[wp-hackers] Idea: Widgets as custom post types

[Justin Shreve]

It might, depending on how it's handled.

If plugins are using the Widgets API and the Widgets API is updated to use
data within a new post type it shouldn't (in theory) break anything since
there is an API in between and we are just editing how it's stored.

On Tue, Mar 2, 2010 at 4:32 PM, John O'Nolan <john.wp at onolan.org> wrote:

> I agree with you in principle, but there comes a point where a naming
> convention such as "posts" does not apply to all content in a "publishing
> platform" (CMS/whatever).
>
> Surely moving widgets and links all into the wp_posts table would screw up
> backwards compatibility just as much as renaming it? (correct me if I'm
> wrong on that one, I'm genuinely asking)
>
> Cheers
>
> John
>
>
>
>
> On 2 Mar 2010, at 21:29, Justin Shreve wrote:
>
>  Both. Since the introduction of plugins, pages, etc.
>>
>> WordPress doesn't just say it's a blogging platform, it says that it is
>> (quote):
>>
>> "*WordPress* is a state-of-the-art publishing platform with a focus on
>> aesthetics, web standards, and usability."
>>
>> It's a publishing platform. - That means support for other types of things
>> and not just posts (articles, recipes, whatever).  I agree wp_posts may be
>> confusing but as mentioned I think that is for backwards compatibility.
>>
>> On Tue, Mar 2, 2010 at 4:25 PM, John O'Nolan <john.wp at onolan.org> wrote:
>>
>>  I think that maybe the small amount of confusion that's arising here is
>>> caused by the naming convention rather than the actual issue of where
>>> table
>>> content is moved to. "wp_posts" fundamentally suggests that this is a
>>> table
>>> containing a single type of content, and that type is "posts". If the
>>> table
>>> is now to be looked at as:
>>>
>>> "thinking of 'content types' rather than 'post types'." [- Justin]
>>>
>>> Then I have to say that I think the word "post" is beginning to become
>>> just
>>> as confusing as the word "node" is in the Drupal world.
>>>
>>> I Wordpress a blogging platform or a CMS?
>>>
>>> John
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 2 Mar 2010, at 21:16, Mike Schinkel wrote:
>>>
>>> On Mar 2, 2010, at 3:43 PM, Michael Pretty wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>  Heck, lets go ahead and put the terms tables into the posts table.  No
>>>>> reason we can't turn the entire database into a nodal system.  :)
>>>>>
>>>>> 3 tables:
>>>>> objects
>>>>> objects_to_objects_map
>>>>> object_meta
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> Funny, I suggested as much back on the 14th:
>>>>
>>>> http://groups.google.com/group/wp-hackers/msg/5b94903c68ae1ec1
>>>>
>>>> On Mar 2, 2010, at 3:53 PM, Otto wrote:
>>>>
>>>>  Changing Links into Posts does not make sense to me.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> Debate it with Matt.
>>>>
>>>> If Links needs to be expanded, then I'd support that. Why can't links
>>>>
>>>>> be tagged? It wouldn't be hard to add "link-tag" to the taxonomies.
>>>>> Much better solution than shifting a link to a post. How do you
>>>>> display a link as a post? Best I can think of would be a redirect. ;)
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> Think in terms of a directory of links.  A link can have a recent
>>>> screenshot of the link, a description of the link, a title for the link,
>>>> a
>>>> category in which fits, a set of tags about the link, custom fields
>>>> about
>>>> the link (i.e. address maybe?) and more.  With custom post types the
>>>> need
>>>> for links go away so all link functionality should be rolled in for use
>>>> by
>>>> custom post types.
>>>>
>>>> Widgets should be made more generic, yes. But most likely they should
>>>>
>>>>> be given their *own* table. Why? Because it's difficult to imagine a
>>>>> solid case for representing a single widget as a whole post page as
>>>>> well.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> Difficult for you to imagine maybe, but not for me and I'll bet not for
>>>> many others.
>>>>
>>>> A widget page would show what the widget is capable of, show screenshots
>>>> of it in use, and be linked to taxonomy of types of widgets.  So I have
>>>> to
>>>> disagree with you again, widgets in the posts table makes a lot of
>>>> sense.
>>>>
>>>> -Mike
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> wp-hackers mailing list
>>>> wp-hackers at lists.automattic.com
>>>> http://lists.automattic.com/mailman/listinfo/wp-hackers
>>>>
>>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> wp-hackers mailing list
>>> wp-hackers at lists.automattic.com
>>> http://lists.automattic.com/mailman/listinfo/wp-hackers
>>>
>>>  _______________________________________________
>> wp-hackers mailing list
>> wp-hackers at lists.automattic.com
>> http://lists.automattic.com/mailman/listinfo/wp-hackers
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> wp-hackers mailing list
> wp-hackers at lists.automattic.com
> http://lists.automattic.com/mailman/listinfo/wp-hackers
>