This week I’ve continued work on the new modules directory and today have launched an updated version of it on the site. This is just an initial version of it, as there’s still plenty to do. But the basics are up and running if you’d like to take a look at https://processwire.com/modules/
The new modules site is using ProcessWire’s multi-instance support to boot a copy of modules.processwire.com and to pull and manipulate data from it. In order to prevent content duplication, I’ve setup most of the pages at modules.processwire.com to redirect to their equivalent versions in processwire.com/modules/.
There’s not much new here in terms of data that is being displayed, though it is also different in several ways. For starters, it finally has the look-and-feel of the main site. The modules homepage takes a different approach and lists 3 modules each in these different sections:
Recently added modules
Recent updated modules
Popular modules
Modules recently liked by users
Modules in the “recently updated modules” section are those that have had recent commits at GitHub.
The “popular modules” section randomly selects 3 modules that have a certain threshold of “likes” quantity and date of user activity, combined with being updated within the last 6 months. Or you can view them all (no random selection) at the dedicated popular modules page ... this section will grow as users interact with it.
The “modules recently liked by users” section looks for modules that have had the “like” button clicked on recently, and puts them into this bucket. Like the “popular modules” section, this one will grow and increase in relevance once there is more user interaction with the new modules directory.
There’s also a new feature on this modules site where you can maintain a “cart” (of sorts) that keeps track of which modules you have liked.
In addition, the new modules site estimates how much usage each module has by analyzing request data from the ProcessWire modules web service. This is something the old modules site does not do. It uses this data solely for providing a unique sortable view of modules. Because this data hasn’t been tracked for long, it’ll increase in relevance over time.
One area that I want to build out quite a bit more is the module “authors” section. Since the new modules site will be using authenticated login sessions with LoginRegisterPro, we’ll be able to maintain a lot more “profile” info for module authors (full name, bio, photo, website, anything else?)
There are a few things still in development, so you won’t see them just yet:
Edit module ability (it directs you to the old modules site for that)
Add module ability (also directs you to the old modules site)
Informational pages (how to install modules, etc.)
More to come here, but that’s where it is now. Nothing all that exciting I know, but still an improvement hopefully. If you find anything that isn’t working, or have other feedback or suggestions, please let me know. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!