WordPress.org

1. Zambrano Sergio
   Blocked
   Posted 8 months ago #

   I know there's no way to predict how custom widgets will save the data to the DB to be retrieved from another site, but at least the wordpress widgets:

   Can we have the option to share one widget across sites?
   
   Alternative solutions could be:

   • Remembered widgets box (lower panel) would store main site's widgets (at least wp widgets)
   • Cross site Clipboard? Clips area?

   At least with Text Widgets! They don't need to connect any specific DB table. IT's just text!

   It's beautiful to work with widgets, so you can comfortably edit your text from a centralized "widgets" area… but when you have many sites, having many centralized areas is not "centralized" anymore! it's a pain. I'd rather put everything in the theme hardcoded!

   Thanks.

2. Ipstenu
   Half-Elf Support Rogue & Mod
   Posted 8 months ago #

   Moved to MultiSite.

   Generally, no. MultiSite is intended for multiple separate sites, so this is a bit anathema to that end.

3. Andrea_r
   team pirate
   Posted 8 months ago #

   there's no way to predict how custom widgets will save the data to the DB to be retrieved from another site

   Sure there is. Read the code. By default most of them save data to blog specific options tables. Unless they are coded to save them elsewhere.

   If you want global widgets change them to save in a global table.

4. SocialBlogsite
   Blocked
   Posted 8 months ago #

   When, when I mentioned about others not knowing how how each plugin saves to the DB I meant THAT and the other things I don't know but imagine could be like files stored in server, folders created that could be missing by just adding the content to the DB… post info modified/added… etc.

   But Andre's anwer, explains a lot.

   So the plugins COULD have their data shared if the developers so wanted it.

   That means what would make me happy is a plugin that would change that.

   Thanks

5. Ipstenu
   Half-Elf Support Rogue & Mod
   Posted 8 months ago #

   So the plugins COULD have their data shared if the developers so wanted it.

   Yes but :)

   Remember that if you save to a global table that everyone can write to, then everyone can (possibly) change settings for everyone, and often that's not desirable.

   There are plugins that will push default settings for all plugins to all blogs, but the lack of centralization is intentional :)

6. Andrea_r
   team pirate
   Posted 8 months ago #

   That means what would make me happy is a plugin that would change that.

   That can;t be done.

   You;d have to fork each plugin you want to save globally. There's too many variables (for one) to be able to make a plugin that would do this for any other plugin.

7. SocialBlogsite
   Blocked
   Posted 8 months ago #

   Yes, I pictured that. That's what would make me happy!
   Who wouldn't?

8. Ipstenu
   Half-Elf Support Rogue & Mod
   Posted 7 months ago #

   People who don't use MultiSite for multiple 'same' sites? ;)

   when you have many sites, having many centralized areas is not "centralized" anymore!

   This is a use-case issue, alas. Remember, MultiSite is meant for running multiple separate sites. So there's no need to set up a plugin or a widget 100% the same for all the sites because not all sites are the same. Look at WordPress.com :) Every site gets its own options.

9. Andrea_r
   team pirate
   Posted 7 months ago #

   Think of wordpress.com. They use multisite for literally millions of blogs. 99.99% of their users would not want an identical widget on every blog, controllable by one person.

   Same as any university using multisite for student blogs, of why there are many. Thousands.

10. SocialBlogsite
    Blocked
    Posted 7 months ago #

    Right. Agree. Correct.

    Come on!
    If you knew of a plugin that could do that, just by knowing it's a mission, and somebody took the challenge and made it possible, you'd be happy anyway, regardless of not managing a network of same sit… Hey!, actually, that plugin doesn't have to be necessarily for "same" sites!

    Let's forget for a second that I needed "shared" pages for a network of sites.

    A network always shares branding banners, company's announcements, polls, calendars… common information which goes often in sidebars, while the content belongs to the unique site. So whether I want to share the pages as a way to reduce the points where those pages are edited has nothing to do with this topic about sharing the widgets.

    So, about 99%…

    I always had a good eye for statistics and for "guessing" a number of things with a single look, like Rayman, hehe, and although I agree that I'm not the most common case for a "single wordpress site", we are talking about multisite in this forum, and 99% of multisites need branding and common information across sites. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a reason to have them under the same umbrella. Can you name a network that doesn't share anything across sites? Wouldn't that info be most probably on a widget in the sidebar?

11. Ipstenu
    Half-Elf Support Rogue & Mod
    Posted 7 months ago #

    Rainman was actually Tom Cruise's character, the 'normal' guy, not Dustin Hoffman's autistic. (Yes, that bugs me when everyone and their mother get that backwards ;) )

    A network always shares branding banners, company's announcements, polls, calendars… common information which goes often in sidebars, while the content belongs to the unique site.

    No. Not a NETWORK. At least not in WP terms. You're confusing terminology that is, to be fair, confusing enough as is ;)

    A network means "A network of WordPress blogs, all of which run off of one WP install, creating the MultiSite Network."

    You're thinking like Sharepoint Networks (i.e. all sites under the umbrella). Nothing wrong with that, but that isn't how it works. And honestly, that's a situation where I would stop to think if I need separate full-blown sites or not. You do need to stop thinking about those terms in a locked way that 'Network == shared content' because that's not how WE use the term here :) Savvy?

    If you need sites to share content like 'about pages' then I would hard code it into the theme so they can't remove the link, and have it all link back to the parent site. Or use a network-wide footer/header ( http://wpmututorials.com had a tute on that one). But you want to take the ability to change things away from the sites if that's your desire, because if they can change it, they will, and you'll spend more and more time wasted trying to lock MultiSite down, making it do what it's not intended to do, than actually using the product.

    Look into Custom Post-Types, or categories, or the possibility that maybe not every site needs to be a cookie-cutter :)

12. SocialBlogsite
    Blocked
    Posted 7 months ago #

    Gosh! I've just lost the money for "classical movies for $500" :(
    I though it was Ray, not rain, also.

    Well, my idea of network, you're right, I'm thinking on "websites" to save wp framework, not just blogs… but I can't think of a network (I can find a different name if that bothers you or confuses the creators) that has no branding or shared items.

    Now, again, this topic was about widgets sharing / saving their settings for MAY BE being used again in another site of the same network. Let's steer away from the shared content since it's a very specific case I pulled out to make editions easier.

    I've already got it working with threewp broadcast, and except by the fact I can't re-link an already unlinked page to/from its parent, it works fine. You can see one of the child sites at coverallatlanta.com (main content site dns doesn't resolve from external http).

13. Andrea_r
    team pirate
    Posted 7 months ago #

    and 99% of multisites need branding and common information across sites.

    Then put in a common header and footer.

    Tip: it's not saved in the db.

    http://wpmututorials.com/plugins/how-to-hook-into-the-footer/

14. SocialBlogsite
    Blocked
    Posted 7 months ago #

    Widgets. Remember?
    If I had the time to create custom calendars, polls, or to force other WIDGETS to work multisite, or by placing a function in the header or footer, I'd do that.

    In the while, if the title of this topic didn't say it, I'll specify the scenario this post refers to:

    • Many sites, same network
    • Common WIDGETS, hard to custom program
    • Although they share settings, the widget itself needs to work on child-site data/environment
    • You WILL have the plugin installed, so tables will be there.
    • You STILL have to go widget by widget to setting them up.
    • Copying-pasting the values automatically would help, but the maintenance would be difficult.

    In this scenario, not uncommon, soon with more people following the predicted future for WP, will need this feature.

    You can name this feature after me :)

15. Ipstenu
    Half-Elf Support Rogue & Mod
    Posted 7 months ago #

    If you can write it, we may.

    Widgets are per theme (or plugin) which are customized per site. There are no plans to change this at this time. WordPress has a bit of an 80/20 rule. If more than 20% of the MultiSite users start pushing for this, it may change, but it won't be real soon.

16. SocialBlogsite
    Blocked
    Posted 7 months ago #

    I love the 80/20. That's my bible!

    Although I've seen people making the 100 up with something unrelated to the 80. e.g. "Lingerie is not important for human beens. Yet, it is for woman."

    In other words, saying wp is 80% single sites, not multisites, makes people who want cross-site "copy/paste" widget settings a mute voice in the ocean, but considering 99% of multi-sites will use shared content, now the 80/20 is met.

    See? it depends what the 100 is made of.

    I really don't think WP is intended only for developers. Without widgets and end-user tools it wouldn't have grown the way it did, so developing custom content in the header and footer is not the way for me. Widgets are STILL what makes WP live and grow, and helping to manage them across many sites is the future. You'll see.

    It's not neccesary going too far trying to make all widgets cross-network when they are not ment for that. I wouldn't even think about the crazy useless mission that would be. Remembering settings cross-site or allowing "copy settings" and pasting it in another site would make widgets more desired for multisites.

17. Ipstenu
    Half-Elf Support Rogue & Mod
    Posted 7 months ago #

    No. I'm saying WP is MultiSite is less than 20% "People who want shared widgets."

    Anyway. If you want to code it, go for it. No one's stopping you, but the rest of us, who frequent these forums and the mailing lists, don't see as much a request for it as we do other things that are far higher on the priority list, and far more used.

    Your proposal is a good idea, but it doesn't have enough need yet. Yet.

18. SocialBlogsite
    Blocked
    Posted 7 months ago #

    When Steve Jobs invented the iPhone, 80% or people were complaining about other matters, although he foreseen what we'll crave for soon.

    It's the logical evolution.

    Widgets made grow WordPress.
    Multiple sites need branding and common candies, which come in the form of widgets
    Most widgets need local info and settings.
    It's a pain to setup widgets in each site.
    People will need it :)
    I couldn't code it :(

19. Ipstenu
    Half-Elf Support Rogue & Mod
    Posted 7 months ago #

    Men are not potatoes.

    However to your analogy, Apple wanted the iPhone, so they made it. You want this, so you're responsible for making it. WordPress core doesn't want it right now, so they're not going to. However if you (or someone else) makes it and soon everyone is using it, they may import it. Which is how Open Source works :)

    I know you can't code it. I can't either, but I have no desire for it so I'm going to to learn how (which is how and why I learned everything else I've coded - want and need).

20. Andrea_r
    team pirate
    Posted 7 months ago #

    It's a pain to setup widgets in each site.

    That behavior is not likely to change.

    That being said - you have clearly described what it is you;re trying to *do*, just how you think it should be solved. Going by this statement makes me thing you just want to set up some widgets and have them the same on all sites.

    Well.. .there ARE plugins that let you set up template sites to clone settings to new blogs.

21. SocialBlogsite
    Blocked
    Posted 7 months ago #

    there ARE plugins that let you set up template sites to clone settings to new blogs.

    I tried it. You can't copy widgets with it.
    You modify widgets infinite times more than the times you place them.

    It seems the subjet about duplicating sites can't get out of your hair!
    This topic is about widgets.

    Punish me in the other discussions about the shared pages.
    Oh!! I marked them [solved] after you recommended me "ThreeWP Broadcast", so the inquisition chased me here :O

22. Andrea_r
    team pirate
    Posted 7 months ago #

    there ARE plugins that let you set up template sites to clone settings to new blogs.

    I tried it. You can't copy widgets with it.

    Which one did you try? Because you're referencing one ("it") and I know there are some availalve where you can set up widgets and it WILL copy those widgets to new sites.

    It seems the subjet about duplicating sites can't get out of your hair!
    This topic is about widgets.

    And widget go in sites. Hand in hand.

    Punish me in the other discussions about the shared pages.
    Oh!! I marked them [solved] after you recommended me "ThreeWP Broadcast", so the inquisition chased me here :O

    Good Lord, I am not punishing you nor am I following you around.

    I'm a moderator of this forum -I'm doing my job. Which is volunteer. I specialize in multisite and I stick to this forum subsection.

    Multisite is for multiple separate sites. If you want so much information to be shared and exactly the same - then multisite is probably not the solution for whatever it is you're trying to do.

23. Russ Gilbert
    Member
    Posted 4 months ago #

    I'm wrestling with the problem of a multisite network I'd like to share a sidebar in myself.

    Wondering if it's somehow possible to override the sidebar call so that it forces it to pull widgets from one specific site on the network?

24. Ipstenu
    Half-Elf Support Rogue & Mod
    Posted 4 months ago #

    Russ Gilbert - Yes, but most people hard code it into their theme. Make a new topic, all for yourself, and ask this :)

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