aReport Outline
V – Blog Manager
Overview
This module is the most used by users or groups for communication and
publication of any kind of information. It allows exchange of intelligence and feedback.
We can figure out by the results that this is one of the most important modules in this
project. It represents the most collaborative and simple way of group working and
making business.
Blog is a recent term, it appears in 1994 with the exponential growing of internet
adepts, since that time is utilization grows, independently of whatever the objective is,
for example entertainment or business. The utilization of a blog in any business area,
can improve the communication between collaborators, meaning an increase of
performance.
The used approach was based in a simple way of implementing a simple module
with a huge utility.
Interaction
This module has interactions with:
- User Interface
- Database
User Interface
Approaching the user interface, the result was obtained by conferencing with our
partners and developers of the interface:
Figure V.1 – User Interface
It as been chosen the simpler as possible interface, dealing with the user-friendly
requirement.
The information shown by the user interface, is supplied by the Database and
arranged by this module.
Database
This interaction was the first to be studied, dealing to its importance. It means
that a good developed database returns a simpler solution to many problems that can be
found.
Blog
Manager
Figure V.2 – Database structure
The overall interactions existent:
Figure V.3 – Global interactions
Implementation
What’s left to be developed is the integration and communication between de
two interactions, resuming the module blog manager.
The result of the two well thought and argued interactions are a simpler way of
getting the following solution.
Figure V.4 – Module functioning
The following screenshots represents user interactivity:
Figure V.5 – Posting sequence
Figure V.6 – Comment sequence
Functions provided
For interaction with the Database, were supplied the following functions:

function getBlogName($GroupName)
returns an array with blog name and creation date
$BlogName = $this->bo->getBlogName('pandilha');

function getPostCount($BlogName)
returns the number of posted articles
$PostCount = $this->bo->getPostCount($BlogName[0]);

function getPosts($BlogName)
returns the articles posted
$Posts = $this->bo->getPosts($BlogName[0]);

function getPostComments($PostTitle)
returns the comments of a specified post
$PostComments = $this->bo->getPostComments($Posts[$i][0]);

function
SetPostComment($UserName,
$CommentTitle, $Text, $PostRating)
Writes a comment to a specified post
$BlogName,
$PostTitle,
$this->bo->SetPostComment($CurrentUser,$BlogName[0],$PostTitle,$CommentText);

function CreatePost($BlogName, $UserName, $PostTitle ,$Text)
Writes a post
$this->bo->CreatePost($BlogName[0],$CurrentUser,$PostTitle,$PostText);
Conclusions
We had some difficulty to implement the final solution, because some of the
modules didn’t have accomplished the established objectives in the specified dates, but
in the end, all worked out.
The programming language used was also new to us, so we had to lose more
time to understand it and to integrate the module in the chosen platform - egroupware.
Summarizing, considering that there wasn’t much time to work in this project,
we are glad by the final result. The team spirit was very good so the communication
between the modules that concerned us was achieved and the integration in the platform
was a success.