Resources Menu

In kiwitrees version 3.2.0 a new menu item is introduced. Titled, in English, “Resources” it is a container for three types of kiwitrees pages:

1. Some general purpose new and existing pages. Initially these are the UK Census check (existing) and the UK 1939 Register check (new).
2. New versions of pages previously found under “Reports“. In version 3.2.0 this includes “Recent changes” and the “Individual report”
3. New pages that would previously have been created as “Reports“. In version 3.2.0 this is a new “Research tasks” report.

The main purpose of this menu is item 2, above, to replace the existing “Reports” menu item as each report page is redesigned.  The need to redesign and improve the now very old (PhpGedView) reports has been talked about for many years. This new menu item signals the start of the process (at last 🙂 )

In subsequent kiwitrees updates more pages will be transferred from Reports as they are re-written. The re-write process aims to achieve the following key results:

• Remove internal code dependence on creating pdf files. Most modern browsers have an in-built ability to save any web page to pdf, so there is no need for complex internal coding to achieve the same results.
• Eliminate the use of XML coding. Whilst it can be a useful tool in some situations, it adds an unnecessary complexity to kiwitrees which is primarily a php / mySQL platform.
• Re-design the HTML display for improved on-screen use, and also to facilitate saving the same to PDF. This is achieved by both a better layout structure, and the use of css “media print” tags to adjust the printed (whether direct-to-printer hard copy or pdf) output appropriately.
• Improve and re-think  the configuration options for each report where improvements can be made.

Configuration

All main menu items have sets of two configuration options.

1. In Administration > Modules you can choose to enable or disable any main menu item. Disabling means the menu item (and therefore all it’s sub-menu items) will not be available for use by anyone on the site, including administrators, for every family tree .
2. If the main menu item is enabled, then Administration > Modules > Menus allows for further refinement:
   1. The display order of the main menu items can be changed by moving each item up or down the list, either using your mouse (click or select and drag) or by changing the number in the “Order” field.
   2. Visibility of each menu item can be set independently for each family tree on your site, allowing viewing by:
      1. Visitors (i.e. everyone)
      2. Members (registered users up to and including those with moderator permissions)
      3. Managers (registered users with family tree manager permissions or higher – for that specific tree)
      4. No-one (hide from everyone). This includes administrators.
3. Don’t forget that you will need to enable the Resource Menu module AND each of the specific Resources modules you want to use. This is all done on the Administration > Modules > Manage modules page. If you don’t enable any of the resource modules, the Resources menu item will not display.

Below are details about the use of each item under the Resources menu