[eluser]tekhneek[/eluser]
I am in the process of designing a new system for CI that will allow me to design a database using conventions that I always use and turn that database design into an XML file that will then be used to create a CRUD type administrative interface. It's still in its infancy mainly as a concept. I don't have a working prototype or anything like that yet, just the idea.
This is the basic XML schema that I've been drafting to use for the DB -> XML migration.
Code:
<associations>
<association config="default">
<table>photo_galleries</table>
<has>photos</has>
<relationship>photo_galleries_photos</relationship>
</association>
<association config="denoted">
<table id="id" foreign_id="fk_distributors_id">distributors</table>
<has id="id" foreign_id="fk_categories_id">categories</has>
<relationship>distributors_categories</relationship>
</association>
</assocations>
The only reason for the DB -> XML instead of just creating the models/controllers/views directly from the database is customization -- in the future the CRUD generator will be able to take different directives in the XML to allow further customization and even validation rules on certain database fields if for example a column is "text" but it isn't supposed to be anything besides an email address. The reason for this is that the parser I'm going to write will know how to handle all of the language in the XML, but the transition from DB -> XML will be pretty standardized and consistent.
Imagine being able to create a database and just by normal database design conventions you barely have to customize anything and you have a fully functional CRUD with form validation, the ability to customize it anywhere you want and an XML based config instead of modifying controllers/views/models.
I'm not trying to create a "WYSIWYG" for CI by allowing you to just use the database design and then you're "done" more so a method for (me specifically) because I find myself building a lot of projects where a client wants an administrative panel and wordpress, expressionengine, or any other CMS is overkill, or doesn't do what they want to do at all.
I haven't started working on this too heavily yet which is why I'm posting here, I wanted some feedback from anyone that understands what I'm talking about doing here
Let me know what you think, it might be easier to understand if I make a prototype and show everyone.
Thanks.
