[pmwiki-users] Attach: Syntax and the Default Upload Quick Reference

[Neil Herber]

At 2006-02-03  12:19 PM -0700, H. Fox is rumored to have said:
>See also http://www.pmwiki.org/wiki/Test/UploadsQuickReference
>
>That page reflects my belief that there's no way around this:  What
>authors need to know changes when $UploadPrefixFmt changes.  The
>complexity is Just There.
>
> > I am not sure that this is less confusing than the current state of
> > affairs. ;-)
>
>The current state of affairs is for the UploadQuickReference to
>explain things that are painfully obvious.   Examples...

I did read the test page, but am not sure what the intent is. To have 
the upload quick ref change based on scheme, I think.  I also don't 
understand the purpose of the "scratch area".

Maybe I'm dense, but it strikes me that the place to have the 
instructions for the Attach: markup is on the Edit page, not at the 
bottom of the page where the user is doing the uploading. My (blurry) 
vision of the authoring process is:

1) Author starts to edit a page.
2) Author decides to include a nice sample file.
3) Author reads "Attach:" instructions *in the edit quick ref* at the 
bottom of the page or just clicks on the attachment GUI button.
4) Author enters "Attach:mysample.txt"
5) Upon saving the page, the author sees the link with "delta" and clicks it
6) Author is presented with the upload form in all its glaringly obvious glory.

Now the question that arises is: "What about using an existing attachment?"

Then what is needed is an (:attachlist:) display at the bottom of the 
edit page that shows them the names of the files they can attach.

But what if this is a per-page-attachment wiki and I am on a different page?

If this an infrequent occurrence, then have a page that explains how 
to do it on this wiki.
If this a frequent occurrence, then consider changing to per-group-attachment.

I am not suggesting that the upload quick ref can't be improved, I am 
saying that it has information that is displayed at the wrong point 
in the authoring sequence.


Neil

Neil Herber
Corporate info at http://www.eton.ca/
Eton Systems, 15 Pinepoint Drive, Nepean, ON, Canada K2H 6B1
Tel: (613) 829-4668