straight to hell, you could have like 100 voters on the poll, and just 5 posts on the thread itself, which is aking a question "did they really want to answer to the poll, or did they do it just for the hell of it".
  • nathannathan
    What is wrong with putting it in the panel timberford? A nicely styled bar graph would look perfect there. How about we have something different. A pie graph/ chart. You don't see too many of those around.
  • timberfordtimberford
    i don't think there's anything wrong with putting the poll in the sidebar. I like the idea, I was just saying that there isn't that much room and was just suggesting another place the poll could go.
  • BenBen
    Community wide polls, that might not have a topic but just exist on their own, could be placed on the discussion page, at the top.
  • davidcollantesdavidcollantes
    The one thing I like the most about Vanilla is it's simplicity (and the fact that is fast, clean, awesome!). Adding polls, smilies and others of the kind will just add bloat. There are other forums scripts out there that already do all that, right? One extension that it would be nice to have is for attachments. But as an "extension"...
  • KosmoKosmo
    Well, I like the piechart thing, but it might need some sort of library, I used a JS lib when I did some work in school for my website, it could generate all sorts of charts. But it might go nicely on the right hand side of the first post explaining the Poll, I really wouldn't like to place it above the first post in any circumstance, and certainly not above everything in Discussions page, it gives the poll way too mcuh attenttion and "rule".
  • gigingergiginger New
    The PHP GD library can be used to output pie charts.
  • KrakKrak New
    If your only thing against phpBB is the fact that it uses tables, there are other themes out there for it that are pure CSS... Mike Lothar makes one (or more?) of them, and there are a few others as well... and you could always, make your own. Nifty pie charts would be cool, or a fancy bar graph like someone linked to (css graph). I dont like things that require the image library things, GD, imagick (or something) ... I dont have any if those. On my server or in my testing setup. Although I do like the things that they do, never felt compelled to install it all just so I can thumbnail an image...
  • timberfordtimberford
    "If your only thing against phpBB is the fact that it uses tables, there are other themes out there for it that are pure CSS... Mike Lothar makes one (or more?) of them, and there are a few others as well... and you could always, make your own."
    well the phpbb forum on his website is still tables... phpbb does utilise css enough that you can change the colours etc. and it is possible to write a 'pure css theme' but it is still a table build.

    i have written style sheets for phpBB forums before in my job. but it certainly doesn't have the appeal of writing a layout one for vanilla, which i'm really looking forward to.

    anyway back to the polls... someone mentioned about anonymous voting, i don't think it's particularly fair to force people to post a reply when voting, but i completely understand how frustrating those 'phantom' votes can be.

    maybe it would be better to have a vote history link next to the poll that shows the users that voted for each option. could even have that in a cheeky collapsable div that just pops open when you want to view it.
  • KrakKrak New
    The "Raid" theme is 99% css, only like 2 tables as the main structure... If you are going to force people to comment when they vote, why have them vote, if you have to read all the comments anyways? Thats my thoughts. I do like the idea of a vote history option. With the users name and the option they chose. --And I never said I didnt like polls, just never found much use for em.
  • nathannathan
    I liek the idea of seeing who has voted, but I think it is a bad idea (for privacy) to show what option they chose. The pie graph could be done using js, and if it ships with the extension, there would be no need for any additional ibraries to be installed on the server.
  • KrakKrak New
    edited September 2005
    \o/ for not having to install extra stuff
  • nathannathan
    :-)
This discussion has been closed.