MP:Mediaprojekte

How OpenLaszlo and CakePHP could team up.

Implementing different OpenSource CMS Systems brings up the same need for plugins each time.  F.ex. You can find classified scripts , chats or galleries for Joomla, WordPress or Typo3 but they are all differently implemented. Every time you start again cleaning them up or enhancing them. But all the work is useless if you switch from one system to the other or want to use some totally new CMS Software.

One solution is of course taking special standalone software for the special task. But here too you have to clean up the mess. Most of the special special functions are not used and you need to update a couple of systems for every customer. Keeping track of the changes is another enerving job as well as programming the css for each browser (…pucke)

I´m thinking of something more usable which could be accomplished with the following tecniques. My idea´s are not new, i just want to draw a "OpenSource-software-mix scenario" to point out one possible attempt. To follow what i´m writing about you should take a look into this pdf:

  openlaszlo_and_cakephp.pdf (10.08.2006 21:39)

The solution to those scattered pieces of Addons and Plugins could be a central webservice which would deliver the main funtionality. Let´s stick with the classifieds script.

The whole intelligence like the classified management, emails, user administration could be done with the cakePHP framwork. The user would login here to do all his adminsitrative tasks. Instead of rendering normal HTML pages for the public classifieds views Cake would just render pure XML.

The public view side would be programmed with OpenLaszlo which generates a standalone swf File. The connection between both is made over HTTP Request. Of course there are some variables which the SWF needs to fetch the correct URL´s. Those variables could reside in an config file contaning the user´s login, special url´s or settings for the flashfilm itself, like textsize.

The technical advantages of such an enviroment is that the implementer does not have to worry about technical details, updates, formating html and whatever comes his way. He can simply put the swf wherever he wants and it quickly shows the classifieds from the webservice. The enduser get´s a really rich dynamic enviroment which can only be accomplished with flash. The Service Programmer does also not have to worry about different CMS Systems or Server setups.

Of course you are not bound to the cakePHP framework for rendering xml and delivering the intelligence. Ruby on Rails is another damn nice framework for such a scenario and there is already a OpenLaszlo Plugin available. I choose cakePHP in this example because it runs whith most webspaces, whereas ruby on rails support is not so widespread.

Please note that this is just a rough draft of an idea. Such a couple-up is not only usefull for small enhancements of cms systems like mentioned at the start. What kind of idea do you have?