What is better for webapp development: MODx or CodeIgniter/CakePHP/etc.?

Hi all,

I may soon start to build a web application for a non-profit client. It is a multi user app that enables them to keep track of their members (addresses, extra information, see if the members paid their contributions, etc.).

Which PHP application framework should I use?

On the one hand, I have MODx, which not only is an excellent CMS, but presents itself also on the website as a PHP application framework. I could use the templates for views, call snippets that contain the models, and use MODx’s DB API to connect to the MySQL database. However, I expect MODx to fall a bit short as an applications framework (but I might be wrong).

On the other hand, there are "real" application frameworks, like: CakePHP, CodeIgniter, Achievo ATK, and a dozens more.

I have about 100 working hrs to make the web app, and I don’t have the time for this assignment to wait for Tattoo.

What would be the fastest way to develop an application like this? Use MODx or an other framework?

I read some threads about this subject, and they were about one year old. They also pointed more in the direction of frameworks than MODx.
If this is still true, what framework would you recommend?

Any thoughts are MUCH appreciated!


TIA,


Bee

If you want to do it fast, and be quite shure about getting it working.
Joomla + Virtuemart would do what you want.

That way you will have more time to polish it.

BUT, (there always is a but) you will be limited.
And i think that ModX community would benifit great and would probably help you
alot on the way, if you are ready to contribute with snippets and plugins

That way, everyone wins here.
Else, virtuemart probably wins.

Hey there, Beestar.

It sounds to me that what you’re setting up is essentially a non-profit donor/member database. I’ve created assorted custom versions of these in Filemaker and Access and also worked with and evaluated many of the off-the-shelf options including GiftWorks, Metrix, Organizers’ DataBase, Donor Perfect, Raiser’s Edge, and others.

As far as the off-the-shelf options go, GiftWorks currently blows them all away. I have never set it up for remote access, but I understand that it can be done. Multi-user access on a LAN is a snap.

However, if I were ever to build another custom system, I wouldn’t hesitate at all to use MODx. So much of the foundation of such a system is already created and tested for MODx, it seems to me that this would be a breeze to knock out in 100 hours. If you don’t have say 10,000 or more member/donor records, then personally I would use the existing document structure for those so as not to have to rewrite search, ditto, and other snippets. You could link to custom data tables if necessary for faster cross-referenced calculations, but I bet that you’d find that also unnecessary and that just using TVs for your data fields (and eForm for editing them) would work fine. Down the road you will be able to migrate to 0.9.7, which may bring you some added performance gain from xPDO, and if you’re feeling adventurous you could even integrate xPDO into 0.9.6 now and use that for thr forseeable future. Basically, if you’re planning on creating this app in PHP/mySQL and you want it to be web-based, I personally don’t see any negatives in using MODx at all.