Can SOHOLaunch wrap/include external scripts?

[alterego]

I've build quite a few sites for clients over the years with various CMS products, recently Mambo for several. One thing I find is that no system solves every problem and there is always a particular problem that is best solved by a separate script or even an externally hosted solution. I've gone through all the flash tutorials today, and as I've only just discovered SL via the recent Fantastico collaboration, I haven't yet found out if or how SL works with external scripts. Does it have a 'wrapper' feature, allowing it to include external scripts, perhaps in an iframe or some such workaround? If so, can anyone point me to an example?

[Mike Morrison]

Hi Alterego,

I haven't yet found out if or how SL works with external scripts.

Soholaunch provides several methods for integrating custom code in various aspects of the product and/or end-website. Here's an overview of the most common/popular applications for custom scripts:

1. Custom script for page content
Just upload these via File Upload or via FTP to the /media directory, and put them onto a particular site page draging-and-dropping the custom code object and selecting your script from the subsequent drop-down box.

2. Custom script as a template include (only applies if certain template selected)
You can use any of these variable-features in your template to accomplish this:
- #CUSTOMINC# Will include the file 'includethis.inc' if found in your template directory
- #CUSTOMINC2# Will include the file 'includethis2.inc' if found in your template directory

What, in particular, did you have in mind? There are many other options available that I haven't covered here, but would be happy to shed some light once I know that they're relevant to what you want to accomplish.

Also: I couldn't agree more with your point that "no system solves every problem". This is one of the main reasons that we opted for the 'licensed open-source' model. :)

[alterego]

Thanks Mike. I'm not sure I have enough exposure to SL to comprehend understand completely, but it sounds like there are specialized tags to handle the kinds of things I'd probably need. Here are some examples that come to mind at this time.

1. I have a client with a large online store (more than 500,000 items) but who utilizes several 3rd party databases to display the products within his site so he doesn't have to maintain them himself. This is a common practice in his line of work. He does utilize an online shopping cart system for some things, but uses an outside cart for these other items. He handles large orders internationally for fortune 500 companies and would need to be able to 'include' these outside tools inside his site as he currently does.

2. I have some amatuer photographer clients looking for ways to use both a shopping cart system for their photos and hardware sales, which SL would do just fine with, however they have lots of photos and are used to something along the lines of Menalto Gallery for the rapid display and handling of large numbers of photos. From what I can tell, the built in photo tool would be fine for my corporate customers that need a way to share a relatively small number of photos, but not for customers with hundreds of photos in many albums.

3.I have some clients with specialized database apps that export to static html for public consumption and need to be wrapped inside their web site. I am intrigued with the possibilities SL might offer in the way of creating custom inputs to mysql tables and then generating custom reports in a way that can simplify these types of client-applications. I haven't seen anything quite like this in this price range. Usually that type of functionality goes for 5 figures/year!

Four years ago I began to develop sites using some commercial CMS products, utilizing Java primarily. But they weren't suited to giving the client quite the degree of autonomy "I" needed, plus they took quite a bit of time to customize. I eventually stumbled upon Mambo about a year ago, and this past year developed quite a lot of sites for people using Mambo 4.5 and now 4.5.1. However, there are some commercial customers that I've held back on because of some of Mambo's limitations as well as the challenge of getting some clients used to the back-end style of administration. I like SL's more intuitive and straight-forward approach for those clients, plus the fact its a truly professional package with commercial-grade support. That's important for some of my clients.

[agramus]

Just upload these via File Upload or via FTP to the /media directory
Is folder actually named "media" 'cos can't find it or am I not looking in correct place
please? ;) TIA

[Cameron Allen]

The folder is named media, and is in the docroot, not in the /sohoadmin folder.

[Cameron Allen]

Thanks Mike. I'm not sure I have enough exposure to SL to comprehend understand completely, but it sounds like there are specialized tags to handle the kinds of things I'd probably need. Here are some examples that come to mind at this time.

1. I have a client with a large online store (more than 500,000 items) but who utilizes several 3rd party databases to display the products within his site so he doesn't have to maintain them himself. This is a common practice in his line of work. He does utilize an online shopping cart system for some things, but uses an outside cart for these other items. He handles large orders internationally for fortune 500 companies and would need to be able to 'include' these outside tools inside his site as he currently does.

2. I have some amatuer photographer clients looking for ways to use both a shopping cart system for their photos and hardware sales, which SL would do just fine with, however they have lots of photos and are used to something along the lines of Menalto Gallery for the rapid display and handling of large numbers of photos. From what I can tell, the built in photo tool would be fine for my corporate customers that need a way to share a relatively small number of photos, but not for customers with hundreds of photos in many albums.


1) These customers would need to link certain products to different cart systems, and other products to our cart system?

2) What would your ideal solution look and feel like? If you can give me your idea on this I could give you some pointers on how to make it happen with Soholaunch.

[AlphaWolf]

This topic has been dead for awhile, but doing a search on integrating external applications, this is the only thread I came up with. :)

Something I want to try is using the Soho to handle our for purchase webmaster products. These include Template Monster templates, selected books & software from amazon, ebooks and esoftware and some stuff from CafePress.

Now I could do, (I think), the ebooks and esoftware via the shopping cart. Books & software from Amazon I could handle with amazoops if I could 'wrap' Soho around it. I can create pages in Soho for Template Monster, and possibly Cafe Express. But I'd like to find a seamless way of accomplising this.

Any ideas?

Peace

Wolf