While the "review" mode for sections is in fact not new to me since I wrote all the code for it over a year ago, it has only become public just recently with the release of the club function.

What I mean with the "review" mode for sections is that TT now has support for sections and items that are reviews or other material (such as for film, games, music, etc...). I define the term "mode" for sections as the format at which items are displayed while viewing them directly and browsing their sections. For example, browsing thumbnail gallery sections will show you all the thumbnails of images for every item in the section, while the forum mode will list items in a structured table with the number of posts and what not.

Much like other modes, this new review mode has it's own unique display format which includes a "new" field known as the item's description, which gets displayed only while browsing the section itself (the description does not actually display with the item). As well as a description, review modes obviously are geared towards reviewing material based on certain criteria.

For example, if one were to be reviewing games you would want to be able to review/rate a game's graphics and game play while if you were reviewing music you may want to review/rate a song's sound and lyrics.

Since I am doing everything I can to avoid making a feature too restricted to a certain concept, I of course allow these review criteria to be customized based upon what the section serves to review.

I would like to explain in detail just how this system works so everyone interested in running their own club has all the knowledge necessary to creating great review sections.

For this example, let's assume that I am creating and maintaining a movie themed review section.

Step 1

As you can see in the first picture, you need to first ensure that the club you are creating or modifying has a "review" section as a part of it.

Step 2

In the second screen shot you can see that I have circled a special tool that appears when you own a section which reads "control section review elements". Use this link to manage a section's review elements.

Step 3

The third screen shot shows that there is already one review element for this section ("Story") and in the text field I have entered another review element, in this case "Acting".

Step 4

If you try adding/submitting an item to this section you will now notice a field called "Story" and a field called "Acting". Both of these fields have a selectable drop down menu to rate the item you are reviewing between 1 and 10, as well as a small text area to add comments about why you gave it this score (these commends DO appear with the review, though they are not necessary).

Step 5

Screen shot five shows how this item would like when viewed. If you notice, above the review's text there is a brief rundown with the overall score (an average) as well as the score for each review element. Below the review's main text body will appear a more detailed break down of the score containing additional comments that you left for each review element.

Step 6

The sixth screen shot shows how this section would display while browsing the section's items. Next to the item's icon will appear the rundown of the review score and to the right appears the review's description.

There are a wide range of uses that could be devised for this new mode and I'm sure some of you will be creative enough to put them to good use.

To see this all in live action, I have created and am using a real review section for video games, which can be found here!

If you run into any problems let me know.

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