MySource Matrix Developer

MySource Matrix Developer Newsletter Issue 12
Friday 25th February 2005

covers versions 3.2.2 stable, 3.4.0 RC1, 3.5.0 development

News

More Inbox Changes

Following on from the changes made to the Inbox asset to allow for messages to be sent to other users, additional changes have been made to standardise and clean up the interface. These changes were suggested during the Feature Review meetings the MySource Matrix development team conduct each Monday. New development versions of MySource Matrix will contain this updated and cleaner interface.

Lookup Values

Some new functionality has been implemented within MySource Matrix to allow for data storage per URL rather than per asset. This will allow new development to store custom data depending on the lineage used to access a particular asset. No new usable functionality has actually been implemented within MySource Matrix, but the design lookup system has been modified to utilise lookup values. This should allow for per URL design settings in the future.

New Features

Domain Crossing Sessions

Added to: 3.5.0 development

By default, sessions are only valid for a single domain. Some MySource Matrix systems have several sites with different domains, but users must log into each domain to be authenticated because their session cookie does not follow them across domains even if they are all in a single MySource Matrix system.

For example, consider a MySource Matrix system that has a site with URL www.example.com and a site with URL www.anotherexample.com. If these sites shared a restricted page, a user could go to www.example.com/restricted and log in to view the contents. If they then went to www.anotherexample.com/restricted, they would have to log in again because even though the two sites are in the same MySource Matrix system, the browser will not pass sessions across domains.

This new functionality allows all domains hosted inside a single MySource Matrix system to share a session so the user does not have to log in multiple times. The system can also be configured to only allow some domains to be available for crossing.

To configure domain crossing, you must create a new Site Network asset and link the sites you want to cross between under it. Essentially, you are creating a network of sites where a user can log into one site and navigate anywhere within the network without having to log in again.

Batching Trigger Actions

Added to: 3.5.0 development

Following on from the new triggering system, a feature has been developed to allow you to execute trigger actions on a large number of assets. Essentially, you ask the triggering system to pretend that an event has been fired so that all assets that would normally be modified have the trigger actions applied to them.

You may wish to use this if you have a trigger that creates 3 size variations for every image uploaded to the system, but you now want to apply another size variation to images. Instead of manually creating the size variation for each image asset, you would modify the trigger and then batch process it. The trigger will then add the size variation to each image for you, as if the image had just been created.

Group IP Restrictions

Added to: 3.5.0 development

A new feature has been developed that allows you to restrict group membership based on an IP range, or other show_if style condition. You are able to use the public user asset with this new feature to gain greater control over permissions. For example, you could grant all site visitors access to a specific part of your site if they come from a defined IP address or range.

Workflow Expiry

Added to: 3.5.0 development

Workflow steps can now have an expiry date set, so that if the step has not been completed after the allocated period of time the administrators of the asset are notified via internal message and email. You must have the cron manager enabled and working correctly to use this functionality.

To configure MySource Matrix to email these notifications, a manual change has to be made to a configuration file for existing systems. New systems will already have this change.

Edit the file MYSOURCE_ROOT/data/private/conf/messaging_service.inc and append asset.workflow.stale to the SQ_MS_SEND_MAIL_WHITE_LIST array. Make sure this setting is on a new line.

For example, for an array that looks like this: define('SQ_MS_SEND_MAIL_WHITE_LIST', 'asset.locking.forced config.* hipo.* asset.workflow.invitation asset.workflow.announce');

Change the array to look like this: define('SQ_MS_SEND_MAIL_WHITE_LIST', 'asset.locking.forced config.* hipo.* asset.workflow.invitation asset.workflow.announce asset.workflow.stale');

Planned Development

Search Logging

To be added to : 3.5.0 development
Estimated start date: 1st Mar 2005
Estimated end date : 16th Mar 2005

Development of search logging will begin next week, allowing users to generate reports based on terms searched and the number of results produced. Users will be able to view a report of the most popular search terms, and well as the least popular. They will also be able to determine which search terms do not produce any results.

Oracle Support

To be added to : 3.5.0 development
Estimated start date: 7th Mar 2005
Estimated end date : 18th Mar 2005

Previously, MySource Matrix was modified to prepare the database schema for Oracle support. Development is now about to begin on completing support for Oracle by ensuring MySource Matrix installs and runs on an Oracle database.

Backend Translation

To be added to : 3.5.0 development
Estimated start date: 15th Mar 2005
Estimated end date : 25th Mar 2005

Translation of the backend interface will be developed so users can view the administration interface in their own language. This project will also involve the creation of contextual help within the administration interface, allowing users to access online help, when required, in their own language.

Upgrading

3.5.0 Development

Run step_02.php: no Run step_03.php: yes

Additional queries:

CREATE INDEX sq_trig_hash_event ON sq_trig_hash USING btree (event);
CREATE INDEX sq_trig_hash_assetid ON sq_trig_hash USING btree (assetid);
CREATE INDEX sq_trig_hash_asset_type ON sq_trig_hash USING btree (asset_type);
CREATE INDEX sq_trig_hash_treeid ON sq_trig_hash USING btree (treeid);
CREATE INDEX sq_trig_hash_tree_propagate ON sq_trig_hash USING btree (tree_propagate);
CREATE INDEX sq_trig_hash_triggerid ON sq_trig_hash USING btree (triggerid);
CREATE INDEX sq_trig_hash_active ON sq_trig_hash USING btree (active);
CREATE INDEX sq_trig_hash_parentid ON sq_trig_hash USING btree (parentid);
CREATE INDEX sq_trig_hash_parent_type ON sq_trig_hash USING btree (parent_type);
CREATE INDEX sq_trig_hash_childid ON sq_trig_hash USING btree (childid);
CREATE INDEX sq_trig_hash_child_type ON sq_trig_hash USING btree (child_type);

ALTER TABLE sq_ast_lookup_value ADD COLUMN inhd CHAR(1); UPDATE sq_ast_lookup_value SET inhd = '0'; ALTER TABLE sq_ast_lookup_value ALTER inhd SET NOT NULL;

ALTER TABLE sq_rb_ast_lookup_value ADD COLUMN inhd CHAR(1); UPDATE sq_rb_ast_lookup_value SET inhd = '0'; ALTER TABLE sq_rb_ast_lookup_value ALTER inhd SET NOT NULL;

Additional comments: Run "php scripts/system_update_lookups.php ." You must reparse all your site designs, including the system login design

New Bugs Added To Bug Tracker

New Feature Requests Added To Bug Tracker

Bugs Fixed In The Bug Tracker

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