| Attribute | Average |
|---|---|
| Features | 4.57 / 5 |
| Reliability | 4.43 / 5 |
| Ease Of Use | 3.57 / 5 |
| Documentation | 3.43 / 5 |
| Vote Count | 7 |
The Panels module allows a site administrator to create customized layouts for multiple uses. At its core it is a drag and drop content manager that lets you visually design a layout and place content within that layout. Integration with other systems allows you to create nodes that use this, landing... [More...]
| Maintainer: | merlinofchaos |
| Links: | |
| Categories: | Content display |
| Version | Date | Files | Release notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.x-3.0-beta2 | 2009-May-20 | Download | Recommended for 6.x |
| 5.x-2.0-rc1a | 2008-Aug-05 | Download | Recommended for 5.x |
| 6.x-2.0-alpha3 | 2008-Dec-30 | Download | Supported for 6.x |
| 5.x-1.2 | 2007-Apr-03 | Download | Supported for 5.x |
| 6.x-3.x-dev | 2009-May-21 | Download | Development snapshot |
| 5.x-2.x-dev | 2008-Dec-28 | Download | Development snapshot |
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I refer to the new panels 3 with this.
Panels is really a fantastic module. You can chop a page in slices and but any content in there that you want. Just amazing. The real difficulty lies in "How to use it?" There are so many options and a JS GUI with popups and not realy easy to access settings that it will drive you nuts. With Panels 3 we now need CTools and the delegator. Panels now is a plugin for the pages part of the delegator. Can you still follow me? The delegator will override URLs with its plugins and panels is one of them. This is really great because you can set a lot of Taskhandlers with different criterias that can for example overwrite different nodetypes with different panels. It took me a real headache to figure this because it is really different from panels 2.
Anyway just try panels. Its a must have module and got really improved in Panels 3 for Drupal 6. And maybe after you figure how it works you write some documentation so help others out ;)
Another brilliant module with incredible applications for website design and presentation and which allows the drupal user to maximize what is available in the drupal core but which otherwise may be somewhat inaccessible or difficult to manipulate. A panel can hold views, blocks, nodes -- the list is endless. A panel can be a front page, or it can hold lists of dynamically generated content. Mini panels can be inserted in panel nodes or panel pages. The ability to build sites with Panels is limited only by the imagination of the user. One of my personal all time favorites. Use it once and you'll be hooked. Support? Well, no, the support is not necessarily delivered in the warmest and fuzziest manner, but so what... use Panels, experiment with it -- you cannot break it, and you can always uninstall it. It is rock solid, in my own personal experience. Upgrades are smooth and error free.
I use this module in a number of places. It does make setting up pages easier, however it provides little end user benefit
My biggest complaint is the SUPPORT. DON'T ask a question in the "support" section (or IRC) of panels to the developers or you will be called names. hehe
The developers issue Que for 1.X states that they no longer support that version. However on the front page of the project they issue a great big warning on the risks of using DEV 2.X version.
I must admit I am extremely tough on modules in my ratings, however the treatment I received and the lack of respect earns this a big 0. The lack of support for a stable version is contradictory to their statements. However it does its task, its reliable, and since there isn't a "support" section I must give this an above average rating in all area's!
Lastly I must give credit to the developers. This project is a major undertaking and it is a very hard project to take on. They have executed it beautifully, and it promises to be one of the core components of the future of Drupal.
The API documentation has become incredible, and the on site how to's are helpful. But don't be looking for any other support on their project page or risk being belittled.
Lastly the template and CSS does not work well in IE. The floats where not properly implemented. Also creating custom styles will show you 2 different things. First thing, this module inserts a TON of DIVS! Im tired of having to explain it to the CSS IRC chat.
Contradicting myself. The panes style is not well thought out. The title is contained in a div, however I could not contain all of the body into a div. This is most evident in the Views with More turned on. Creating custom panel definitions that are complex and flexible are limited.
Small things in a giant project! I must still recommend this project if you have time to learn it!
It could be a bit easier to set up and understand the first time--a little more documentation wouldn't be bad. But as soon as you "get" what it does, it's really fun. Makes laying out comlex pages a snap. Honestly, it's a blast to use. As soon as they're able, I introduce new Drupal devs to this one--just to give them break from the agony of trying to wrap their minds around taxonomies or views. This is Drupal playtime.
Made our struggles with creating a consistent and complex look disappear, but still had issues, primarily with the FCKeditor, making it usable for the non-techies editing the content of the site. Java didnt like speaking with Java apparently. We were able to train around but we are also looking at a long-term solution to this issue...
Panels make is very easy to add multiple pieces of content to a single page without having to do any custom theme stuff for it. The new version of panels seems to fix any problems I had before with it, but it is still in beta and should be a very cool module when finished.
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Proxous
Drupal Consulting and Web Design
http://www.proxous.com
Panels in isolation is a good module that lets you put content in a two column, three column or various other layout formats. But its best used with custom content types created with CCK and views. If you want a totally different front page use $isfront variable and remove the sidebars then create a different front page than all other pages with use of panels. Yes for this you'll need some CSS tweaking. See an example I made here.
As far as the current panels and the 2.0 alpha release I'd suggest some more layout formats that whats given with the two column and three columns ones. With 2.0 when I used it with panels block to show tabs I had some problems but I think they have sorted it out now. All in all, its a great module if you want to categorize and sort your content in you own style with no or minimal coding.
"This is a bit mind-boggling that this wouldn't use tokens. So all emails are generic, with no customization..."
"This module is great, most of Drupal's weakness has been in people not understanding it's administration..."
"I have another site which I haven't installed this module on yet and I miss it a lot. It's a real time..."
