[TYPO3-ect] TYPO3ext: direct_mail mergers & acquisitions

[Elmar Hinz]

Hello David,

it may be due to the summer holidays in Europe that there are not so much
reactions as usual.

David Toshack wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I would like to propose a new ECT project for coordinating the many
> mailing list/newsletter extensions for streamlined mailing list management.
> 
> Over at ECT, we are also getting reved up for development on the new
> Partner Framework, which we are hoping will become a major part of the
> TYPO3 user/group/role/permission management.
> 
> In order to have all these working together, we need to start with small
>  steps towards this goal. I would like to make a start by taking the
> best of all current subscription extensions and bring them back into
> direct_mail_subscription. Or maybe even a more official version of
> Stanlis' FE User Registration Extension should be created within the
> Partner Framework. These are some of the things we need to work through.
> 

Address Relations, permission management, direct mail subscription. This is
a big complex. The target should be to integrate them all in a smooth way.
But as you rightly observe we can't do this in one big stepp. So we need a
plan to start in different corners with some parallel activities and join
them in the end.


A) The partner framework.

The partner framework is more in the focus than ever. It will have a
Presentation at T3DD. Oliver Hader will review and improve it during his
diploma theses. Robert Lemke has joined the partner framework team
yesterday. All this are hints that it may become a basis within the 5.x
branch of TYPO3.  With all this developments on the horizont it is a little
to early to build directmail registration upon it. But it will be a little
step when partner frameworke has gone throught this processes.


B) Direct mail

I have got my problems with direct mail since years. It should be simple to
install such a standard component like direct mail, but it isn't. How
successfull could TYPO3 be, if extensions like this work like you expect
them to work? According to the logs, Stanislas is the only person who
regularly works on it to fix the bugs and so on. But he does is very alone
 with this.

<http://svn.t3.digitaldistrict.de/cgi-bin/trac.cgi/log/typo3xdev/tx_directmail/trunk>

So what steps could we do to improve direct mail?

* Creating a project group for it.
* A mailing list is available
* Analysing the current state. What is good? What needs to be fixed? What
can be done more easily? How is it related to other extensions?
* Roadmap, milestones, hands on ...

David try it. Set up a pool of interested people. Maybe we can get it running.


C) Stanlis' FE User Registration:

The very same situation. A central extension. Very hard to configure.
Stanislas working on it without the support of others. Here the
personalized name is indeed a reason for others not to join the project.
But it is to mighty that others would start up an alternative to it.

<http://svn.t3.digitaldistrict.de/cgi-bin/trac.cgi/log/typo3xdev/tx_srfeuserregister/trunk>

I think this registration is too complex like it is. I would have the
vision of two layers:

a) A basic configuration that das all the workflow of the registration and
is really easy to configure.

b) A second layer that adds configurable fields to the registration
process. That is the part that is really time consuming today. It should be
devided from a). Differnt styles of templates would be possible here.


D) Where to store the Data:

Currently directmail and FE User Registration store address data in two
different Tables, if I am up to date. If we would start a FE User
Registration with a non Stanislas key, this would be a chance to move all
address data into one table. Also the Partner Framework offers a solution
be accessing all address data through one API, even if they are stored in
different tables.

So a new FE-User registration could make a project group of it's own.


E) Making it one Project?

David you already proposed to make Direct Mail Subscription and FE User
Registration one Project. There are some reasons to do so:

1.) The mail confirmation process works in the same way.
2.) Often FE User registration is connected with mail registration.

However Direct Mail Subcription must not be the same and can be a different
 process. So it must be configurable how it should work in detail. That
would fit well with the proposal of 2. layers I suggested in C).

I think it would be a reasonable alternative to make it one porject. It is
not by chance that Stanislas attends both fields.

So enough stuff for today. David I guess this is the kind of coordination
of extensions, you are very inerested in. So make it your project. Get in
contact with Stanislas. Get in contact with David Brühlmeier. Get in
contact with others who need FE users for their own extensions. Make it happen.

Regards

Elmar