Symphony.

Thank you for your patience I know I’m a bit confused.

I have a Categories section, the default I had when I installed Symphony 2.0.6 I am not working on DesignProjectX Ensemble, just wanted to begin from scrap.

I need a Category data-source? Why default installation does not use Category data souce?

Which XML and XSLT I have to link? Those of the Article? Thanks.

I think it will be very useful to know which is the process that permits to import the xml content.

(Correct me if I am wrong) XML file is given to an Event though a Page, the Event puts the data in the database? In a new content type? Using ax existent one like Article, Entry, Message..? Which one is selected as destination container (maybe it’s Section for symphony) of the newly imported data?

I am sorry if those questions are stupid but I understand the basics of xml/xslt but I haven’t found deep docs about the symphony system.

Where is specified the destination of the data? Can be controlled? If I select an existent Section and the data requires a field qhich is not present in the Setion selected, what happens?

Are there docs I can read to understand those things? The ones I found on the Documentation page are not so specific. I know symphony is a great new project and documentation is a work-in-progress, I perfectly understand the situation.

If you are just starting to learn about Symphony, importing data from WordPress might not be the best place to start. First, you’ll want to understand that Symphony does not assume anything. If you want to manage categories with Symphony, you need to create a section, if you don’t already have one.

The WordPress Import tutorial assumes that you have been following along with the tutorials from the beginning. These tutorials describe the process of building a Symphony site from a clean install. This will be quite different from the default theme.

If you are using the default Spectrum theme, the template that I provided as an example of how to import XML will need to be modified to match the structures of the sections, fields and XML data sources in your Symphony install.

It will be helpful to understand how Symphony Events work before attempting to import XML using an event.

Where is specified the destination of the data? Can be controlled? If I select an existent Section and the data requires a field qhich is not present in the Setion selected, what happens?

An event created with the Events Editor (Blueprints : Components : Events) will save data entered into a front-end form where the form contains input fields that match the fields of the section that the event is being saved to. The data is saved to the database. To access the data on the front end, one must create an XML data source, attach the data source to the page and use XSLT to create the output.

If you have a required field in your section and no data is provided for that field when saving a front-end entry form, the event will fail and the event will create XML to describe the reason for the event failure.

I would recommend that you go through the process of creating a section, a data source, a page and an event. Attach the data source and event to your page and experiment with what happens. Honestly, it’s the best way to learn how Symphony works.

Importing XML just takes the process one step further and pre-populates the front-end form fields with data from the imported XML document.

You are completely RIGHT! I was so excited that I wanted to migrate immediatly my website, but I think I have to undertand essentials before diving into static xml import or similar things.

Thank for the other information you gave me on this last answer. I belive Symphony is going to be my choice in the near future, but I have to give me a more specific and slow roadmap.

By the way: I think Symphony has a great community.

@puleddu, even though I’ve been working with symphony since v1.7, I still find myself going back to the default build to relearn concepts from there so I can apply that in my usage. I always keep a default build on a subdomain so I can just look at the relationships built in the admin.

Also, in the Blueprints drop down, it is structured in a way that shows you the different layers of symphony in the order you need them from the bottom up:

Pages - what the user is going to ulimately see Components - events, data sources, and templates - the layer you use to control the data output of your site. Sections - what drives the site. This is the input layer you use to create the data

So basically it goes from Sections -> Components -> Pages.

symphony is pretty well structured once you make the connections between the different components in the cms.

I was so excited that I wanted to migrate immediatly my website, but I think I have to undertand essentials before diving into static xml import or similar things.

Symphony is so flexible, it’s actually its only downfall.

I think bauhouse is right that you should start with understanding the default installation and how Symphony deals with content. Bauhouse’s tutorials are also top notch, so I would create a bookmark if you haven’t already.

Most importantly, don’t be afraid to post any questions you have along the way, enthusiasm drives this community!