hello there..

1. does EE have a way to edit xml documents that parse information to a flash file.  for example having a flash file that scrolls names (text read from an xml file) then the client would have access to the xml file in the editor and change the names himself?

2. may have just not seen the plugin, but does EE have an easy way to create contact forms? i am assuming it does, but just want to make sure

thanks in adance

1) EE can output data exactly the way you instrcut it, including HTML, CSV, XML or any markup you can come up with it

2) Yes it does: http://expressionengine.com/docs/modules/email/contact_form.html

thank you for your response.  really appreciate it.

is there an article or tutorial on how to accomplish the flash/xml question?  im about to install the trial version of EE and want to test it out.

Ingmar Greil - 08 July 2008 01:36 PM

1) EE can output data exactly the way you instrcut it, including HTML, CSV, XML or any markup you can come up with it

2) Yes it does: http://expressionengine.com/docs/modules/email/contact_form.html

for question #1—thank you, but does that mean that the xml file can be editted directly in EE editor.  i have tried other cms’s and for some reason this isnt possible.  their content editors dont seem to want to edit them.

No tutorial as such that I am aware of, but it’s really quite straight forward: EE will output whatever you put in the template, optionally replacing EE tags where appropriate. Once you understand the principle behind it, it really does not matter whether your target format if XHTML or XML.

To get you started, the Boyink tutorials come highly recommended.

liquidws - 08 July 2008 02:04 PM

does that mean that the xml file can be editted directly in EE editor.  i have tried other cms’s and for some reason this isnt possible.  their content editors dont seem to want to edit them.

Yes, you can use the built-in editor to do that, although it’d probably be easier to use a template, and use EE’s custom fields to populate that automatically.

Ingmar Greil - 08 July 2008 02:07 PM

liquidws - 08 July 2008 02:04 PM

does that mean that the xml file can be editted directly in EE editor.  i have tried other cms’s and for some reason this isnt possible.  their content editors dont seem to want to edit them.

Yes, you can use the built-in editor to do that, although it’d probably be easier to use a template, and use EE’s custom fields to populate that automatically.

i would love to be able to give my clients the ability to NOT have to access an xml file and make changes on that directly. but i would definitely need a tutorial or guidance an how to accomplish this in the manner you are referring to. 

where would the template with the EE’s custom fields reside?  it would be accessed threw the CMS?  password protected?

just to be sure.. are you saying that i could create a custom template form that my clients would access the backend and imput text into, which would then change the xml file, so that on the frontend the flash file could display this info?

anywhere i could see an example of this?

sorry i keep asking details about this, just want to make sure it will do these things.

thanks in advance again

liquidws - 08 July 2008 02:17 PM

i would love to be able to give my clients the ability to NOT have to access an xml file and make changes on that directly. but i would definitely need a tutorial or guidance an how to accomplish this in the manner you are referring to.

Let me repeat: it really does not make much of a difference whether you output XHTML or XML, although your template will, of course, be different. EE is not a page-based CMS like you might perhaps be used to; rather, it is article based. Conceptually, there is little difference between outputting the titles and bodies of the latest 10 weblog entries, or 10 other custom fields.

where would the template with the EE’s custom fields reside?  it would be accessed threw the CMS?  password protected?

Every page EE generates is based off a template. They can be acessed via your control panel, and are stored in the database. You can restrict which member group has access to which template, yes.

are you saying that i could create a custom template form that my clients would access the backend and imput text into, which would then change the xml file, so that on the frontend the flash file could display this info?

Yes, that would work. Your client could either use the regular backend to do that, or use a custom Stand Alone Entry Form (basically an HTML form) to submit an “article”, and your template would pull the information out of that article to create the XML file on the fly, as it were.

So, here’s my advice: Download EE Core, and start working through one of the turorials. Start with HTML, the principle is the same, really.

thank you so much for your help!!

do you suggest to install EE in the root directory or in its own folder (keeps things nice and neat)?  if put in its own directory can the homepage be made to work of the root directory

It’s a matter of persoanl preference, but I tend to install it in the root. You can always move it later, or even use some url_rewriting, but I rarely find that necessary.

again.. thank you!

Hi liquidws,

Check out 5pieces.com’s SlideShowPro and EE and Mono Slideshow & ExpressionEngine tutorials. They are essentially a quick overview of how EE and XML can work together.

Leslie Camacho - 08 July 2008 02:50 PM

Hi liquidws,

Check out 5pieces.com’s SlideShowPro and EE and Mono Slideshow & ExpressionEngine tutorials. They are essentially a quick overview of how EE and XML can work together.

nice.. thanks