[wp-forums] Getting closer

[TechGnome]

Once again... thinking out loud.....
Ok, so basicaly, we need a system that we can get up and running fast....
That means a home-grown system is out. So... building on Jesse's 
idea.... let's use WP as a base.
The only concern I have with PBM is that the username and the password 
have to be sent in the email. But... what if we use a Contact Me plugin 
to send a mail to a special mail box... but before it sends it, it 
prepends the login info. Then when the PBM fires off on WP, the login 
info is there and the post is posted.
When the post is created, some info (the public type info - that can be 
figured out later) goes into the excerpt. This is going to be the public 
side of the ticket and will be viewable by the user so  they can see 
what's going on. Stuff we can keep in here: who it's assigned to, it's 
open state, what ever. All of the private info (password, the contact 
info, etc) goes in the content. This part will never get seen except by 
the installer, when they "edit" the post.
All installers get a login to the WP site.  If we want, each user gets a 
category, and assignments are based on if the ticket is in the Open, 
Closed or {username} category.

What we would need:
1) a WP installation
2) Someone who knows how to set up the PBM & a cron job properly (I've 
not had any success in this - ever, but it's been a while since I've 
even tried it.)
3) A template to properly display the info (replace all the_content with 
the_excerpt).
??
What else? Oh, a modified "Contact Me" plugin - shouldn't be too hard to 
do this.

It's crazy enough it just might work, and uses off the shelf items 
readily available.

-tg


Petit wrote:
> TechGnome wrote:
>> WARNING: lengthy posting. My mind tends to wander sometimes.... I 
>> really need to get a leash for it.
>>
>> Not too shabby.... a couple of comments.
>> 1) Who will this go to? Is there going to be a wp-install mailing 
>> group that this gets sent to? Or will the data go into a database? Or 
>> has that part even been thought out? Or am I ahead of things?
>> 2) I'd change the "CC myself" to something along the lines of "Send 
>> myself a copy" It's clearer about what that option does.
>>
>> It looks like I might have some free time this weekend, since no one 
>> else has volunteered to set up the registration/contact/help me 
>> page(s).... I'd like to take a stab at this. My PHP skills aren't 
>> anything to write home about, but I have done some and think I can 
>> hack something together. I'm thinking we need the following kinds of 
>> pages (as far as user input goes):
>> 1) a registration page where the user can enter their info and get 
>> into the queue.
>> 2) a contact page where questions can be submitted - an FAQ could be 
>> built off of this at a later time
>> 3) a status page where the user can login and see where they are at 
>> in the queue, and possibly answer questions from the installer.
>> 4) an admin page where the installers and other admins can monitor 
>> the site - confirm requests, deny requests, update status, assign 
>> requests, view the queue, etc.
>>
>> A thought just occurred to me. what does everyone think about using 
>> the site as the communication tool, rather than direct emails? Emails 
>> would still be generated, but instead of the installer sending email 
>> directly to the user, the site would do it instead. And vice-versa 
>> too. Then once a request has been closed, the site would not allow 
>> emails to be sent through. This would prevent the user from coming 
>> back to the installer in six weeks going, hey could also do this... 
>> and that, and this other thing too? - just a thought-
>>
>> -tg
> Looks usable to me.
> On the installer to requester question, I think email communication on 
> a one to one basis would make the latter a nice and cozy feeling of of 
> security.
> I'ts faster and allows for sloppy back and forth chat during the 
> install process, which I'm sure will take place in some cases.
>
> /Petit
>>
>> Podz wrote:
>>> There seems to be a collective deafness elsewhere....
>>>
>>> How about this ?
>>> http://www.tamba2.org.uk/install/?page_id=6
>>>
>>> We mail them back with what they have asked. It's as good as 
>>> anything else isn't it? They know what they have typed and we know 
>>> too...
>>>
>>> We need the 'agreed to..' bit doing and if someone could kindly 
>>> advise how to make the plugin auto-cc (do that invisibly?) 
>>> (http://www.phrixus.co.uk/pxsmail/) then that would be cool.
>>>
>>> So ...... if that page - and the one that follows - feel free to 
>>> send me info which I shall bounce back to you - looks okay - be 
>>> critical (nicely) - is it good to go with? If not, why and what 
>>> should we add?
>>>
>>> P.
>> On the form I think the Subject field should be non editable. That 
>> way it's not open for jokes or extraneous info and easily filtered 
>> into the correct box.
> /Petit
>
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