[Phpmyadmin-devel] RFD: New feature, Interface implementation (not a feature request! :-)

[Garvin Hicking]

 Salutations!


I am planning to add a feature for my own sake to phpMyAdmin. The reason  
is, I have created an application for one of my customers and gave him  
phpMyAdmin-access on his database. For me this is a good solution because  
I down have to fiddle with a reduced backend, and he scores because I  
won't charge him for that. ;)

Well, but then one major problem occured to us: He is administrating data  
containing html-code (here: an image). He wants to see those images inside  
of phpMyAdmin or at least having a link in a row where he can click on.

Currently libarires/display_tbl.lib.php3 encodes all data with  
htmlspecialchars(). I want to let certain html-entities pass as such and  
be rendered by the browser. First I just wanted to hack the code away,  
bypassing the htmlspecialchars()-Function if a certain config-variable is  
set.

But I think this can be done with more grace, and may come to be  
integrated in upcoming phpMyAdmin-releases; if there is a need for, I  
would be gratefully willing to code the required snippets.

Until now I am not fully advanced regarding how I could put the feature  
inside the user interface. First on, I want the solution to be as flexible  
as possible. Best way would be, that a user could choose among a set of  
functions treating a table. So it would not only be possible to render  
HTML-Code, but maybe to transform certain characters to other ones. Maybe  
a function turning all ":-)" into smilie-GIFs.

I thought of extending the SQL-parser to support SQL-Comments which then  
turn on my celldata-reparsing. I then dropped this idea, because I think  
it is too hard to use for the novice user.

Currently I am thinking about the following implementations. I would  
really appreciate your feedback on this, and what you think of it:

1. Add another row below the header-row of the data. It should contain a  
checkbox and a pulldown for each header. So I can check each checkbox, if  
I want that field to be HTML-enabled, and choose a value in the pulldown- 
field, which function I want the field to be used with. I think of a set  
of predefined PHP-Functions, and the ability to insert 'plugins' in the  
config.inc.php3 file. Like, I add a "smilie_to_html" function, a  
"html_img" function, a "html_table" function and so on. This new row could  
either be shown all the time, or only made accessible by clicking on a  
link like "Enhance Display" or "Convert fields" or such.

Advantages: Full, flexible control over the desired fields. Customizable,  
which field I want to have converted. Maybe I only want one single row  
HTML-enabled, not all of them.

Dis-advantages: Many, many Variables to be propagated throughout the page.  
Maybe too much to fit in GET-Vars. Many checkboxes/pulldowns to render for  
the browser (slowdown)


2. Add a persistent table-property field. There I can define, much like  
the 'edit table properties' which fields I later want to be treated with  
certain functions.

Advantages: Clean integration without much variable-propagation hassle.

Dis-Advantages: We have to store this data somewhere, which is harder to  
user for the novice user because he has to create tables like the  
bookmark-table. Parsing would be a lot harder to do, because one has to  
take ALIAS-Rows into consideration. You can't do 'on-the-fly'-alteration  
of a single cell to be HTML-enabled.


3. Add a full-page alternative Display much like the current 'print view'.  
Call it 'html view' and parse every single data as HTML.

Advantages: Most easy to code

Dis-Advanteges: Ugly implementation, no customization.


4. Expand the SQL-language with phpMyAdmin-parseable comments. Like:
        SELECT
                field_img,
                field_href,
                field_plain
        FROM table
        /*
                pma_parse:field_img:html_img,
                pma_parse:field_href:html_href,
                pma_parse:field_plain:htmlspecialchars
        */

And then add a nice Interface to that like the "insert field-name"  
dropdown above the SQL Query-Textarea.

Advantages: Perfect way for a 'pro'-user. Easy to code, very flexible, no  
variable-propagation hassle.

Dis-Advantages: Hard to get for novice users to be usable, unless a good  
point-an-click editing system is etablished.


Maybe the last suggestions, if done properly, could be enhanced for all  
kind of native phpMyAdmin-functions. Even though I can't think of any  
other right now.


So...oppinions please? :-)

-- 
Bye,                                            ...[ icq  #21392242 |
 Garvin                                       ...[ www.supergarv.de |

... *Wenn Du im Zweifel bist, hoere auf den Mann mit der blutigeren Waffe.*