Releasing The CodeStore Blog Engine
Under a certain amount of pressure I've decided to release, as a template, the portion of this site that makes up the "blog". It seems enough of you are interested to make it worth my while. What I can't decide is whether I should give it to you or make you all give some more cash to charity. Either way I will try and have a 1.0 within the week. Got some tricky @Formulas to nail down first...
I don't want to take away from the efforts of the FreeDomBloggers but just give you all more than one option. Although if it really came down to it, I wouldn't recommend your using Domino as the blog-engine at all.
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I bought a copy of your previous database and, although I was impressed with your usage of Domino, I was unhappy with the actual database as it was not very usable. What I was hoping for was less of an academic database (i.e. something that I could learn from) and more of a general purpose database that I could use for my own sites.
Jake, could you please make this one usable i.e. I would like to create documents using "normal" Notes functions and not HTML and other web-things?
Please understand me correctly - I did appreciate your previous database, I just didn't find it very usefull as an application.
Thank you for all your work keeping codestore alive - I read it often ;o)
Greetings from Switzerland
Ursus
Jake..I look forward to the release of your Blog! Using your excellent article on Creating Inline Response Documents, I got threaded messaging into my domino blog at www.sindrey.com. I'm wondering what tricky @formulas you'll be working on? Thanks again, and as a suggestion, make it FREE, the economy in the states is terrible and a lot of my friends are out of work, so they will have plenty of time to use your template to get their Blogs going, but they have very little to donate..:(
Alright smarty pants, when are we going to see images included in your other blog entries?
No, I can see your point. The only ways to allow for inline elements seem to be either to pass-thru the entire blog, with markup in it, to use Domino's rich text HTML rendering (nasty), or to use square brackets to pass through markup ONLY. I imagine the letter is codestore's method, it certainly was in codestore's previous incarnation, the template for which many of us have after the blogathon.
For mine (under development) I am avoiding inline elements altogether, as I don't want to pass-thru, I want the paragraphs to appear as text fields with no sqaure brakets OR markup in the Notes client.
What would be nice would be to have a field, LIKE a rich text field, but only allowing things like Italics and Bold, which Domino would render as em and strong elements in a lovely XHTML compliant way. But the way Domino renders rich text prevents any such doing. I just chose to have text fields for paragraphs, subheadings, blockquotes etc, and keep links outside paragraphs in ul elements generated as pass-thru computed text based on values theblogger selects in dialog lists and checkboxes.
Poor Tone.
Woh, one at a time!!
Ursus - Sorry you were disappointed. I should have made it clearer that all the work I do is browser only. If you want to work with the client add yourself a form with the fields on.
Dennis - Times may be bad but probably not half as bad as those in the war-torn and drought-ridden countries relying on foreign aid.
Mark - If by "other blog entries" you mean on Jakehowlett.com then you can see them in this entry if you look hard enough.
Tone - The blog entries now are pure HTML. No square brackets required.
Jake,
Just wondering why you wouldn't recommend using Domino as a blog engine. I think it is a perfect fit for typical blog-functionality.
Jake - I think that if you release the template you should make it a voluntary thing - if people want to contribute or get you something from your wishlist, then so be it.
tq
Great idea to offer it for free!
If anyone is interested in a notes template for an interactive photography website, you can check on http://www.lochtenberg.com. The template is available at the help question mark.
Interesting idea - however in reality Jake, You/Mike/Ben have given us all the building blocks already to make our own blogs in Domino - this is what I'm currently working on (30 minutes to create a "proof of concept" in Domino once the HTML/CSS templates were established using the awesome Topstyle) - Gotta love RAD!
I was using FreeDomBlog however its much more fun doing the lot yourself and you learn a pile more as well!
Still, it will be interesting to see how you've done stuff. I intended to release the final version myself once complete (I think there is a lot to be gained by exploring other peoples templates etc because there is always more than one way to skin a cat!) - seems there will soon be a number of choices for Domino Bloggers!
Re the "don't recommend Domino" bit - I'd like to hear your reasons as well - Domino seems to me to be a perfect choice.
Jake - Not sure why people are so preoccupied with "free" vs "charity"... any of us could choose to invest the countless hours necessary to achieve the same "blog" effect BUT you spare us the effort. You allow us to learn from you free of charge on a daily basis. The last time around I jumped at the chance to donate some money at charity on your behalf as a way of saying thanks... your choice to share your design template was a nice touch. I doubt I'm alone in my perspective. Thanks and keep up the good work!
Wow - I was totally floored by "ursus"'s comments.
"could you please make this one usable"?!?
Personally I think you're providing a great service to the Domino Web Development community. Now that I'm running my own website (http://www.dominoguru.com - shameless plug) I can better appreciate the time it takes to not only do a daily blog but come up with articles that'll keep people coming back for more.
As far as blogging, I'm using square-brackets to customize the look but plan on using Input Translation events and custom "triggers" to make it easier on me and the user-base once I rollout a comments form - :-D would actually return a smiley icon and :nov272002img: would pull up an image that I've set as an image (either an internal "image resource" or external link etc) that I've declared by that string.
Steady Eddie. Easy Tiger.
"Buy" the template? You don't mean during the Blogathon, do you? That wasn't a commercial purchase, that was part of the fundraising for Jake/codestore's participation in the Blogathon, in that case to raise money for MSF, or Doctors Without Borders. I think the template being shipped out to contributors of £20 (or $20, I forget) was just a sweetener, to encourage decent sized donations. If that is how you aquired the template, don't be disappointed by it, be happy that a really quite impressive sum was collectively donated for what I rate as a very good cause!
Enjoy.
I too would like to know why you think Domino is not a good Blog engine....my guess is, you're just trying to get a "rise" outta some folk. 8)
The template. If you feel it warrants $$ to some charity, or whatever other reasons you may have to charge, then have at it. It's not that bad in the states. Suggestion: Hold off on the "french cries" when you order your burger. 8)
By your last posting I feel an article coming on, come on Jake, I know you want to.
Medecins Sans Frontiers is a great cause. I was happy to donate to it for the last template, and will be equally happy to donate for this one. Mind you, it comes out of my pocket not my employers!
Jake, you need to pipe up on your reasons for stating Domino is not a good blog engine. Its a great blog engine! There are things that domino may not be good at but this is not one.
Jake, I look forward to checking out your site on a weekly basis and truly enjoy the tips and discussion around Lotus, even if there is a little less focus on Domino from time to time.
WRT the last template I was quite happly with the fact that you provided it at all. The fact that you did it via a charitable donation was a great idea and noble. So many people only think of lining their own pockets that it is refreshing to see someone do it this way.
I for one thought it was usefull the way it was and can say that I look forward to accessing the next template. I would have no isssue and would gladly make a donation in your name for it.
Thanks for the website and keep up the good work.
Thank Kevin! It's posts like that which give me the huge amounts of motivation required to keep this site on its toes.... ;o)
Hi, Jake, I think it's a great idea to release a template for blog. I believe learning is something about you learn and you share with others. We gain knowledge from schools, books, and all resourses. As a developer, I think no one can just take other people's work for his/her own use without understanding how it works and customisation. It'll be a learning process for him/her... ;P