[Solved] Rationalization of the Macro forum sections

[Hagar Delest]

I was wondering if we needed all the rather complex structure of the Macro sections.
Today there is the main section Macros and UNO API with 3 subforums

• OpenOffice Basic, Python, BeanShell, JavaScript
  Keyboard macros or custom scripts
• External Programs
  Java, C++, C#, Delphi, ??? - Using the UNO bridges
• UNO API and ODF
  The Application Programming Interface and the OASIS Open Document Format

The first subforum has only 30 pages (110 for the parent section) and is redundant IMHO with the parent section. I always struggle to evaluate in which section a simple topic should be moved to.
Ideally, I think that we had in mind to have no topic in the parent section and all the actual discussions in the subforums (like the Customizing and Extending main forum). But we should have configured the parent section the same way, forbidding the posting there. But if we want to keep it simple, I'm not sure it would really help.

Thus, we could move all the topics from the OpenOffice Basic, Python, BeanShell, JavaScript section in its parent forum and remove this subforum. Leaving only 2 subforums for rather specific questions.

Thoughts?

[DiGro]

I agree

[RoryOF]

Agreed

Rory

[FJCC]

I agree. That subforum is redundant and confusing.

[Hagar Delest]

Thanks for the feedback.
I have applied the change. No need to wait for further comments I think.
I have slightly change the description of the parent forum then: Creating a macro - Writing a Script - Using the API (OpenOffice Basic, Python, BeanShell, JavaScript) or External Programs (Java, C++, C#, Delphi...).

Let me know if it has to be improved.

[Hagar Delest]

Thanks for the feedback.
I have applied the change (some forum housekeeping during the holidays). No need to wait for further comments I think.
I have slightly change the description of the parent forum then: Creating a macro - Writing a Script - Using the API (OpenOffice Basic, Python, BeanShell, JavaScript) or External Programs (Java, C++, C#, Delphi...).

Let me know if it has to be improved.

[DiGro]

Thanks for that. Looks good to me.

[MrProgrammer]

I always struggle to evaluate in which section a simple topic should be moved to.

I have some trouble with this too but have tried to put topics in:
• Macros and UNO API  when the focus of the question is the API
• OpenOffice Basic, Python, BeanShell, JavaScript  when the focus is using one of the languages
• External Programs  when the focus is calling OpenOffice from the outside
• UNO API and ODF  when the focus is Open Document Format generally

The bigger question is: What do we really want and how can we achieve it?

Some of these forums have many topics:
• Macros and UNO API  about 5600
• OpenOffice Basic, Python, BeanShell, JavaScript  about 1500
• External Programs  about 600
• UNO API and ODF  about 300

Edit: Oops: Looks as if the first two of these were just merged. I will continue with my post anyway.

I will suggest this arrangement (some of the titles are altered a bit):
• Programming  Programming with OpenOffice and LibreOffice (users cannot create topics here)
••• Macros in Basic, Python, BeanShell, JavaScript  Perform tasks with a macro
••• UNO API  Use the API to work with documents
••• External Programs  Call OpenOffice externally
••• Old topics  Temporary for pre-2014 topics (users cannot create topics or post here)
For users, there are only three sub-forums to choose from when creating a topic.

How do topics get there?
• Macros and UNO API  Everything moved out, as explained below
••• Macros in Basic, Python, BeanShell, JavaScript  Existing OpenOffice Basic, Python, BeanShell, JavaScript topics
••• UNO API  Post-2013 topics from Macros and UNO API or from UNO API and ODF
••• External Programs  Existing External Programs topics
••• Old topics  Pre-2014 topics from Macros and UNO API or from UNO API and ODF

The last category is to help us perform the reorganization and may eventually go away. There is certainly value in these topics, but most of the pre-2014 topics will be for OpenOffice.org before we had Apache OpenOffice or LibreOffice, thus the topic may no longer be relevant to those suites. I would help by moving, as time permits, topics from it to the first three sub-forums. This might take me a year or so, depending on how many others help with the process.

I realize there can be a lot of overlap between writing a macro and using the API. We can combine those sub-forums, but we risk making the merged pool of topics more difficult to use for our users.

Being unfamiliar with Administrator capabilities I don't know how feasible it is to split out the old topics, but I think that would help us achieve the desired final goal state.

[Hagar Delest]

Well, I'm not fond of the forums where you can't post (like customizing and extending). It is not very user friendly because it leads users to go one level deeper, not always realizing that they cannot post in that area.
For the old topics, indeed, many do not apply anymore but well, that's true for many other topics (be it about macros or not). Not sure it's worth the energy to sort them. They will be ranked in the latest hits for any search, and users may be aware from the posting date that the information is likely to be deprecated. Or they would try to find how to adapt the information to the more recent versions.
I would prefer to reduce the number of levels. Maybe move the one for External programs in parallel to Macros and Code snippets and Extensions?
And for the UNO API and ODF, does it really deserve a forum? There are only 300 topics there and quite a few should be moved in the Macro forum. For example I moved this one: viewtopic.php?t=94763. Or it could be moved in parallel of the others, too. That would give a "flat" structure. Even if that forum is not really used, it would simplify the structure, most users now going directly to the Macros section.

[MrProgrammer]

And for the UNO API and ODF, does it really deserve a forum?

Given the present structure of the Customizing and Extending section I think it would be better to move all the topics from UNO API and ODF to Macros and UNO API and eliminate UNO API and ODF. Both mention UNO API in the name and people (including me) will not understand where to put topics.

Maybe move the one for External programs in parallel to Macros and Code snippets and Extensions?

Yes! We should move External Programs somewhere else so we have no sub-forums of Macros and UNO API. My vote would be to have:

• Customizing and Extending
••• Macros and UNO API
••• Code Snippets
••• Extensions
••• External Programs

This would be a much less confusing struture. As long as we are doing some year-end cleanup, I have also wondered why we have this:

• Getting started
••• Survival guide
••• Beginners
••• Install, Setup and Troubleshooting
••••• MS Windows
••••• Linux
••••• Mac OSX
••••• LibreOffice
••••• Tablets
••• Tutorials
••••• Writer
••••• Calc
••••• Base
••••••• Database Examples

Database Examples is a sub-forum of Base in Tutorials in Getting Started, quite a deep level, and the only one at that level, I believe. I recommend we move Database Examples to Base in Applications. I don't view the examples as tutorials.

• Applications
••• Writer
••••• Templates
••••• Advanced Uses
••• Calc
••• Impress
••• Draw
••• Math
••• Base
••••• Tables & Queries
••••• Forms
••••• External Data Sources
••••• Reporting
••••• Database Examples

[Hagar Delest]

Agreed. I've added a sticky in the tutorial section for Base tutorials pointing to the examples.