Styling / Formatting Articles

[ScottGirvan]

Link to my site: dev.scalemodeladdict.com
SMF version: 2.0
TP version: 1RC2
Default Forum Language: EN
Theme name and version: Inferno - soon to be changed with customized premium dzinerstudio theme
Browser Name and Version: FF 7.0.1
Mods installed: Slider
Related Error messages: NA

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I don't want to bug with tons of posts. I've searched the site and can't find an answer.

My question isn't so much HOW but CAN I? I will have members contributing articles. They will be HOW-TO type articles with text/photos and sometimes video.

I see that when creating an HTML article I could simply format the entire article using HTML. That's cool. Text in a left column, thumbnail images right, incorporate a lightbox script etc... Cool.

The CAN I question is this. Is there a way in which members can upload photos (say to private SMF Gallery), write the article, link to the gallery images and the Template pulls it all together and makes it look the way I want? My members will not know HTML...and I need a solution to make contributing as easy as possible.

I'm not asking for a step by step tutorial on how I can achieve this...but if you know it can be accomplished I would really appreciate a point in the right direction.

I should also note that I have seen the checkbox for Use settings from category instead! when authoring an article and the options for layouts and custom layout when defining a category. Looks like the answer could be there...but I can't really get things working, especially when trying to incorporate specific photos and lightbox into the equation.

Sorry for the longish post. I appreciate your help greatly.

[Skhilled]

Hmmm, not sure if SMF Gallery has the features to do this (haven't used it in quite awhile) but Aeva Gallery can do most of it easily. You can have a gallery for the users and also link it to a post (will create the post for them) as well as allow downloading, if needed. The only thing would be how to link the articles to the gallery easily. Maybe a script or something...unless I'm just forgetting an easier way to do it. LOL

You might have to put in a request for a script for the article part. But otherwise it is a great idea.

[ScottGirvan]

Thanks Skhilled. I just googled around a bit and discovered the developers of Aeva Gallery have forked off and are now developing Wedge.... I'll have to do more research to make sure Aeva Gallery is a still an option.

But yeah, basically, write an article, add a snippet for the gallery, publish. It just kinda makes sense to me that there must be a way.
I appreciate having a glimpse of hope for this. Thanks.

[lurkalot]

The CAN I question is this. Is there a way in which members can upload photos (say to private SMF Gallery), write the article, link to the gallery images and the Template pulls it all together and makes it look the way I want? My members will not know HTML...and I need a solution to make contributing as easy as possible.

I'm not asking for a step by step tutorial on how I can achieve this...but if you know it can be accomplished I would really appreciate a point in the right direction.
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Did you mean to say Private SMF Gallery?  Only problem I can see with that, is no one else will be able to see the pics, if they're private.  Or is this not the way SMF gallery works, I've not used it myself.

[ScottGirvan]

Private might be the wrong word.  I'm just looking for a way to manage photos so that they don't appear out of context of the article. I haven't found a way to manage images via TP other than the quicklist and that will be really full, really fast.

[lurkalot]

Can't you just embed them in the article using BBCode image tags? [img][/img]

[ScottGirvan]

Yes, that might be the easiest solution. I'm trying out SMF Gallery right now. Thanks.

[Skhilled]

Since your members will not know HTML it might be best to use only BBC articles since your members are probably used to that from making regular posts. This would also tie into what Lurk just said. If not, it is pretty easy to learn.

Just make a post or an article explaining how to do it.

[ScottGirvan]

Yes, they would all have a working knowledge of BBC. I'm going to work on implementing that. Thanks for the ideas.

[lurkalot]

Yes, they would all have a working knowledge of BBC. I'm going to work on implementing that. Thanks for the ideas.

Cool, at least it would should get you by, until we can come up with something better, maybe IchBin, or Freddy might have some ideas.