Proposed Action plugin (e.g. for workflow)

Okay, I'm fast realizing that I don't have the right stuff to build a quality plugin, so I'm going to have to hack it temporarily for my needs (sorry!)

I only just got your note, so I'll tell you what track I was on up to this point, and come monday I'll consider more of what you just gave me.

I was trying to insert some code into your subscriptions_content.module to watch for a variable that I set with an action. I just added the action into this module (see below). The idea is rather than fire off the matching routine (which I'm fuzzy how it works) by looking for $op == 'insert' in function subscriptions_content_nodeapi(), instead look for the variable set by the action. But wasn't able to trace the $event var you set in case 'insert' (does it get used in subscriptions.module?), and you prob use $op elsewhere too, etc.

Also, by using drupal_set_message to echo comments I noticed that this function gets run like six times, and I'm confused about $node->subscriptions_notify = TRUE; in case 'prepare', and $node->subscriptions_currentstatus == '1', etc. I was hoping to make a patch as small as possible just to keep it simple.

More next week. Thanks a 10E6 salvis!

/**
* Implementation of hook_action_info().
*
* This registers an Action to invoke matching process.
*/
function subscriptions_action_info() {
  return array(
    'node_subscrp_match_action' => array(
      'description' => t('Run Subscriptions Matching'),
      'type' => 'node',
      'configurable' => FALSE,
      'hooks' => array(
        'nodeapi' => array('presave', 'delete', 'insert', 'update', 'view'),
      ),
    ),
  );
}

/**
 * Function for matching Action above.
 * 
 */
 
function node_subscrp_match_action(&$object, $context = array(), $op, $arg = 0) {
  global $match;
  $match=1;
}

4. Subscriptions has two types of events: 'create' and 'update'. However, when a node was unpublished before, and an update event makes it published, then the event is converted into a 'create' event. I'm surprised that you see different behavior depending on whether a node is created in published state or it's published later. Both should result in the same {subscriptions_queue} records and ultimately in the same notifications, at least for non-administrative users. (Users with administer nodes should get an additional create notification with !is_published==0 at 'create' time.)

I'm not sure if you read me that I saw different results depending on whether I "created in published state or published later" -- I've only tested nodes created in a published state. I was referring to changing subscriptions between the create and accessible states, and that notification for content-type seems to reflect the latest subscriptions vs taxonomy which seems to reflect the subscriptions at create time.

I'm focusing on subscriptions_content_nodeapi() and trying adapt the 'insert' op case into a test for my Action variable. One issue I'm having is how to check for an existing record in {subscriptions_queue} just in case the action is triggered a second (and 3rd, 4th ...) time. Since a node is only created once, using $op == 'insert' makes sense, but by using a trigger/action I introduce the need to limit the events in the subscription queue so that I if un-post and then re-post (workflow states) I'd need to remove the queue records for that node and then rerun subscription. Does the load_args column simply translate to nid? If it does then could I check for an existing record for the same node + uid? Also, what's the best way to make this check? And is there a there a function for this task already?

Thanks for pointing out the terms stuff. I upgraded to the 7/20 6.x dev version and see that it's entering a record in {subscriptions_queue} for each matched term, but then the query in #5 deletes the extras on cron (the last record is the one reported in the notification).

So does each line in {subscriptions_queue} correspond to an email notice to one user about one node? And I see that in my case load_function is "subscriptions_content_node_load" making load_args a nodeID. What are the other possibilities for load_func and would load_args be NOT an nid for some of those cases? I wonder if field 'value' can be a comma-separated list of matching terms(??), and if so then can they be translated to term names.

Getting back to my hack for workflow, I'm still unclear on what either sets the below variables, and what they effect (what do they make happen or not-happen?):

1. $node->subscriptions_currentstatus == '1'

2. $node->subscriptions_notify

3. is_new

So far my super simple hack is to blend the "case 'insert'" code with 'update' and checks if:
- $op = update
- $subscriptions_action == 1 (this is just a variable I set whe nthe action is fired - used to be "$match")

But to make it work I seem to need to change 'action' in the $event array to "insert" and set 'is_new' to TRUE or ($op == 'update' && $subscriptions_action == 1). I know this is a gross kludge due to my not following the complex logic, but I really need this feature on my site yesterday.

Also, perhaps to prevent future repeat notifications - a table to mark nodes previously processed?

And finally, since my changes are confined to hook_nodeapi(), maybe an admin form checkbox setting that asks whether to use in standard mode or with workflow actions.

Ah, that clears up a lot for me. yeah, I figured that whatever uses load_args would have to be rewritten...

I don't see where to uncheck the Send subscriptions notifications. In the admin settings I have disabled both "Sends a notification when an item is updated" and "Sends a notification when an item receives a comment or reply" -- I tried checking them but still don't see this option on the edit form -- I assume that's where it is (I'm looking with admin user ($uid = 1). Oh, and I have the three visibility controls hidden too.

The comments you've given me so far help enormously, so a big thanks! :)