Jørn Wildt

I was asked today if I could add a field type like "file attachment" to the set of Pagesetter types. Now that could be quite interesting, but I could use some input as to how one would use such a feature. Please note that this is not by any means scheduled. I am just curious.

1) What would you use it for if you could add a fixed set of "file attachment" fields to a publication? What if you could add any number of files?

2) Would it be usefull even without being able to attach any number of files?

3) Would it be better or worse to do this as a generic PN-Hooks module that would let you attach files to any PN entity?

4) Photoshare is a sub-kind of document manager. NukeOwl is a more generic one. Would it be better or worse to separate document handling into such a separate module, and then be able to add links to the documents from Pagesetter?

It would definitely be nice to attach multiple files to a publiaction. I lean toward having document management in a separate module. It is useful in many modules that way.

What I don't know and need help in understanding is what the pn hooks permission system, if it exists, looks like.

Some pubtypes should allow file attachment for all publications. Some pubtypes should allow no file attachments. Some pubtypes should have the file attachment permission at the publication level.

Also, we should be able to update the attached file(s) to a different version.

More than anything, I am curious to hear what others have to say on this issue.

Hmm...

For media that can be included (like images, but also movies, flash etc) I would prefer the gallery solution (BTW: I never tried Photoshare with other things than images, does that work? -- and an upload button on the image select popup would be fine).

For other things -- these would be "attached downloads" I would use a Hook (what else :P) -- a Hook that lets you display items from the downloads module, or a generic upload Hook.

J?rg

No, Photoshare, cannot handle other media types than images.

Does this sound like "..and isn't planned" or does it sound like "...and is in the queue" ;) ?

J?rg

It sounds like "it is not planned".

But perhaps time have come to do it ... hmmm ... nah .. not now. I still have plenty to do on Pagesetter.

I've wrote some code for pagesetter 1.0.0 and rewrote it for 4.0.0 that handles uploads for pagesetter. It stores the upload in a folder on the webserver and stores the link in the database. basically I created a knew kind of pubtype (called upload ...). It also does some checks to see if someone doesn't upload php files. If anyone's interested, drope me a note. Downside is, it can only do one upload at a time.

I've been using Pagesetter since v3.0 and would LOVE the option to include a file link in a publication. I've done a site where users who have no knowledge of HTML/PHP need to submit News and Monthly Newsletters. I'm almost ready to hand it over to them. I've been pasting the Word Docs into Pagesetter publications (HTML field). It looks quite good, better than PagED or Content Express attempts at displaying the Newsletters. However, if I could display BOTH a web version and a link to a user-uploaded Word doc, then I think that would be very professional-looking. Having a Word image next to the link would be even better still.

Keep up the good work, Jorn!!

p.s. Having some trouble with HTML Area with v4.0.0 RC2 -- will post in another thread.

Rob W

I'm new to pagesetter. It is a great module!

I work in qualitymanagement for automotive industrie. Everybody who knows a little bit about the stuff we have to do, knows that ther is a qualitymanagementsystem with a lot of papers.

I figured out, that pagesetter can fullfill a lot of needed things for that. But we have to link/ attach a lot of documents (office docs and pdf)

When there is a solution similar to photoshare, the modul is perfect for our needs.

A change of photoshare to docushare will be a great idea!

Ralf

Agree with Ralf.
Pheraps can do the job also a file-upload field. I will use it for handling pdf files and files like svg or other that nned to chenge the header of http.
Files that can't be pasted in html for any reason (protocol, pdf form...) but that have to be logically inserted in that category of pubblication used for other pagesetter documents.

I have been thinking a bit about this issue, and I'm starting to think that version 6 should have document up/download - both as Pagesetter fields and as a replacement/extension of Photoshare. This should allow you to create your own file handling "modules" (using the new field type), and use Pagesetter as a general document manager too. The last of course requires Pagesetter to let you organize your documents and publications hierarchically, which I believe I will make possible too ... who will then need typo3 :)

And - please - do not ask for a release date ;)

That would be very useful..

Here are my opinions in reply to the original post:

1) I'd use it for adding pdf-abstract to publications (displaying a link to the file in the view pub page).

2) Better one than no-one ;)

3) don.'t know about PN-hooks

4) as long as files are part of the publications db (and managed through pagesetter) that's fine


massimo


[Edited on 9/3/2004 by mmware]

Jorn,

In response to your post, I really, really like the idea of turning Photoshare into a generic file repository module.

Here are my initial thoughts:

1) An album becomes a folder that can contain different types of files. Maybe we can even use the same folder structure that you are planning for v6 of Pagesetter.

2) It would be nice to specify what files are allowed within a folder. On the upload page we can display this list so that people know what is allowed. We should be able to create our own file groupings.
Anything (*.*)
Images (*.jpg, *.png, *.gif)
Documents (*.txt, *.doc, *.wpd)
Programs (*.exe, *.bat)
Scripts (*.php, *.pl, *.py)

3) If we are using Pagesetter as the document manager then we might want to make sure that people cannot browse the file folders inside of Photoshare. Hmm, we can probably do this with the current Photoshare album permissions.

4) Right now Photoshare is good at creating individual albums that can be shared with others. In your example of making an Upload/Download application out of Pagesetter and Photoshare, we will probably want the Photoshare folder structure for that application to be owned by the site, not an individual.

Tony

I know this might sound old... and maybe somewhere else you have talked about it... but it's pretty easy to use pagesetter to include any kind of media...

I still do not know why everybody talks about photoshare handling flash files for example or exe files... there are modules for those things and if there aren't then you should be able to create a pubtype in pagesetter that can handle them...

Other media files, just make a field that either points to the file or has the name of it, you can link the file inside the template so if there is a value in the name then it shows the link and if not then it doesnt.

Same rule applies to flash... just make a generic template (maybe out of a preview you can copy paste the code needed to show the flash) now, you can place a link to download the swf somewhere, maybe a zip file, but to show the file would be as easy as (maybe asking width and height and background color value) asking the name of the flash file... place the field inside the code you just copy-pasted ... et voila!

Video and such should be the same... With pagesetter one can manage anything that html can manage... and easier since all you have to do is the template and then the rest is just inputing some data... maybe someone wants to write functions that catch such data from a file... maybe they dont.

What you say is true.

However, the goal is to have those files in a place where (based on permissions) someone can upload, download, and have access to them for use within publications.

Ease of maintenance is what is desired.