User ordered select lists

Andy Knipp

OK, I am looking for ideas.

Here is my issue, I have an index DCR (say a list of press releases), the user selects 1-100 to be listed on the index page. Currently that is in a scrolling list.

Order is now becoming important. Currently, it is whatever order DOS servers up the DCRs to my callserver. Sorting that by title, date, etc is easy, that is a strong option.

However what if the users require the ability to say this one is 1st, 2nd etc ?

Here are my thoughts.

Have a replicant 1-100 and select each individually. Trivial for me to implement but if I were a user I would hate it.

Have a top 5 when the users selects 1-5 and then the remaining are in a list that gets sorted by some means.

Either of those requires some ability to prevent selection of the same DCR in multiple different lists.

The other option I am thinking of is to have 2 lists, a complete list of available and a list of selected items. Then buttons to add/remove. I have written that code before. Then I would need to add buttons to move up/down. That is the most elegant way of doing it. The JS for this is complex.

Finally I could do the previous but have a field that I could read when someone adds, as to what position in the selected DCRs it belongs. Easier than above but not quite as nice.

thoughts ?

me