[Plugin] EditArea Syntax Highlighter

Ok, so I saw netnoise’s syntax highlighter, and although it worked, I wanted something more integrated (like TinyMCE). I had integrated EditArea into a php File Manager in the past, and was quite happy with the result, so I decided to write my first MODx plugin.

NOTE:

a) This plugin is not 100% functional at the moment, but I thought I would post, so others could use it and maybe help me figure out what I am doing wrong. (Before you get scared off, it does not error out or anything, and is about 90% working!)

b) This plugin requires you to modify some of the core MODx files. As a sidenote to those who have the power, do you think that we could get the core MODx files, to include "ID" tags in items such as textareas (and not just name tags) in a future release?


Instructions on how to install:

1. In the "manager\actions\" folder, you must replace ’name="post"’ with ’name="post" id="post"’ in the following five files:
mutate_htmlsnippet.dynamic.php Line 186
mutate_module.dynamic.php Line 406
mutate_plugin.dynamic.php Line 320
mutate_snippet.dynamic.php Line 321
mutate_templates.dynamic.php Line 177

P.S. - If you dont want to modify the files, and if you use IE, I have included a hack that will work.

2. Get the latest EditArea code from http://www.cdolivet.net/index.php?page=editArea

3. Extract that into the following directory ’assets/plugins/edit_area’

4. Check to make sure you did #3 correctly, do you have a file ’assets/plugins/edit_area/edit_area/edit_area_full.js’?

5. Create the EditArea Plugin, using the ’plugin.edit_area.tpl’ file for the php Plugin code

6. Register the plugin with the following system events:
OnSnipFormRender
OnChunkFormRender
OnPluginFormRender
OnModFormRender
OnTempFormRender
OnRichTextEditorRegister
OnRichTextEditorInit
OnInterfaceSettingsRender

If all is well, the plugin will work with Templates, Snippits, Plugins, and you will see the editor choice with Chunks (and anywhere the TinyMCE can be used). However, this is where things are broken.... I tried to mimic the TinyMCE plugin code, and it registers itself properly, and when I select it, it places the necessary code in the html, but I do not see the editor. So, does anyone have any idea what I am doing wrong?

TODOs:
1. Get working as an alternative RichTextEditor to TinyMCE
2. Look into using the PHP compressor version so the the entire code is gziped and the d/l is only 24k rather than 104k.

Please let me know your comments, etc. I am looking forward to hearing people’s feedback, etc. (And to writing more Plugins, etc... )

THX!
-gerry.

. As a sidenote to those who have the power, do you think that we could get the core MODx files, to include "ID" tags in items such as textareas (and not just name tags) in a future release?

In a "future release" the manager will be built on the parsing engine just as the front-end pages are, so you’ll be able to use any template style you like.

Very well done! With a little more work this plugin should be packaged with MODx.

As for suggestions, I’ll have to play around with it more to see what’s going on.

Thanks a bunch for this plugin!

Quote from: sirlancelot at Jan 04, 2007, 05:46 PM

Very well done! With a little more work this plugin should be packaged with MODx.

As for suggestions, I’ll have to play around with it more to see what’s going on.

Thanks a bunch for this plugin!

I agree that EditArea (or similar) should definitely come in a pre-packaged version of MODx. (Possibly as a disabled plugin by default that could simply be toggled ON and you’re good to go...)

However, the aforementioned implementation is not specifically a plugin, as you’re still having to modify the core distribution files.

In this thread that I started, you’ll see an alternate approach using dynamic JavaScript to reference and ID the text editor. Just a few simply steps, and you’ll have EditArea functioning as a true MODx plugin

(Nice post!)