Could I use MODx to re-design a searchable dam website?

Hi,

I am currently in the process of moving a clients site which I had a hand in developing way back in 2003 to a different host and in the process have had thoughts of updating the site to use a CMF like MODx.

The site itself is www.rccdams.co.uk if anyone wants to visit it. I realise it looks very dated now, but that’s what partly led me to think of proposing a full update to the client.

At the heart of the site is a searchable database of dams that the client has designed around the world. The database is in MySQL and the site uses PHP to query the database and build the search results page.

The news page also has it’s own table in the database.

The database is updated via a password protected admin area.

Everything else in the site is static HTML.

I guess what I’m asking is how easy (or indeed feasible) would it be to redesign the site to use MODx as a CMS and somehow to integrate the functionality to allow the searchable dam database to work?

I have used WordPress before (sorry, should I wash my mouth out?) but I think the need to integrate the dam seaarch would be difficult if not impossible in WordPress.

Thanks in advance for any help.
If anyone needs more info please let me know.

PS. I am a complete newby to MODx, so please be kind to me!

Tony.

Most of that site would be easy to integrate into MODx, you can use Ditto http://ditto.modxcms.com/ for the news and projects sections.

For the dam search, you could create template variables (TVs) for each of the different search criteria and use tvExplorer http://modxcms.com/forums/index.php/topic,16456.0.html to build the actual search form.

tvExplorer takes a bit of work to get your head around but it’s quite straightforward once you do.

You can also port whatever database tools you have developed and make them into snippets and you should be ready to go (some tweeking may be needed).

But you could also simply use the modx document model for storing the dam data rather than a custom table.

Anyway, the bottom line is that yes you can build hat site in modx and you can do it in several different methods

Thanks very much bob1000 and dev_cw.

As I said in my post I am a total MODx newby so a lot of the terminology and concepts concerning MODx will take a bit of getting my head around, but hopefully the community will be able to help me with queries and problems I may will encounter!

I have taken a look at Ditto and tvExplorer and will have a play with them.

Thanks again.
Tony.

Quote from: fluvius at Nov 10, 2008, 12:46 PM

Thanks very much bob1000 and dev_cw.

As I said in my post I am a total MODx newby so a lot of the terminology and concepts concerning MODx will take a bit of getting my head around, but hopefully the community will be able to help me with queries and problems I may will encounter!

I have taken a look at Ditto and tvExplorer and will have a play with them.

Thanks again.
Tony.

Definitely doable and I think you’d be happy you converted.

See the site in my sig for some info on MODx terms and concepts.

More information here:

http://wiki.modxcms.com/index.php/Beginner%27s_Guide_to_MODx