[aur-dev] RFC: create link for account registration and account information next to the login.
Hello aur-dev! I have checked out the AUR sources from the code.toofishes.net git repository and started playing with it. While I was messing around I remembered a slight annoyance I had with the design of the website. The accounts "toolbar" link is a tad confusing. I see now that TU are able to view and edit accounts through that link but for the average user it is a misnomer. I did not expect that the "Accounts" link was what I had to click in order to register an account on the AUR. After I registered successfully, let's say I am looking for my own account information. "Accounts" is not a word I associate with my account. This is because I do not have more than one account. My suggestion, which I am willing to write a patch for, is to create a registration link near the login/password input boxes. When logged in this registration link is instead a link for viewing/editing account information. These links would be next to where the "[Forgot Password]" link is now. Or where the "[Logout]" link is when logged in. When an unprivileged user is logged in there is no "Accounts" link in AUR's little toolbar on the left. Only TUs and Devs have that link in order to edit accounts. This change of location creates a greater contrast between the normal AUR toolbar links and user account links. Often links that manipulate a users account are grouped closer together and away from links that basically get work done and are used more commonly. This also removes the generally confusing "Accounts" link from people who do not realize that it serves a dual purpose for account administration as well as personal account editing... oh and account registration. The only downside is that new translations would be needed for the registration link and for the account information viewing/editing link. As I side-note I would also like to move the account form printing and processing code out of acctfuncs.inc and into a template/controller. I would also make a new template/ file for the account info/edit form which would then be used from the account info and registration, and the TU's account admin. This would leave the low-level account login, password, etc code inside lib/acctfuncs.inc, move the html printing code into a template/ file, and the form checking code... somewhere else. Anyways, what do people think about those simple changes in design? -- -Justin
On Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 6:23 PM, Justin Davis <jrcd83@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello aur-dev!
I have checked out the AUR sources from the code.toofishes.net git repository and started playing with it. While I was messing around I remembered a slight annoyance I had with the design of the website.
Although I've hacked on the AUR and put my repo up there, you probably want the canonical repo from projects.archlinux.org instead...this one is probably a bit out of date. -Dan
On Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 4:32 PM, Dan McGee <dpmcgee@gmail.com> wrote:
On Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 6:23 PM, Justin Davis <jrcd83@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello aur-dev!
I have checked out the AUR sources from the code.toofishes.net git repository and started playing with it. While I was messing around I remembered a slight annoyance I had with the design of the website.
Although I've hacked on the AUR and put my repo up there, you probably want the canonical repo from projects.archlinux.org instead...this one is probably a bit out of date.
-Dan
Oh whoops! Thanks. -- -Justin
On Fri 29 Oct 2010 16:23 -0700, Justin Davis wrote:
Hello aur-dev!
Hello Justin.
My suggestion, which I am willing to write a patch for, is to create a registration link near the login/password input boxes. When logged in this registration link is instead a link for viewing/editing account information. These links would be next to where the "[Forgot Password]" link is now. Or where the "[Logout]" link is when logged in. When an unprivileged user is logged in there is no "Accounts" link in AUR's little toolbar on the left. Only TUs and Devs have that link in order to edit accounts.
This change of location creates a greater contrast between the normal AUR toolbar links and user account links. Often links that manipulate a users account are grouped closer together and away from links that basically get work done and are used more commonly. This also removes the generally confusing "Accounts" link from people who do not realize that it serves a dual purpose for account administration as well as personal account editing... oh and account registration.
The only downside is that new translations would be needed for the registration link and for the account information viewing/editing link.
Sounds like a good idea. I wouldn't worry about translations. They can always be updated later.
As I side-note I would also like to move the account form printing and processing code out of acctfuncs.inc and into a template/controller. I would also make a new template/ file for the account info/edit form which would then be used from the account info and registration, and the TU's account admin. This would leave the low-level account login, password, etc code inside lib/acctfuncs.inc, move the html printing code into a template/ file, and the form checking code... somewhere else.
Moving html to template is good. I think it would be fine to keep functions in acctfuncs.
Anyways, what do people think about those simple changes in design?
Thanks for your input and interest!
On Wed, Nov 10, 2010 at 7:03 AM, Loui Chang <louipc.ist@gmail.com> wrote:
On Fri 29 Oct 2010 16:23 -0700, Justin Davis wrote:
Hello aur-dev!
Hello Justin.
My suggestion, which I am willing to write a patch for, is to create a registration link near the login/password input boxes. When logged in this registration link is instead a link for viewing/editing account information. These links would be next to where the "[Forgot Password]" link is now. Or where the "[Logout]" link is when logged in. When an unprivileged user is logged in there is no "Accounts" link in AUR's little toolbar on the left. Only TUs and Devs have that link in order to edit accounts.
This change of location creates a greater contrast between the normal AUR toolbar links and user account links. Often links that manipulate a users account are grouped closer together and away from links that basically get work done and are used more commonly. This also removes the generally confusing "Accounts" link from people who do not realize that it serves a dual purpose for account administration as well as personal account editing... oh and account registration.
The only downside is that new translations would be needed for the registration link and for the account information viewing/editing link.
Sounds like a good idea. I wouldn't worry about translations. They can always be updated later.
As I side-note I would also like to move the account form printing and processing code out of acctfuncs.inc and into a template/controller. I would also make a new template/ file for the account info/edit form which would then be used from the account info and registration, and the TU's account admin. This would leave the low-level account login, password, etc code inside lib/acctfuncs.inc, move the html printing code into a template/ file, and the form checking code... somewhere else.
Moving html to template is good. I think it would be fine to keep functions in acctfuncs.
Anyways, what do people think about those simple changes in design?
Thanks for your input and interest!
Thanks for the encouraging response Loui! I just wanted you to know I am still interested in this. I have worked on this a little bit today and pushed my split/acct branch to github at: [https://github.com/juster/aur]. Basically I have moved display_account_info() and display_account_form() into templates called account_info.php and account_edit_form.php. I am reorganizing accounts.php before I modify things. So far I have broken it up and pieced it back together so it works exactly as before. Before I go further I have another idea that builds upon the last. I would really like to implement secure logins using https for the AUR. Right now logins are unencrypted and this is a little disheartening. So how would you feel about a login link and page? This would be a bit different from the current system where logins can occur from any page/URL on the AUR. Instead logins could only occur on one page and you would have to click a link to get to it. The advantage here is that logins can be shuttled over to the https URL through a https secured html/login.php page. Logged-in users would then be accessing the AUR over https and very importantly the password would be sent over https. Some checks would also be added to account editing/viewing page to make sure it is over https. I don't think this idea violates the "rule" of only maintaining the AUR and not adding new features so I hope people like it. -- -Justin
participants (3)
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Dan McGee
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Justin Davis
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Loui Chang