[horde] backend for motd.php

[Eric Rostetter]

Quoting Brian Dube <brian.dube at gotgoat.com>:

> Has anyone worked on a database backend for motd.php?

Not that I know of, but since it is a php script, you could code it
fairly easily if you know how to do database calls in php.

> I thought about
> using a database to store messages and notices to users and having
> motd.php display them by date in a table.

Sounds reasonable.

> My first thought was a
> separate Horde application that lets users view all the notices, and
> then motd.php would only display messages no older than a set
> threshhold; I've since abandoned the idea of a separate Horde
> application for this purpose, but I'd be interested in working on it if
> others would find it useful.

I don't think this would have a wide following, but it is certainly possible.
You could have a seperate module with an api.  Then the app could display
everything, or even let you search the database.  The Horde Summary page
could use the api to show a motd block.  And the motd.php could be modified
to display via data as you say on the login screen, for example.  Very nice
really, but I'm not sure how big an audience it would find.

I suppose I might actually use such a thing if it existed.  It is kind
of sneaking into the Jonah functionality, but is just slightly different
enough to make it ok as a seperate module.

My first thought as I was typing this was "nah, not really needed" but as
I type more, I think I might actually use such a module if you did code it
so as to meet my needs (motd list by itself, api to make it work with other
non-horde and horde apps, and block for the summary page).

If you decide to do this as a module, let me know and I'll help out.
I have a non-horde app that does a motd feature (outages, patches,
seminars/workshops, etc) that would be cool to make share the motd messages
with the Horde login screen and/or summary page, so I would help if you
want to pursue this.

> If this functionality is already provided somewhere, I either
> overlooked it or didn't think it was quite what I had in mind.

It is similar to Jonah's channels/stories, but different enough that
it could be done separately.

--
Eric Rostetter
The Department of Physics
The University of Texas at Austin

Why get even? Get odd!