Tagging is a powerful feature made available through the IP.Board framework that allows you to collect "tags" for submitted data, either through an ad-hoc system whereby the members provide tags at will, or through a closed system where the available tags are pre-defined. Tag support in IP.Content is, arguably, the number one requested feature, and since we try to listen to our customers and deliver software with the features you have asked for, we have chosen to include tag support for IP.Content in version 2.3.0. Read on to learn about how tag support will work in the next release of IP.Content.
Configuration
While your global configuration serves as the basis for IP.Content tags (just as it does elsewhere throughout our suite of addon applications), you can override the global options on both a per-database and per-category basis. When configuring your databases (or your articles section), you can choose to enable tags, disable prefixes, and specify the pre-defined tags to use if you wish to use a closed system. When configuring categories in your databases, you can optionally override the per-database configuration. That is to say, all of your categories by default inherit the configuration from the database, but you can disable tagging, prefixes, or specify different pre-defined tags (or none at all) on a per-category basis if you wish. You can do this for individual categories, or for all of your categories - the choice is yours.
If you do not disable prefixes, they will be available to you and your members based on your global configuration in the System Settings. Similarly, if you do not define per-database or per-category pre-defined tags, the ones you configure globally in the System Settings will be utilized instead (or the system will be an open system where users can submit whatever tags they want). Global group options and per-member overrides (for instance, disabling tag abilities for a specific member) are all honored in IP.Content.
These options will allow you to enable and disable tagging as you see fit throughout your article and database sections, giving you full control over how tags function.
Tag Collection
Tag collection on the front end works just the same as it does for topics. The input capabilities are dynamically set based on your configuration, so the "Use first tag as prefix" option is shown if allowed, and the tag input field will turn into a select box if you have a closed tagging system. The same input capabilities are available in the ACP when you add or edit articles or database records from there, instead.
Additionally, the tag input field is available if you promote a post to an article, and taking the system one step further - we even default the tags associated with the topic on the new article form for you. You can of course remove them, add to them, or change them, but you won't have to try to remember what tags were used for the topic, and neither will your members.
Display and Searching
Just as with topics, the tags will display in the database record listings (including the article "Archive" view). If a prefix was set, it will show before the article or record title. When you mouse over a tag, a helpful tooltip is shown to let you know you can click the tag to search for it.
The tags will also display in frontpage templates in a similar fashion.
When viewing an article or database record, the tags are of course shown here as well
And to round everything off, we show the prefix and tags when viewing records in the ACP as well
Tags are also displayed in search results, if applicable. And, of course, you can search for tags within the IP.Content application in the global site search, allowing you to easily find the articles and other database records that you have tagged.
New Plugin Block: Tag Cloud
With the introduction of tagging in IP.Content, we decided to go ahead and include a new plugin block to allow you to display a tag cloud block anywhere throughout IP.Content or IP.Board that you like. This plugin block could, as well, be included externally on any webpage on the internet using our external widget code if you so wished.
The block will display exactly as it does on the forum board index.
More To Expect
We are happy to be able to deliver one of the most requested features for IP.Content 2.3, and we hope you are looking forward to the release. We have a lot more in store, so stay tuned for future blog entries outlining other changes you can expect to see with IP.Content 2.3. If you have suggestions for other improvements to IP.Content, please don't hesitate to share them in our IP.Content feedback forum!