CTools integration

I just did a brain dump here of my ideas regarding CTools integration at #1040592: Edit in modal frame/pop-up via jQuery ?.

but we should probably continue the conversation here.

One caveat to my thoughts there is we'll also need to write plug-ins for any other fields currently supported by 6.x-2.0

Here's another version of my brain dump!

/**
 *
 * editablefields.module // api declarations, legacy formatter handling, everything else
 * includes
 *  plugins
 *    editables     // responsible for form (element) generation, validation and submission
 *                  // responsible for "extra" formatter form_elements settings supplied to 
 *                  // Views 2 UI and Panels' content_type plugins (?).
 *
 *      cck.inc           // heavily relies on the formatter/widget api
 *
 *      node.inc          // title, body -- whatever else node.module insists upon
 *                        // or whatever page_manager/panels provides as node content_type plugins
 *
 *      node_taxonomy.inc // taxonomy selections as rendered on node forms
 *
 *    responders      // kinda like ctools' modal.inc declares 
 *                    // ctools commands and js include functions and form wrappers
 *                    // basically does whatever the editable tells it to
 *                    // an abstraction of:
 *                    // http://www.angrydonuts.com/ctools-presentation-slides-and-example-code
 * 
 *      editable_inline.inc         // handles form consolidation logic?? (i.e. as few
 *                                  // forms per page render?)
 *                                  // abstracts js/non-js form handling?   
 *      editable_ctools_modal.inc   // not sure if this is necessary or maybe it can be one line
 *                                  // wraps CTools Modal; the specifics of ttp://www.angrydonuts.com/ctools-presentation-slides-and-example-code
 *                     
 *  content_types
 *    editable_node_taxonomy.inc  // panel pane for providing taxonomy widgets in node context?
 *                                // ???
 *
 *
 * js
 *  editables.responder.js  // provides the js api implementations necessary for responders
 *                          // kinda like CTools.AJAX.Responder?
 *                          // also responsible for js event binding/delegation for other responders
 *    
 *   editables.inline.js    // implementation of reponder.js kinda like Ctools.AJAX.modal is a sort
 *                          // of implementation of CTools.AJAX.Responder 
 *   editables.ctools-modal.js  // unnecessary or wrapper functions
 *
 *
 *
 * EXAMPLE EXAMPLE EXAMPLE companion/sub- module structure
 * uc_editablefields.module // Ubercart editables
 * includes
 *  plugins
 *    editables // _form, _form_submit, _form_validate ++
 *      product.inc   // product node editables like price and stuff
 *      order.inc     // order fields
 *  responders
 *      // above could just specify ctools_modal or editable_inline?
 *      // so below would not be necessary.
 *      order.inc  // specialized ctools js command implementations, 
 *                    special includes, unexpected UI needs
 * js
 *    // js implementations for any responders
 *
 *
 * EXAMPLE EXAMPLE EXAMPLE companion/sub- module structure
 * date_editable.module   // CCK Date Field Editables  
 *                        // A super editable that for some reason doesn't 
 *                        // makes sense on the normal form node edit page 
 *                        // and thus can't be (completely) handled through CCK API.
 *                        // Like a multi-step form to submit from and to dates
 *                        // of a date.module field separately.
 *                         
 * includes
 *  plugins
 *    cck_date.inc
 *    
 *  responders
 *      // Multi-step shouldn't require anything special if they want to use modal or inline.
 *    calendar.inc  // some sort of wacky handler; probably a companion to a Views style plugin
 *                  // renders an editable calendar where you can edit the dates on events
 *
 */

So possibly two new plug-in types--editable and responder. The responder is about reducing the duplicate php code required to render and repsond to form rendered in a modal, an inline or some custom AJAX/JS responder using the ctools form and ajax command apis--anticipating that modal and inline will be able to handle many forms provided by most "editable" plug-ins. That said, to reduce the complexity of THIS module, we could treat "responder" as a pattern within an editable plug-in. Each editable plug-in would be larger, doing a lot of the same ctools_includes and and commands and stuff.

Last update was 2011, going to close as outdated because it's against 6.x branch.