SoftwareCentre chosen - please move discussion to SoftwareCentre.
Either UsingPloneSoftwareCentre or usingMySQL...
*I think we should discard the different CMS option - PLONE seems excellent otherwise, ticks all the other boxes, is accessible and i haven't seen a better alternative yet. Plus, we've now invested too much energy in it!
*Other alternative - I would rather get a dynamic database online, rather than a single database dump, for launch, even if we have to rehash it later - people HAVE to be able to add/comment projects.
*Archetypes/PloneSoftwareCentre (all code references are to the PloneSoftwareCentre? release code)
OK. I've been doing some fiddling, the more I fiddle, the more I think this is doabe and not too hard either. Fine, it wont give us a relational or externally referencable database, but it could be changed to work with MySQL afterwards (according to the documentation) if we like.
I like the way PloneSofwareCentre? will give us a unique URL for each project. i.e. oatsoft.org/products/fobarsoft/ and any templates under that i.e. /userview or /developerview . IT's easy to reference content since it stored in the catalog 'under' that project - i.e. you just go here/description to pump out the project description.
Issues: 1) Customising fields (to add categories etc)
2) Adding good search facility
3) Customising views for site (i.e. user/developer side)
1)
Seems easy - just add them to schemata.py !!!! Not relational, but ho-hum.
2) Tricky but not too hard I don't think. You can search the catalog acording to product (i.e PSCProject - see _getContained in content/PloneSoftwareCentre.py - called by GetPackagesByCategory?). You can also search by other optional fields, I THINK, this is what needs more work... the API [1] implies you can, but then I don't understand the line [2] in PloneSoftwareCentre?.py ... just need to try it. The code for the search box [3] should also be useful.
3) Just edit the templates under /skins/ probably need to make two new ones, one for users, one for developers.
I wanted to try some of this on the server (and put this mail on trac!) today (plus dunp a load of content i've done), but it is down! Doh!
If I get a chance to i'll try and fiddle some more this week, before the meeting, otherwise we should go through this at the meeting Jason. However, initial comments????
Ta.
Simon
P.S. Hope this mail formats OK - sorry, sending it from home.
[1] http://www.plope.com/Books/2_7Edition/AppendixB.stx#2-437
[2] if category:
query['getCategories'] = category
[3]Not to hand at the mo, since the site is down! Go to /manage/ then skins then find "global_searchbox"
-- Jason Walsh <> wrote:
> Hi, > > > > From the point of view of adding our own fields we > can add any of the > following type of data, I think this should be no > problem, the biggest > problem we will have is in creating a search. I > know Arcetypes allows us to > use the plone search functionality, but this does > not give us the power that > we require to refine the search on Operating System, > Need and Category.
> From the point of view of alternatives we could look > at these as well,
> * Look into using Archetypes > * Another CMS. > * Building our own from scratch which fits our > needs.
> We could look at using Archetypes and use the > meeting planned for the 11th > July as a place where we could both (me and Simon) > look at if Archetypes > will provide the functionality that we need. If we > are going to take this > route we need to know that it will work 100% for > everything that we want to > do.
> I think changing to another CMS will not make any > difference now as we would
> need to start our learning process all over again.
> I have taken a quick look at using ASP.NET currently > using the Access > Database Table that the ACE Centre is storing the > software found in. I have > not spent much time but I have quickly produced a > site that can be searched > and will display results from the database. I have > also added a browse > functionality. Would it be possible to use this as > a font end for users > looking for software and plone for the developers > section? The only reason > I looked at this as a option is because we are > working off a limited amount > of time.
> I think perhaps the way forward is for us to meet on > the 11th and look at > Archetypes to see if it will be able to meet our > needs and I would guess if > it did we could quickly create the site. The only > thing that worries me is > we have to be 100% sure that whatever option we take > will produce the > required site(s) as we cannot afford any more > problems.
> I am away for the all of next week but will be > looking at me emails. > Thanks, > Jason
