[wp-meta] [Making WordPress.org] #6525: Add context to support forum topic URI

[Making WordPress.org]

#6525: Add context to support forum topic URI
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 Reporter:  Starbuck        |      Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement     |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal          |  Milestone:
Component:  Support Forums  |   Keywords:
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 **Problem:** We cannot identify the context of a support post until we
 open it.

 == Example 1 - Context for Plugin Support

 Live random example of problem:
 https://wordpress.org/support/topic/many-to-many-relationship-help-please/
 Challenge: Guess whether that's related to core, ACF, MetaBox, or some
 other plugin.
 Open the link to see:
 "Support » Plugin: WP Data Access » Many To Many Relationship (Help,
 please)"

 ==== Suggestion 1: Add the plugin slug to the links of all plugin support
 topic URIs.
 ''!https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/name/slug''
 Redirect if required to the current
 ''!https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slug''
 If the URI matches `support\/plugin\/(.*)\/(.*)$` rewrite to
 `support/topic/$2`.


 == Example 2 - Context for Core Forums
 Live random example of problem:
 https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-
 connection-1035/
 Challenge: Of the 1035 examples of that slug, what is the context of this
 discussion? Is it about a plugin? Core? What aspect of core?
 Open the link to see:
 "Support » Installing WordPress » Error establishing a database
 connection"
 If it seemed obvious that this was about core, consider:
 https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-
 connection-1034/
 That's a request with the exact same topic name that leads to a plugin:
 "Support » Plugin: Page Builder by SiteOrigin » Error establishing a
 database connection"

 ==== Suggestion 2: Add the label "forum" and the section to the URI.
 Existing forum link for the above thread:
 https://wordpress.org/support/forum/installation/
 New thread link:
 https://wordpress.org/support/forum/installation/error-establishing-a
 -database-connection-1035/
 Now it's obvious that this discussion applies to core and not a plugin,
 which can eliminate page loads of data that's not relevant to current
 research.
 To implement:
 Rewrite `support\/forum\/(.*)\/(.*)$` to `support/topic/$2`.

 == Example 3 - Context for Theme Forums
 Live random example of problem:
 https://wordpress.org/support/topic/remove-padding-7/
 Challenge: Of the 7 examples of that slug, what is the context of this
 discussion? Is it about a plugin? Core? What aspect of core? A theme?
 Open the link to see:
 "Support » Theme: Twenty Twenty-Two » Remove Padding"
 The other six requests with the exact same topic name lead to other themes
 and plugins.

 ==== Suggestion 3: Add the label "theme" and the theme name to the URI.
 Existing forum link for the above thread:
 https://wordpress.org/support/theme/twentytwentytwo/
 New thread link:
 https://wordpress.org/support/theme/twentytwentytwo/remove-padding-7/
 Now it's obvious that this discussion applies to a specific theme.
 To implement:
 Rewrite `support\/theme\/(.*)\/(.*)$` to `support/topic/$2`.

 == Combining the suggestions
 Rewrite `support\/(forum|plugin|theme)\/(.*)\/(.*)$` to
 `support/topic/$2`.

 Currently all links matching that pattern lead to a 404.

 == Notes

 Anchor links in URIs must not be broken - the dollar-sign $ terminator in
 the regex above might not be valid.
 Example: support/plugin/name/slug#anchor
 Modify rewrite with something like:
 `support\/(forum|plugin|theme)\/(.*)\/(.*)(|#(.*))$` >
 `support/topic/$2$4`

 Implementation requires changes in many places on this site to insert more
 metadata into links.

 Consider adding a user profile toggle to allow opt-in for new
 functionality. This can also be used to facilitate debugging before full
 production.

 The suggested implementation details are secondary and only intended to be
 helpful. The primary request is to solve the problem where we have no
 context with "support/topic/slug".
 Another implementation, perhaps easier though less elegant, might be to
 display links with a querystring, based on a user profile opt-in toggle.
 Example:
 ''!https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slug?context=forum+installation''
 or
 ''!https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slug?context=theme+twentytwentytwo''
 or:
 ''!https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slug?forum=installation''
 ''!https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slug?theme=twentytwentytwo''
 ''!https://wordpress.org/support/topic/slug?plugin=akismet''
 Again, the query string isn't intended to influence processing, it's there
 for human consumption. This querystring solution won't help with wp.org
 SEO. I'm thinking more context in the URI path would help with searches on
 wp.org and from outside.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6525>
Making WordPress.org <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/>
Making WordPress.org