Multiple versions of a component...possible ?

[gilbertro]

I am loving Alpha Five but there is one challenge I have always wondered how to get around:

I have a large comprehensive web app developed in Alpha Five.

More than often, there will be a customer of mine who requires just one or two components to be 'customized' to suit their needs.
Ideally, this is what I would like :

(a) to keep all the components together in the same workspace(Alpha database)

(b) all variations of a component having the same name as the original component. I don't want to duplicate the component and then give it a different name - too much logic
will have to be added to factor in all the different versions out there. Plus each time a customer is added I have to add another "IF" statement.
This is where I was hoping that I could create a project within the same workspace(Alpha database) for each customer
to store only the 'customized components'. The 'customized components' would have the same name as the original ones in the base project.
Whenever these 'customized components' are published they would overwrite the original component in the published folder.

The problem now is that while I am in design mode, a component cannot 'see' or 'access' other components in another project although they might be in the same workspace (database).

So, what I have to do currently is to create a different copy of my entire web app for each customer. As you can imagine this is grief.
Has anyone else faced this challenge ? Are there any ideas of how I can get around this ?

Thanks in advance.

[Keith Hubert]

Re: Multiple versions of a component...possible ?

Hi Robert,

I don't know what other might think or suggest, but without knowing why you have designed your site the way you have, it sounds like you have built in the grief you mentioned.

Why is it not possible to get your users to be registered to use the site? Then you can make the components do what you want according to the type of user.

[Clipper87]

Re: Multiple versions of a component...possible ?

Robert,

Interesting idea! I'd put it in http://alphasoftware.ideascale.com/

Cheers,
Frank

[Steve Workings]

Re: Multiple versions of a component...possible ?

You don't need to have separate components.

Depending on the differences you need, you can usually achieve them by adjustments in some of the client side events, or use containers to hide or show things depending on customer credentials.

I have an app like this where different customers have a few of their own preferences or features. A Features_Table with a feature ID and customer ID to help identify the things is handy, then refer to it when deciding what to present at runtime.

[gilbertro]

Re: Multiple versions of a component...possible ?

I appreciate the responses.

Keith, you are partially correct.... and to respond to the other excellent suggestions : I am quite comfortable implementing settings/feature tables and using complex workflow logic, etc, which I have already done. I was hoping that everyone would have taken my request at face value and ignore the reasoning behind it :) (which is hard to do BTW).
I now need to explain the situation.

I guess all this started when I got greedy in trying to facilitate potential customers who are showing great interest but who really fall outside the original intended target customers.
If you know what I mean. So yes, my app already has alot of ready-made customization...(I should have mentioned this originally)

So I am still seeking an easy way to implement a way of doing 'overrides' at the file level.
I am sure those familiar with (a) Zope/Plone or (b) library lists on the AS/400 would appreciate what I am talking about .

Thanks again

[aburningflame]

Re: Multiple versions of a component...possible ?

IF when the user logs in, they have a ulink.
If this ulink is mapped back to a company.
If the company table has a company type.

You can then add conditional logic on pages to output different grid objects based on company type.
Yes your grids would have to be duplicated a nd yes if you make a bug fix you have to apply it to all grids.

But maybe some bugs are specific to company type 'CLIENT' while others are specific to company type 'CONTRACTOR'.

Customization means different grids, conditional statements, conditional logic. Theres no easy way around it.
What your asking for is for conditional logic.

Based on X - swap in component Y.

<%a5
  if session.__protected__company_type=='CLIENT' then
       grid_filename='mygrid'
 else if session.__protected__company_type=='CONTRACTOR' then
       grid_filename='contractorgrid'
 end if

  'The componentAlias MUST be UNIQUE for each component on the page. It must not have spaces in the name. Keep name as short as possible
dim componentAlias as c 
componentAlias = "GRID_ENGINEER_T"
Delete tmpl_GRID_ENGINEER_T
DIM tmpl_GRID_ENGINEER_T as P
tmpl_GRID_ENGINEER_T = a5w_load_component(grid_filename) 
tmpl_GRID_ENGINEER_T.override_settings = "componentName = componentAlias _gridFilename = \""+grid_filename+"\"";

'TIP: To refer to local or page variables in the override_settings string, you must first define a local
'dot variable called 'pageVar' with properties for all of the variables you want to reference. For example:
'	dim pageVar as p
'	pageVar.gridRowCount = 10
'Then, in the override_settings string, you can reference pageVar.gridRowCount. For example:
'	rows = pageVar.gridRowCount
'Resolve session and page variables in the override_settings string.
a5w_resolveVariablesInOverrideSettings(tmpl_GRID_ENGINEER_T,session,local_variables())
delete x_GRID_ENGINEER_T
dim x_GRID_ENGINEER_T as p
x_GRID_ENGINEER_T = a5w_run_Component(tmpl_GRID_ENGINEER_T) 
if x_GRID_ENGINEER_T.RedirectURL <> "" then 
	response.redirect(x_GRID_ENGINEER_T.redirectURL)
	end
end if 
?x_GRID_ENGINEER_T.Output.Head.JavaScript
?x_GRID_ENGINEER_T.Output.Head.CSS_Link
%>

Something like that might work. But really thats just dynamic switching of a grid on a page.
You can just do seperate grids / pages and redirect based on company type or security groups or however else you please.

Goodluck

[The Mage]

Re: Multiple versions of a component...possible ?

I think I understand what you want, but I could be off.

Steve Wood just helped me out by pointing out his work here:

Video: http://www.screencast.com/t/tbnh4Amth
blog: http://alphatogo.blogspot.com/2011/0...-value-in.html

For my purposes I found the second one helpful, but feel the first one may be what your looking for.