User Directory

• User-accessible directory: /directory/

The Big Idea

The User Directory is a way for users to get a sense of the size and character of the community (as well as find a specific member) by browsing or searching the list of members.

Parameters

Developers can decide whether to provide a membership browser page, whether to list the full membership or just those who have submitted a homepage URL, and whether to include an image (and what image) at the top of certain pages.

; for the /directory module wherein users get to look each other up
[ns/server/yourdomain/acs/directory]
ProvideUserBrowsePageP=1
UserBrowsePageLimitedToNotNullUrlP=0
;the following three parameters set images using an html fragment 
;for decoration on their corresponding pages
IndexPageDecoration= an html image tag
BrowsePageDecoration= an html image tag
SearchResultsDecoration= an html image tag

What It Does

When Jane User visits /directory she can search for community members by last name or email address and then follow the results to information about the member of her choice. She can also browse a list of all members (if the membership is large the developer can limit this list to just members that have submitted a homepage URL) or member portraits.

Relevant ACS Conventions:

• A linked member name points to the member's public information.
• Users can email a member by clicking on the member's linked email address.

/directory contains the following pages:

index.tcl

Where a user can choose between searching for a member or browsing the User Directory or Portrait Gallery.

lookup.tcl

Returns a list of members that match the search criteria.

browse.tcl

Returns a list of members.

portrait-browse.tcl

Returns a list of either members who have recently added portraits or all users who have portraits. For each member in the list it displays either the associated image file name, thumbnail, or full size portrait.