List Manager Forum
List Manager needlessly complicated
here is a screen shot of the error messages when trying to import the data
Hi,
yes, we understand that it may seem a bit overwhelming at first to see so many options. This is because with this extension you can do the basic table functions, but also very complex systems. But just for filling a table with basic data, it shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes to have it ready, here the steps.
If you have already created your database, and configured the fields then you have several options to fill data:
- Manually:
Go to you table->display->form layout (this will be the input form). Create it automatically using any of the buttons. At the 'data layout' you should also add a button 'new' in order to allow enter new data.
Now go to the main/initial configuration page of ListManager, select your list and database options->manage data, you will find there your 'new' button and the input form from the previous step.
- CSV:
In order to add bulk data, you will need to enter the same number of fields, but also ensure the data corresponds to the type you have configured for that column. Per your error log it seems you have created the column 'phone' as a number (integer), but you're trying to store there data like
1234-256-78
For that kind of content, you should use a text column instead, then the error should dissapear.
Please give it a try and let us know if you need further help with the configuration.
Best regards
Silvia Martín
Moonsoft Team
Thank you. That is helpful. I have followed your instructions and there is no change.... I still can't add records to the Manage Data page. I have attached screen shots of my setup so you can review and help troubleshoot. Thanks.
OK. I've been able to import the data from the CSV file. It didn't ignore the first line of the CSV file with the field names, but when I removed the first line, it gave me an error message and wouldn't import any data.
I still need to know how to edit entries manually (add, delete, etc), filter and search. It doesn't show those "search", "edit", "new", "delete", and "filter" buttons that I added in the Data Layout tab (see attached screen shot).
How can I choose to have different fields/columns visible in the back end (administrator view) verses what columns are visible on the front end (user view)? I'd like to be able to edit more fields on the back end, and initially only show some of those fields to the user, then show more data that is visible in a detail view when the user clicks on a "detail" or "more info" button on the front end. How do I do that?
And how can I format how the table looks on the front end? Colors, fonts, etc. I want it to use the same template style as the rest of the site... or at least mimic that color scheme and fonts as much as possible.
How can I include links to files/images in one of the fields? I need to show flyers for each caterer. They would be JPG or PDF files. When I add the HTML code to display them, it only shows the code, not the link.
Hi,
at your screenshot of the data layout, we see your buttons at the toolbar are not properly included, (they show 'undefined' at the title). That's why you're not getting them working at the table manager. We've seen this same error once, and it was a problem with the site permissions, not allowing that page to load required assets for the scripts or the media folders, thus causing this weird behavior. Can you please show your dev tools at your browser (F12), reload that page again, and let us know if you can see any error at the js tab and/or the network tab?
-How to have different fields/columns visible in the back end/front end: Once you have finished with the configuration of one of the profiles (for ex, the front end, readonly), you should select the list->copy, and then configure for the other profile (backend, with edition and different columns). You will only publish the first one, while you will keep the second profile to be used only for the backend (or from the frontend with restricted access, for ex).
- How can I format how the table looks on the front end
The table is created using the default bootstrap 5 library, because is the one used at the default Joomla installation and template. But you can disable the bootstrap option at the module configuration 'Use bootstrap->No'. That way the table will only be styled by your custom template.
Otherwise, If you want to do a fine tunning of specific styles, you can still use bootstrap but change its styles to modify the look and feel. At the files
/media/mod_listmanager/assets/css/bootstrap.css
/media/mod_listmanager/assets/css/lm.css
you will find the default classes to modify/override.
More information about default table styles from bootstrap can be found here:
https://getbootstrap.com/docs/5.0/content/tables/
Some of the basic options for bootstrap are also included at the 'Display' section, where you can enable/disable styles like 'bordered', 'stripped'...etc
- Show images or link to files:
The html field is the right one to include images or files or any other valid html content, you can see it in action here:
https://demoj4.moonsoft.es/
this includes an image of a car, but it could be a link to a file, for ex. If the html field is not behaving properly, it can be due to the same problem commented above, if there is any file not loading, or a js conflict, then you could see the functions showing strange content. We suggest to work on the first issue and then try again this one.
Note: If you prefer us to debug and let you know how to solve more quickly, you can share a temp access at the 'private data' of the ticket and we'll check this and the rest of the configuration, so you will be able to continue on your own in no time.
Best regards
Silvia Martín
Moonsoft Team
Thank you Silvia for being so helpful. I really appreciate it.
I turned bootstrap off and the theme formatting is sufficient for now. That was an easy fix.. Thank you!
I do not understand what you are saying about how to create two versions of the table view (front end vs back end). How do you create the different profiles? It seems like the information on whether the field/column is visible/editable or not is set in the Fields/Columns tab and I do not see a way to duplicate or create multiple variations there.
If you want to get into the site and figure out what the problem with the permissions is, I would be very grateful! I have created temporary credentials for you and included them in the "private data" field of this support ticket.
New question: Is it possible to create additional modules to show only PART of the data in this one database, for example just the Full Service Caterers or just the Other Services? It would be convenient to have all the data in one database and only show filtered results in various places on the website. Or would I need to build three different databases with the same structure (field names, types, settings), with a separate database for each main category?
Thanks again for your help.
I purchased List Manager, and am trying to publish a simple list of caterers for an event center. I've created the database and set up all the fields, pagination, views, etc. I have published the module to the page on my site. But I cannot add data to the database. When I click Manage Data it doesn't give me a way to manually enter data, only to import data from a CSV file. And every time I try to import data from a CSV file, it gives me a bunch of errors. This is very frustrating! I have it formatted in the correct number of columns with the correct field names and in the correct order. How difficult does it really need to be to import a simple CSV file? I'm not an idiot... I've done a lot of programming and used dozens of Joomla extensions for the last 10+ years and List Manager is one of the most difficult to figure out. It is not not intuitive and your documentation is super basic and does not explain how to do things very well. There are zero videos on YouTube about how to use List Manager either. Can you please help me figure out how to use your List Manager extension? Thank you.