PortalTopic Overview

*Note: this help file is old and being updated (ney, replaced) as CMF Topic Overview.*

PortalTopics present collections of portal items according to catalog searches formulated by the PortalTopic creator/configurer.

Visitors to a portal topic see a brief description of the topic, its criteria, available subtopics, and the batch-browsable results. (Eventually the visitor will be able to sort and filter the results to their liking. Initially, we will be providing rudimentary batched browsing.) Visitors will also see links to subtopics which refine the

PortalTopic configurers (the creator and anyone generally enabled to configure a portal topic, according to site policy) can toggle the browsing view to adjust the topic query criteria, adding, deleting, and modifying textual, numeric, and list criteria against the site's standard content metadata fields.

PortalTopic configurers will also be able to add new topic objects to the topic that will act as subtopics, with their queries refining the results of the containing topic query. Subtopic nesting, and the cumulative refinement, is unlimited.

Use Cases

Topic Visitor browses topic on PortalTopic page

PortalTopics visitors see a (possibly empty) description of the topic, its (possibly) empty collectino of subtopics, and batch-browsable links to the topic contents.

Visitor visits topic

... sees topic description, subtopics, and first batch of topic contents links.

Visitor browses topic collection

The visitor can follow a result link to the target contents, advance bakwards and forward in the results batch (if it's more than a single screenful),

(Not in v1.0.) Visitor twiddles filtering and sorting parameters

to adjust their view of the results.

Visitor navigates to subtopic

... by following subtopic link.

Visitor gets help about PortalTopics purpose and navigation

... by hitting help button. (Just this design doc, in v1.0.)

• (Not in v1.0.) Eventually, when returning to a topic, the visitor's view resumes with batch, sort, and filter state as they last left it. For now, they return to start.*

Topic configurer configures topic Configurers can toggle the view of the topic to reveal controls for adjusting the topic description, subtopics, and topic query criteria.

Topic configurer adjusts topic criteria

Configurer hits a button that opens the configuration form, showing a view of the same topic, with:

• A text area for the filling in the topic description
• An add/delete/rename list of subtopics, for managing their containment.
• A section for changing the topic criteria.

  The top of the section is a table with columns for string, integer, and list criteria entries. The bottom is a row of buttons: "Submit Changes", "Delete Checked", and "Reset"

  Table entries for already set criteria will consist of a checkbox, the criterion field name, and an input box for the value. The checkbox indicates entries to be deleted.

  The bottom of each column will have a "blank" entry, for adding a new criterion. It will be like the existing entries but it will not have the checkbox, and its initial value will be empty.

• (Not in v1.0.) A control for designating whether or not to apply the topic query. (The topic may only be for collecting and specifying the common aspects of a query for it's subtopics).

The qeury results will display as they would for a regular visitor.

Topic configurer gets help about configuring PortalTopics

... by hitting help button. (Just this design doc, in v1.0.)