Angel has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

I had this nifty idea, and looked around the internet to see if anyone else ( who is most likely not a novice-intermediate programmer and can code better than I ) had written this before. I cannot find it and would like to know if any of you have seen anything like this before I go and spend a year or so re-inventing the wheel.

I am faced with having to write a huge content/user management system for about 2000-10,000 users. Each department ( 2-10 )needs a different set of data that interacts with the base user account ( a table ) and that department's data ( another table ).

I can do all of this in PERL, in fact I already wrote one departments systems already for last year. What I am looking at is making some sort of background data model and then having a set of XML commands that parse the data.

I realized that every CGI page has at it's base four things that could happen to it:

It gets created and the HTNL template is called filled with data from server side or client side sources.

It gets sent back and evaluated for data correctness or to do something else

It sends the next new page or sends a confirmation that the data has been sent or mailed...ect

And when the session expires that page may need to do cleanup of some sort ( cancel a new user account...ect )

XML is ideal for this command language each HTML page has a XML corresponding page along with it. The XML forms a simplifed language for processing the pages and performing user queries, validation of submitted vars...ect?

Has someone written soemthing like this before? I am trying to avoid writing many, many independant systems.

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
(jeffa) Re: XML PERL Hosting System
by jeffa (Bishop) on Sep 01, 2002 at 16:33 UTC
    Is there any reason why you can't use Slash for this? It is already written and tested, chances are you will save lots of time by not reinvented a HUGE wheel like this. There is also Everything (which is what PerlMonks runs on).

    Also, take a look at PostNuke - it uses PHP instead of Perl, but it is very nice.

    And it's Perl, not PERL.

    jeffa

    L-LL-L--L-LL-L--L-LL-L--
-R--R-RR-R--R-RR-R--R-RR
B--B--B--B--B--B--B--B--
H---H---H---H---H---H---
(the triplet paradiddle with high-hat)
[reply]
•Re: XML PERL Hosting System
by merlyn (Sage) on Sep 01, 2002 at 19:21 UTC
    In my steadily strengthening opinion, XML is not for humans to learn or type.

    For your project, I'd look strongly at Slashcode, and in particular, setting up your "programming" interface using Template Toolkit and letting the heavy lifting be done with Template's plugin system. The Template language is a "learn a little at a time" language, very nicely done.

    -- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker

[reply]
      The template system is awesome. I think I will use that to form the basis for the systems. Thank you
[reply]

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