[TYPO3-dev] Looking for Guidance - Extending Typo3

[Michael Schams]

On Fri, 2015-08-14 at 22:25 +0200, James Chambers wrote:

> [...] the userbase for T3 here are all volunteers with limited IT experience.
> Ideally, if Typo3 supported a way for me to push content in via the API, [...]
> I could create a simple page where they pick a couple of options, type in their
> message and hit submit, and I'd push the data into Typo3.

Hi James. TYPO3 CMS is a content management system, which means
publishing content by unexperienced users is one of the core functions
of the system :-)

If I understand you correctly, your current approach is to set up or
develop a second system that lets users enter data (because you know how
to achieve this) and you try to "inject" this into TYPO3 CMS rather than
using TYPO3's functionality for entering and publishing content (because
you possibly do not know how this works yet).

> What I would like to do via the API:
>  - create a page at the correct position in the tree

In TYPO3 you can configure specific backend user accounts (or groups) to
create pages at specific positions in the tree. You can restrict access
to specific areas of the page tree and don't even let them "see" other
parts.

>  - add pre-existing HTML in a text element on the page

This is usually done by "templating", e.g. Fluid templates. You store
your HTML/CSS/JavaScript files in the filesystem, define some variables
and TYPO3/Fluid replaces these variables with data entered by editors in
the backend of TYPO3.

http://wiki.typo3.org/Fluid
(also check out the links to references, further details, etc.)

>  - set meta data (title, background image)

This can be configured in the page properties of each page and you can
set permissions of backend users/groups to maintain this data.

> Alternatively, if there was a way to consume an RSS feed and use
> categories/properties of the XML to establish the correct meta data,
> that would work as well.

Yes, there are extensions available that consume RSS Feeds and support
templating. This way, you could let TYPO3 read a feed and configure the
template what to show where and how.

http://typo3.org/extensions/repository/
(search for RSS or something like that - pay attention that the
extension is still maintained and is compatible with the version of
TYPO3 you are using)

However - see my concerns expressed above - why setting up another
system when you can use TYPO3 CMS?

> Any thoughts/suggestions would be much appreciated, or information
> on other integrations would be great as well.

It depends on your exact requirements of course - but you could also
consider using an extension such as EXT:news, where editors can
enter/edit data and this data is shown in the frontend of the website.
You control a) which fields editors "see" and b) the visual appearance
(by adjusting the templates).

http://typo3.org/extensions/repository/view/news


HTH - Cheers
Michael