Directory mode and custom fields

‘In the pipeline’ I know, but the pipeline has already spanned several horizons…

I have to get on with a public members directory which uses custom fields for extra data. S2 Member has both a rework of custom fields and a directory coming, but I cannot wait further. AMR users has been mentioned as an option. Is there anything else that ‘plays nice’ out there? Some of the plugins I have found keep the directory apart from user data by making entries ‘posts’ rather than ‘users’. I would prefer it to be the ‘users’ approach.

Hello Laeon,

Could you please describe what you’re asking for? What do you mean with “directory mode”? And what would the custom fields be for?

I can’t seem to make sense out of it. :/
Perhaps you could refer to a thread that refers to this?

– Eduan

Hi Eduan

Sorry, it was a bit shorthand… A Directory: Pages where a visitor to a website can see the names and selected details of registered users who have asked to be included in such a searchable list. Probably also organised in categories (see connections plugin for the gist of something like this)

Custom fields: Additional data about registered users some of which may be included in the directory. As I have posted over the last year the spec I have includes about 35 custom fields (or columns). This makes me very wary about adding it to the current S2member custom field handling because of the way the such ‘extra’ data is currently mashed together.

I know that in principal a new structure for custom fields has been in the works for ages. I believe that the same can be said for a directory feature. As I said though I am now out of time to wait any longer for an S2 release, so looking for inspiration of how best to handle this with one or more third party plugins. I wish this was not the case!

see also http://www.s2member.com/forums/topic/public-members-directory-and-custom-fields/
http://www.s2member.com/forums/topic/wp_usermeta-constraints/
and most other posts under my name.

A Directory: Pages where a visitor to a website can see the names and selected details of registered users who have asked to be included in such a searchable list. Probably also organised in categories (see connections plugin for the gist of something like this)

Ah I see. So you mean like a list of users, in other words. It’s true it’s on the works for the next generation of s2Member. However I’ve heard of users that use other plugins to do this for you. Can’t say I remember any of them though. :/

Custom fields: Additional data about registered users some of which may be included in the directory. As I have posted over the last year the spec I have includes about 35 custom fields (or columns). This makes me very wary about adding it to the current S2member custom field handling because of the way the such ‘extra’ data is currently mashed together.

I see. Well, this is already implemented in s2Member, however as you said it’s being improved on in the next generation of s2Member.

What do you find unsatisfactory about it, I wonder? Pretty sure with one plugin that lists all the users other s2Member users have been able to list all the users in their website, however I’m not so sure about displaying the values of those fields…

– Eduan