Hi all,

Two new wizards will be available soon (very soon). This may sound like a small announcement, at first, but a huge amount of work has gone into them.

I want to point out, right up front, that this whole thing is a client-sponsored project. Clark Venable, Terry Frazier, and a group at Cornell University have paid for this whole thing. Thank you very much, all three of you, for seeing the value in this proposal, and especially for funding it.

Pattern Maker

The first (available now in pre-release, beta form) is primarily for the designers among our users. It allows you to create an XML "Pattern" file from an existing site. The pattern file can contain just about anything: templates, stylesheets, javascripts, resources, and even the site's page structure and properties.

Perhaps the most interesting part of these files is that they can be as thorough or sparse as you want. They could contain only a couple of templates and stylesheets for the "look" of a site, or just a few resources that you want to use on all of your personal sites, or whatever.

To access the wizard, go to your site's __Wizards__ page. (For example, <http://www.free-conversant.com/yourSiteHere/__Wizards__> ) and then click on "Pattern Maker".

We will, eventually, create a site for people to upload Conversant patterns, and rate the patterns created by others. (We'll check them all, too, to make sure they're at least functional.)

THIS IS AN OPEN BETA! WE NEED FEEDBACK. If you have questions or comments about the wizard, please post them here on the support site.

Pattern User

The second wizard (not yet available, but coming very soon) is the "other side of the coin." It lets you upload a Pattern (created by the first wizard) and apply it to your site. So, with the click of a few buttons, you could have a totally new look or new features (or both).

Like the way someone else's forum works? If they have provided a pattern for it, this wizard lets you duplicate it on your own site. Then, of course, you can customize it or use it as-is.

Eventually, the pattern files will be used to create new sites, both through free-conversant and when adding new conversations to your zones. Those features will come last.

Both wizards are still being worked on. The first one is available now but some features don't work yet (they're marked clearly, though). The second wizard should be available this weekend, if not sooner.

Again, your feedback, questions, and comments are all strongly encouraged.

Seth