Few questions about the project

I've finished all the tutorials and walkthroughs and have read the project spec a good number of times and I'm eager to begin!

There are a few questions however :

• are we allowed to add other pages than those specified?
• there is a student registration form to add a new student, as well as an 'add student' under 'manage students' page... is there a difference between these two pages that I'm failing to see?
• as the project is only coded for the use of an administrator do we need to include a login page?
• the tick box when a student is registered to confirm that their details may be shared - is this like a 'agree to terms and conditions' box that must be ticked in order to register or is it a choice they can make?
• if it is a choice, does that mean that their details will only be shared on the email that gets sent out (that lists all the students registered for the course) if they have agreed / ticked the box? Or what does it affect?

With regards to the database :
• should the name of the database be "registration" or doesn't it matter?
• the database structure does not specify what type of field is used (tinyint, int, char, text, tinytext, boolean, etc) - must we choose our own type?

Thanks

> • are we allowed to add other pages than those
> specified?

No. The prupsoe is to get you to send information to the same page, and learn to reduce pages.

> • there is a student registration form to add a
> new student, as well as an 'add student' under
> 'manage students' page... is there a difference
> between these two pages that I'm failing to see?

A student completing the form will be added to the db... but sometimes an administrator may which to add a student who has phoned in.

> • as the project is only coded for the use of an
> administrator do we need to include a login page?


No, but if you decide to, then have the form filled in so submit can be clicked without me having to search for the login details. You cannot use a table to get this info - you must stay within the db structure.

> • the tick box when a student is registered to
> confirm that their details may be shared - is this
> like a 'agree to terms and conditions' box that
> must be ticked in order to register or is
> it a choice they can make?

No, but up to you how to you if you want to make it as such - with relevant error messaging. As per the tut letter - added functionality without changing the db.

> • if it is a choice, does that mean that their
> details will only be shared on the email that gets
> sent out (that lists all the students registered
> for the course) if they have agreed / ticked the
> box? Or what does it affect?

Not a perfect option. Ideally, you just want to save the details, and if a student list for sharing is requested, then it draws the info. How will you handle it?


> With regards to the database :
> • should the name of the database be
> "registration" or doesn't it matter?
> • the database structure does not specify what
> type of field is used (tinyint, int, char, text,
> tinytext, boolean, etc) - must we choose our own
> type?
>
> Thanks

That is the purpose of the db include file - I can change it in one place, and as long as the db structure is the same, everything will work. This is what portability of code is all about. The type of field does not matter here. In good programming it does, but I want to see what you use (in your code), but set my db (which your code will use) to text field throughout, so it will accept all types of fields, regardless of what you have specified. That is one reason - the other reason is many students mess up here, so I need to provide an option for getting the code to run "at least".

Thanks for the reply and making it clearer!
Just to confirm I'm understanding these two things correctly :

mac Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > • there is a student registration form to add a new student, as well as an 'add student' under 'manage students' page... is there a difference between these two pages that I'm failing to see?
>
> A student completing the form will be added to the db... but sometimes an administrator may which to add a student who has phoned in.

As I understand though we are only programming for the administrator, not for students?
So in my mind I'm seeing this as a admin panel, where the admin can manage all the information and only the admin will have access to it.
So both these pages will do the same thing - admin fills in the student details, the details are added to the db, confirmation email goes out to student and a email with the updated list of classmates goes out to every student registered for that course.
The only difference would then be that on the student registration page this will be the only thing happening, while on the 'manage students' page, you can add/view/edit/delete students (more code/functionality).



> > • if it is a choice, does that mean that their details will only be shared on the email that gets sent out (that lists all the students registered for the course) if they have agreed / ticked the box? Or what does it affect?
>
> Not a perfect option. Ideally, you just want to save the details, and if a student list for sharing is requested, then it draws the info. How will you handle it?

I was just trying to figure out if checking the box meant that something else should or should not happen, instead of just capturing the information.
But by your answer it sounds as if we're just capturing the info and that it won't affect any other logic?

Hi there,

Grand that you've opened this topic! Can't count how many time I've read the tut letter and I still would have got it wrong.

If I understand Prof mac's reply correctly .We can only use the following six pages. A file such as (header.php) would be considered
as a page and therefore may not be used?

The four main pages required: tut letter page 10
1 (student_reg.php)
2 (course_man.php)
3 (student_man.php)
4 (list.php)

5 (index.php) The starting page: tut letter page 11

6 (includes/config.php) a SINGLE configuration page: tut letter page 11


Regards C

Hi there,

Thanks Prof Mac I was also confused about the login page and other pages that may be added,

I have the same understanding as Charles

78183472 - correct.

Remember you can add functionality, so it is never "exactly like this or you fail".

@Charles

Also remember it says on p11 that if you use functions they must be included in a file include/functions.php, so that's another page!

mac Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 78183472 - correct.
>
> Remember you can add functionality, so it is never
> "exactly like this or you fail".


Thanks Prof Mac, I think I got it now!
I started programming last night and having A LOT of fun with this!

@78183472,

Please look at the posting I made in the topic Assignment about the database, 2 weeks ago.
Seems that I've got those parts right as there were no comments. Look at tut letter page 14.
The table Database structure( fields in order as they appear in table). . The fields in table
course are face about face, where field cid , the primary key appears second.

your comments?

@78183472,

Thanks, I would have missed the file completely! Kept reading it as includes/config.php, even after you pointed it out !
owe you one.!

Regards Charles

Hi Prof mac,

You've already been answered this question seven days ago, but I'm not sure I understand your reply.

If our database MUST be exact, shouldn't we have the same data or field types as the application on your server?

Some examples we could use due to inexperience or other reasons::

telh varchar(11) result 056 8113118 ( without intentional codes)
or telh int(10) result 0568113118

gen enum["male","female"]
or gen varchar(10)

idno bigint(13)
or idno varchar(13)

Regards Charles

I use text as all the field types in my db to cover for whatever you use. All that must be exact is the db/table/field names.

Hi,

Thanks, something to bear in mind for the future.

C

Got it..!

Thanx Prof, and other guys

That said, one should define correct types and not use text throughout, but this is the only way I can accommodate your choices. If there are problems my side, I can pick up from your code what you have used.

Hi Prof Mac,

The activity on the forum seems to have dropped off. Are we allowed to discuss the assignment and help each other.
If so to what extent?

Regards Charles

Yes, I have noticed this as well. You can discuss anything and everything--- but there is no assignment? Did you mean portfolio? yes you can and should!