RM 1.1 Resource Icons and Featured Resources

Today, we're continuing on with our look at some of the new features coming in the 1.1 release of the XenForo Resource Manager. Up next are 2 of the most common requests.

Note that as before, we're not running RM 1.1 here yet so you can't play with these just yet.

Resource Icons

In the current RM release, the icon that is displayed with a resource has simply been the avatar of the author. This has been used in resource lists and next to the title when viewing the resource itself. In 1.1, administrators can choose to let users upload unique icons for each resource instead, similar to what you might find in various app stores. The icon allows resource authors to have a space to add a quick, unique identifying element to their resource. This is particularly useful for resources that have a significant visual component, though most of the demonstration and information about a resource will still be found in the resource description and the attached screenshots.

Resource icons are controlled by an option that covers the entire resource manager, not category-by-category. This was done to ensure consistent display and expectations across categories.

The icon that is being uploaded should be 96x96 (the same size as medium avatars), or at least square so we can resize it. Note that in the standard list, we shrink the icon, but the featured resource list does use the full size.

Here's what a resource list item looks like with icons enabled:

(It seems the burger wasn't that good based on the 2 star review... )

Similar to threads, we still display the creator's avatar to help you identify authors at a quick glance. If a user does not upload a unique icon, a standard placeholder will be used (like with avatars).

You can also see one of the indications of a featured resource here.

When viewing a resource, we focus on the icon:

When you create a resource, you will have the option to upload an icon in a separate step. You can then also update that icon at any time via a link on the sidebar. Staff with the appropriate permissions will be able to manage resource icons as well.

Featured Resources

In RM 1.1, staff with the appropriate permissions will be able to mark specific resources as featured. A limited number of featured resources will then be automatically put above the standard resource list:

The resources that are displayed in this list varies based on context. For example, on the main resource page, they will be displayed from all categories. Within a category, the featured resources will only come from that category or any children. By default, the featured resources are only displayed when viewing the "default" list (e.g., not sorting by different criteria).

Featured resources are currently ordered based on when they became featured; the most recently featured will be displayed first in this list.

The featured resource list is currently height-limited to one row, as to not push the standard list down too far. Older featured resources can be viewed by clicking the "view all" link which takes you to a standard resource list-style page.

The screenshot in the resource icon section also shows the "featured" indication in the resource list. There is also a small indication of this when viewing the resource: