Magick Scripts

Mason Framework 0.1 Features

2007-03-12 12:32:39 by themage

This post list the features of the Mason Framework version 0.1. This post can be changed as the development evolves and new features are added or implemented.

The main features of Mason Framework 0.1 are:

Template by URL - This is intented to allow diferent templates in diferent parts of the same site. This is not intented to create weird sites, where every URL looks diferent, but to allow special parts of a site (backoffices, for instance) to have diferent layouts.
Include four flow controllers:

Templates - Templates are the basic flow controllers. Every URL is mapped to a template, which then is processed, looking for module and variables placeholders, that are expanded. Templates only allow module and variable expansio, don't have any kind of flow control language.
Modules - Modules are Mason components. Each module have a special component named run.mas, which is called everytime a module is run, and it is responsable for the complete execution of that module. No other component in the module source is called directly. Modules can call one or more templates to generate their output. No output must be generated directly by the modules.
Filters - Filter are first intented to tranform text fields from diferent formating syntaxes to HTML. The first filter created transforms Mabliki Wiki Syntax to HTML. However, other input type can be created, as well as other outputs (PDF, for instance).
Forms - the forms are an important and repetitive part of any web application, so the Mason Framework implements a form system that it enherits from the Mabliki 0.2 system.

Multi Domain - A single installation of the Mason Framework can be used to control multiple sites, each one with its onw domain. This is done having a virtualhost in Apache, that have a ServerAlias *. Then the Mason Framework controls which site must be served.
Multi Application - Each Installation of Mason Framework can have multiple applications installed, and the Administrator can control which sites have access to which applications. This allow for a single instalation to have very diferent sites, including diferent applications.