Symphony.

Ok, so after a long time trying to figure out how to get the really cool Mass Upload Utility to populate Reflection Fields, I’ve done it.

I’m going to send a Git pull request to Scott to see if he will update the extension. For those that want to try it, here is the addition…

The else statement at line 169 and 170 inclusive, of content.inject.php needs updating to the following:

else{
    $this->_valid = true;
    $this->_Parent->ExtensionManager->notifyMembers('EntryPostCreate', '/publish/new/', array('section' => $section, 'fields' => &$values, 'entry' => &$entry));
}

Basically, this idea is almost exactly copied from brendo’s work with the XML Importer extension, as discussed here (thanks dude!).

I have (already) found a conflict with Nick’s Entry Versions extension, which I am bug reporting. I reckon it is something that I have done wrong as I’m not very clever with this stuff yet… Lets wait and see.

Otherwise, this update has saved my bacon, and the extension in general has saved me uploading nearly 900,000 images by hand!

If anyone wants to test this update, and finds errors, please log them here rather than the extension issue tracker, until I can talk to Scott.

Thanks.

I can see that uploading 900,000 images is a monumental task. What I don’t see is how doing it through Symphony with a few extensions and hacks is going to make it easier than just using FTP.

Don’t forget that you’d have to fiddle the data into Symphony’s database afterwars.

Basically it’s quite a workflow I’m putting together, with the help of an extension I requested… It will go something like this (it’s all theoretical so far):

1. I will be using the XML Importer to import a load of content, minus the attached images (which are referenced in the XML).
2. I will be outputting XML and reimporting it to get xrefs between sections (don’t ask, it’s the only way I can).
3. The images will be placed in the mass uploader’s folder then imported into a section with a ‘file upload/reflection mashup field’ that will use the XML’s path to build correct folders on the server for the images, and then ‘upload’ the images into those folders.
4. The image section will be output as xml, and imported again into the existing content, updating it to reference the right images.

Quite complicated for the first run, but I’m thinking this way for future smaller batch uploading. I will probably find a better way of doing it, it’s just about the cross referencing in other sections that causes the headache. FTPing the images and just referencing the path means that each image isn’t a unique entry and therefore can’t be quality controlled, set as primary, marked for deletion etc etc.

What I’m trying to build is a massive project, connected to a very poor £2.2m CMS that doesn’t do what it was bought to. Again, don’t ask ;)

PS any input is welcomed!