Custom Database Tables + Front Ends + Permissions

Hi,

I've been building hand-craft web sites for 10 years but have been telling myself to stop doing it - life is too short! Sometime back I looked at various CMS but didn't find anything that gave a easy learning curve to get going but plenty of functionality once "the accelerator was pushed to the floor".

Since then I've got sidetracked into finding a database front end/back end development environment that would give me the permissions and security that we need for web based multi-user database driven environments - again weaning myself off custom builds. Some years ago I built something myself along the lines of Ruby on Rails but again of RoR the learning curve looks steep.

It was then I found via google a ref. to this TL article How to create a custom module (the CD Collection example) and discovered TYPOlight !! Can I kill two birds with one stone I ask :) I've also discovered this article Catalog Templates Tutorial

2 questions if I may before spending a day or more installing and customising TL;

1. If I build a custom table and modules can I use the TL fine grain permission system [that's a nice feature] to control the database access, specifically: users who create database records can only edit their own records but all users can view - this is similar to create/edit/view forum posts.

2. Of the 2 examples mentioned above "How to create a custom module" and "Catalog Templates Tutorial" which one should I use? To a newbie they appear to me doing the same thing. Basically I have a simple 1 table database of circa 6 fields where I want to allow users to filter and sort. Ultimately, I want 1 field to link to Flickr images and to link / display the image.

Many thanks for reading this post.

P.S. see you are using phpBB - I've recently installed that for a community group and I'm very impressed with it.

bump!

Any one like to offer an answer to question 1:

1. If I build a custom table and modules can I use the TL fine grain permission system [that's a nice feature] to control the database access, specifically: users who create database records can only edit their own records but all users can view - this is similar to create/edit/view forum posts.

For Question 2 I will try the CD Collection example as a model as that seem the most straight forward.

Many thanks

Hi Alan_uk,
Don't know re 1 sorry (i would think so but only if your programme your module this way).
Re 2: use the cd collection one as this teaches you how to make a module.... the Catalog one teaches you how to use the Catalog module (a custom module made by Thyon)....

Also you can download and examine any of the modules to see how they work (or view the files online in the extension repository) ...some are much more complex than others.
Cheers, Murray

Many thanks Murray for your reply. Very helpful in getting the right perspective before diving in.

I downloaded and installed TL on my localhost server late last night - went well. I had a quick look around. Seems the permission system is at a module / page level, though there must be some record level permissions as only a user can alter their own profiles.

Thinking aloud, the answer maybe to store the user's id in my custom table when a record is created and only allow an edit if the table user id = login id (e.g. only have an edit link on the view table records page). If TL is like say phpBB, then the current user id is usually a global variable.