Re: [Phpgroupware-developers] Information sharing between modules

[Ralf Becker]

Hi Brian,

> Is there an established method (even if just a concept) to link information 
> between
> modules?  A standard method would be good since many modules require contact
> information and I couldn't find a current, practical way to do this

If you just want to like an address to a record of your app, you can use 
a methode of my sbox2 class (its in the api) to do so. There is some 
info in the classfile phpgwapi/inc/class.sbox2.inc.php and you can use 
infolog as an example infolog/inc/class.uiinfolog.inc.php

> I don't mean I can't get info, I mean we need a method to prevent the other 
> module
> from deleting records that I'm linking to
>
> Currently my only solution seems to be to copy a module I like and add it as a
> customized module to the module I'm working on.  It seems a stupid way to do it 
> when
> the other module with the information is right there

One other possibility (to link your records with addresses, projects or 
(in my calendar version) with calendar is to have it supported by 
infolog. That way your view-entry methode calls infolog via a hook, 
which shows all associated infolog-entries and all the associations to 
the other modules supported by infolog (like you have it in the 
addressbook for example).

I'm thinking since a view month about separating the linking from the 
rest of infolog into a separate class and db-table. The benefit for me 
would be I dont need to implement the support for each app in infolog 
(and the infolog-table in the db), it could be done by the maintainer of 
 each app. But this is on the same time the biggest problem with that 
solution: I need to convince every maintainer to support the linking 
facility. And a class who encapsulates the linking does not 
automatically mean a facility in the UI to make links between entries of 
each phpgw-app: It still needs code to select the two entries to be 
linked. In short words if I separate the linking facility from infolog 
your favorite app (I dont know if you are the maintainer of it) needs to 
support that new interface to link with other (supported) apps.

I'm like to work on the last mentioned solution if enough app-maintainer 
and core-developer see the need and are willing to support it.

Ralf
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ralf Becker
OUTDOOR UNLIMITED Training GmbH                Telefon 0631 / 31657-0
Leibnizstraße 17                               Telefax 0631 / 31657-26
D-67663 Kaiserslautern            EMail address@hidden