modx newbie: what is needed for database front-end fill-in forms?

Hello,
I’m just starting out with modx.
The goal is to implement an intranet front-end to different company databases, resulting in a mashup (if that’s the word) of available data.
Users should be able to view and add data - with approval of a moderator or priveledges scheme.

A main new section is to be "Customer Information".
Technical and sales staff would enter and update relevant data about customers and their specifics - including text data but also photo’s and scanned images.
Now this data is locked away in seperate apps, filing cabinets or (worst case) the heads of our staff.

I read through the modx Web development book and some webtutorials (excellent one at the coding pad).
But I’m a bit lost as to where to begin and the tools/part I’d need

In my mind, the most important bit is a custom-form as frontend for database tables, that a user can modify data with.
This form should also allow to upload or link images. (where would those images be stored?)
the ’data’-database would ideally be seperate from the modx-db

suggestions more than welcome
glenn

You’re talking a custom snippet here, maybe with a bit of AJAX added if desired.

thanks for your reply. I must confess I was hoping for a more concrete pointer.
searching the forums revealed this thread about eforms and eform2dbhttp://modxcms.com/forums/index.php/topic,8111.0.html

I skimmed the thread very quickly. will read more thoroughly soon.
Is this still active (started back in 2006)? or is it supplanted by something else/newer/better?
I came across XPDO?

No, it’s still a matter of capturing the data, getting it into the database, then getting it out again when you want it. There are lots of different ways to do that, from xPDO to AJAX. Or both

It seemed to me there were a couple of other CRUD tools under development here but I can’t find anything.

I was thinking of DbEdit at first, but that’s a module for use in the back end an you want a front-end CRUD tool.

You might take a look at CodeIgniter. I know some people use that for what you want to do.

MODx Revolution is a great platform for building an xPDO-based CRUD site and I predict that it will have some excellent tools to help you do it, but it’s still in Beta and the permissions system is not mature.

thanks for both replies - have some reading up to do now.

oh and many thanks for the CRUD term. you really made the proposal to the boss so much easier
Dbedit, yes. CodeIgniter, cool. Crud, what!

Quote from: glenndm at Aug 17, 2009, 05:26 AM

oh and many thanks for the CRUD term. you really made the proposal to the boss so much easier
Dbedit, yes. CodeIgniter, cool. Crud, what!

You can always use the full name at first: "Create, Read, Update, and Delete."