Re: [dotcms] Customizing Forms, Database Access, Plugins, Multilingual Features, and Email Shooting in dotCMS Cloud Instance

[Mark Pitely]

There's a lot to tackle here. I will answer what I can. You will probably find that asking a single question will get you much better results. 

1. If you use the 'Add Content' option to add a Form Builder form to a page, you can use whatever CSS you like to manipulate it. However, because form elements are usually set by the browser, you are limited in what you can do. With a Custom form you can do the extra effort to hide the HTML buttons and make js actions to activate them giving you 100% control of appearance. 

2/3. You can create an API key that has permission to submit a form and then use the API via javascript to do so. Now, that API username/password will be visible, but the form is already open to submit. Obviously that key should only be used to submit that form. I appended working code at the end to show how. 

4. No; they don't want you to have direct access to the SQL. The API and the queries you can build should give you everything you need. You can do it with a plugin, but again, that's unwise. When there are version changes and upgrades, your code will fail. You want the database level abstract. 

5. You can definitely create custom plugins, but I am not sure why. There's tons of documentation, but I would strongly recommend against it. It also has a tendency to fail over time and requires developer time to keep operational, and just about anything you'd like to do can be done using the tools available. If I absolutely need something to talk to a different machine (your business SQL, etc) I just use Node or PHP on that internal machine and use $Import.read() to fetch the content. 

6. It is cumbersome and exists for when you really need a separation. There is built-in google translate functionality if you want easy: https://www2.dotcms.com/docs/latest/apps-integrations

7. The Workflow system can be set up to send emails on submit. 

Notes:

JS to fetch an authorized API token:

    let url = '/api/v1/authentication/api-token';  
fetch(url, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Accept': 'application/json, text/plain, */*',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({"user":"redacted", "password":"redactedaswell", "expirationDays": 10 })
}).then(res => res.json())
  .then(res => gettoken(res));   

function gettoken(res){
 console.log(res);
 console.log(res.entity);
 console.log(res.entity.token);
document.token=res.entity.token;    
   
}

Function to PUBLISH a piece of content using that token:

let url = '/api/v1/workflow/actions/default/fire/PUBLISH';      
fetch(url, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Accept': 'application/json, text/plain, */*',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    "Authorization": "Bearer "+document.token
  },
  body: jsonout
}).then(res => res.json())
  .then(res => finish(res));

Good luck!

Mark Pitely

Albright College

On Mon, Dec 2, 2024 at 7:40 AM 'Jenish Dadhania' via dotCMS User Group <dot...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

I am currently using a dotCMS cloud instance and facing challenges with the following functionalities. I would appreciate guidance on these points:

1. Form Customization:

   • If I create a form using a form content type, is there a way to customize its design (CSS) and functionality (e.g., buttons)?
   • Where is the VTL file for such forms located in dotCMS, and can we directly edit it to apply customizations?

2. Custom Form Integration via VTL:

   • If I create a form directly in a VTL file using HTML, how can I configure it to store submitted data in the dotCMS backend without requiring the user to log in as an admin?

3. Issue with API /api/v1/workflow/actions/default/fire/NEW:

   • I created a form in a VTL file and used the dotCMS API /api/v1/workflow/actions/default/fire/NEW to submit the form data.
   • The data is successfully stored in the content type when I am logged in as an admin in the dotCMS UI. However, when not logged in, the API throws an error. I noticed the same issue occurs on the dotCMS demo site. How can I resolve this?

4. Database Access in Cloud Instance:

   • I want to directly store form data into the PostgreSQL database. Is it possible to access the database in a dotCMS cloud instance? Does dotCMS provide database access for cloud users?

5. Creating a Custom Plugin:

   • How can I create a custom plugin from scratch in dotCMS?
   • Is there a specific file structure or format for developing plugins?
   • Once created, how can I use the plugin’s functionalities in a VTL file?

6. Multilingual Implementation:

   • Implementing multilingual features seems cumbersome, as it involves creating separate content, pages, and files for each language.
   • Does dotCMS provide a built-in tool to streamline this process, such as automated translations or centralized management, to reduce duplication and manual effort?

7. Email Shooting on Form Submission:

   • I want to implement email notifications for users who submit the form.
   • Is this possible in dotCMS? If yes, how can I configure email shooting so that users receive an email confirmation upon form submission?
   • Can this be done using VTL files, workflows, or plugins? Please provide examples or documentation references if available.

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