Forum OpenACS Q&A: Using OpenACS 4 for development NOW

Posted by Jun Yamog on 08/15/01 07:12 AM

Hi,

I have now started in developing a site using OpenACS 4. Now I know
its not released but I would also not use OpenACS 3, ACS 4 or ACS 3.

Here are so far what I am doing to make it possible to develop on a
source code that is heavy in development

- Use Oracle, since most of the classic ACS 4 is somehow functioning.
Also according to Don Bacus this ACS 4 classic modules should
function pretty ok on Oracle.

- Update my CVS tree of openacs-4 frequently. I try to do it
everyday. Then import this openacs-4 tree to my project tree.

- Check out for data model changes. I should watch out for changes in
sql/oracle/*-create.sql files. I either drop my data model or massage
the existing data to the new data model.

- Try to avoid packages in heavy redevelopment. cms and packages that
use acs-messaging, places and acs-notifications. Since cms is being
hand ported and acs-messaging, places and acs-notifications is being
ported to acs-mail and acs-references.

I guess those are things that I am aware and doing right now. Are
this things right? Can you guys give me additional tips on how can I
develop OpenACS 4 now? I could not wait for the launch since I have
decided to use 4.x capabilities (permissions and modules can take on
instances) and I plan to have my site in alpha form by end of the month.

Please give me tips on how can I have a successful OpenACS 4 site
despite OpenACS 4 is not yet in a stable tree. Thanks.

Jun

2: Response to Using OpenACS 4 for development NOW (response to 1)

Posted by Don Baccus on 08/15/01 06:07 PM

I think you've covered the important items. You might want to post which of the specific packages you need for your alpha site. In this way, if there's a known dependency on (say) places that needs to change to acs-references we can help you coordinate with whoever is doing that work.

3: Response to Using OpenACS 4 for development NOW (response to 1)

Posted by Jun Yamog on 08/15/01 07:02 PM

Hi Don,

I really appreciate all the help and advice you and openacs team has
been giving.

I have a sections of my site that is fairly static. I can just do it
in html, take it further to adp templating. Since I like doing things
properly this sections should use some kind of content management.
Also the site will be used to demo OpenACS capabilities to our clients.

As I understand it cms is just an admin interface to content
repository (CR), workflow and acs-templating. Is this right? If the
way I understand it I can just use CR.

Since my only needs are:

- add/edit content.

- map content or link it. (sections, subsections)

- map content with a corresponding template

So CR should do right? I do file-manager + adp templates but that is
not a real content management system.

So I used cms-news-demo as my reference/example in using CR. In
particular cms-news-demo/www/install-wizard-2.tcl. I want to insert
content and register my folder to CR.

Hurdles are template::begin_db_transcations is not used anymore so I
change it db_transactions. change the ns_ora execute_plsql to
db_exec_plsql. Things are not working ok. I get errors and
investigate why there are happening.

Is there some good simple example on how to insert contents to CR? An
existing ACS module perhaps. I am reading the docs and I used
cms-news-demo as my sample.

How is the file system based CR fuction doing? according to status CR
is PORTED. Does that mean things are pretty much ok? I might try to
use CR on file system if its more simple.

I am really sorry of the so many questions. I really do have a lot of
them.

I just need some kind of a cms-lite. I dont want to reinvent the
wheel here. I would like to use as much as what OpenACS 4 has done.
If i am to create my own cms, etc. Might as well remove OpenACS and
just do it in plain aolserver.

Please help I just need some kind of a simple cms. My site will be a
primarily used for demo for clients, so I need to make use OpenACS 4.x
capabilities. Thanks.

Jun

4: Simple CMS -- is Luke's ETP ported to OpenACS4? (response to 1)

Posted by Jonathan Marsden on 08/15/01 07:35 PM

Your need for a simple CMS sounds like the ETP (Edit This Page) facility that Luke wrote... can't find the thread to link to right now. If that ETP code works with OpenACS4 CR, then you should definitely give it a try.

Others (Luke, Talli) know much more about ETP than I do... I know it exists, and I played with it on a demo site that was pointed at here in the bboards recently, but that's about it.

Worst case, if you just need to control edits to your files, put them under CVS. Not pretty, but it works.

5: Response to Using OpenACS 4 for development NOW (response to 1)

Posted by Don Baccus on 08/15/01 08:21 PM

Luke's ETP does sound like a possibility for Jun, but I think it's only working with Postgres at the moment. I know the demo you were looking at ran with Postgres.

I don't know their release plans - it would be great to see it working
for Oracle and it would be great to see it as a Musea contribution to the OpenACS tree .

6: Response to Using OpenACS 4 for development NOW (response to 1)

Posted by Luke Pond on 08/15/01 09:07 PM

I'm planning to release ETP by the end of the month as an OpenACS4 package. It's a user interface for the content repository data model, and lets you do the kinds of CMS tasks you mentioned with a minimum of fuss. For the programmer, there's an tcl api for defining content types and associating them with page templates. For the content editor, there's an interface for adding, editing, and categorizing pages on the site.

Although I have some work to do before ETP is ready for others to use, you could make preliminary versions of your page templates right now, which is where the bulk of the implementation work always lies. Make sure you've read the ACS templating documentation (http://developer.arsdigita.com/doc/acs-templating/ ) , and then design your master template and a template for each of your content types. A template that displays a single object should rely on a "onerow" data source (which is just a tcl array), and a template that lists objects of a particular type should rely on a "multirow" data source (which you can create with the template::multirow api). When ETP becomes available, it will be easy for you to make these templates present dynamic information from the content repository instead.

7: Response to Using OpenACS 4 for development NOW (response to 1)

Posted by Jun Yamog on 08/16/01 07:52 AM

Hi Luke,

I have already read the templating on OpenACS 4. I have even done
some of the pages in templating. Given that this site will demo the
capabilities of OpenACS 4, I would really want put the content on
content repository.

Can you share the ETP module? Even though its not finished yet we may
eventually help each other in finishing it. I really can't wait until
the end of the month for its release.

Or maybe the ETP module can make it already on the openacs-4 tree and
just indicate on the status that its not yet done.
Would you know also what ACS module makes use of CR aside from
cms-news-demo that could serve as a tutorial for me?

Thanks.