[Simplecms-development] Re: Database Layout

[Jonathan C. <jon...@gm...>]

No, i'm not planning to make a wiki... although the way it is set up, one=
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can easily allow everyone to edit the contents and the system to act like a=
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wiki...
 I'm sorry for not laying out the design scheme clearly... The reason why I=
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wrote the database scheme cuz I was running into road blocks as to exactly=
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what would plug into where... I will try to explain what I have so far, but=
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it is still very sketchy... (i'll release a full documentation when I finis=
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it)
 So far, I plan to have the content management system be a system of severa=
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"core" modules, and a lot of extra modules. I will explain the definition o=
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modules as I go on...
 The layout will be all virtual, using multiviews or mod_rewrite... For my=
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example, I will be using mod_rewrite to rewrite all queries to=20
http://example.com/index.php?$QUERY... Let's say somebody goes to the page=
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http://example.com/news/BoyEatsElephant?comments... SimpleCMS will be given=
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http://example.com/index.php?news/BoyEatsElephant?comments. The first thing=
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SimpleCMS will load is load the ParseURI module... This is the first of=20
SimpleCMS's "core" modules. This module (which i finished writing) reads th=
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URI and passes the intended URI (news/BoyEatsElephant) and the arguments=20
passed after the "?" to the rest of the system. $_GET variable will not=20
work, because it is already being used for the URI, especially if we're=20
using mod_rewrite so this ParseURI module is necessary. ParseURI also turns=
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all variables set as foo=3Dbar seperated by "&" into into an array (ie.=20
http://example.com/test?foo=3Dbar&test=3Dtrue)...=20
 The next module that is run is the uri_handler module. This module takes=
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the uri given from the ParseURI module and determines which "page" should b=
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loaded. I have this crazy idea of having all the pages in a hiarchy scheme.=
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Example:
 news
news/foo
news/bar
news/test
news/test/help
 My only problem is that this could degrade performance, but it would allow=
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for automatic creation of navigation menus. If every page has some relation=
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to another page, then we can just call all pages from $ParentID and get a=
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navigation menu... In any case, if someone did not like this method, they=
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could just replace this module. If performance is bad enough, I may just=20
write 2 different modules for this, one with the hiarchy system and one wit=
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just a direct URI. One of the beauties of a totally modular system.
 After the uri_handler is run, the core module "global module handler" (i=
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haven't had a chance to give it a good name, if you can suggest one, i'd be=
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very happy) is runned. The "global module handler" loads the "global"=20
modules, modules that run on every single page and could be as simple as=20
header modules (to place data before the content) or as complicated as=20
session modules to handle the user session... In this aspect, yes, my=20
definition of modules is snippets of code. But i don't want it to be just=
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any code that gets thrown in. I would like to write a documentation=20
requiring modules to be either in OOP using standard calls, or written as=
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several functions with standard names. In any case, the pre-content=20
functions are called, then the content is loaded.
 This is where I want to insert my second form of modules, "user" modules.=
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These modules will be installed before use and will be called only on=20
individual pages by special tags <{}> or something. I'd like to see the=20
editor only have to type <{date}> and the date module be ran and replace th=
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<{date}> tag. I plan to use a regex search and search through the content=
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field for all these tags and replace them with the output of the "user"=20
modules...=20
 After all the tags have been replaced with modules, and the contents=20
loaded.. One last pass of "post-content" global modules are loaded... I nee=
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to think up of a name to call the "pre-page" and "post-page" global module=
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functions.
 After this, the last "core" module is runned, the template module. Up to=
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this time, all the content has not been displayed to the user. It has lay=
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dormant as a $variable (probably $content). I have added another section to=
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the Content table, "template". If set to 0, the content is displayed withou=
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a template, if set to a number, it uses the template of the $templateID=20
(which is another table I have added since the last email).... Of course,=
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this module uses Smarty Templating system... I might throw in "template"=20
modules, not sure yet... haven't looked too much at this yet...
 I hope I have clearly layed out to you my design of the system. I'll=20
summerize once more.
 http://example.com/news/BoyEatsElephant?comment&page=3D2
 /
 |-- ParseURI Reads the URI
 | $uri->URI =3D news/BoyEatsElephant
 | $uri->Args =3D comment&page=3D2
 | $uri->arg =3D array... $uri->arg['comment'] =3D null; $uri->arg['page']=
=3D2
 |-- URI_Handler reads $uri->URI and finds it is an article under 'news';=
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ParentID set...
 |-- Modules Handler/Content Handler loads "pre-page" global modules=20
functions...
 | *Example Global Modules:*
 | header module is loaded... $content .=3D date() etc. etc.
 | session module is loaded, sessions/cookies are loaded
 |
 |-- Content Handler/User Module Handler is loaded and searches for=20
<{usermodules}>
 | *Example User Modules: *
 | <{time}> inserts time here...
 | <{comment}> comment's module inserts page 2 of comments where this tag=
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is...
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 | After all user modules is found and replaced, $content .=3D=20
content->loadcontent()=20
 | or something like that... i haven't gotten here yet.
 |
 |-- Module Handler/Content Handler loads "post-page" global module=20
functions
 \__Template Module is loaded, and page is spit out with or without a=20
template.
  So I had to write a rough draft sketch of the database design... What I=
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have so far is 3 module models, maybe 4... "Core" modules, which the both=
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the user and developer shouldn't need to change, the "global" modules, whic=
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developers can create modules for, and the "user" modules, which users can=
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insert into the contents... I'm planning to have the admin interface as a=
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module too.=20
 Tell me what you think of the design... I tried to make this system as=20
editable as possible so there is no need to "hack". I don't think there is=
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anywhere else that you would need to insert code that i haven't allowed cod=
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to be inserted...
 Jonathan Chan
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> [off-topic]
> I agree with the ACL. Though looking at the levels you talk about I"m
> not quite sure about the overall layout of the engine you"re planning,
> specially the level 100, sounds more like a wiki to me.
> So, what seems to me is that when you speak of modules are you in fact
> speaking of tiny snippets, and all content will be handled by a unique
> component. Am I right? I thought more a phpnuke-like design so this
> would change a lot of my assumptions. Please, clarify this point.
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> To put it with an example:
> So, would http://example.com/whatever access the whatever content
> page, handled by a "content" module, or would it access the whatever
> module?
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> I believe planning first the architecture and/or classes
> hierarchy/relations would be better.
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> [on-DB-topic]
> * Anyway, the content table should have a string index if you plan to
> have nice urls. If this voids the need or not of a contentID will
> depend, but you most certainly want a string index whatsoever.
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> * Also you may want an "enabled" field on the content table too.
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> I would have more comments but I must first understand better the
> design details.
>