Difference between pages "Main Page" and "Designing Output Templates"

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== Introduction ==
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Let's assume we have some data in the ActionApps slice. In this chapter, we'll look at how to present the data on the website, that means how to create a (single) web page which lists the data in the desired format and look. First, let's look briefly at which parts of ActionApps are responsible for generating the design:
  
This is the place where we intend to keep the most up to date information resource about ActionApps, at present mostly in the form of documentation and examples of use. You can get general information about ActionApps and see what you can use the tool for. We have [[Authors and Editors Guide]], [[Installation Guide]], [[Installation Guide]], a quick [[Admin Crash Course]] followed by the most comprehensive [[Documentation for Site Administrators]]. Some other sections are listed below.
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== Index View =
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~ToDo: Describe index view
  
If you are interested in contributing your work to this resource, or you want to translate it into other languages, we love you, and please have a look at a dedicated [[How To Contribute]] document to find you how this can be best done.
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== Fultext View =
 
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~ToDo: Describe fulltext view
Please follow links in one of the sections below:
 
  
== What is ActionApps ==
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== Where Can The Design Come From ==
 
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~ToDo: Rewrite FAQ 1714: Where is the HTML
ActionApps is a collaborative web publishing tool for non-profits, which is:
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<aafaq id=1714>Where is the HTML</aafaq>
 
 
* '''Fast & Easy''': If you can fill out a form, you can publish professional-looking items online—in minutes.
 
 
 
* '''Flexible''': Automate all kinds of content—news, events, action alerts, member lists, and more.
 
 
 
* '''Collaborative''': Unique Content Pooling features help NGOs work together to save time and build audience.
 
 
 
To learn more, look at the [http://www.apc.org/actionapps/english/general/about.html ActionApps Slideshow].
 
 
 
ActionApps is also an open-source development platform for web applications.
 
 
 
== Authors and Editors Guide ==
 
Authors and Editors Guide is a good reading for those who publish content on the website powered by ActionApps, where the system has already been set up. It gives a walk through day to day operations like editing content, document workflow, searching for content, switching between [[Term#Slice | slice]]s and so on. You can download those quides in English and Spanish from this page  [[http://www.apc.org/actionapps/english/manual/download.html]]
 
 
 
== Installation Guide ==
 
[http://actionapps.org/aa/doc/install.html Installation Guide] gives you instructions for downloading and installing the software. The [http://actionapps.org/aa/doc/install.html Installation Guide] is a part of the software package, and can be [http://actionapps.org/aa/doc/install.html accessed online].
 
 
 
== Admin Crash Course ==
 
[[Admin Crash Course]] is a quick guide for the impatient who have sucesfully gone through the process of ActionApps installation. This will guide you throught the creation of a new [[Term#Slice|Slice]], setup of user [[Term#Input Forms|Input Forms]], and incorporation of the ActionApps output into your static pages. No rocket science, just create a simple news section and link it. You'll see roughly how it works, in brief.
 
 
 
== Documentation for Site Administrators ==
 
ToDo
 
[[Documentation for Site Administrators]]
 
 
 
== Frequently Asked Questions ==
 
The original ActionApps documentation has been kept in a form of [http://actionapps.org/faq/ Frequently Asked Questions]. You may be able to dig out some useful information from there, or you simply knew where things were there, so we link to it. However, keep in mind, that documentation is no longer being maintained.
 
 
 
== Action Apps in Action ==
 
~ToDo: Add link to the list of sites using AA
 
 
 
== Developers Resources ==
 
The main resource for the ActionApps developers is the [[http://sourceforge.net/projects/apc-aa/ | Action Apps space at Source Forge]]. Start from there.
 
 
 
== Terminology ==
 
 
 
Ever wondered what are we talking about when we say [[Term#Slice |Slice]], [[Term#Item |Item]], [[Term#Field |Field]], [[Term#Parameter |Parameter]], [[Term#View |View]], [[Term#MLX |MLX]] and so on ? The ActionApps [[Term|Terminology]] intends to give you an insight into our jargon, and provide you with links to relevant further reading.
 
 
 
== How to Contribute ==
 
 
 
If you are interested in contributing your work to this resource, or you want to translate it into other languages, we love you, and please have a look at a dedicated [[How To Contribute]] document.
 

Revision as of 20:25, 26 July 2005

Let's assume we have some data in the ActionApps slice. In this chapter, we'll look at how to present the data on the website, that means how to create a (single) web page which lists the data in the desired format and look. First, let's look briefly at which parts of ActionApps are responsible for generating the design:

= Index View

~ToDo: Describe index view

= Fultext View

~ToDo: Describe fulltext view 

Where Can The Design Come From

~ToDo: Rewrite FAQ 1714: Where is the HTML

Where is the HTML

The HTML for a typical APC-AA site can come from many places which can confuse people used to doing all their HTML in a single place.

Location What to put there
.shtml file static HTML that doesn't repeat, and is not changed often. Can be edited with any standard web editor by someone who has write permissions on the web server. The HTML has lines like <!--#include "/apc-aa/view.php3 --> (or apc-aa/slice.php3) to include a PHP file which will fetch information from the Slice's design.
Design section of the Slice This is used to list a range of items in a slice, or display a single item. Someone with Admin permission on the slice can go to apc-aa/admin -> Admin -> Views or apc-aa/admin -> Admin -> Display/Index or Display/Fulltext. HTML can be placed here associated with the top and bottom of a listing, with each item, and with groupings of items. The HTML includes alias such as _#HEADLINE
Aliases such as _#HEADLINE Each alias defines how to show a particular field, it does this by choosing a function (e.g. f_h) and parameters. For example _#HEADLINE is usually just output, while a Link might be output surrounded by <a href=" and ">. They can be edited by anyone with administrator priviliges on your slice by going to Admin->Fields->choose field ->Edit. A field can have several different ways of being output, for example a date could have aliases for both short (1/1/200) and long (1 January 2000) forms of output.
Functions such as f_h These define functions certain common ways fields are output. They are defined in the PHP code, and so have to be edited by developers, except that there is an extension function f_u that calls functions from apc-aa/include/usr_aliasfnc.php3, these can be written by anyone who understands PHP3.
Data Lastly of course, the HTML could be in specific fields in your data.

Exceptions:

  • You don't have to put a .shtml at the top - you can just use a more complex URL refering to apc-aa/slice.php3 or apc-aa/view.php3
  • You can include a view from within an alias by using the function f_v