Snippet How To: Query custom DB table

Basically I have custom tables in my DB that I’d like to query and output the content. They are directory listings pretty much with columns like: name, area, address, phone, website and so on. I’d like to create a snippet that queries the custom table but haven’t found the documentation to be clear on how to accomplish this. It’s clear as far as querying modx objects/resources but not custom.

Any help, insight or direction would be greatly appreciated.

Environment: Revo 2.0.7

http://rtfm.modx.com/display/xPDO20/Creating+a+Model+With+xPDO
http://rtfm.modx.com/display/xPDO20/Using+Your+xPDO+Model
http://rtfm.modx.com/display/revolution20/Using+Custom+Database+Tables+in+your+3rd+Party+Components
http://rtfm.modx.com/display/revolution20/Reverse+Engineer+xPDO+Classes+from+Existing+Database+Table
http://rtfm.modx.com/display/revolution20/Developing+an+Extra+in+MODX+Revolution

And: http://bobsguides.com/custom-db-tables.html

There are two approaches:

- craft the SQL yourself
- use xPDO (as outlined in the links supplied by previous posters)

I started out with crafting my own SQL, which is basically a royal pain. Then I discovered xPDO which makes handling DB tables a breeze.

Well worth the effort: you need to setup your model and mapping files (the supplied links tell you how) and get a grasp the basics of xPDO, which is getting comfortable with a couple of methods of the MODx API. If you get stuck, the dedicated xPDO part of this forum has answers for most common questions.

Well I’m having a hard time figuring stuff out here. Note, I’m not a developer so some of this is rather abstract for me. Anyhow, my eventuality is that I want the snippet to work like so:

[[!getVendors? &table=`dining` &tpl=`venderList`]]

So that I can have one snippet, select which table I want to display content to and lastly tell it which chunk to use as a template.

This I seem to understand but get hung up on that I’m working with multiple tables not one as outlined in the tutorial.
http://rtfm.modx.com/display/revolution20/Developing+an+Extra+in+MODX+Revolution

Also, correctly defining my ’options’ for the snippet call.

Once I get this down I would like to make this so it’s a ’component’ and the user can add/edit the vendors listed in the table via CMP.

Ok, in the tutorial this is not clear. Where do I set these paths? In the snippet? In the base class file?

http://rtfm.modx.com/display/revolution20/Developing+an+Extra+in+MODX+Revolution

Making the Magic Path Settings

We set a couple System Settings (that are specific to our development environment) that tell these lines where to get our files! Go ahead and make the following System Settings and set their values:

doodles.core_path - /www/doodles/core/components/doodles/
doodles.assets_url - /doodles/assets/components/doodles/

You create the System Settings in the manager page, found at: System -> System Settings.

Ok, ahh light bulb. So adding in the system settings would be:

Key: doodles.core_path
Field type: Textfield
Namespace: core
Area Lexicon:
Value: /path/to/core/components/doodles/

And so on?

And the path should be the full root path on the server not just from where modx is installed correct?

Quote from: scitekmike at Feb 03, 2011, 05:01 PM

Ok, ahh light bulb. So adding in the system settings would be:
And so on?

Correct, except make the Namespace your Namespace, ie ’doodles’.

And the path should be the full root path on the server not just from where modx is installed correct?

If you are doing development, yes. Correct. You can use the following as placeholders: {core_path}, {assets_path}, {base_path} if you need.

I was using the ’doodles’ as an example but the actual name of my project is ’getvendors’

Ok, so I’ve created a Namespace:

Name: getvendors
Path: {core_path}components/getvendors/

Then my system settings are:

Key: getvendors.core_path
Field type: Textfield
Namespace: getvendors
Area Lexicon:
Value: {core_path}components/getvendors/

Key: getvendors.assets_url
Field type: Textfield
Namespace: getvendors
Area Lexicon:
Value: /assets/components/getvendors/

Correct?