Categorygeddon, reorganizing categories

#1

So as you can see the category situation is out of control, and if you are an admin or mod you know that it’s REALLY out of control (we can see, I’d guess, 3 times as many categories as are public…)

So I’m suggesting drastic changes to cut down on categories by combining them, to get down to a minimum number of categories. I’m starting out just collapsing the currently-public ones, after that is done we will form a plan for the currently-hidden ones that we want to combine and make public. My loose goal is to have ~10 categories total by the time we are done (subcats included).

My argument for this is with the new forum/layout/search we do NOT need so many categories and subcategories, it’s completely redundant and rather than making things more organized, it makes them harder to find.

Ok, here is my list of final categories, groups of these categories would all be collapsed into the top line category in the group, which may or may not exist, and may be renamed:

uncategorized

general-discussion
general-discussion/debates
general-discussion/general-questions
general-discussion/homework-help
general-discussion/news
general-discussion/off-topic-spam
downloads
downloads/download-requests
reviews-and-multimedia
music
tutorials-tips-tricks-and-tweaks
vehicles

technology
smart-phones
computer-hardware-discussion
electronics
linux
3rd-party-programs

community-suggestions
community-suggestions/resolved-suggestions
site-feedback
site-updates-and-news
general-site-discussions

staff-help

graphics
graphics/graphics-requests-and-help
graphics/graphic-tutorials

general-programming
general-programming/java-programming
web-design-development
appbak
ideas-for-apps
page-plus-balance

game-development
gamedev-general-discussion
game-elements
game-mechanics-and-content
engine-development
networking-and-multiplayer
3d-resources
client-help
effects-and-sprites
arcade-room
sounds-and-music
development-progress
contest-board
game-tools-and-utilities
newbie-questions
teams
tutorials-and-code
storylines-quests-and-missions

games
games/guides
games/wurm-unlimited

minecraft
minecraft-tutorials
moparcraft-infraction-reports
games/minecraft
games/minecraft-discussion
games/minecraft-server-advertisements
games/moparcraft-discussion
games/solved-reports
whitelist-applications

runescape
guides
runescape2-client-hacking-tips
runescape-classic-server-advertisement
runescape-classic-server-and-client-help
server-advertisements
server-and-client-development-showoff
server-help
server-tutorials
server-tutorials/featured-tutorials
server-tutorials/snippets
rs-client-hacking
rsc-server-development-discussion
rs-models
rs-models/model-requests-help
simba-and-script-help
simba-development
simba-faqs-and-tutorials
simba-first-scripts-section
simba-runescape-scripts
simba-scripting-help
simba-script-requests
other-simba-scripts
questions-and-talk-about-rs2-client-hacking
help-with-java-hacks-bots
games/rs2007-discussion
games/runescape
games/runescape-discussion
games/server-status-page
official-server-discussion
banners-and-backgrounds
download-simba-here
development-teams
general-server-discussion

That would leave us with these 11 categories at the end:
uncategorized, general-discussion, technology, community-suggestions, staff-help, graphics, general-programming, game-development, games, minecraft, runescape

Comments? Suggestions? I plan on doing this sometime in the next 24ish hours.

3 Likes
#2

Those categories seem fine to me. It’s not like this board is super active anymore to warrant splintering up everything into 20 different sub categories

#3

Even though I like it, I’m not sure whether game-development deserves to be a category on its own as it’s really inactive on the Moparscape forums?

#4

Yes agreed, I almost combined it with programming, I still might in the future.

#5

I like the new suggested layout. If anything we can also split a category at a different time.

#6

Yes I think rather than be pre-emptive on categories and have too many, too few is better and we can add more and sort them out later.

#7

Here is the script I ended up writing and running:

allcatswithsubcats.rb (3.9 KB)

I figured out a way to store the original category on a topic, so we have to be less careful about merging them, since we can just un-merge them later. :smiley:

Let me know how that looks, next step, merging all the hundreds of cats staff can see and making them public…

#8

This script is really simple comparing it to what I thought it’d look like. This forum software is really nice.

#9

Well I had to figure out and write my own copy_cat() function, but yea just the fact it gives you a nice console with a nice API is great!

#10

And it’s not written in PHP! HUZZAH!

#11

Yea, and I’m not sold on ruby yet, but ANYTHING is better than PHP :slight_smile:

#12

aaaannnndddd Categorygeddon stage 1 is complete, looks MUCH better in my opinion! :slight_smile:

#13

Categeddon (I shortened it) stage 2 is 99.999% complete, 2 categories are still giving me errors in combing, something to do with a topic title…

#14

runescape-classic because reasons.

#15

Sorry, but what do you mean?

#16

Voting for Runescape Classic as a category.

#17

I think for now just use the Runescape category and maybe tag posts with rsc or something?

#18

Here is what the remaining category merges looked like:

allcatswithsubcats_staff.rb (5.4 KB)

Everything is done now.

Consider making the old 'internal' cheating section public