Evaluate ffpc_channels module for inclusion
| Project: | FileField Podcaster |
| Version: | 6.x-1.x-dev |
| Component: | Code |
| Category: | feature request |
| Priority: | normal |
| Assigned: | Unassigned |
| Status: | active |
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Video to watch about ffpc_channels 18 minutes
Synopsis: ffpc is lacking full channel support for the iTunes spec. The optimum output for ffpc is to provide support for all channel specific tags, including the podcast image and other critical tags like keywords.
The ffpc_channels module is being offered for evaluation for being included into ffpc because it provides what ffpc should probably include by default. However, should the maintainers opt to offer this as an add-on module to ffpc, it has been coded in such a fashion.
Implementation: ffpc_channels has been implemented in a way to promote the most flexible system possible. By using a secondary content type of Channel as opposed to the required Podcast content type, an unlimited number of completely dynamic podcast channels can be created by the user - contrast this to iTunes module, which embeds channel data within the View (not easily modifiable by non-admin users).
The enhancement is implemented in the form of a ‘tag-to-field’ map to the fields on the dedicated Channel content type. By using a nodereference field within the Podcast (of which a default could be set), the topmost item in the View (typically the most recent - when using descending sorted order) is used to pull channel data from. This is managed through the use of a nodereference field.
Request: I’m requesting the evaluation of this module for inclusion and the potential addition as a maintainer.
Notice: If you’re not a drupal developer and you’re reading (or watching) the video I’ve provided, please note that this module is dependant on changes in ffpc module itself. You ‘would’ be able to use the attached code provided for evaluation, however, it has not been reviewed by other developers (caveat emptor ;)
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| ffpc_channels.jpg | 181.74 KB |
| ffpc_channels.tgz | 9.23 KB |
#1
This is something that I would like to see included. I'll be testing it out to see how well it works.
#2
If you're interested in keeping up with my own code, you can use the following git repo. I'm finding the maintainers on this module are bit slow to respond to issues. One of them is busy working with D7 core stuff I think.
http://github.com/petrowsky/ffpc/tree/master
#3
I think you may be moving in the right direction. We are building podcast capabilities that must support dozens of "podcast channels". Probably on the order of 60 - 70 channels eventually. (Maybe more) So we really need the podcast channels to be real nodes with cck fields. I just built a first go round of this with ffpc. I created podcast episode content type and a podcast content type (the channel). Each episode has a cck node reference for it's channel.
I really don't want to have to create an individual view for every channels feed. So I used the standard ffpc recipe except I pass an argument to the view, that being the podcast channel node reference. It works well so I have one view that has a url of podcast/%/feed. I can even get the view to generate a title in feed xml based on the passed argument. (%1) HOWEVER and this is a big HOWEVER, I can not define the channel summary or description based on the argument. The settings for the podcast feed style do not accept arguments (As far as I can tell) It would be really cool if they did.
Anyway if this proposal is what I think it is, then it wold be very nice if there was good views integration to the point of supporting arguments.
By the way, the reason we need channels to be real nodes is that we have to associate podcasts with tv/radio programs, special events/ news stories and so on... which are also represented by real nodes. It just makes sense that these podcast channels can be used in all all the wonderful Drupal ways that are available to real nodes that have their own content type.
Mike
#4
Mike, you can do exactly what you are talking about - where each channel has it's own summary, subtitle etc.
I am doing this very thing (and it was why I wrote the channels support). Each channel node contains the information about the channel (the info shown in itunes).
The argument you want to use is a Node ID, however, it's the node id of the channel.
The missing piece to your puzzle is that you need to create a relationship first based on the node reference from the individual episodes to the channel node. You then create a 'node id' argument which uses this relationship. Your url will look like this.
podcast/%/feed
where, as an example
% = 35 = a channel node
This will get you want you want. In the future, I'll be creating a video about doing this exact thing, but for now this is the best I've got.
Matt