Hi there,
I bought this module recently and have now given it a good workout and have feedback and suggestions should it be further developed.
I like the idea of the module and it suits the way I use DNN. Part of this is that non-admin users are meant to be able to easily manage their content. This module obviously replaces the use of a Text module for the purpose of listing contact details. In order to add value for the user however, it has to be easier to use and/or produce better results than the module it replaces.
I think it is clearly more difficult for an end user to type their information into, but the promise is that the output will look better without anyone having to format anything.
My assessment finds this is only partially successful. I'll paste in my notes here:
- Needs the Configure Module link displayed as an action button.
- Contact/email Form needs to be bigger
- Form needs to validate against empty submissions
- Having to specify icon size confuses things.
- Having to specify table column sizes confuses things.
- Both of the above issues also cause too much going in and out of the settings to try and get the labels and fields looking right. The way the generated tables are nested and padded or not padded makes it difficult to get everything spaced evenly. It took a lot of changes in the ascx to get it looking tidy.
- Expanded map view needs to float over the page content rather than break the page.
- Needs sort order function - this is a real killer - can't add an item inbetween existing ones
- Need to be able to pre-set defaults somewhere - or have better defaults
- Small map doesn’t center on target
- Map only shows general area. Google map would be better as it allows a pin to be placed on the target.
- Map adds several blank divs at the bottom of the page causing a gap of about 40 odd pixels
- Too hard for unskilled user to add email address because they need to know how to create a mailto: link
I think it really needs some options firmed up with good defaults so that users don't have to experiment to get things looking right. Ideally the user would go into the settings just once, type their contact info into a wizard, and get a good looking result. My efforts can be seen in action here:
http://winesafe.wonderwebs.com/Contact/tabid/862/Default.aspx I'm happy enough with the results, but the issue is that it took a lot of work in the ASCX files to get it looking like that, and I can already hear the groans when the user finds out he has to delete fields to add another one further up. I'm probably not going to use the module at this point, but I'll leave it on the page there until you've had a glance.
In short - I think it's a great idea to make modules that assist non-technical people create clean and tidy content, but this one ultimately misses the target by way of the points detailed here. I'll be keen to see more modules like this however, so don't be put off by this.
Kind regards,
Rob