has anyone tried modx

grantb · Regular Joined: Feb 16, 2005 Posts: 67 Location: Canada

Hi, just wanted to know if anyone has tried the new modX api ajax system. It realy looks like a great system in its new development stage. Are any features going to be implemented into raven's cms? I think that this might have many bonus code to integrate into raven's cms or am I way off?

kguske · Site Admin Joined: Jun 04, 2004 Posts: 4640

There are a number of AJAX frameworks, utilities, etc. I haven't looked at modX yet, and I'm not sure whether or not any AJAX utilities are being considered for RN yet. We haven't discussed it.

There could many possible uses for AJAX - as well as some limitations. I'm sure we'll evaluate them as they come up in our discussions about future direction, etc. If you have ideas and suggestions for using AJAX with specific functions, modules, etc., please post them to stimulate the discussion.

Nash · Regular Joined: Jan 10, 2006 Posts: 86

Has there been anything further on this?

I would love to build AJAX functionality into my site. This would be particularly useful in a shopping cart application I believe. Any good suggestions?

montego · Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:17 am

No, there has still not been any further discussions for RN. As I see it, we do not just add "plumbing" for plumbing sake, so, there would need to be a strong functional reason why we would add it. And, at the same time, we're trying not to "bloat" this thing with a bunch of new functionality.

So, really could not tell you if and/or when.

Nash · Regular Joined: Jan 10, 2006 Posts: 86

Thanks Montego. I think that AJAX does add strong functionality for any site involving posting. Forums, Photo galleries, user log in, shopping carts, and I'm sure many other pieces stand to benefit from the enhanced functionality. That said, I have little idea of how AJAX works, so I don't know just how much is involved in AJAX'ing a site.

montego · Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:36 am

AJAX in of itself is just "Plumbing". It is a means to an ends. It provides NO functionality in of itself. There needs to be a use/need for it IMO.

Nash · Regular Joined: Jan 10, 2006 Posts: 86

I guess I'm thinking of the results that I typically associate with AJAX plumbing then. e.g., no full page reloads/redraws and thus fast response times to user actions. My impression was that AJAX was what enabled this

Would it require a significant amount of renovations to the code?

Have you encountered any tutorials that you would recommend?

montego · Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:45 pm

It would be intensive rewrites of the existing code. Another thing to consider is the actual use models for nuke. It really is not a highly user-interactive type thing. Very simple use models are being employed to provide content really. Most CMS' are similar.

Now, a shopping cart could benefit potentially from some AJAX functionality. Some heavy form driven type applications where you don't want the business rules all applied in javascript or forcing the user to click and refresh his/her page with a bunch of data entry error messages, etc. Or to do dynamic look ups of descriptive information for some product or something... I would consider things like this as more "candidates".

I don't know of a good tutorial, but I do recommend the following books:

AJAX and PHP
Building Responsive Web Applications
by: Christian Darie (and others)

and, not for the "light reader":
Pro PHP XML and Web Services
by: Robert Richards

Nash · Regular Joined: Jan 10, 2006 Posts: 86

Thanks Montego -- very helpful. I may have to try those books.

Agreed about the shopping cart.

I've seen some forum applications do a decent job with it where posts are "instantaneously" made instead of having to go through a series of clicks and loads

Similarly so for a photo gallery with commenting feature.

PHrEEkie · Subject Matter Expert Joined: Feb 23, 2004 Posts: 250

Nash wrote:

I've seen some forum applications do a decent job with it where posts are "instantaneously" made instead of having to go through a series of clicks and loads

All fair, but the Forums for Nuke are phpBB, and Nuke developers aren't about to start making such major changes to a Forum system that isn't going to be supported for much longer anyway.

I mean, the point is, phpBB has moved on. All competitor forum designers have moved far forward as well, so there's going to become a point where Nuke will suffer severe stagnation unless phpBB 3 or another forum option is ported. I think any feature or usage enhancements for Nuke should take a clear distant second to the energy that should be started soon for a better and more feature-rich integrated forum.

PHrEEk

montego · Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 9:26 am

The other consideration is people turning off JavaScript in their browsers for security reasons. I have been known to do that from time-to-time myself when I am uncertain about the site I am going to. But, then again, you can always put a notice up at the very top saying "this site can only be used with javascript and cookies turned on"... you get the picture. lol.