Answered ClassExtender - Extending modUser - retrospectively adding additional fields

I am in the process of creating a web site for a dog training club. I am using Bob Ray's wonderful ClassExtender http://bobsguides.com/classextender-class.html to provide additional fields for members data.

This is working well. However, having entered a lot of data for all the users, I have realised I need an additional field.

Through trial and error (with, fortunately some backups in place!) I think that the only (and correct?) way to do this is as follows...

• Use phpMyAdmin or similar to back up the contents of the 'ext_user_data' table to a .sql file.
• Drop (delete) the 'ext_user_date' table
• Amend the MyExtUserSchema and MyExtraUserFields chunks to include the new fields
• Re run Extend modUser to regenerate the 'ext_user_data' table with required fields and update the User interface
• Use phpMyAdmin or similar to import the user data exported in step one in to the new, empty 'ext_user_data' table. In my case it seemed necessary to comment out the lines in the sql backup file that read ALTER TABLE `ext_user_data` and ADD PRIMARY KEY (`id`);.

This brings in the old data, correctly associated with the user. However, before I am able to add any data into extended fields I seem to have to re run Extend modUser a second time. I'm not sure if this is correct.

The above seems to work in the limited test that I have just run. However, it would be really good if someone who knows what they are doing could advise if this is indeed the correct way to go about this, or if I am unwittingly making a right mess of things!

normally, you just need to modify the xpdo - schema, parse it again and (let) add the new fields to the table.

This can easylie be done for example with MIGX.
Within the MIGX - CMP, there is a part, where you just click the Button 'Add Fields' , which would parse the modified schema and add the new fields to your table.

Hello Bruno, thank you for the quick response. I think that because I am using ClassExtender modUser that there might be a specific order in which I have to do things. I am using it because I am not knowledgeable enough to modify the xpdo schema myself.

If I add fields to 'MyExtUserSchema' they are not written to the 'ext_user_data' table if it already exists, which is why I was trying the workflow above.

But perhaps I am missing something and making the process harder than it needs to be?

I haven't really thought about this, but I don't think ClassExtender will modify an existing table (though it's a good feature request). You could export the table data, drop the table, run ClassExtender, and then import the data, but that's probably not the easiest way to do it.

I believe CE will modify the class and map files for you (and if not, you could just just delete them and run it again).

If you add the new fields to the table yourself (either before or after creating the new class and map files), you should be fine.

I'm not sure if Bruno's method will update the existing class and map files, but I suspect it does. In that case it's probably the way to go.

Hi Bob, Thanks for helping. So just to make sure I have it right, the long winded method I am using is OK,

but I could more easily do this by...

• Creating the extra field in the ext_user_data table, using phpMyAdmin or similar
• Amend the MyExtUserSchema and MyExtraUserFields chunks to include the new field
• Re run Extend modUser

I think so. Just check the class and map files to see if they were updated.

You may also have to update the ExtraUserFields chunk if you want the fields to show in the Create/Edit User form.