Module Set Administration in GARS

From Geeki

Module Set Administration

A Module Set is a group of modules each with their own unique settings that will run at a variety of different stages. Most of the time, it result in displaying blocks of data when viewing a thread (showthread.php) or the thread list (forumdisplay.php) - however not all modules will display data as some modules are merely responsible for capturing or manipulating data. Module Sets save you an immense amount of time configuring different aspects of your forums. Once configured, you can simply assign a module to a GARS type by changing the Module Set setting of the GARS type.

Configured Module Sets

To access your Module Sets, click the modules link in your GARS admincp pane. The first block on the page will be a list of each of the module sets you have configured along with a drop down list that will allow you to edit, copy or delete. If you want to create a brand new set from scratch, simply click the Add New button.

The parts of a set

By default, GARS comes configured with 2 modules sets: the Default Module Set and the Default Review Module Set. GARS also comes with 3 pre-configured types: Articles, Tutorials and Reviews. The articles and tutorials types use the Default Module Set while the Review type uses the Default Review Module Set.

Default Set

Each module set is broken up into 2 different pages; the Showthread page and the Forumdisplay page. Each page is made up of several sections where you can place modules for displaying and/or processing.

Module Options

There is a drop down selection box next to each module that has a variety of options to choose from:

• Move to - Allows you to move the module to another section.
• Position - Move the module up or down the list of modules in that section which in turn changes the order in which it is run.
• Options: Edit (the module's settings) or delete the module (you may also edit the modules settings by clicking on its name).

Default Set

Adding a module to the set

To add a registered module to your set:

• Edit the module set you wish to change (admincp->gars->modules)
• Choose the correct page (either forumdisplay or showthread) and scroll to the bottom
• There you will be able to easily add up to 3 modules to different sections at a time.
• Make sure that once the modules are added that you edit each module to assure its settings are correct.

Editing a modules properties

After you add a module to a section and save the page, it will appear in the section of that page with some standard properties as well as unique properties that allow you to fine tune how that module is used in that particular set. This enables you to use the same module multiple time in a set, but have each one perform different tasks.

Module Settings

To edit a modules settings, either click on the modules name in the set or select edit from the drop down list. There you will be presented with 3 standard settings and module specific settings (depending on the module). The screen shot here are the settings for the Custom Fields module which allows you to easily display custom fields.

Standard settings:

• Position - This is the section the module 'lives' in.
• Cache Method - Some modules will use a data cache to save on queries. This is the type of cache the module will use (if any)
• Order - This is the display order for the module in this section. The lower the number, the more priority it has when processing