Refactoring a CMS to Use Shared LITTLED Libraries

Configuration

Update content settings in site sections CMS

• AJAX scripts
  • Listings: /_hostmgr/_ajax/utils/listings.php or /_hostmgr/[CONTENT]/_ajax/listings.php
  • Delete: /_hostmgr/_ajax/utils/delete_record.php
  • Update cache: /_hostmgr/_ajax/utils/update_cache.php
  • Resort: /_hostmgr/_ajax/utils/resort.php
• ID parameter
• Sortable flag
• Cache Content flag

Rename existing directories in VCS

• common > _config
• common/*.js > _scripts/*.js
• inline > _ajax
• forms > _templates/forms
• content > _templates/content

Refactor PHP content class

• Refactor include directives
• (Optional) add Netbeans-friendly class documentation
• Wrap code within functions in try { /*...*/ } catch (Exception $ex) { /*...*/ }
• Use db_content_class as base class for all classes that represent records in the database.

Refactor PHP content filtering class

• Refactor include directives
• (Optional) add Netbeans-friendly class documentation
• Refer to a class that’s been refactored for logic updates within the class’s routines.
• Use filter_collection_class as base class for any class that represents records in the database.
• Add $site_section property to any class that handles listings and pagination.
  TODO: Consider making this a property of filter_collection_class.
• Add $section_operations property to any class that handles listings and pagination.
  TODO: Consider making this a property of filter_collection_class.

Add content handlers to PHP cache and resort classes

• Add include directives for PHP content and content filtering classes to cache_class
• Add case for the content type in class routines as necessary
  • cache_class::update_content()
  • cache_class::set_initial_properties()
  • cache_class::update_keywords()
  • cache_class::set_filters()
  • cache_class::set_content()
  • cache_class::load_json_content()
  • cache_class::refresh_content_after_edit()
  • cache_class::refresh_content_after_image_edit()
  • resort_class::retrieve_section_properties()

Refactor config files

• _config/core_includes.php
  • fix paths to include files.
• Refactor _config/scripts.php
  • add definition for SECTION_BASE_URI
  • *_SCRIPT > *_URI
  • ADMIN_HTTP_ROOT_URI."section_name/" > SECTION_BASE_URI."

Local AJAX scripts

• Refactor include directives
• (Optional) refactor to use ajax_page_class
• Add any necessary scripts
  • listings.php

Local JavaScript libraries

• Minify existing libraries
  • Created “source” version of existing libraries: lib.js > lib-source.js
  • Compress existing libraries: http://javascriptcompressor.com/
• Wrap content-specific code in jQuery plugin code:

(function($) {

	var methods = {
		<methodName>: function() {
			return this.each(function() {
				/* custom code goes here... */
			});
		}
	};

	$.fn.<pluginName> = function( method ) {
	
		/* method calling logic */
		if (methods[method]) {
			return methods[method].apply(this, Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments, 1));
		}
		else if ( typeof method === 'object' || !method ) {
			return methods.init.apply(this, arguments);
		}
		else {
			$.error('Method ' + method + ' does not exist on jQuery.<pluginName>.');
		}

	};

})(jQuery);

• Use $.cms() JQuery binding routines as much as possible
• See also: Binding JQuery Handlers

Listings pages

Page setup & initialization

• (Optional) Update comments to use Netbeans editor folds: //<editor-fold>
• Refactor include directives
• Refactor local CMS page URI definitions (*_SCRIPT > *_URI)
• Add $breadcrumbs, $sTitle as global variables in the page’s initialize() function.
• When calling $filters->format_query_string(), make sure not to append any values for P_FILTER.
• Remove calls to urlencode() when formatting URLs for header links.
• Use shared AJAX script for any “update cache” links.
• Configure breadcrumbs.

Page framework

• Refactor header and footer includes to use the path ADMIN_TEMPLATE_DIR."framework/".
• Use appropriate PHP include rollup for CSS/JavaScript resources for the page, e.g.

include (ADMIN_TEMPLATE_DIR."framework/css/listings_css_and_scripts.php");

• Use JQuery initialization

$(document).ready(function() {
    $('#listings-container').cms('bindListingsHandlers');
});

• See Binding JQuery Handlers
• See JQuery Initialization on Listings Pages
• See Configuration notes for sorting.

• Make sure to include a container for error messages on the page:

<div id="error-container" class="error" style="display:none;"></div>

• Wrap listings in a container that will allow JQuery script to locate them:

<div id="listings-container" class="listings">
    <? include (SECTION_BASE_DIR."_templates/content/[CONTENT-TYPE]_listings.php"); ?>
</div>

• Remove any includes for popup containers.

Filters form

• Update any lib routines to use the analogous routine from a utility class. E.g. db_utils_class::display_cached_options()
• Form container has id “listings-filters” and class “listings-filters ui-corner-all”. Make sure to include JQuery UI stylesheet and that the local stylesheet contains the relevant definitions.

<div id="listings-filters" class="listings-filters ui-corner-all">

• Form element has method “get”, id “filters_form”, and class “filters”.

<form action="<?=SECTION_CMS_URI ?>" method="get" id="filters_form">

• Store “next” filter value in form.

<input type="hidden" name="<?=$filters->next->param ?>" value="<?=$filters->next->value ?>" />

• Table element within form does not have any attributes.

<table>

• Use <label> tags around all form inputs.
• Any textbox inputs that collect date values should be assigned the “datepicker” class.

<td><label>name <input type="text" name="<?=$filters->name->param ?>" value="<?=$filters->name->value ?>" maxlength="50" /></label></td>

• Submit button markup:

<input type="submit" class="filter-btn ui-corner-all" name="<?=P_FILTER ?>" value="filter" />

Listings content include file

• (Optional) Add include directive for the section’s scripts config file for the benefit of the cache_class routines. Test if one of the script definitions is defined. If not, include the scripts config file.

if (!defined("VIEW_[CONTENT-TYPE]_URI"))
{
    require_once (realpath(dirname(__FILE__).'/../../')."/_config/scripts.php");
}

• Add try/catch for retrieving listings.
• Remove include directives for any stand-alone routines that render pagination links.
• Use shared include file to render pagination links.

include (COMMON_TEMPLATE_DIR."framework/navigation/listings_page_links.php");

• Add attributes to table elements to support pagination and sorting.
• Remove “slot” column from listings.
• Use list and list-alt CSS classes for alternating rows to support onHover behaviors.
• Use shared templates for inline edit elements:

<? include (COMMON_TEMPLATE_DIR."forms/ajax/status_cell.php"); ?>

• See Displaying keyword lists within listings pages
• See JQuery listings operations buttons

Edit Pages

Page setup & initialization

• The points under the listings pages setup & initialization apply here also.
• Refactor stand-alone routines such as parse_numeric_input() to use analogous routines in shared utility classes, e.g validation_class::parse_numeric_input().
• Set exception handler for the page that will load the page framework with the caught error displayed at the top:

set_exception_handler("exception_handler");

and

function exception_handler($ex)
{
    global $nav_menu, $breadcrumbs, $sTitle, $sParam, $input, $filters;
    $input->error_string = $ex->getMessage();
    include (SECTION_BASE_DIR."_templates/edit_[CONTENT-TYPE]_page.php");
}

Page framework

• Points under listings pages framework that don’t refer to the listings apply here also.
• Page framework is located in

include (SECTION_BASE_DIR."_templates/edit_[CONTENT-TYPE]_page.php");

Gallery listings

• If editing an existing record, load gallery listings with

$(document).ready(function() {
<? if ($input->id->value>0): ?>
	$('#pages-<?=$input->id->value?>').galleries('retrieveGallery', function() {
		$('#pages-<?=$input->id->value?>').galleries('bindImageOverlayHandlers');
	});
<? endif; ?>
});

• $.galleries('retrieveGallery') in turn calls $.galleries('bindGalleryHandlers'). All AJAX button handlers should be fully active after the gallery listings are rendered.
• The gallery images still need to be retrieved in PHP when the parent record is read even though they are displayed with this AJAX call. TODO: fix this so that the gallery properties are retrieved even when the gallery images are not retrieved.

$input->read(true); /* <<< true = retrieve gallery images */

• Sorting gallery listings

TinyMCE WYSIWYG editors

• JavaScript includes

<script type="text/javascript" src="/scripts/tiny_mce/tiny_mce.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="/scripts/tinymce_config.js"></script>

• The first one, the TinyMCE library, is in the common directories. The second one is local, and allows local configuration of the WYSIWYG editors.
• Assign a textbox class="mce-editor" to have a TinyMCE WYSIWYG editor attached to it.

class content_type extends db_content_class
{
    function __construct()
    {
        parent::__construct();
        $this->description = new string_textarea_class("Description", self::DESCR_PARAM, false, "", 2000);
        $this->description->class = "mce-editor";
    }
}

Edit form

• Form data to preserve in hidden inputs:

<input type="hidden" name="<?=P_REFERER?>" value="<?=((isset($_REQUEST[P_REFERER]))?($_REQUEST[P_REFERER]):(""))?>" />
		<input type="hidden" name="MAX_FILE_SIZE" value="10240000" />
		<input type="hidden" name="<?=P_ID?>" value="<?=$input->id->value?>" />
		<input type="hidden" name="<?=$input->id->param?>" value="<?=$input->id->value?>" />
		<input type="hidden" name="<?=$input->slot->param ?>" value="<?=$input->slot->value ?>" />
<? $filters->preserve_in_form(); ?>

• Thumbnail upload controls

• Default form submission buttons and controls (including "next operation" radio options). Work off the contents of that include file for custom controls.

<? include (COMMON_TEMPLATE_DIR."forms/submit_container.php"); ?>

Main page logic

• Remove checks on if($input->error()). Let the exception handler catch and handle these errors.
• Put status messages in session variables:

$_SESSION[P_MESSAGE] = $sStatus;

• For image and thumbnail uploads, and album-based content types displaying galleries:
  • Albums CMS Configuration
  • Album Image Uploads
• See also Neighbor Links Navigation

Details Pages

Sample inline edit funcationality setup:

$(document).ready(function(){

	/* with album-based content, this loads the gallery of images on the page */
	$('#pages-<?=$input->id->value?>').galleries('retrieveGallery', function() {
		
		/* callback code executed after the gallery is fully loaded into the DOM */
		$('#pages-<?=$input->id->value?>')

		/* with a gallery of full-sized images this would load edit & delete buttons after clicking the images */
		.galleries('bindImageOverlayHandlers')

		/* with a listings-style of presentation this would enable inline editing of keywords within the gallery */
		.keywords('bindListingsHandlers');
	});

	/* adds edit and delete buttons to thumbnail image */
	/* this works for both album-based thumbnails and stand-alone images linked to the parent record */
	$('.image-upload-container').galleries('bindImageOverlayHandlers');

	/* enables inline editing of keywords */
	$('.metadata').keywords('bindListingsHandlers');
}

• For image and thumbnail uploads, and album-based content types displaying galleries:
  • Albums CMS Configuration
  • Album Image Uploads
• See also Neighbor Links Navigation