CMS means MANAGE contents!!

[ludootje]

Hi all,

Joomla is one gem of a product, to be sure. But there is one obvious thing missing, namely a way to automatize getting contents in it. It's supposed to be a content management system, and it does that reasonably well, starting from the minute you add something up to the minute you want to get something out. But the beginning and the end are missing. So, it would be a great progress if there would be:
- an import facility, where you could select a number of html or txt files; you'd indicate the category in which they belong, and maybe per article you'd have a text window to give every article its title.
- an export facility: all things pass, also Joomla will, one day. And then we'll be locked up (well, not exactly, but still) with a bunch of MySQL tables. So, it would make sense to provide Joomla with an Export facility, for instance allowing an automatized export per category, into html or txt files.

Shouldn't be terribly difficult to do, but the attempts I have seen until now either simply don't work or else they follow an approach which is very counter-intuitive.

Ludo

[manne2004]

I agree.
It's not easy to get content into Joomla.

Most companies would want someone fro mtheir own business to update the content and add new content.

This is normally someone that's not technical.

[brian]

my clients find it very easy to add content, pdf, photos, diary events and all from the frontend  but then I guess that is down to the way I have set up the sites. its all down to the structure you create and the extensions you use.

[eyezberg]

and the training and documentation you provide

have someone use excel without training..

[brian]

Documentation I'm usualy pretty lapse on but all my client sites get at a minimum a full days training

[bzoellers]

something like a .txt 'content importer' would be nice though, to be able to upload a .txt file and have it automatically put into a content item

[Vince]

I'm sure there used to be a component to import static html files into Joomla.

- Vince

Edit: found it here:
staticXT
http://extensions.joomla.org/component/ ... Itemid,35/

[bzoellers]

I'm sure there used to be a component to import static html files into Joomla.

- Vince

Edit: found it here:
staticXT
http://extensions.joomla.org/component/ ... Itemid,35/

very nice find.

but i think what he was talking about was something actually integrated into the joomla core

[Jenny]

Everything can't be implemented at the core level.  The core is the framework, extensions use the framework to implement various solutions.

[Tonie]

If you take a look at /installation/sample.sql, you can find the SQL commands to create categories, sections and content. Shouldn't be too hard to create a component that can mass import content from a .csv file, for example.

[ludootje]

If you take a look at /installation/sample.sql, you can find the SQL commands to create categories, sections and content. Shouldn't be too hard to create a component that can mass import content from a .csv file, for example.

Then let some wise men do it  . No, I agree, it shouldn't be too difficult, especially because I feel the focus should be on the mass import, more than on the variety of supported formats. I would be very happy with a mass .txt and .html importer. But it should indeed be in the regular Joomla contents, not in that "orphan" static text thingy.

Ludo

[nini1]

I just found out about Joomla! today and i'm really blown away by it's capabilities and the enhancements that the community brings to it!

I'm glad i found this thread because i have a comment/question along the same line:

What would be awesome is if you could let your content provider use a predifined MS word/excel template to publish to your Joomla! site. For example, if you use an MS word template formated using MS XML like an content entry form, can it be imported and parsed and it's elements (text, graphics) published through a Joomla! display template?

So what i'm wondering if technically, can a module or plugin be created that can read MS XML and parse it using XSL or else to feed a Joomla template?

[Jenny]

So what i'm wondering if technically, can a module or plugin be created that can read MS XML and parse it using XSL or else to feed a Joomla template?

I am sure that such a thing could be created.  The only question is finding the person to do it.

[nini1]

So what i'm wondering if technically, can a module or plugin be created that can read MS XML and parse it using XSL or else to feed a Joomla template?

I am sure that such a thing could be created.  The only question is finding the person to do it.

Is there a forum where one can get a quote from a Joomla dev for that?

[Jenny]

The Professional Services forum: http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/board,177.0.html
or the Custom Joomla! Development forum: http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/board,47.0.html

[nini1]

Excellent, thanks!