Is there an example anywhere where I could see what an asset listing page is supposed to look like (the end result)?
I for some reason can't get it to work…
Thanks,
John
The trick with an Asset Listing page (in RC1) is that it only lists assets that are Live – so, if your working site is still under construction, you won’t see any results.
Here are a couple of examples of Asset Listing pages in action:
On http://matrix.squiz.net/download - an asset listing is creating the patches table at the bottom of the page. It is then being nested into the download page via a Nest Content Bodycopy.
On http://matrix.squiz.net/download - this is an asset listing which is displaying metadata at for each asset as well.
These are really good examples of what can be done Avi.
Del (boss type) has asked that I compile a list of questions on using and running MSM (I think he’s looking at one of those paid for support contract type things…) and said that I should pass on one of the comments I made in the wiki on this.
The Designs book is the one I’ve worked through the most so far. I found that the book was… dry. Had a reasonable amount on the framework of tags but the detail on the tags was, in my mind, lacking. More details on the _SET names and values would be good. More info on how they relate to other assets etc. i.e. the Normal Menu. There’s enough there to get one working in my site but I’m not sure how to add things to this menu, how to prevent things appearing in the menu, How to create a sub menu of items etc.
Del’s just made the comment that the User Manual is similar and referred to it as more of reference manual than a HOWTO.
Are there any plans on writing a HOWTO or tutorial type manual?
A start might be a breakdown and explaination of how http://matrix.squiz.net/download was constructed, what assets were used, the settings on these etc.
At the moment, I'm considering writing a "Using MySource Matrix" manual which takes a more practical approach to explaining how the system works. This manual would certainly contain real-world examples of how to use individual assets and how to combine multiple assets together for increased functionality.
However, I haven't received official approval for this manual yet and I don't have a lot of time. 
I wouldn't expect to see this manual until the official release of Matrix.
Who do we have to kill to get this approval? 
Oh, approval isn't the hard part – finding time to write it is. I've worked out a table of contents and I'm slowly going through writing some of the basic stuff. The problem is that most of the manual will deal with assets that are only found in the commercial modules (which are available to purchase or free to most government, education and not-for-profit organisations).
I need to consider how to break the manual down into a "completely" free version and the full commercial version.
That shouldnt be too hard if the practical examples have a requirements component. If the manual has more of a workshop feel, people can download additional workshops to deal with the assets that they have purchased.
Designs are the most confusing bit of Matrix in my opinion, and they're all free - so we should be able to produce some nice designs for everyone to use and learn from.
Yeah, now that I have the TOC on paper, I think the first draft will have enough content just with the free stuff. And I also agree about designs, so I'm planning on spending quite a lot of time on that section. The interaction of designs, design areas, customisations and the new CSS assets (which will be released with RC2) can be quite complex.
That sounds exactly like what we need Avi.
Just one question though… You've got this very comprehensive CMS. Why are you doing anything on paper?
I would have thought that the content would be available first on a website and pdf's produced later once the content had had the bugs worked out of it. This would allow for community input on the content before publishing in alternative digital/material forms also.
I personally tend to write better when I can work in outline mode, then flesh out various concepts. I also like jumping from section to section, so I'll probably still write my content offline before uploading it. But, it does make sense to make it part of the online documentation first.
I, on the other hand, am writing my current uni report in Matrix and sending the URL to my lecturer
You young people of today. In OUR day, we had to chisel our assignments on marble tablets!