Plugins Need Categorizing

The Plugins web home and the extension index pages (AddOnPackages, ContribPackages, PluginPackages, and SkinPackages) list a TagCloud of the extensions. That makes it easy to find extensions by subject.

Please help categorize the extensions by tagging them. Some notes:

• Add tags of your choice to your extension and the ones written by others
• Please add also a vote to an existing tag on a topic if you feel the extension should bubble up to the top (in the tag search) / if you want to find it easily in your own tag cloud
• At this time, only a subset of extensions is tagged; that is, people will miss your Plugin if it is not tagged
• Please do not tag a Plugin as plugin, or a skin as skin because this distinction is already done by the topic name filter in the tag cloud (reserve plugin and skin tags for topics about Plugins and skins, respectively)

Proposed Tag Category for Extensions
Extensions:admin_tool	TWikiReleaseTrackerPlugin, TWikiShellContrib, DiskUsagePlugin, GlobalReplacePlugin BlackListPlugin
Extensions:authentication	AuthPagePlugin, FakeBasicAuthRegPlugin, LDAPPasswordChangerPlugin, LdapPlugin, LoginNameAliasesPlugin, SessionPlugin
(any tag that is a good fit?)	EmbedQTPlugin, EmbedFlashPlugin
Extensions:caching	VarCachePlugin, DBCacheContrib
Extensions:component	MacrosPlugin
Extensions:database	DBCacheContrib, FormQueryPlugin, XmlXslPlugin
Extensions:date_time	JSCalendarContrib
Extensions:diagrams	ChartPlugin, TWikiDrawPlugin, FlowchartPlugin, DirectedGraphPlugin
Extensions:editing	WysiwygPlugin, EmbedTopicPlugin, PowerEditPlugin
Extensions:email	MailInContrib, MailToTWikiAddOn, ImmediateNotifyPlugin, NotificationPlugin
Extensions:images	ImageGalleryPlugin
Extensions:export	PublishAddOn, MsOfficeAttachmentsAsHTMLPlugin
Extensions:integration	IrcLogPlugin, SnmpCommandPlugin, WeatherPlugin, WebDAVPlugin
Extensions:plugin	WtfPlugin, BuildContrib
Extensions:presentation	SlideShowPlugin
Extensions:productivity	ActionTrackerPlugin, JSCalendarContrib, DateFieldPlugin, WysiwygPlugin, WebDAVPlugin, CalendarPlugin, QuickCalendarPlugin, ChartPlugin, DirectedGraphPlugin, LinkOptionsPlugin, MailReminderPlugin SpreadSheetPlugin
Extensions:search	GoogleSearchPlugin
Extensions:statistics
Extensions:syndication	HeadlinesPlugin
Extensions:tracker_apps	FormQueryPlugin, ActionTrackerPlugin, ApprovalPlugin, XpTrackerPlugin
Extensions:version_control	HistoryPlugin, IncludeRevisionPlugin, RevCommentPlugin, CompareRevisionsAddOn
Extensions:twiki_application
Extensions:workflow	WorkflowPlugin
Extensions:wysiwyg	WysiwygPlugin

-- Contributors: MartinCleaver, ZenderChen, PeterThoeny

Discussion

http://wp-plugins.net/ does a much better job of categorizing that does TWiki's Plugins page.

-- MartinCleaver - 13 Jul 2005

sounds like an excellent opportunity to try TWiki's hand at FacetedNavigation, no?

-- WillNorris - 13 Jul 2005

I think that's an unfair comparison, Martin.

Many of the things that they do with plugins TWiki does as a matter of course. Now if you were to categorise the TWikiVariables that way, it would be another matter. That is an area where TWiki has a "lot of stuff".

-- AntonAylward - 14 Jul 2005

Anton, I was comparing the presentation of the functionality available in wordpress plugins to the presentation of the TWiki plugins. I agree wholeheartedly that TWiki has more functionality.

-- MartinCleaver - 14 Jul 2005

So at a minimum we need one or more categories for each plugin that we can then generate lists from through searches...

That would be a good first step...

Any takers for producing such list of categories?

-- ThomasWeigert - 14 Jul 2005

I've added to the list, but we have hundreds of plugins and addons to deal with.http://twiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Codev/SwitchingGears

I think these categories need to go into PackageForm else we have no guarantees to ensure plugins are exhaustively or consistently categorised.

-- MartinCleaver - 15 Jul 2005

... and that needs to be a 'ckeck-box' style, since a plugin can be in more than category.

-- AntonAylward - 15 Jul 2005

Hm, I guess a simple text field (PluginCategory or even TopicCategory) would suffice, wouldn't it? The table below would then have to be a cleverly nested search (kind of JOIN I guess) taking advantage of some spreadsheet wizardry.

-- FranzJosefSilli - 15 Jul 2005

Don't over-engineer it. The categories themselves should suffice to search. There really isn't enough data to justify anything fancier. Far better to spend time worrying about the categories, and what should be in them.

-- CrawfordCurrie - 15 Jul 2005

Why not display this as a nested tree using RenderListPlugin?

-- AntonAylward - 17 Jul 2005

ZenderChenSandbox has done a significant amount of work, but we need to eliminate the duplication.

Zender, would you like to take charge of this initiative?

-- MartinCleaver - 09 Aug 2005

I'm not taxonomist and I just want to quickly narrow down the search scope. My philosophy is quick search and somewhat different from the table at bottom. For example, CategoryBadlyNamed, CategoryDying, CategoryDead are of no use to specify the coverage and the eyeballs are delayed. My thumb of rule for the number of category is take the square root of total packages . Additional level may be helpful for big categoris.

My proposal is let PluginPackage provide a link to ExtensionQuickIndex and gather feedback if it really help people.

-- ZenderChen - 10 Aug 2005

We are clear that this is a really valuable exercise and appreciate your help on this.

I have deleted from below the categories you felt unneccessary.

To save duplicating the information in multiple places, I have added a ExtensionCategories field on the PackageForm and listed some of the categories on that field page.

I renamed some of the categories below from e.g. CategoryAuthentication to AuthenticationExtension : this list needs finishing

Zender, if you could please 1) finish the list on ExtensionCategories 2) edit each plugin/addon topic and put it into the right categories using your notes on ZenderChenSandbox combined with the list below as a guide. Feel free to delete from the list as you go.

If someone else could please create the ExtensionQuickIndex as a SEARCH this will greatly help Zender in helping us.

-- MartinCleaver - 11 Aug 2005

i started ExtensionQuickIndex

-- WillNorris - 11 Sep 2005

• CrawfordCurrie - 14 Jul 2005
• ArthurClemens - 14 Jul 2005
• MartinCleaver - 15 Jul 2005
• JChristophFuchs - 17 Jul 2005

I've replaced in the table above the "CategoryXyz" with "XyzExtension" as this more closely matches spoken language and gives us a better basis for PackageForm.

This initiative is blocked according Peter's 11 Aug 2005 request (see PackageForm). We are certain that this will be addressed "soon" as Peter said in SwitchingGears on 30 Aug that doing something about this is a priority. We are waiting on PackageForm for a clarification of what "soon" could mean.

-- MartinCleaver - 20 Sep 2005

Martin, good choice to rename the categories.

As far as my responsiveness, I am again bogged down with tasks nobody else is willing to do (even I asked for support). I can't be more specific on this particilar issue at this time. Urgent issues are preventing me from working on important issues layed out in SwitchingGears. Please give me some more time.

-- PeterThoeny - 21 Sep 2005

I can appreciate that that support tasks are time consuming and that few people are willing to help there. You surely do the new members a service.

As you do not have specifics at on this particular issue and you have no time to think about it, I propose that others proceed and we retrofit your suggestions after. We can always incorporate your changes and it is likely that others will think of the same things that you thought of or that you can intervene when you have time.

-- MartinCleaver - 21 Sep 2005

Last week and this week it is is not the support tasks. More specifics next week. Please give me some more time.

-- PeterThoeny - 21 Sep 2005

In InventoryApplications PeterThoeny wrote: > This might be better served by Plugins web restructuring, see PluginsNeedCategorizing.
> -- PeterThoeny - 23 Sep 2005

This was in response to my creating gateway topics and a category for all the cookbooks, lost TWikiApplications, and TWikiOn topics.

All I was doing was categorising existing topics.

A couple of things to think about:

1. TWikiApplications do not sit comfortably in Plugins web. They are patterns, not shrink-wrapped solutions.
2. Why should user tips, admin tips, user cookbooks, adminn cookbooks, and TWikiApplications be treated any differently?
3. A searching user may not be able to say whether the information they are searching for falls into one or another category before they start.

Personally I'd favour a "Patterns" web (name at your discretion, "FAQ" is just as good) that collects all the user tips, twiki applications, cookbooks etc together in one place, away from the Plugins, away from Codev, away from the shipped documentation in TWiki. Minimise the infrastructure to just a simple set of categories, and a search engine. No forms (they are a PITA to maintain). I know you think URLs should not change, but all that does is to leave large amounts of rotting information lying around (as is the case in Codev). This is a chance to mine and refine a tremendously valuable knowledgebase, and clean up Plugins, TWiki and Codev webs at the same time.

-- CrawfordCurrie - 24 Sep 2005

I would like to go one step forward, and specify a way to actually "package" TWikiApplications, as some TWikiAplications are totally "form-based", some require plugins/AddOns/Contribs and some even require special "templates". This way, they would be easier to download, install and customize to local needs. These pre-packaged TWikiApplications could help new users to start with TWiki, by downloading some app that are useful to them and then slowly customize it to meet local needs as they familiarize with the TWiki Platform

We already have all the infrastructure to do this (a manifest driven packaging process that manages dependencies, and a "build" process that can release the package), but we lack a "proper" place to put them.

A web dedicated to TWikiApplications seems to be the sensible thing to do, to put for both documentation and pre-packaged TWikiApplications.

-- RafaelAlvarez - 24 Sep 2005

All this discussion is good. But. It does not change the fact that we are delaying the categorisation of existing Extensions for no good reason.

I appreciate that Peter wants to plan a bunch of other initiatives, but implementation of those initiatives is not going to happen in the next few weeks and tagging is a separable task that we can make good progress on.

Mid-July we were talking about this. At this rate we will be lucky to have anything by WikiSym.

-- MartinCleaver - 27 Sep 2005

I hereby welcome this topic into October.

> "More specifics next week" -- PeterThoeny - 21 Sep 2005

21 + 7 = Sept 28th. That was 7 days ago.

11 Days to WikiSym!

And, whilst having spoken to you in private, Peter, and I understand this is a priority , I still don't buy your reasoning that this simple classification project must wait.

-- MartinCleaver - 02, 05 Oct 2005

At WikiSym2005 Peter mentioned he wanted to ensure there was space in the category tree for vertical applications as well as for technology components.

-- MartinCleaver - 23 Oct 2005

Just marking the 3 month anniversary of Zender's offer to help.

-- MartinCleaver - 10 Nov 2005

And another 3 months.

-- MartinCleaver - 13 Feb 2006

6 months, now

-- RafaelAlvarez - 13 Feb 2006

All: Please see the activities in the Plugins web, there is a lot of activity.

I do not want to put myself forward, but the majority of the edits in the Plugins web are done by me. All this takes a lot of time. We can re-initiate the Plugins categorization if I get help, I am almost the only person spending time maintaining the Plugins web: Fixing topics, adding Dev topics, adding Appraisal topics, fixing parents, making developers aware of HandlingCairoDakarPluginDifferences, etc etc, etc. Time taken away from helping design the categorization. So, please do not complain, please help me maintain the Plugins web!

-- PeterThoeny - 13 Feb 2006

All we want you to do is stop blocking this process. We had a taxomony. Zender offered to help.

As I said on 21 Sep, "you do not have specifics at on this particular issue and you have no time to think about it" but you wanted us to wait.

If we can get on with it, great. Let's go.

-- MartinCleaver - 13 Feb 2006

Martin: That is not what I said. We should find a good way to categorize the Plugins web so that extensions can be found easily. Above taxonomy is a good start.

I think it makes sense to use the existing CategoryCategory for this. They already search the Plugins web. Questions:

• Start a new categorization in the Plugins web, or hook up & extend the ones in Codev?
  • I think it makes sense to reuse the categories in Codev, so that all items on a category can be shown, as in CategoryWysiwygEditors (see WysiwygPlugin listed there because of RelatedTopics field entry)
• What are the path of browsing for users looking for extensions?
  • With this, what kind of reports / query by example do we need?
• TWikiAppPackageHowToDiscussion needs a closure
• What kind of infrastructure can we prepare for automated installation of extensions and TWiki applications?

So, before we start with a mass-restructuring of the Plugins web we need to get more crisp on what we want to achieve.

-- PeterThoeny - 14 Feb 2006

Peter, is not that I dont recognize the work you're doing maintaining the Plugins web. It's just that this topic has been dead for a long time now. I bet there are several people that would like to help, but we need to start discussing this "issue" so people like Zender (I hope he didn't went away) can help ASAP.

What I would like to see in the plugins web is an easy way to pinpoint the kind of plugins I'm looking for without browsing the whole plugins list.

-- RafaelAlvarez - 14 Feb 2006

I can't help but think that having to type "CategoryWikiApplication" is a much more cumbersome than checking the box "Application", but am glad to see this is progressing and will assist limited time permitting.

So... If you want to help, please put this in the categoryrelated topics field.

-- MartinCleaver - 14 Feb 2006

Please align the categories with the ones in Codev.CategoryCategory. I moved the table to the top.

-- PeterThoeny - 15 Feb 2006

The Plugins home and all the extension package index topics have now a tag cloud to make it easier to find extensions of interest. Many extensions are already tagged, but this requires more work so that we get an extensive categorization of the extensions. The tagging approach makes it much easier to categorize content and to browse to content (compared to the CategoryCategory approach.)

Everyone please help tag the extensions (and add also your tag vote to existing tags of topics you feel should bubble up to the top.)

-- PeterThoeny - 04 Mar 2006

The extension index pages (AddOnPackages, ContribPackages, PluginPackages, SkinPackages) now also list a TagCloud of the extension. That makes it easy to find an extension by subject, provided the extensions are tagged. Over 250 tags have been applied already to the extensions, but many extensions are not tagged yet. Please help make it easier to find relevant extensions by tagging your/other's extensions.

I also added an "Extensions" rule to the Interwiki rules so that it is easy to link to all extensions of a type, such as Extensions:diagrams

-- PeterThoeny - 13 Mar 2006

We have now over 380 tags applied to the extensions. Thanks WillNorris for tagging so many extensions!

More to go. All: Please add your tags and tag votes so that you can find your extensions of interest quickly.

-- PeterThoeny - 14 Mar 2006