Thoughts on CMS’s as Version Control Systems

I got myself to thinking about versioning content in a content management system.  It seems to me that when it comes down to it versioning of content is integral to the success of long term usability of a CMS.  As any website grows more and more users will need to have access to both create and maintain the content of a website.  But I was thinking that version control can server a better purpose then just helping with workflow.

Let’s apprise one of the weaknesses of the internet, permanence.  After I post this article on my website, the website would seem to be the same website, but looking at it from a different perspective you could consider it to be a “new edition”.  Much like a book, adding new information and reprinting it, you would have a new book as a different edition.  The problem with this analogy is that with books you can take the two editions and compare them side by side, but with a website the old edition is gone forever (kind of).  Comparing two editions of a book can show you exactly what changes have been made, while there is no way of knowing exactly what has changed on a website.

Now this is not entirely true, The Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive, continually scans the internet and saves old copies of information. RSS feeds have been adopted to allow subscribers to keep informed of changes made to the website.  And Wiki’s have sprung up in the attempt to allow content to be kept up to date and versioned.

What I would like to see is a standard for websites that allows the website itself to be versioned.  Make a website capable of being displayed as it was at a specific date and time.  Allow for milestones to be created for the content and the website as a whole.  Imagine having a draggable timeline above the website and being able to change the date you are viewing the website from.  This could even be extended to have a timeline per piece of content.

I am taking a lot of this idea from version control systems like CVS, SVN, or Git, but with one main difference.  Content should also be able to be predated to allow content to show up at future times as well.  Using version control as an embargo system is just one of the many advantages of thinking of a website as a viewpane on a timeline.

How long will it be until we create an internet of self archiving websites.  How long until we stop using technologies such as RSS and The Wayback Machine as stopgaps.  Let’s address this issue before it is too late, if it isn’t already.

SQL Server BULK INSERT Using a Data Field?

I have wondered for a while if there is a way to use SQL Server’s BULK INSERT command using BLOB or CLOB data Instead of a local file.

The reason for this is that when writing imports, using both Coldfusion and PHP, parsing and importing the data into the database is the weakest link.  It is relatively simple to write dynamic SQL to import data into my existing schema when copying from data already present in the database.  It is quite another matter to attempt to run thousands of INSERT statements from my web application.

I can’t ask a client to use SQL Management Studio to import their data into a table and then use a web app to run the import.  I don’t want to expose the database to the user and vice-versa.

At present I can only think of one good way to implement an import process and that is to allow the user to

1. Upload the file.
2. Create some sort of import plan (associate the content).
3. Save that plan in some way.
4. Run a scheduled task to run the import in batches.

I am dealing with imports of possibly hundreds of thousands of records.  Also note that I have limited access to the database as it is possible that the app will reside in a shared hosting environment.

Git for Windows Users

Here I am compiling information as a windows user that I needed or should have known while working with Git.

• CRLF Issues
  Git by default uses binary mode to transfer files.  On windows to prevent line break issues the option “core.autocrlf” can be used to convert CR+LF to LF automatically.

  ex. git config core.autocrlf=true Information on this option can be found at http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-config.html

• Using Github
  To use Github from Windows you need to make sure you are using the most recent version of Git. This tripped me up before because whatever version I had did not have the ssh-keygen command.This guide page will help you http://github.com/guides/using-git-and-github-for-the-windows-for-newbies

I still have issues trying to push using Git to a network server, as does a Mac using coworker.  I think there is some configuration issue or Git just doesn’t work well across networks.

A List Apart Survey, 2008

Follow the banner link below to take the 2008 A List Apart, The Survey for People Who Make Websites

MS SQL Server Time Dimension UDF

I use this function when writing reports.

Use:

SELECT
	time.Date
	, Count(tab.ID) AS [Count]
FROM
	dbo.TimeDimension('1/1/2007 00:00:00', '12/31/2007 23:59:59', 'month', 1) time
	LEFT OUTER JOIN
		TempTable tab
	ON tab.DateCreated BETWEEN time.Date AND time.DateEnd

Here is the function. I don’t know if there is a better way to do this, if there is can someone tell me. As far as I know I am the only person to post a function like this.

CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[TimeDimension] (
	@DateStart datetime
	, @DateEnd datetime
	, @Type varchar(20)
	, @IncrementValue int
)
RETURNS @Dates TABLE ( Date datetime , DateEnd datetime )
AS
BEGIN
	DECLARE @DateCurrent datetime, @NextDate datetime
	SET @DateCurrent = @DateStart

	WHILE (@DateCurrent <= @DateEnd)
	BEGIN
		SET @NextDate = CASE (@Type)
			WHEN 'year' THEN DateAdd(year, @IncrementValue, @DateCurrent)
			WHEN 'quarter' THEN DateAdd(quarter, @IncrementValue, @DateCurrent)
			WHEN 'month' THEN DateAdd(month, @IncrementValue, @DateCurrent)
			WHEN 'dayofyear' THEN DateAdd(dayofyear, @IncrementValue, @DateCurrent)
			WHEN 'day' THEN DateAdd(day, @IncrementValue, @DateCurrent)
			WHEN 'week' THEN DateAdd(week, @IncrementValue, @DateCurrent)
			WHEN 'weekday' THEN DateAdd(weekday, @IncrementValue, @DateCurrent)
			WHEN 'hour' THEN DateAdd(hour, @IncrementValue, @DateCurrent)
			WHEN 'minute' THEN DateAdd(minute, @IncrementValue, @DateCurrent)
			WHEN 'second' THEN DateAdd(second, @IncrementValue, @DateCurrent)
			WHEN 'millisecond' THEN DateAdd(millisecond, @IncrementValue, @DateCurrent)
		END

		INSERT INTO @Dates ( Date , DateEnd )
		VALUES ( @DateCurrent , DateAdd(second, -1, @NextDate) )

		SET @DateCurrent = @NextDate
	END
	RETURN
END

MD5 Hash in SQL Server 2000 and 2005, 32 bit and 64 bit

SQL Server 2000
xp_MD5 at http://www.codeproject.com/database/xp_md5.asp

Also works in SQL Server 2005 32 bit

SQL Server 2005

DECALRE @Data varchar(MAX)
SubString(master.dbo.fn_varbintohexstr(HashBytes('MD5', @Data)), 3, 32)

Works in SQL Server 2005 32 and 64 bit

Solution found at http://www.codeproject.com/database/xp_md5.asp?df=100&forumid=32460&select=1519990#xx1519990xx

My Introduction

Hello there, this is my first blog at tylerclendenin.com.

To start let me tell you a little about myself.

• I am a web developer at GSL Solutions.
• I am the keytar player for the band falterboy.
• I like manga and anime.
• My favorite color is green.
• My favorite band is Nine Inch Nails.

What do I hope to accomplish with this blog you ask?

• To become a part of the global blog community.
• To have a place on the internet that not only represents my views but also challenges other to think more about the world around them.
• To write articles describing things that I have to overcome that I could not find another resource on the internet to help me. Maybe I can help someone else in that regard.

• Tags

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