Designer Content - my vote for the best add-on ever :)
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I love the Designer Content add-on:http://www.concrete5.org/marketplace/addons/designer-content...
It is an awesome FREE add-on by jordanlev that allows you to easily create custom blocks for formatting difficult data. I've used it for formatting testimonial bubbles (created a block to take name, date, link and quote), tricky image/text layouts, and most recently Bootstrap components... all using the HTML formatting exactly how I want it outputed -- awesome!
Now, just wondering - can I make my own packageable blocks with this addon? The initial building blocks anyway... from what I could see this addon creates all the files required for a standalone block (db.xml, controller.php, etc.) so looks like it could be edited and packaged up for redistribution...
- Mal
It is an awesome FREE add-on by jordanlev that allows you to easily create custom blocks for formatting difficult data. I've used it for formatting testimonial bubbles (created a block to take name, date, link and quote), tricky image/text layouts, and most recently Bootstrap components... all using the HTML formatting exactly how I want it outputed -- awesome!
Now, just wondering - can I make my own packageable blocks with this addon? The initial building blocks anyway... from what I could see this addon creates all the files required for a standalone block (db.xml, controller.php, etc.) so looks like it could be edited and packaged up for redistribution...
- Mal
I was thinking about creating a few Bootstrap component add-ons with it. But I've never actually made my own blocks before (just customised others) so was just wondering if this was an OK starting point (since it generates all the basic block files for me :) -- or maybe I should finally learn to make them from scratch? ;)
- Mal
- Mal
You have to be careful, blocks created with Designer Content also rely on tools that come with Designer content and the blocks might not work if DC is not installed unless you make sure you have all the files.
Frankly, when it comes to setting forms and views, what you get from DC is extremely simple you could just do it yourself.
You can however benefit a lot from its controllers which contain some pretty clever bits of coding.
Personally what I learned from DC is:
1- the different ways to get stuff from C5 (select a page, select a file, date picker...)
2- Some controller tricks (too many to list)
And yes, definitely a time saver and probably best free add-on ever.
Frankly, when it comes to setting forms and views, what you get from DC is extremely simple you could just do it yourself.
You can however benefit a lot from its controllers which contain some pretty clever bits of coding.
Personally what I learned from DC is:
1- the different ways to get stuff from C5 (select a page, select a file, date picker...)
2- Some controller tricks (too many to list)
And yes, definitely a time saver and probably best free add-on ever.
>> You have to be careful, blocks created with Designer Content also rely on tools that come with Designer content and the blocks might not work if DC is not installed unless you make sure you have all the files.
I reckon that used to be the case, but I've got a feeling that it was updated so that generated blocks don't required designer content be installed.
I reckon that used to be the case, but I've got a feeling that it was updated so that generated blocks don't required designer content be installed.
I think it still uses its own image resizing/cropping library for older versions of C5 though.
Not 100% sure, needs checking.
Not 100% sure, needs checking.
I just randomly stumbled across this thread...
First of all, thanks for the kind words. Mesuva I will definitely accept your offer of a beer if we meet in person :)
@mnakalay, just for the record, you do not need any supporting files from the DC package anymore (you used to many versions ago, but not in any of the recent versions). And yes it includes its own image resizing/cropping library for use with old versions of C5, but it's just the library file from recent versions of C5, so nothing really custom. But simple solution for that: just set a minimum c5 version on the package you're making so it requires 5.4.2 or higher (or whatever version of C5 it was that included cropping functionality in the image helper).
Finally, you all might be interested to know that I'm working on "Designer Content Pro", which will allow for "repeating items" in your blocks. It will be a paid addon, but will be very much worth your while if you have to build any kind of "repeating data" into your sites (e.g. slideshows, testimonials, staff listings, etc.). Should be released in a month or two, and you can sign up for the announcement list here:
http://theblockery.com
-Jordan
PS - you might also be interested in my new-ish blog about Concrete5:http://concrete5tricks.com
First of all, thanks for the kind words. Mesuva I will definitely accept your offer of a beer if we meet in person :)
@mnakalay, just for the record, you do not need any supporting files from the DC package anymore (you used to many versions ago, but not in any of the recent versions). And yes it includes its own image resizing/cropping library for use with old versions of C5, but it's just the library file from recent versions of C5, so nothing really custom. But simple solution for that: just set a minimum c5 version on the package you're making so it requires 5.4.2 or higher (or whatever version of C5 it was that included cropping functionality in the image helper).
Finally, you all might be interested to know that I'm working on "Designer Content Pro", which will allow for "repeating items" in your blocks. It will be a paid addon, but will be very much worth your while if you have to build any kind of "repeating data" into your sites (e.g. slideshows, testimonials, staff listings, etc.). Should be released in a month or two, and you can sign up for the announcement list here:
http://theblockery.com
-Jordan
PS - you might also be interested in my new-ish blog about Concrete5:http://concrete5tricks.com
If I ever meet Jordan in real life, the beers will certainly be on me.
To answer your question, I'm confident that you can package blocks up and redistribute them. It's your code, you've just used a tool to create it. If I'm wrong about that, I'm sure someone will correct me.
That being said, a block straight our of designer content isn't really going to be an attractive item for people to buy - it's going to be much nicer if you enhance it ways that the designer content block can't output. If you build something awesome, but it didn't take you that long, you could consider releasing it as a free package, give back to the community. :-)
-Ryan