If no export/import feature then what about a "helper" plugin?

By Codee - September 22, 2009

Dave and Co.,
I know you've received numerous requests for an import/export feature over the years and that's a really hard "generic" programming project because everyone's database, even on similar projects, can be so different. I can see resultant nightmares from non-custom programming on something like this. So I've been thinking, especially for beginners or for projects that farm out to others...what about a "helper plugin" for this feature that essentially prints out a form with all the database fields that will be necessary for importing/exporting? It reads the current database, because the tables/fields can change often, and gives a proprietary list for that database that the project manager or programmer, maybe even novices, can use to create their own import/export scripts. I hope I'm being clear on this and hope it's not too stupid of a suggestion.

Re: [equinox69] If no export/import feature then what about a "helper" plugin?

By Dave - September 28, 2009

Hi Terry,

Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, that would probably be a good place to start.

We have "CVS Import" on our list of plugins to build so we'll have to see what other challenges come up when we get to it. One of the other issues is what to do with record numbers (create new numbers, or overwrite existing numbers) and records (add to database or erase existing data).

We'll probably see this in the next few rounds of plugins which we're working on.
Dave Edis - Senior Developer
interactivetools.com

Re: [equinox69] If no export/import feature then what about a "helper" plugin?

By Dave - September 28, 2009

Hmm, yea. It might almost be better to have it in the source code (the option to overwrite or append) so the user didn't select the wrong option (if the import was a process that needed to be repeated).

And then we need to decide whether to make it available in the admin section or outside the admin (as you may need users to import who don't have admin access).

When we get to this one we'll probably post a thread so everyone can post their needs and we can see if we can figure out a consensus.
Dave Edis - Senior Developer
interactivetools.com