[Xerte-dev] Re: Modules and htaccess

Wed Apr 10 22:39:33 BST 2013

Hello,
Sorry for delay - travelling home from a conference.... again
The properties page is at present not modular - as it is the same code
for each module. At present only Xerte Online Toolkits modules will
have more than one URL, hence it needs some "Module" work.
I think I could see a case for giving XOT modules a new tab on
properties which is HTML access - because in theory some of the
projects are to become HTML5 projects. This tab could explain the
process and give the preview and default setting options?
This way the main properties tab with the links in could remain as is
(for now) and as the XOT stuff is migrated then we could remove the
tab
OR
You could modularise part of the properties page and give each module
a URL_return function like what exists at present
I sort of prefer the top version, but am not fussed
https://github.com/patlockley/XOT-templatecanvas [1] exists as well
Peer.php doesn't exist for all projects, you can turn it on in the
.info file should you want too
REMEMBER
if you add a new module you need to add the new language files as well
Tom how do you want to divide the work on this? I don't feel it's fair
for you to do it all given how much I've moaned about this :) 
Pgogy Webstuff http://www.pgogywebstuff.comMakers of Web things of a
fair to middling quality

----- Original Message -----
From: "For Xerte technical developers" 
To:"For Xerte technical developers" 
Cc:
Sent:Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:29:49 +0200
Subject:[Xerte-dev] Re: Modules and htaccess

 There are some subtle differences:

 Yes, the user could delivery options in the property page, but you
need  to realise that the proerty page is also modular, the form is
generated from the modules/ php code. So... only xerte LO's would get
that option.

 And then the URLs that would be provided will NOT be different, but
the way the URL behaves, i.e. in the module play.php the DB is
inquired to see which engine to use.

 I think that I go ahead and show you how everything is pieces nicely
together.

 As an example, your 'site' stuff needs to have 'site' (or whetever
you want to call it) in the originaltemplatesdetails table in the
'framework' column, and the play_site.php, preview_site.php and
perhaps export_site.php should move to a folder modules/site and be
called play.php, preview.php and perhaps export.php.

 Then you can use the regular 'root' play.php and 'root'
preview.php... and even peer.php

 Right Pat?

 I am working on it, and provide you with a patch so you can test.
Once you understand what is reuired, it is rather straightforward. 

 If we're committing this, I'll will also write an article of how this
works.

 Tom

Op 10-4-2013 17:05, Julian Tenney schreef:

	I'd prefer to say, finish your stuff, then I'll mangle

	Mangle away… this obviously has links to the properties panel and
URLs for each piece as we discussed earlier in the week. To summarise
the discussions, here’s where I thought we’d got to:

	The user would select the delivery option from the properties panel;

	Different URLs would provide access to the content – so the flash /
html URLs would actually be available

	Principle: authors test and check rather than auto-conversion

	The setting in the properties panel would drive the URLs in the
various feeds etc

	Principle: existing links continue to work 

	Workaround: we can leave the play_html5.php page in place as it’s
not only Ron who is already putting content ‘live’ this way

	We need to accommodate the site template as well (which I’m going
to have to rename for political reasons here, otherwise M&C will kill
it. Learning Module?)

	Is there anything else? If we have a good list, we’ll only have to
do the work once…

	Thanks Tom and Pat for picking this up,

	Julian

	FROM: xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [2]
[mailto:xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [3]] ON BEHALF OF Pat
@ Pgogy
SENT: 10 April 2013 12:13
TO: For Xerte technical developers
SUBJECT: [Xerte-dev] Re: Modules and htaccess

	I didn't make the changes last time (as sorry to sound like a stuck
record) as I didn't think we'd agreed on it / added it to the road
map. So I didn't want to waste a day of Fay's time in changing stuff.

	I felt xenith was important and so I didn't want to screw it up with
the wrong sort of changes.

	You could place a header redirect in playhtml5.php to redirect the
URL to another link, thus old links could be maintained - albeit as a
work round.

	I'd prefer to say, finish your stuff, then I'll mangle

 Pgogy Webstuff - http://www.pgogywebstuff.com [4]

	Makers of web things of a fair to middling quality

 On 10 Apr 2013, at 11:24, Julian Tenney  wrote:

	Is there any way we can do both things, i.e. leave the existing stuff
in place so things don’t break, but build a new modular play engine
that handles the modular stuff much better? When I put the site
template in it was obvious that it was a bit of a pain, as you say
having to add new files to the root folder is bad news, and having to
modify other files in the root folder is also not so plug and play:
there is specific (if (thisSortOfTemplate) do this else do that) code
in there, which shouldn’t be there really.

	We wanted to put a new zip out on 26th April, a tentative deadline. I
don’t mind waiting a few more weeks, but we really need to get this
out there so that it can be installed in places before the summer –
so those who want to build materials for next year can use it over the
summer. The end of May would be about as far as I’d want to wait I
think.

	What do others think?

	FROM: xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [6]
[mailto:xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [7]] ON BEHALF OF
xerte at pgogywebstuff.com [8]
SENT: 10 April 2013 11:19
TO: For Xerte technical developers
SUBJECT: [Xerte-dev] Re: Modules and htaccess

	True, and happy to shut up

	But I first raised this in November
- http://listsnottingham.ac.uk/pipermail/xerte-dev/2012-November/002868.html
[9] - but it didn't go anywhere

	----- Original Message -----

	FROM:

	"For Xerte technical developers" 

	TO:

	"For Xerte technical developers" 

	CC:

	SENT:

	Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:41:32 +0100

	SUBJECT:

	[Xerte-dev] Re: Modules and htaccess

 Always we seem to hit something fundamental right before we're due to
finish the work. There is a degree of frustration here with two
things:

 - we have already worked through this twice: Fay has worked through
it once with Pat to get the html5 links working, and I have worked
through it with Pat to get the site template working. Now we want to
do it differently?
 - if you take pre-release code and it changes, well, that's sometimes
life. Play_html5 was always intended as a way of beta testing the
templates, rather than anything else.

 At this stage of things, I think we should go with what we have, and
Tom's database solution solution, and get this phase of work done, and
then address it later when we have a new cycle underway. I appreciate
the issues, but there is no point in getting hung about functionality
that no one is using yet (modularity), at the expense of functionality
that everyone wants to use (html5 delivery). 

 -----Original Message-----
 From: xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [12]
[mailto:xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [13]] On Behalf Of
Ron Mitchell
 Sent: 09 April 2013 18:15
 To: 'For Xerte technical developers'
 Subject: [Xerte-dev] Re: Modules and htaccess

 For me the basic principal must be whatever we want to be defaults
for any new solution mustn't break existing links or require people to
duplicate or re-write any code to maintain that compatibility. The
vast majority will not have the time, skills or inclination to do
that. So...

 /play.php?template_id=123 and /play_123 including the embed code
links should continue to play existing LO's via Flash likewise
 /play_html5.php?template_id=123 and /play_html5_123 should continue
to work even if that's no longer the default for new html 5, 6 or 7
LO's.

 I can see the point about not referring to html5 and keeping it more
future proofed and again I can't see a problem with changes like this
or the new defaults being Play.php?template_id=560&method=HTML as long
as existing links aren't broken. But what would be the Apache/htaccess
version of that? 

 Over time JISC Techdis and other organisations and individuals have
shared many links to LO's they have made public with the community,
with their learners, with colleagues and this includes sharing of the
play_html5 links. Rightly or wrongly that's what we've had since the
1.8 release so obviously we shouldn't break those links if we can
possibly avoid it.

 HTH
 Ron

 -----Original Message-----
 From: xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [14]
[mailto:xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [15]] On Behalf Of
Smith, John
 Sent: 09 April 2013 17:25
 To: xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [16]
 Subject: [Xerte-dev] Re: Modules and htaccess

 Howdy

 I personally think you need to run everything through the same page,
with parameters. Its the only way you can prevent worsening the
situation 12 months down the line where we have many deployed play
urls which have to be maintained... Plan to deprecate play_html5 and
then people can rewrite that page to your main play.php page with
method=html or even duplicate the main play.php file as play_html5 if
they must.

 Begs the question - should we drop references to html5 and just call
it html - what happens if they release html6 in a few years?

 Regards

 John Smith
 Learning Technologist
 School of Health and Life Sciences

 Sent from Samsung Galaxy SII

 "Pat @ Pgogy"  wrote:

 Could we use the following URL structure?

 Can the play URL be

 Play.php?template_id=560
 And
 Play.php?template_id=560&method=HTML

 And not playhtml.php?

 _______________________________________________
 Xerte-dev mailing list
Xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [18]
http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/xerte-dev [19]
 This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee
and may contain confidential information. If you have received this
message in error, please send it back to me, and immediately delete
it. Please do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in
this message or in any attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by
the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the
University of Nottingham.

 This message has been checked for viruses but the contents of an
attachment may still contain software viruses which could damage your
computer system:
 you are advised to perform your own checks. Email communications with
the University of Nottingham may be monitored as permitted by UK
legislation.

 Glasgow Caledonian University is a registered Scottish charity,
number SC021474

 Winner: Times Higher Education’s Widening Participation Initiative
of the Year 2009 and Herald Society’s Education Initiative of the
Year 2009
http://www.gcu.ac.uk/newsevents/news/bycategory/theuniversity/1/name,6219,en.html
[20]

 Winner: Times Higher Education’s Outstanding Support for Early
Career Researchers of the Year 2010, GCU as a lead with Universities
Scotland partners.
http://www.gcu.ac.uk/newsevents/news/bycategory/theuniversity/1/name,15691,en.html
[21]
 _______________________________________________
 Xerte-dev mailing list
Xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [22]
http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/xerte-dev [23]

 _______________________________________________
 Xerte-dev mailing list
Xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.acuk [24]
http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/xerte-dev [25]
 _______________________________________________
 Xerte-dev mailing list
Xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [26]
http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/xerte-dev [27]

	_______________________________________________
 Xerte-dev mailing list
Xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [28]
http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/xerte-dev [29]

	_______________________________________________ Xerte-dev mailing
list Xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk [30]
http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/xerte-dev [31]   

	-- -- Tom Reijnders TOR Informatica Chopinlaan 27 5242HM Rosmalen
Tel: 073 5226191 Fax: 073 5226196  

Links:
------
[1] https://github.com/patlockley/XOT-templatecanvas
[2] mailto:xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[3] mailto:xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[4] http://www.pgogywebstuff.com
[5] mailto:Julian.Tenney at nottingham.ac.uk
[6] mailto:xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[7] mailto:xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[8] mailto:xerte at pgogywebstuff.com
[9]
http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/pipermail/xerte-dev/2012-November/002868.html
[10] mailto:xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[11] mailto:xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[12] mailto:xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[13] mailto:xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[14] mailto:xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[15] mailto:xerte-dev-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[16] mailto:xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[17] mailto:xerte at pgogywebstuff.com
[18] mailto:Xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[19] http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/xerte-dev
[20]
http://www.gcu.ac.uk/newsevents/news/bycategory/theuniversity/1/name,6219,en.html
[21]
http://www.gcu.ac.uk/newsevents/news/bycategory/theuniversity/1/name,15691,en.html
[22] mailto:Xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[23] http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/xerte-dev
[24] mailto:Xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[25] http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/xerte-dev
[26] mailto:Xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[27] http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/xerte-dev
[28] mailto:Xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[29] http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/xerte-dev
[30] mailto:Xerte-dev at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[31] http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/xerte-dev

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/pipermail/xerte-dev/attachments/20130410/9912190b/attachment-0001.html>