generate layouts on the fly?

[wintergreen]

I know this is a bit of a vague question, but is it possible to have filemaker generate layouts based on scripts?

The reason I ask is because I want to create a table called "preferences", and have the ability to turn certain elements on or off.

On a related note, is it possible to have a layout reference/include another layout? The best way I can think to explain this, is that, with mediawiki for example, you can create "template" pages which can then be included as part of other pages. This would also be handy for having a boilerplate header/footer.

[T-Square]

AFAIK, the answer on both counts is "No."

To deal with multiple views of data, most answers I have seen rely on creating different layouts for different privilege sets. This is reasonable for simpler security environments, but obviously could get out of hand quickly with complex (or even moderately complex) systems. You can at least create a base layout, copy it, and modify it for the different needs.

As for boilerplate, I have tended to create templates for the main layouts in my apps, and then use those as starting points for the rest.

My own aesthetic is that most modules boil down to a single-line list view and a full record view; creating templates for these two layouts (complete with buttons that trigger generic scripts) speeds development immensely.

As an aside, if you're trying to create a web Content Management System, you might want to check out what's already written for PHP and MySQL/PostGreSQL; Drupal and e107 are two such packages.

David

[wintergreen]

it's not for anything as glamorous as a web cms, it's just i want to make it as user-friendly as possible.

anyway, thanks for the tips