How do you solve problems with developing for MODx Revo? (general question)

Hello,

I'd like to discuss a question which bothers me since I started developing for MODx Revolution:

How do you (average MODx developers) solve problems of find solutions to problems while developing for MODx Revo? What I mean is, how do you get help when you don't know what to do next? Ask the forums? Call a friend? Pay MODx emergency support?

For example I'm currently working on a MODx Revo extra (a completely integrated Newsletter component) and from day to day I'm hanging on different problems I can't find a solution for. The official documentation is often not very helpful and asking the forums doesn't always bring in a solution. The core team members also doesn't answer often in the last time (I know the are busy with Cloud development).

I know I absolutely don't have any right to claim help so the last possibility is to buy commercial support.
But investing for an extra which will be released to the community as open source and for free? This isn't affordable...

The strongest part of MODx - it's API - is at the same time the weakest part - because of it's bad documentation...

How do you think about this?

Greetings,
Martin

p.s. sorry for my English...

Martin,

I feel your pain! My usual approach is Google (which searches this forum), then IRC/Twitter, and then opening up the code and stepping through it with a debugger. You'd be surprised how much you can learn by doing that.

Recently I've discovered the architecture of MODX doesn't lend itself to being thought of as a traditional API: processors function very much as API method could would (think of them as a remote REST service) but the core, for all it's layered, is still tightly coupled (e.g. processors return ExtJS JSON on success, and there appears to be no way to remove this Ext-specific layer and use the processor as a 'pure' PHP API call).

There are a small number of people who know MODX very well, and a much larger number of people who use it on the surface (and usually dabble in PHP) yet think they know the answer. It does make getting help frustrating!

Good luck with getting your Extra finished

Quote from: pbowyer at Nov 29, 2012, 06:18 AM

Martin,

I feel your pain! My usual approach is Google (which searches this forum), then IRC/Twitter, and then opening up the code and stepping through it with a debugger. You'd be surprised how much you can learn by doing that.

Recently I've discovered the architecture of MODX doesn't lend itself to being thought of as a traditional API: processors function very much as API method could would (think of them as a remote REST service) but the core, for all it's layered, is still tightly coupled (e.g. processors return ExtJS JSON on success, and there appears to be no way to remove this Ext-specific layer and use the processor as a 'pure' PHP API call).

There are a small number of people who know MODX very well, and a much larger number of people who use it on the surface (and usually dabble in PHP) yet think they know the answer. It does make getting help frustrating!

Good luck with getting your Extra finished

Hi Peter,

yes - Google search is definitely better then the integrated forum search! On Twitter I couldn't find answers - I only ask for help there. What I find really annoying is when you think your code should be ok but it simply doesn't work. Then the search begins in the documentation - but it most times leads to nowhere (the manuals are simply to superficial). Then you look into the forums - only to find others with similar problems.

I think the MODx team (and the community) still have a lot to do to bring MODx further.

I usually post on the forums then the next step is to post asking for help on twitter with a link to the forum post to get some eyes on it, if that doesn't work then possibly move to IRC and see if anyone there can help most of the times Romain is there and Mark.

Another thing you can try is posting your extra on github and tweet asking people to fork it and see if they can help you build the extra, collaboration is key and it helps you build relationships and possible partners as well as see MODX through the eyes of someone else.

I can guarantee you will always learn something new when collaborating with someone else, good luck and I look forward to reviewing your extra on CMSTricks.