Actinic SQL

[PaulGrimshaw]

pure out of interest question here... just so I have a long game plan to head for.

I keep seeing rumours etc about a actinic sql edition - as part of my grand scheme I want, in a long distant future, to allow members to join my site and once approved they can post their own products etc for sale through the normal cart. Their products would be listed within my normal products. When the sale comes through I would then pay the user. The user ships directly. (don't worry about the process - got that all worked out ).

the "add" process would work like this (and the edit/remove similar):

1. user logs in
2. user completes form (description, price, name, upload photos, number available etc and other variables)
3. all data is put into SQL with a variable "notapproved"
4. I approve product and it goes live.

I guess the question is, do you think this will be feasible and is it very likely that a sql version of actinic will be coming out?

thanks,
paul.

[Jan]

To do this you would need a form to collect the information, and then a way of automatically inserting the products, you don't have to put it into a SQL database, if could be downloaded to the PC and deal with there.

We have written several systems that do this sort of thing (not collecting product data though as yet, it's usually a catalog request or a request for information), for yours, I would suggest having something that converts the information into either a catalog import file or an externally linked database (if you use the latter, then the approval process could put the details into the externally linked database and they would automatically appear online when you next uploaded.

Contact me off the board if you want to know more about the tools we have for sale that could help you with this.

likely that a sql version of actinic

You should call sales and ask, they'll be able to give you a definitive answer.

Regards,

[los_design]

Regarding the SQL version, I think that ACT TOWERS are working diligently on an enterprise version that would fit the bill.

However, I see your idea for what you are trying to acheive, personally I would think Actinic is not the platform for this kind of action for various reasons.

There are retail solutions out there that fit this bill currently, is there any ain driving force behind the logic to use Actinic for this?

Just cursious to seek out the best solution for this...

Regards

[I-CC]

The Enterprise SQL version is not to be confused with an online mySQL db of your products, which provides dynamic allocation, display etc etc, it still produces an end resultant static HTML connected to cat files and the like.

Don't think Actinic SQL will cover what you need, i.e. a means to add items to a site by general users, which is then approved, made available for sale, and subsequently sold - as LOS suggests, solutions exist for this type of site, i.e. portals for lack of a better term for them.

Might be Jan at Mole-End can provide you something to automat the receipt and import into Actinic for this, u never know.

[PaulGrimshaw]

thanks for all your imput guys. I am going to leave it a little while before I revisit it. Jan - I'll email you nearer the time to see what options you have.

I did indeed think the SQL was going to be online (as well as local) but thats too much to ask for I guess (not going to open a can of worms about static/dynamic)...

In this case I think I could just have an online form that downloads to my PC - form within vbulletin that I am going to use for the forum so that will control logging in/out.

I can then knock up a bit of VB to access SQL directly. With any luck the sql version will be somewhat better designed than the current access mess.

I have seen better positioned products out there for what I want, but to be honest, its a very basic system I want to use (no tracking sales and what not) and the money starts going up somewhat. Actinic, for its faults, is still incredibly easy to use and if they could just sort out the way products are stored (stupid duplicates/trees etc) then it would be perfect for me.

off topic - but who else thinks products/stock should be split completely from design (e.g. two completely seperate applications). It would add stability and as its moving to SQL it would be easy to share db .

Thanks,
Paul.

[Darren B]

off topic - but who else thinks products/stock should be split completely from design (e.g. two completely seperate applications). It would add stability and as its moving to SQL it would be easy to share db .

Would make things alot easier, but i guess it would not be shop in a box and move towards a modular system, do you then split the order processing?