[Feature] Dynamic Content Blocks

MakerWorld
1

Hello! I’m a MW designer, and am so far loving the platform. After this recent update with Boosts, I want to make a change to my models descriptions mentioning something about these boosts. (e.g. "Thank you so much to anyone who leaves a boost! To learn more about boosts, please check out _____). Still looking for a link or something to put there, but that’s the gist. I would also like to put my license explanation/etc there. Currently, I have something simple like this for a model description:

Model specific bit here! And then the more generic bit:

I love seeing your prints! Please leave a comment or a make :slight_smile:

This model was designed by Zammer 3D and posted here on MakerWorld.com under the “Creative Commons - Attribution—Noncommercial—Share Alike” license. Feel free to print for yourself, but do not sell this model. Remixes are allowed if substantial changes are made and credit is given to Zammer 3D via the built in platform-appropriate methods. Thank you for respecting the license and supporting me!

Happy printing!
-Z

(and I just added that bit with the “built in platform-appropriate methods”, didn’t have that before.)

So basically I have this on all of my models, and want to update it. Rather than updating it on my 19 models (and some designers have way more!), I would like to request a “footer” that could be added to all models, or disabled on some. It would basically have whatever info the designer wanted. There might even be multiple footers, and the designer could choose which one they wanted. (E.g. one for “Public Domain” models and one for “CC-BY-NC-SA” ones. Then they could easily merge the footers, edit them, etc. Also they could be added by selecting models or selecting all models and adding them, so it’s easier to set up the first time :slight_smile:. This would make it a lot easier for me to create good model descriptions that are up to date. For example, if I want to change my mini “license overview” for clarity, or add something about boosts and other new MW features, I could just update it once and it would populate on all of the models with it turned on.

Thanks and I appreciate that MW isn’t just staying static, but experimenting and improving!
-Z

Edit: Also having multiple per model and letting us place them wherever, for example I have a model with lots of stuff in the description, so I’d want some of it up top and some of it at the bottom. If I could use a shortcode of sorts (e.g. [top-main] and [bottom-main] to place them (or just insert via the writing menu), that’d be awesome!

7 Likes
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I would really like this feature too. There’s a standard assortment of things I’d like to say at the end of every description, like this, and it would be nice to update it all in one go, instead of having to go through each model individually.

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(post deleted by author)

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Totally! I keep procrastinating updating mine, and you’ve got 30 models!

5

Well went though again to add the new boost block and my Buymeacoffee. @Tanklet I’d appreciate a footer feature!

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At this point, even having a global header wouldn’t be bad, or even global text blocks that you can insert into the model description (as you said).

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Dynamic text blocks would be a significant time saver. Similar to footers, but more flexible, these blocks could be centrally managed and inserted via short codes. This allows for an infinite number of reusable text elements that can be used anywhere in the description like so:
text text text
{{preset1}}
text text text

This approach would be particularly useful for a series of models. You could easily promote the most recent addition to the series, update lists of links to related models etc. by updating a single text block.

3 Likes
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Yes, this is basically what I want. I can just do something like:

Summary of model
{Beg for boosts}
{Hey go buy me a coffee}

More Detail about the design and like
assembly instructions and printing
info and other useful and relevant
details.

{Promote similar design}
{Model theives are jerks}
{Signoff}

1 Like
9

Agree, It would be especially useful for designers who have many models, as it is currently difficult to standardize and maintain consistent descriptions between them.

1 Like
10

I think this is a great idea.

Including the ability to include multiple boilerplates would greatly improve the editing situation and make it less unnecessarily time-consuming.

I do mean multiple.

When I designed software solutions, adding the ability to include content blocks into information meant huge increases in productivity and significant reductions in errors.

I also included scheduled content and rules-based content inclusion. I doubt they would go this far.

I would also like a header and footer for each Collection. Plus, the ability to re-order the models within collections.

2 Likes
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@MakerWorld @Tanklet - Any thoughts on this?

1 Like
12

I’m amazed this has not happened yet. It would be such a huge improvement and it’s not difficult to implement. Do I have to come over and implement it myself?!

Having a section of the description shared between ALL models I upload would be super useful. And I’d definitely link to Bambu Lab Textured PEI Plate Troubleshooting Guide | Bambu Lab Wiki or the forum, because most new users have no idea they need to wash their plate and that forums exist.

3 Likes
13

I 100% agree with this. It would be nice if you could put boost messages, images, etc. in a dynamic text block as well.

3 Likes
14

Bumping this again. @Tanklet, can you add this to the product roadmap?

15

Is the footer like this?

  • The footer is a template, which can be optionally inserted to the end of model’s description
  • Creator can edit the footer in each model separately. Any modification to the footer template does not affect the footers in existing models.
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@Tanklet you ate half right, these are the rules that should be included and two examples of their use.

  1. You can create and edit multiple “content blocks”, these could be called footers, but, these should just be blocks of content and should be insertable anywhere if any model page by the author.

  2. Any future changes to a content block will be reflected in any models they were inserted into.

  3. The designer gives each content block a unique name.

  4. A designer can include multiple content blocks in each model page.

  5. No restrictions on the type of content, any existing formatting for a model page should be available to content blocks.

  6. Content blocks should be inserted using a button on the toolbar that presents a list of the designer’s created content blocks.

Example 1

A designer creates a range of five models with a similar theme and adds a list of the related models in the body of each of the descriptions.

Problem

The designer now adds a sixth related model and has to edit the other five models to reflect the new entry.

Solution.

With a content block, the designer can create the list of related models and insert the reference to the content block into each of the five original models. When adding the sixth model, the designer adds the identical content block as the other five. Then, the designer edits the content block to include a link to the new model and all six model pages now show six links from the updated content blocks.

Example 2

A designer wishes to promote they offer commercial licences and type s the identical content into each page.

Problem

The designer has to manually type this into each page. If the commercial terms change or where the subscription can be purchased is sourced comes from a different supplier, the designer has to edit every single model page.

Solution

With a content block, the designer can insert a content block for commercial terms. If the terms or supplier changes, the designer edits the commercial terms content block and all pages with that content block will update to reflect the change.

7 Likes
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Adding on to that, maybe content blocks can have variables? For example in React you have components and the components can have props, so it would be a bit like that. You can use the props/variables by putting {model_name} or whatever. When inserting the block, the model_name is automatically filled with the model’s name. Other variables can be created, such as model_type, which would be filled in manually when inserting the block. Hopefully that made sense.

Example:

Block Name:

Commercial Credits

Block Content:

To license this design, {model_name}, go to my Buy Me a Coffee page and purchase either a license for {model_type} designs or an all access license. Thank you for supporting my work!

Then in the model itself I would insert the block and be prompted to input model_type. model_name would be autofilled.

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Templated content blocks would be MOST welcome, I am all for this - please let it happen :crossed_fingers: :pray: :heart:

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Please yes, I would love to see this. Thank you for laying it all out Malc! +1

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If MW needs an example of when this would be useful…
I have over 90 models with the link “Click here to see my other models” pointing to https://makerworld.com/en/@cfactor

Originally this page showed ALL my models, which is what I want. But since MW introduced the creator’s home page, it points there where it only shows a subset of models.

I now would have to update the description of each and every model I uploaded to point to https://makerworld.com/en/@cfactor/upload instead, but my desire to keep my life interesting gets in the way. I’ll get to it eventually. Maybe.

3 Likes