RFC-0004: Categories API

Status of this Memo

This memo provides information for the Xaraya community. It does not specify an Xaraya standard of any kind. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

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Abstract

The contents of this RFC contain the literal content of the old plain text version of RFC-0004

When time is a less scarcer good, someone might convert the plain text into structured XML so we can benefit from it.

1. Introduction
2. List of requirements for the Category API
3. Solution proposals - database tables
4. Solution proposals - functions
5. Relationship of the API to other areas
6. Code that will need to be rewritten
7. Basic documents for this RFC
8. Tools that need to be created from scratch
9. Retractions
10. Changelog

1. Introduction

All ?xxx numbers refer to the basic documents in section 7.

We read through the articles on http://www.postnuke.com, its forum threads, feature requests on sourceforge and the developers mailing list.

The following RFC is a first summary and contains some solution proposals either compiled from the basic documents or from general definitions concerning comments systems / forums.

2. List of requirements for the Category API

The history of Postnuke has seen several attempts at defining a metadata system. This RFC tries to put together all thoughts and issues that came up in these discussions. It owes a lot to people like Jorge Gutierrez. Thank you.

Xaraya needs a better way to handle the metadata about the content it manages. This metadata is currently held in the 'topic', 'category' and to some extent 'language' attributes of the stories, the 'category' of the links and FAQs etc. There is a need to have a powerful API that would let the core and modules developers to add metadata support to their code. The system should be developed with the tier separation in mind (content separated from display).

"A good metadata implementation leads to better searches within the site, finer categorization, and easier navigation, by letting the visitor decide exactly what content is (s)he interested in. It will also add the chance to our users to upgrade their use of Xaraya from a CMS (Content Management System) to a KMS (Knowledge Management System)." [1]

Following is a list of requirements broadly grouped into categories.

- Possibility to address every object in Xaraya uniquely [1], [18] - Possibility to have multiple dimensions [1] - Hierarchies [1], [21], [27], [28], [30], [31] - Keep multi-language issues in mind [3], [16], [17] - Allow for multiple parents of an item [4] - Good performance [5], [9] - A sane solution for orphaned content [8] - Nesting level unlimited [10], [11] - Assign more than one category to an item [12], [13] - Replace current Topics & Categories [22], [32]

3. Solution proposals - database tables

3a. Encoded Hierarchies

See [14] for one possible approach. It is taken from Marie Altobellis Amazon Module. It is focussing on performance.

4. Solution proposals - functions

4a. Encoded Hierarchies

See [15] for one possible approach. It is taken from Marie Altobellis Amazon Module. It is focussing on performance.

5. Relationship of the API to other areas

5a. Permissions System

Categories may form an element of a Permission string. Interactions between Categories and Permissions have to be figured out. [7]

5b. User System

There are various interesting possibilities in the interaction between Categories and Users. User Profiles [19], [20], [23], [26], [29] are one example.

5c. Content Syndication System

Interesting possibilities emerge when you syndicate content with other sites based on a common category schema. [24], [25]

6. Code that will need to be rewritten

/Modules/News

/Modules/Submit_News

/Modules/NS-AddStory/

/Modules/NS-Comments/

/Modules/Downloads

/Modules/Web_Links/

/Modules/Member_List/

/Modules/Top_List/

/Modules/Stats/

/Modules/Messages/

and some blocks

7. Basic documents for this RFC

[1] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PN-Data/message/32. Credits to: Jorge Gutierrez

[2] ftp://ftp.dev.4arrow.com/zip/xpc/releases/distro/

[3] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PN-Data/message/40 Credits to: Pascal Riva

[4] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PN-Data/message/194 Credits to: Jim McDonald

[5] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PN-Data/message/219 Credits to: Jim McDonald

[6] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PN-Data/message/251 Credits to: Jorge Gutierrez

[7] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PN-Data/message/255 Credits to: Jim McDonald

[8] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PN-Data/message/268 Credits to: Jim McDonald

[9] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PN-Data/message/288 Credits to: Marie Altobelli

[10] http://www.postnuke.com/modules.php ?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=935 Credits to: jerryj

[11] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pndev/message/2952 Credits to: Florian Bruckner

[12] http://www.postnuke.com/modules.php? op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1354 Credits to: Jason Lotito

[13] http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php? func=detail&aid=441077&group_id=27927&atid=392231 Credits to: Asparagirl

[14] http://cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/ post-nuke/postnuke_official/tests/category_api/ categories.sql?rev=1.1&content-type=text/ vnd.viewcvs-markup Credits to: Marie Altobelli

[15] http://cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/ post-nuke/postnuke_official/tests/category_api/ category.php?rev=1.1&content-type=text/ vnd.viewcvs-markup Credits to: Marie Altobelli

[16] http://www.geocrawler.com/archives/3/12620/2001/ 9/100/6581303/ Credits to: John Crocket

[17] http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php? func=detail&aid=498872&group_id=27927&atid=392231 Credits to: Kristjan

[18] http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php? func=detail&aid=496842&group_id=27927&atid=392231 Credits to: Mark S. Miller

[19] http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php? func=detail&aid=445240&group_id=27927&atid=392231 Credits to: Justin G. Zaun

[20] http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php? func=detail&aid=442991&group_id=27927&atid=392231 Credits to: Francisco

[21] http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php? func=detail&aid=442657&group_id=27927&atid=392231 Credits to: Anonymous

[22] http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php? func=detail&aid=439872&group_id=27927&atid=392231 Credits to: ncwbiz, clnelson, jnlewis

[23] http://www.postnuke.com/modules.php? op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1457 Credits to: greggish

[24] http://www.postnuke.com/modules.php? op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1451 Credits to: Reginald

[25] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pndev/message/7531

[26] http://www.postnuke.com/modules.php? op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1278 Credits to: karstenj

[27] http://www.postnuke.com/modules.php? op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1255 Credits to: ma_gius, stodge

[28] http://www.postnuke.com/modules.php? op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1225 Credits to: machine, stodge, Jukap

[29] http://www.postnuke.com/modules.php? op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1220 Credits to: Anonymous, Aidan Humphrey

[30] http://www.postnuke.com/modules.php? op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1211 Credits to: Christoph Fischer, sunheadweb, php_me

[31] http://www.postnuke.com/modules.php? op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=935 Credits to: jerryj, ?LinuxDeveloper, Christoph Fischer

[32] http://www.postnuke.com/modules.php? op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=650 Credits to: Hercules