vbSpace USERCP MODIFICATION Discussion

[PennylessZ28]

For the last month I have been playing around with templates when it comes to the USERCP and I think I have reached the limit.

While I can re-arange some things I can't fully control the display output of the page itself.

Normally the User Control Panel has a vertical left hand navigation menu and then the options display to the right of that menu.

Your options are usually like this:

Settings & Options

Edit Signature
Edit Email, Password & Username
Edit My Profile
Account Settings
Edit Avatar
Edit Profile Picture

Private Messages

Folders
Inbox
Sent Items
List Messages
Send New Message
Track Messages
Edit Folders

Subscribed Threads

Folders
Subscriptions
Subscriptions
Edit Folders

Miscellaneous

Event Reminders
Buddy / Ignore Lists
Attachments

Truth be told, like the defualt profile, this is fine and dandy for the basic forum, but for someone new to forum's and to forums aimed at social networking, this layout SUCKS AND IS LAME AND BLUKY.

So I want a user to get a page more like this when they click USERCP

Personal Info | Basic Info | Background | Interests & Personality | Upload Profile Pictures | Edit/Add Avatar | Email & Password | Edit Signature

Now, I know what your thinking, why not just make the navigation menu across the top in the template.

Simple, doesn't work. You can do that, but you're missing the objective.

For the myspace style feeling we are going to want to divide up the key thing here "EDIT MY PROFILE" if you go here and click edit profile you get a page with

Edit Password & Email
Date Of Birth

then you get Optional Information

then you get your Additional Information

which arranges all your added profile fields into a big cluster ++++ only to be displayed by the DISPLAY number chosen in the Admincp.

Yeah your users love navigating that, besides the fact it looks like crap.

So there has to be a better way. There is, modification of the profile.php file.

Heres the objective, to display profile editing fields on the page of your choice.

Remeber my list above? Heres what I want to do. USERCP > BASIC INFOMATION

result profile.php?do=basicinfo (example)

Then it would show the selected profile fields I want the user to edit on the page

USERCP > INTERESTS

result profile?do=interests

simlair result to above with again intrest fields being displayed.

Ok here's another thought, lets take those basic form fields, and since we are phrasing BBCODE in the member profile, we add the WYSIG (whatever its called) editor to the entry field.

This would make editing the profile easier, quicker and help users find that field faster. IMO.

What about PRIVATE MESSAGES YOU SAY? Create a new link and page.

Whens the last time you logged into myspace or yahoo and clicked account settings to find your mail? Why should my private messages be in the usercp?

Good idea, just not right for what we are doing. They don't need to be there.

Put if on a different page, put a link somewhere. Its easy, if it works on myspace then it will work on your page. Just cuase its not in the usercp doesn't mean people won't be able to figure it out.

So anyone wanna volunteer to help?