April 2007 - Development - lists.drupal.org

db_rewrite_sql
by Ashraf Amayreh 19 Apr '07

19 Apr '07

Looking at this function which raps db_query calls and allows modules to alter the query, I was wondering how a hook_db_rewrite_sql is supposed to distinguish the queries that it wants to alter from the queries that it wants to leave alone? Only way I can think of is to do a string match on large parts of the original query, but isn't this quite messy, or am I missing something? Could someone please shed the light on this issue?

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HTML5, XHTML2, and the Future of the Web
by Karoly Negyesi 19 Apr '07

19 Apr '07

http://www.digital-web.com/articles/html5_xhtml2_and_the_future_of_the_web/ Quotes: The fact that Internet Explorer doesn’t really support XHTML as XML in any way, and the problems XML can cause when not all tools in the authoring chain are XML tools, means that there has been little incentive for using XML on the web. This is compounded by search engines not indexing XHTML as XML documents; very few XHTML authoring tools for XML; very few CMS or blogging tools supporting XML correctly all the way from input through database to generation; and very few ad suppliers supporting XML. While HTML 4.01 is formally SGML-based, HTML5 accepts the reality of all browsers using error-correcting tag-soup parsers, and instead describes a specific non-SGML parsing model that includes a defined error correction model. Turning an HTML 4.01 document into HTML5, on the other hand, is in most cases just a question of replacing the DOCTYPE declaration. If a document doesn’t use any of the new elements or APIs introduced by HTML5, the browser just sends it to its tag-soup parser. For most current content-management systems and authoring tools, the change to generate HTML5 instead of HTML 4.01 is simple, and the new HTML5 features can be added to them easily. In addition, many of the new HTML5 features can be emulated using JavaScript for browsers that don’t support them, allowing for a gradual change from HTML 4.01 to HTML5.

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Alternative to hook_exit
by Ken Rickard 19 Apr '07

19 Apr '07

Dave- Are you caching those webservice calls? That would be the first option. Otherwise, the approach depends on what those calls do. - Ken Rickard agentrickard

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multiple menu support
by Karoly Negyesi 19 Apr '07

19 Apr '07

Hi, The way I imagine this. a) hook_menus to define multiple menus. b) menu_menus table to store 'em. (of course, hook_menu has an FK to this) c) menu_rebuild gets renamed to _menu_rebuild and gets the menu name as argument d) hook_menu also gets the name of menu as argument, returns the menu items in that menu. Piece of cake. Little code change required. You can program multiple menus this way very easily. Takers? ChX

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Re: [development] HTML5, XHTML2, and the Future of the Web
by FGM 18 Apr '07

18 Apr '07

Quote the blurb at the end of the article, too: "[the author] is a medical student and hobbyist web designer" Not to belittle hobbyists, but when considering such grand declarations, one ought to always verify the POV neutrality. ---- Original Message ---- From: karoly(a)negyesi.net To: development(a)drupal.org Subject: RE: [development] HTML5, XHTML2, and the Future of the Web Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2007 10:08:06 -0700 >http://www.digital-web.com/articles/html5_xhtml2_and_the_future_of_th >e_web/ > >Quotes: > >The fact that Internet Explorer doesnt really support XHTML as XML >in any >way, and the problems XML can cause when not all tools in the >authoring >chain are XML tools, means that there has been little incentive for >using >XML on the web. This is compounded by search engines not indexing >XHTML as >XML documents; very few XHTML authoring tools for XML; very few CMS >or >blogging tools supporting XML correctly all the way from input >through >database to generation; and very few ad suppliers supporting XML. > >While HTML 4.01 is formally SGML-based, HTML5 accepts the reality of >all >browsers using error-correcting tag-soup parsers, and instead >describes a >specific non-SGML parsing model that includes a defined error >correction >model. > >Turning an HTML 4.01 document into HTML5, on the other hand, is in >most >cases just a question of replacing the DOCTYPE declaration. If a >document >doesnt use any of the new elements or APIs introduced by HTML5, the > >browser just sends it to its tag-soup parser. For most current >content-management systems and authoring tools, the change to >generate >HTML5 instead of HTML 4.01 is simple, and the new HTML5 features can >be >added to them easily. In addition, many of the new HTML5 features can >be >emulated using JavaScript for browsers that dont support them, >allowing >for a gradual change from HTML 4.01 to HTML5. >

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About phpEdu
by deji akala 18 Apr '07

18 Apr '07

Dear All, I'm aware of the DrupalEd group and other efforts towards developing a viable solution for Drupal in educational instituitions. However, I've been working on a simialr application - phpEdu - for some years now and only this year have I decided to port it to Drupal. At the moment it offers modules for admissions, course registrations, courses, quiz (test/practice modes and 3 quiz types) , and assignments with others in the works - timetable, attendance etc. If ubercart and e-commerce can co-exist in the Drupal community I believe we can have more than one project for the educational environment as long as there's no duplication of effort. Do you think there's room for this kind of application in the Drupal world? The second beta version is due very soon and you may check out the phpedu-dev site: http://www.phpedu.org.uk Many thanks. -- Deji

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Alternative to hook_exit
by David Metzler 18 Apr '07

18 Apr '07

I have some expensive web service calls that are causing delays in one of my sites. These calls are performed using hook_exit, but my themers aren't bulding themes that will display content before a page load is complete. Anyone have any ideas about an alternative strategy that might be used so that I can load some extra information without the user waiting for it? Can anyone point me to some sample code? Thanks as always, Dave

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DRUPAL-6 maintainer: Gábor Hojtsy
by Dries Buytaert 17 Apr '07

17 Apr '07

Hello world, I'm happy to announce that Gábor will be a co-maintainer of the DRUPAL-6 branch. :) More information at http://drupal.org/node/136957. -- Dries Buytaert :: http://www.buytaert.net/

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Idea: Site documenter module
by Angela Byron 17 Apr '07

17 Apr '07

When inheriting a site from a client and trying to figure it out, there are a number of things one normally does... - Go to the content types listing and take a look at what types exist, and what the field definitions are for those types. - Check out what roles there are, and what permissions are assigned to those roles. - Check out what taxonomy vocabularies exist, and to which content types they're assigned - etc. This is all rather time-consuming, as it requires going to about 50 admin screens, and it's difficult to get a "big picture" of what's happening. Having been asked to write a document containing some of these things on a site, I'm thinking of writing a module that basically nicely formats a db dump into an HTML page so you can get a bird's eye view of what the site entails. Example output might be: --- <h1>Site documentation for Example.com</h1> <h2>Goals</h2> [insert site goals here; why does the site exist? who's its target market?] <h2>Overview of architecture</h2> [insert overview of architecture here; how various pieces fit together and why] <h2>Enabled module list</h2> <ul> <li><strong>Custom module</strong>: A custom module for the site. Description taken from .info file.</li> <li><strong>Logintoboggan</strong>: Improves Drupal's login system.</li> <li><strong>Pathauto</strong>: Provides a mechanism for modules to automatically generate aliases for the content they manage.</li> </ul> <h2>Content types</h2> <h3>Page</h3> A static page, like a contact page or an about page. <h4>Fields</h4> Title Section (Vocabulary) Body <h3>Announcement</h3> A news announcement on the site. <h4>Fields</h4> Title Category (Vocabulary) Description (Body) Attribution (Text) <h2>Roles</h2> <ul> <li><strong>anonymous user</strong>: [insert description here]</li> <li><strong>authenticated user</strong>: [insert description here]</li> <li><strong>administrator</strong>: [insert description here]</li> </ul> --- Perhaps this would include an intermediary step (a form) would let you enter in broad descriptions for the site, plus descriptions for roles, etc. Because this info could be just about anything, it could be stored maybe as a serialized array somewhere? It could also have the option to export a blank template which you could fill in manually when you spec out a new client site. I was thinking also of a settings page where you can turn on/off the sections you wish to be included. And it would have to implement a hook so other modules could expose their things to being included in the documentation output. What do you think? Crazy idea? Stupid idea? Anyone interested in helping to spec something like this out? -Angie

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How to help with the project* modules
by Derek Wright 16 Apr '07

16 Apr '07

After months of sounding the alarm, my lightening talk at OSCMS where I begged for help, Dries's state of Drupal talk, and a few too many disgruntled emails and/or issue replies from an embattled dww, there seems to finally be a slow trickle of people who are offering to help out with project*. This is great! Thank you to those who have already contacted me off list, and I hope to hear from a lot more of you... ;) To try to focus this tiny but growing team, I've written up a detailed list of things people can do to help with the maintenance and support for project*: http://groups.drupal.org/node/3686 It's a wiki page, so feel free to add to it, improve it, etc. Feeling bold, I already promoted it to the front page of g.d.o (I assume no one minds). Please comment there with any feedback. Better yet, dive in and start helping. ;) Thanks, -Derek p.s. As excited as I am about the 3 Google Summer of Code projects related to all of this, no one should imagine that we'll need less help for project* as a result. If anything, I'll be so busy as a co- mentor to all 3 efforts that I'll have even less time than I do now to work on anything else project*-related. And, there will be a ton of patches and changes coming out of SoC that need reviews and testing. So, while this year's SoC is FANTASTIC news for project*, drupal.org, and Drupal itself, the need for help will be just as great as ever...

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