Adds Thingy template variable to permit Javascript visualisation of search results

docs/changelog/7.x.x.txt

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
  - fixed #11876: packing templates, snippets, headtags removes conditional CSS comments
  - fixed #11877: Criteria Builder on "shortcut by alternate criteria" gets ugly with many checkbox items
  - fixed #11878: Addons title not internationalized
+ - added Thingy template variable to permit Javascript visualisation of search results (Patrick Donelan, SDH Consulting Group)
 
 7.10.0
  - fixed #11812: Checking www_ajaxSave's response in the cart js, urlencoding post parameters

docs/templates.txt

@@ -26,4 +26,38 @@ templates, you will need to apply these changes manually to your copies.
      </tmpl_unless>
      <tmpl_loop story_loop>
 
+  *  Thingy searchResults_json
+     This is a JSON-encoded version of searchResults_loop, which allows people to access Thingy search results
+     in Javascript/Flash/etc.. For example, you can use OpenFlashCharts2 (http://teethgrinder.co.uk/open-flash-chart-2)
+     and SWFObject to access the data and then display it as a pretty custom chart via the following:
+     
+        <tmpl_if searchResult_loop>
+            <div id="chart-container">
+                <div id="chart">Loading..</div>
+            </div>
+            <script type="text/javascript">
+                function open_flash_chart_data() {
+                    var data_json = "<tmpl_var searchResult_json ESCAPE=JS>";
+                    var data = YAHOO.lang.JSON.parse(data_json);
+                    var chart = {
+                        elements: [
+                            // populate dynamically from data object
+                        ]
+                    };
+                    return YAHOO.lang.JSON.stringify(chart);
+                }
+                // Embed the chart
+                swfobject.embedSWF(
+                    '/path/to/open-flash-chart.swf',         // url
+                    'chart',                                 // container element id
+                    '100%',                                  // width
+                    '100%',                                  // height
+                    '9.0.0',                                 // version
+                    '/path/to/swfobject/expressInstall.swf', // expressInstall
+                    { loading: 'Loading...' },               // flashvars
+                    {},                                      // params
+                    {}                                       // attributes
+                );
+            </script>
+        </tmpl_if>
 

lib/WebGUI/Asset/Wobject/Thingy.pm

@@ -3407,7 +3407,11 @@ sequenceNumber');
         push(@searchResult_loop,\%templateVars);
     }
     $var->{searchResult_loop} = \@searchResult_loop;    
+    
+    # Also expose the search results in the template as a json-encoded string
+    # so that people can e.g. visualise the results via Javascript
     $var->{searchResult_json} = JSON->new->encode(\@searchResult_loop);
+    
     $p->appendTemplateVars($var);
 
     $var->{"form_start"} = WebGUI::Form::formHeader($self->session,{action=>$self->getUrl,method=>'GET'})

lib/WebGUI/Help/Asset_Thingy.pm

@@ -236,6 +236,8 @@ our $HELP = {
                     },
                 ]
             },
+            {   'name'     => 'searchResult_json',
+            },
         ],
         related => [
             {   tag       => 'edit thing template',

lib/WebGUI/i18n/English/Asset_Thingy.pm

@@ -659,6 +659,12 @@ Simply replace "key1"/"value1" with your own name/value pairs},
         context => q|Description of a tmpl_var for the template help.|,
     },
 
+    'searchResult_json' => {
+        message => q|JSON-encoded version of searchResult_loop so that you can access the data in Javascript|,
+        lastUpdated => 1285094918,
+        context => q|Description of a tmpl_var for the template help.|,
+    },
+
     'things_loop' => {
         message => q|A loop containing the Things that are defined for this Thingy Asset, with links to management
 functions for those Things|,