AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

[webcommerce]

I'm looking for an easy start to developing a web app for equipment rental. Has anyone any thoughts on AlphaToGo Web Application Framework? I would appreciate hearing about your experience using this. Any thoughts you care to share will be welcome. Thanks.

[Dspguards]

Re: AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

Hi Ron,
I to am interested in hearing more about this, however im pretty sure the man to talk to on here is Steve Wood. Maybe send him a message and he will be able to give you all the info you could ever need

Roland

[Steve Wood]

Re: AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

I'm here, just waiting for others to respond since Ron asked for independent comments.

Ron, you said you are building a Rental System. Here is an example, available for review or purchase as well: http://www.ialpha5.com/rental. Login with [email protected] / 1111111 and click Manage to see the stuff under the hood (anyone is welcome to review, it is not a live system). Its written in A5V10 so might need some enhancement to bring it up to V11.

[lyleelkins]

Re: AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

When I started with Alpha5 for the web I only new some very basic HTML. I feel very lucky to have found the AlphaToGo Web Application framework. Today I have a completed application that works beautifully and looks good too. I wouldn't be anywhere near that point without the ATG application framework. Many thanks to Steve.

Lyle

[JimDK]

Re: AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

I have been using Steve's framework, both the dbf version and the sql version since it came out, and it is a very easy way to start any project the framework get you up and running immediately, and the transition from V10 to V11 is so minimal and well documented at Steve's homaepage that it takes literally 10 minutes to perform, so I can highly recommend the framework.

[webcommerce]

Re: AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

Thanks to Jim and Lyle for your input. I'm already a fan of Steve Woods and predisposed towards buying the Framework, just interested to hear from people who have actually used it and the results/conclusions arising. My intended application (medical equipment hire) is (to my mind) quite complex and I don't want to have to start again if I make the wrong decision in this. So far 2/2 in favour ... anyone else want to comment? Are there other examples of finished projects out there?

[Steve Wood]

Re: AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

To be fair, those who have a not-favorable opinion write to me directly, and there are two of those. I've never had any one complain about the Framework itself; complaints typically fall into three camps: A) the developer ultimately cannot build an application using Alpha Five -- it was too hard, too complex, too much "programming", not their line of work, etc. These people find that building an application using Alpha Five was harder than it looked. B) Or they tried to disassemble the Framework, use it for its parts, not as a whole, tried to integrate it in to their own application, rather than using the Framework as the base for their application. C) Or the developer is a more advanced web developer but had little Alpha Five experience, and they expected the Framework to be like WordPress or Joomla! which have a specific set of tools that make it very convenient for content management, etc. but are not nearly as flexible as Alpha Five. Alpha Five has its peculiarities and you cannot really approach it like WordPress or Joomla!, so the Framework operates differently. Hint - the next release of the Framework will model WordPress and Joomla! much more closely.

If no one posts their Framework-based application, I can share over a dozen apps built upon the Framework by different developers. But I have to do that privately as these apps belong to other developers.

[madtowng]

Re: AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

I can't help but think I fall into one of those categories.
When I first made contact about using AlphaToGo, I was interested in
the signup/login module, something that was advertised as would be
available seperately from the entire framework.

My respect for Steve is high, and while I do not have anywhere near his
amount of knowledge, I would not say I'm incapable.

Since V11 has been released, I've been able to design my own signup/login
module, that handles multiple companies (something I did not see as a function
in AlphaToGo).

My project involves a few companies owned by the same people, and a few
different domains. In my opinion, this made the template a less than ideal
choice, and explains my desire, and repeated request for the just the membership
module.

As you might guess, the money I spent on AlphaToGo appears to have been wasted
as it now just occupies space on a hard drive that is collecting dust.

On the other hand, if your website has one domain/goal , I think I have seen marvelous
examples of AlphaToGo in action.

[Steve Wood]

Re: AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

Buying the Framework often needs to be backed up with some more formalized training and mentoring, or even short-term paid programming. Buying it does not obviate the need to become proficient with Alpha Five, especially if you are creating a complex application.

For support, I have my own User's Forum for questions and answers and try to answer direct emails, while gently moving customers over to the forum or paid support if warranted. I also have a free webinar every Friday at noon - I've conducted over 220 of those free webinars, which often are about the Framework. The webinars are hands-on where I can shift the screen to your application and normally quickly resolve any issue. But it can get to the point where I have five+ emails/calls a day with complex questions I am expected to answer, so I run out of time there.

BTW, the Framework works fine to manage users from multiple companies; it comes ready to do that and why it has a Company_ID field in the web_users table and tables and grids for Company and is configured to set the session.companyID upon login. (Gregg, not sure exactly what you mean by different "domains"; if that is just different URL's to the same app, or totally separate web applications, one for each domain. So here I mean Companies using the same web application and same database and web security. For a full blown-out multi-company system there would be some additional grids needed, like to manage Users by Company; that is not present in the Framework but I have that in many applications using the off-the-shelf Framework plus some added grids to better manage users by Company.)

Also, I am not above criticism, anyone can make any comment about my work plus or minus. Of course, there have been some complaints because there is such a diverse group of users -- and because I am enthusiastic and can over-promise at times, and then run out of time! Maybe some remember the era that I would strive to answer every single question on the forum as soon as it was asked; don't have that time anymore :) .

The very best installations of any of my tools have been where the customer comes to my free webinar and uses my Forum for help, and maybe springs for a few consulting hours if the application has some added complexity.

[madtowng]

Re: AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

3 different companies, each has it's own domain(url) pointing to the same application that I am responsible for.
Each company has thousands of it's own customers.

Assuming domains of abc.com, def.com, and ghi.com, a customer of one should not see
any signs of the other (even the automated email reply should be specific to each domain).

[Steve Wood]

Re: AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

This requires two elements:

1) User Mgmt

• Need to ensure the newly registered user is assigned to the right company. Typically multi-company apps do not allow public user signup, so you provide a URL to each company to a private Register page with a parameter like companyid=123. That parameter hits the Dialog as a page var, and gets included in the record sent to web_users. If done properly, the company_id ends up as part of their web_users record.
• Or if you manually enter, just ensure each web_users record has a company assigned to it.
• Then whenever any user logs in, you ensure that session.companyid is populated from the web_users table, disallow access if that fails for some reason.
• With V11 the easiest way for a Company Admin to manage their users is to put the User List in a tabbedUI with a filter such as companyID = session.companyid. With V10 still possible but requires a grid-level filter.

2) Domain issue:

If you have different URL's to your app, and you want each to id a different company, put something like this in the header (inc_header_head.a5w in the Framework).

select
case at("abc.com",request.request_uri) > 1
session.companyid = 123
case at("nbc.com",request.request_uri) > 1)
session.companyid = 234
end select

note - I say session.companyid, but it is really session.__protected__companyid in the current Framework

To satisfy this requirement "Assuming domains of abc.com, def.com, and ghi.com, a customer of one should not see
any signs of the other (even the automated email reply should be specific to each domain)."

... you just have to ensure that every grid is filtered by the session.companyid. If you want graphics and managed content to alter by company, you just need to apply a little code to the placeholder for each image/content area. Or that could be formally built into the content management system with some modification to the User Defined Function named wt_content() so that it was companyid aware; but that would take some programming.

[Steve Wood]

Re: AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

Left your other request out: "even the automated email reply should be specific to each domain"

This requires a modification in the uses_reg component (dialog), and adding two fields to the Company table named EMAIL_FROM and EMAIL_ALIAS_FROM and then use a LOOKUP or SQL_LOOKUP to the Company table to set PM.FROM to whatever email domain you want, and PM.FROM_ALIAS to some person's name, both depending on the value in session.companyid.

[GGandhi]

Re: AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

http://www.ialpha5.com/rental.

hello

the link does not seem to work for me. i directly clicked on your message. is this still okay?

[GGandhi]

Re: AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

hello

it is 12 noon i rechecked. it is working.

[webcommerce]

Re: AlphaToGo Web Applicaion Framework

My thanks to everyone who responded to this query ... most helpful.

Steve, thank you for your input ... I have sent a messeg to you at your personal email address.

Ron S