Creating data-driven pages with modx

Hello.

I am brand new to modx. In fact, I was just about to start with Drupal when I came across your site and am hoping to use modx instead. After looking at the site and reading the forums a bit I have decided to try Revolution as a CMS.

My primary specific need with building my next site is to create data-driven pages. I am looking for any direction as to what tutorials or extras I should look at to create these web pages.

Step 1 - Linking drop down boxes with existing tables

I have tables with basic reference information such as Country, State, CompanyType, etc. I need to be able to link drop down boxes on a form to these tables so that the drop down box is populated with data from a field in these tables, and then the id field is captured and passed along for record submission.

Step 2 - Allow admins / users to submit information

Using a form a page would be created allowing users to submit data. Company name, address, products, etc. The data would be submitted as a record in a custom table.

Step 3 - Dynamic page generation

Each record in a table would represent a page that would need to exist on the site. A URL would need to be generated, and the page would need to exist so user comments can be added. If my site was about cars, the natural fields would include year, make and model. If the data was for a 2011 Chevy Corvette, then the URL would be /2011-chevy-corvette.php for the given page. The page would display the relevant data from the record.

I believe this need is a somewhat basic and standard need for a website. I have the ability to do this using php but I prefer to do it in a CMS for numerous reasons. One of those reasons is my lack of experience with php, so I would mostly be copying the code given to me out of a book. Another is the need to ensure security and to stay updated.

Does modx offer the ability to manage user content in this manner out of the box so to speak? If not, is there a popular module or other code that can be added to allow for this type of use?

I appreciate any wisdom or experience you are willing to share. Thank you for your time.

So far I’ve read a lot of content and found this article: http://rtfm.modx.com/display/revolution20/Using+Custom+Database+Tables+in+your+3rd+Party+Components

That is an important piece. It seems "part 2" of that article has not been written yet. I am in need of a more complete example and to perhaps see a modx site in action with this functionality.

Quote from: RyanKent at Jul 07, 2011, 10:15 AM

.....and to perhaps see a modx site in action with this functionality.

modx-revo-site in action.
contents of news are in custom-tables, managed by xdbedit, alias generated by xdbedit. furl-generation with some custom-snippets.
Using the onPageNotFound- system-event to find the record-Id out of the URL and redirect to the list or detail-resource.

http://www.feuerbach.de/aktuelles/aktionen-und-angebote/

Quote from: Bruno17 at Jul 07, 2011, 11:51 AM

modx-revo-site in action.
contents of news are in custom-tables, managed by xdbedit, alias generated by xdbedit. furl-generation with some custom-snippets.
Using the onPageNotFound- system-event to find the record-Id out of the URL and redirect to the list or detail-resource.

http://www.feuerbach.de/aktuelles/aktionen-und-angebote/

Thank you Bruno for responding.

The site you offered is in German but I was able to follow along using Google Translate.

I did not notice anything on the site related to my questions in any way. I established 3 clear and related needs of my next CMS. From what I can see, your site does not perform any of those functions.

Step 1 relates to drop-down boxes linked to pre-established tables. Can you offer a link to the page on your site that offers drop down boxes? I could not find it.

Step 2 relates to users entering information linked to specific fields. "Year" = 2011, "Make" = Chevrolet, "Model" = Corvette. This information would then be submitted as a record in a custom table. The only user generated content I see on your site is the "Place an Ad" which only uses 4 fields and is much closer to a "Contact Us" page or a forum post then what I described. Again, if I missed something then please provide a link to the page on your site that demonstrates this functionality.

Step 3 described how once step 2 was completed, a new page would be available on the site through a friendly URL. I looked at your classified postings. It seems more like a forum post being created, or a blog article being published, then what I described.

You have a nice, basic site which seems like it can be easily created with any CMS. It is mostly static content with the addition of your classified section. I am not aware of any CMS that could not easily create that site. If that was my interest I would simply use WordPress. I do appreciate your time but it does not seem related to this topic. If I am mistaken I would love to gain a better understanding.