In this last part of our presentation series on WoltLab Suite 5.3 we round up the topic of the previous part New Features in WoltLab Suite 5.3 (Part 4) and would like to present further improvements of the administration panel. The focus here is on the simplification of recurring tasks and the simplification of processes without loss of functionality, in order to further improve the user-friendliness of the day-to-day operation.
Simplified Management of Package Servers
The system of different package servers has grown historically and is a recurring subject of questions and issues. With version 5.3 we have adapted the logic to simplify the process and eliminate sources of error. The update servers for WoltLab products as well as the Plugin-Store are now permanently available and are automatically adapted to use the correct version.
Upgrades will be enabled in the future by a simple switch that automatically adjusts the configuration to the correct version. Our goal is to improve this process step by step with newer versions to find the best possible solution.
Improved List of Search Results When Searching for Packages
We have revised the display of search results when searching for packages via the administration panel to make it more user-friendly. Official packages are now displayed at the top of the results, and are highlighted separately to help distinguish them from third-party packages. The description of the packages is now also displayed directly in the listing to make it easier to understand what kind of package it is. For packages from the Plugin-Store, a direct link is also displayed that leads to the corresponding pages in the plugin store.
Replace Media Files
When editing media, the file can now be replaced as a whole. This has the advantage that the new file automatically appears in all places where the media file was previously used, without the need to edit these places manually.
Improved Overview in the Moderation
We have revised the list of entries in the moderation. The display is now clearer and corresponds to the familiar operation and structure of the thread list in the forum.
Other Improvements
With the help of cronjobs, important tasks are executed in the background. The log of executed cron jobs provides information about whether the execution ran smoothly or whether problems occurred. This log has been revised in the new version and can now be filtered, which makes it much easier to find faulty executions.
When creating new content via the administration panel, the system jumps directly back to the empty form after submitting, which is especially convenient if you want to create several contents of the same type one after the other. But sometimes you want to jump directly to the created content instead. With the new version, the system now offers a direct link to the previously created entry, so you can go directly to its editing form.
The renaming of a user by the administration is now treated like a renaming of the user itself and is noted accordingly in the user profile.
It can be a nuisance if you as an administrator want to edit an older user account, but mandatory fields that have been added in the meantime have not been filled in. With the new version, the administrator can edit these users without having to fill in mandatory fields at all.
