[TYPO3] Custom Extension development

[Trevor McCartney]

-- sorry for the repost if you saw this on the DEV mailing list --

Hello There,

I'm working on a Typo3 installation in which the client wants a custom content page editor so they can select from drop downs and fields information that will be displayed in the content area. Through this interface they would also select the pages they would like the new content to appear on, from a series of checkboxes. Basically a more customized page editor that reflects what the people are already accustomed to.

I'm really trying to gauge how difficult of a task this is. I started looking into the documentation for the API, but was a bit overwhelmed. I'm thinking for a knowledgeable Typo developer this wouldn't be too big of a deal, and very feasible. However I've been finding the Typo learning curve to be steep, Took me quite some time to learn for the initial setup and xhtml template integration. I assume I'd need pretty in-depth knowledge of the back-end and API. Doable for a Typo n00b?

Thanks for your input. 

T.