Been a while - but I just wanted to highlight the very latest generalized article footer, by posting to the Blog.

The latest footer includes all 72 Social Network icons, but most are hidden behind a 'click to show' link so that your page will look clean and minimalist. 3 icons - facebook, MySpace and twitter - are always on display, but you can easily switch those in the HTML for any icons that you wish. It also includes icon links to Printer-Friendly and Send to a Friend, plus a simple icon display for posting or reading comments, with a different icon if Comments already exist.

Additionally there is a PermaLink link (Pro_News doesn't change the links in the way that some other systems do, but the presence of a PermaLink helps to reinforce that). And the very latest addition is a link to the QR 2D Code for the page as an alternate to the PermaLink.

If you want to skip to the end of the story - figuratively or literally - go ahead: you'll see the latest article footer there.

The QR code is generated on-the-fly when someone requests it by clicking on the QR link. The link opens in a small pop-up in the center of the screen, ideally placed for scanning with your smartphone camera and favourite BarCode app.

Finally the Article Rating system, equivalent to the standard Dragonfly Ratings system can be displayed on the right, all on the same line, thus minimising real estate.

As always each and every part of the footer can be individually enabled or disabled from the Pro_News Config screen: Social Networks, Print, Email, Ratings, PermaLink/QR, and even Comments can be disabled by article, by Section or across the entire site.

And just below that is the new, optional, Comment block. But it falls to someone(s) to post a comment before the new block will give up all its secrets!

The idea behind the Comment block is to allow more control over displaying Comments; the block can be enabled for specific Sections or All Sections. With options as to the number of the latest comments to be shown. Clicking on any of the Comments links will take you to the Forum. I think this Comment block scheme overcomes the 1 big disadvantage of the DiscussThis approach of using the Forums to post comments: You can't see the comments unless you go to the Forums. Whiel still keeping all the advantages (no new interface to learn, options to add attachments, images, and full user profile links).

It also helps to further support the very clean, modern, crisp footer display, but keeping much of the text out of the footer area.

Hope you agree!

[ The Comment block will be a standard component in the next release of Pro_News. The footers however are part of the 3rd Series of Pro_News templates and as such will only be available to members of my Sponsors group. Membership of the Sponsors group comes about in 1 of 2 ways: you make a significant contribution to the actual code, translation, release testing or whatever and I bequeath membership on you,. or you simply drop a Donation of $20 or more and you become a member. Once the next release of Pro_News comes out, the Sponsors group will get full access to all of the current #rd Series templates, including the FCS ones. I have to recover some of my costs supporting this module somehow. ]