Plugins ideas

Hi !

I was wondering about some plugins ideas in order to improve TBS.
Do you guys have some ideas ?

I'm trying to learn some things about ajax and I've just discover some Ajax Framework like "Ajax AC" or "Xajax". More here http://www.ajaxinfo.com/default~area~components.htm
I don't know if this frameworks can be used with TBS because I'm still reading information like how does it works, which one is good...
But perhaps a TBS ajax plugin can be a good idea ? Am I  wrong ?

See u

Hi,

I'm currently developping a plug-in Totals. It will calculate totals (and in further version, avr, min, max, ...)

I'm also planning to do a plug-in version of tbsOOo.

I wish we could have a plug-in for getting-feeding data for HTML Forms.

Other ideas are welcome.

Ajax is very interesting. I've also started a version of tbsForum with some Ajax. But I cannot see (yet) how it can be useful to have it with TBS. Ajax is dynamic contents at the client side, with Javascript, TBS is dynamic contents at the serveur side.

About your plg-in idea for getting-feeding data for HTML form, take a look at PEAR HTML_QuickForm.

just like TBS, it is simple to use and efficient.

http://developpeur.journaldunet.com/tutoriel/php/030623php_pearquickform1a.shtml

Not sure if this would actually constitute a plugin or not, but the ability to do a lookup when an <acronym> tag is encountered, and append the title="acronym meaning" to it.

Hi Skrol,
This sounds great.
So I can understand TBS better - would you try to explain how using a plugin for 'calculate totals' would operate differently and/or better than something like building an ondata function?
This will help me to see when to use functions and when to consider developing a plugin.
Thanks,

Hi TomH,

The plug-in for Totals will use the OnData event.
I think it is intersting to have this feature in a plug-in because it is needed quite often in our TBS applications (not all the time but several times). Such a plug-in could help us to have totals wihtout coding any PHP. Just few parameters in footer sections, and you have totals.
The interest is in gain of time when buiding the application.

Skrol,
Thanks for the good explanation.

Does the 'totals plugin'  work witht the headergrp/footergrp block sections or do we set up a different type of block defin ition to use the totals plugin?

Can you make a simple example of what the template code would look like?

Thanks

For the first version, it will work only on footergrp sections (or normal sections but the intyerest is limited there). To have global totals anywhere in the template, it will need a small TBS update.

The difficulty in coding this plug-in is when you have several footer/heager groups and have to manage ruptures of totals (subtotals).

Here is the idea i've started with :
You declare a total to be calculated in the footer section like this:
   [blk1;footergrp=field1;sum=field2,field3;rupture=r1]
Parameters "rupture" is optional and is useful only when you have several levels of totals.

Then it creates a new field available in each records:
  [blk1.sum:field2:r1]