For GHOP task #119, I've created a module which creates (or restores) a flexible and secure configuration for TinyMCE with a single button click. You can download the module from the d.o issue queue (after enabling the module, it appears as Administer -> Site configuration -> Set TinyMCE defaults). I would appreciate any feedback on the implementation of the module, the user experience, and the configuration it installs.
My thoughts are below, but I would prefer to hear yours :)
As far as the configuration it installs, I think it looks good, although I'm not so sure about setting filtered HTML as the default input format and setting filtered HTML options. This feels like it is overstepping its bounds of a TinyMCE configuration, perhaps it should tell the user what it is going to change, so that the user is at least aware of this.
From a usability perspective, having another module to download and activate is suboptimal. It would be easier if it was included in the TinyMCE download, under drupal\modules\tinymce\contrib\tinymce_autoconf or similar. Easier still would be if it was integrated into TinyMCE, and on the admin/settings/tinymce page, when there are no profiles, instead of the current "No profiles found. Click here to create a new profile.", it displayed "No profiles found. Click here to create a new profile, or install the default profile".
Comments
Updated version:
Updated version: http://drupal.org/node/203173#comment-675712
I'd like to ask your opinion on cleanup and output settings. It sets them as so:
Verify HTML: true
Preformatted: true
Convert tags to styles: true
Remove linebreaks: false
Apply source formatting: true
However, apparently the verify HTML and preformatting can conflict with each other? If so, which is more useful to leave enabled?
Feedback
I would not enable Preformatted. I don't use this on my site and it flies in the face of keeping the formatting in the hands of the site admin.
I dlso don't often convert tags to styles, or enable apply source formatting, but that may just be my lack of sophistication with using these features.
My preferred settings
I usually set all of these to false, except "apply source formatting" as (I believe) that generates cleanly spaced html when the editor is disabled, thus simplifying manually entering html.
I'd love to get feedback from people who know more about this, because while these settings have always worked very well, I also feel like I'm missing something/don't understand it completely.
Cheers,
Bill
FunnyMonkey
Tools for Teachers
FunnyMonkey
Some thoughts
RE:
Given that filtered html is the default for the core drupal install, all this is really doing is adding additional tags to the input format to ensure that TinyMCE will work correctly. And, given that the html tags are pulled from the feedparser html sanitization page, this doesn't pose a security risk.
RE:
See above comment. This is also something that should be clearly stated on the module download page, in the readme.txt included with the module, and possibly in a help text available within the module. If you want to code up a confirmation screen prior to making the changes, go for it -- it'd be a great addition, but not one that is entirely necessary, IMO.
RE:
Agreed -- but this is still lightyears better (for non-technical users, anyways) than configuring the entire module by hand.
RE:
As an intermediate step, perhaps the text link for the module (as seen at ?q=admin/settings) could be set to "TinyMCE -- Create Default Profile" -- This way, the config for TinyMCE would appear just above the autoconfig options, as the list is ordered alphabetically. It's a kludge, but it'd get the job done for now.
Cheers,
Bill
FunnyMonkey
Tools for Teachers
FunnyMonkey