Using MODx as a application framework?

How can I use MODx as a application framework?

I want to create a application to maintain photography portfolio’s with. I could just use MODx with Maxigallery to make a simple gallery, but the problem is that I need to limit the client in what they can do.

Some of the limit’s:

• Limit the client to create 10 "normal" website pages
• Limit the client to create 15 "gallery" pages
• Limit the client to upload 100 pictures
• Limit the client to upload a total of 150 mb pictures

Is this possible to build with modx? If yes, how can I build this? Do I need modules, or just snippets and plugins?
Or is it better to take a look at a php framework? I don’t know which one is a good one to take a look at. I am looking for something where accounts/acl and maybe even the manager part is already built in.

Yes this is possible with modx. The way to go about it would be to use snippets to create an administrative interface for your photographers. Modx documents would provide your application views - a gallery page, an image upload/management page and so on. So you’d be leveraging Modx’s authentication system, content management, templating, friendly urls etc, meaning you don’t have to build them yourself.

On the other hand this could also easily be built using a framework like Codeignitor or Cake, it really depends on how much the rest of the site needs to be content managed. Codeignitor is good if you’re new to frameworks because the documentation is brilliant.

For front end users: In newseditor (newsmanager) snippet I make custom use of the [+description+] TV placeholder
that field/checkbox can let the user add everything from youtube ids, to snippet calls. Then I have
another tv that default adds the chunk/content extra into template (+ jot snippet). Then hide the fields
you dont want the user to touch. A similar approach: http://wiki.modxcms.com/index.php/MaxiGallery:_Front_end_user_created_galleries

To restrict the user would maybe be as simple as create 10 unpublished galleries/docs that the user only can edit and publish and not create new ones.

//MaxiGallery has &max_pic_number - Maximum number of images allowed in this gallery... together with PHP upload_max_filesize this then could be calculated.

Just some thoughts.