Lots of changes

[creativepart]

I'd like to see a LOT of changes:

1. Let's create a new template that puts all the cats in a left hand column and puts ads in the center column. There's no need for the cats to be the center column. Also, with the cat index moved it can remain on the page and people don't have to go back "home" to view a different category.

2. Save all old ads... don't delete them. Change their status from active to completed. Save them and let folks search them. "completed" ads just wouldn't show normally. Plus, when sales go bad people want to be able to refer back to the original ad. Deleting them all like you do now is wrong headed.

3. Really integrate with VB. Create Products to upload to vB that put ads in the User Profile and in the Postbit, too.

4. Do away with the PP Classifieds User Profile. It's not needed. Put ads and Feedback into vB's User Profile.

5. Use HighSlide to create image slide shows within ads. Create a rotating slide show (300 by 300 approx like a YouTube Vid) of all Classified images that can be placed in VBA or in a side column on Classifieds.

6. Make Feedback available all the time, not just when the user has an ad running (again, do this in VB's Profile of the user)

7. Give us the option of setting the number of posts a user must have before he can place an ad -- sure we could do that with a whole new usergroup, but why?

8. Put Advertising hooks throughout the templates like vB does. So we can show Adsense between ads or after every 5th ad, etc. Make sure that we have all the flexibility of setting them to show to specific user groups. Or, here's an idea, just put the hooks in and let others create a mod to handle the ads just like vB does with a mod at vB.org.

9. Go through the entire Classifieds Admin and remove all the places that you call the program PhotoPost. That's just lazy leaving all those there after all these years. Where you ask? Check out the Integration (CONFIG-INT.PHP Integration Variables) page.

10. Lots more Ad Type Templates PRE MADE and an easier system than using 3 templates for each ad type. Consolidate those into one template so that changes to "upload product" also are reflected in Showproduct and Editproduct, too.

I belong to a number of websites that are collections of Forum Admins. We talk all the time about what a shame it is the PP Classifieds is so bad. It could be good. But for some reason you all don't seem to want to invest enough into it to make it a decent application. I have no idea why you'd get it all this way and then basically sit on it with few improvements and a user base that in general is dissatisfied.

Look, Photopost has been your cash cow. But there is a big market for a VB Classifieds and you guys aren't filling it. Go to any Forum Admin forum and ask about Classifieds and you'll see people talking about how there aren't any good ones and they specifically say PP Classifieds is "lame."

Someday soon, someone will invest the time to make a really good classifieds for use with VB and you'll be out of another product (like you will when VB's Photo Album feature keeps getting developed by Jelsoft and modders and PP and Gallery are made redundent.)

I'm trying to be helpful here. I hope you can appreciate this attempt.

[manimal]

Really great suggestions from creativepart. He said everything I thought but didn't know how to say. Please, take in consideration his ideas.

I am willing to pay more just to have really good and complete classifieds script totally integrated with VB.

Ideas mentioned in points 3, 4 and 5 will be the most valuable to me.


Please update classifieds script I will pay even double for the license.

Your dear user

[creativepart]

Thanks manial, I doubt that they've read the suggestions or considered them but at least they've been made.

[Chuck S]

We do read suggestions although we may not comment on them or look into things when we are actually in a beta cycle.

[Chuck S]

All good ideas but I will respond accordingly my thoughts on each. Take note my views are thinking from a purely classifieds nature and the product as a whole not necessarily based on one forum integration which alot of these seem to be.

1. Let's create a new template that puts all the cats in a left hand column and puts ads in the center column. There's no need for the cats to be the center column. Also, with the cat index moved it can remain on the page and people don't have to go back "home" to view a different category.

Nice idea although it would be extremely tough to show nested categories in such a constrained space so we shall see if I can think of some way it could work. If I can find a way that will work I would have no problem doing that.

2. Save all old ads... don't delete them. Change their status from active to completed. Save them and let folks search them. "completed" ads just wouldn't show normally. Plus, when sales go bad people want to be able to refer back to the original ad. Deleting them all like you do now is wrong headed.

That is in direct contradiction to what alot of users in the past have suggested. Most most classifieds ads sites the content is temporary and is deleted so something I will look at it but probally not going to be in 3.1 as I would have to hear from alot of users on something like that.

3. Really integrate with VB. Create Products to upload to vB that put ads in the User Profile and in the Postbit, too.

Creating forum threads would always remain a hack/mod. There may be official hacks released that might do something like this but in general that is something outside the core code since we are talking vbulletin and not classifieds.

4. Do away with the PP Classifieds User Profile. It's not needed. Put ads and Feedback into vB's User Profile.

This application integrates with alot more forums than vbulletin. Again modifications to vb may make it possible to list classifieds content in the vb profile. Most of the user actions though in a classifieds profile take place in classifieds not vbulletin which is why most these suggestions come down to hacks or files that would lie outside the program itself.

5. Use HighSlide to create image slide shows within ads. Create a rotating slide show (300 by 300 approx like a YouTube Vid) of all Classified images that can be placed in VBA or in a side column on Classifieds.

Highslide JS - JavaScript thumbnail viewer

I like highslide personally and if it was not for the fact its licensing does not permit it to be used on commercials sites collecting money we could include it. Every customer would have to purchase a highslide license to use it and thus we can not in good faith
include it in our product where its licensing would be subverted. I wish there licensing were different. Now I have an idea I may be able to use lightbox to do similar action and will look if there are any other opensource codes that do the same to see if any fit.

6. Make Feedback available all the time, not just when the user has an ad running (again, do this in VB's Profile of the user)

Omegatron Classifieds - Member Profile

Feedback is always available to be given on a user.

7. Give us the option of setting the number of posts a user must have before he can place an ad -- sure we could do that with a whole new usergroup, but why?

How many posts? Your meantioning a forum only permission here. Classifieds applications in general have nothing to do with forum posts which is why using usergroups and using the forum ability to jump a user to a new usergroup based on posts on a forum and setting usergroups accordingly in our classifieds is the way to do this.

8. Put Advertising hooks throughout the templates like vB does. So we can show Adsense between ads or after every 5th ad, etc. Make sure that we have all the flexibility of setting them to show to specific user groups. Or, here's an idea, just put the hooks in and let others create a mod to handle the ads just like vB does with a mod at vB.org.

I have actually thought about creating a plugin manager for classifieds but can not say when and if it would be included as it would be a huge undertaking and my time is limited to some degree providing the support around here. But it is definately on my todo list.

9. Go through the entire Classifieds Admin and remove all the places that you call the program PhotoPost. That's just lazy leaving all those there after all these years. Where you ask? Check out the Integration (CONFIG-INT.PHP Integration Variables) page.

Not sure what you mean by this. Our applications name is PhotoPost Classifieds and on our config files and admin headings all say PhotoPost Classifieds. If yours do not then maybe your not using the latest files?

10. Lots more Ad Type Templates PRE MADE and an easier system than using 3 templates for each ad type. Consolidate those into one template so that changes to "upload product" also are reflected in Showproduct and Editproduct, too.

I understand more premade templates although personally I dont know what we would create more than we have. I think our 4 included templates include about 95% of most classifieds systems. I mean for sale, help wanted, wanted and personals. If you know more please state some ideas and I can see what I can do.

You need to explain the rest though. The ad type system is pretty flexible and easy to use. You set a category to a template type and its done. The proper templates are then loaded.

[Chuck S]

I found a free opensource thumbnail viewer and included it in the new beta 3.1

Omegatron Classifieds - Main Index

http://www.photopost.com/forum/photo...ml#post1242317

[Geiri]

I must agree with some of this points.

Vbulletin integration is why I choose Photopost and becouse I liked Photopost I have now bought Classifieds and Reviewpost.

Running VB, PP, CP, RP together and leaving users 4 diffrent profile pages to fill out!!

Now when Chuck is working on the classifieds 3 it would be nice to be able to have a slimmer profile page and an option in admin to use standalone profile page or forums page. I still understand that he can not do everthing at once, some things must wait for next version.

In this link Michael P says it could be done..
http://www.photopost.com/forum/photo...ml#post1241383

So why not start wondering how.. and maby start a little.

The way the profile is listed at ViperAlley Classifieds - Main Index - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds is simple and enoug for photopost classifieds with forum integration.

How about an option in admin to use the viperalley setup or similar or the standalone setup.

Then in the feature work on to giving as much info as possible into vbulletin profile and combine all the profiles to getaher under vbulletins or Pp.

[Chuck S]

ViperAlley Classifieds - Member Profile - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds

Thats and old type classifieds profile the way it use to be. No messaging subscription buddy features blah blah. Your missing alot of the classifieds core code in that old version.

Just an FYI

Now just for the record I have already coded alot into the present classifieds and am looking at a couple other things but I doubt your going to see any decisions to give up the entire photopost profile system in this go round.

[Geiri]

fair enough for me as long as we are heading there

[Chuck S]

Geiri

At this point I can not say what any outcome will be. The powers that be will decide how they want to handle that issue.