Concept

SIPs

The following is a technical background information. Not needed to just use QFQ.

The SIPs (=Server Id Pairs) are uniq timestamps, created/registered on the fly for a specific browser session (=user). Every SIP is registered on the server (= stored in a browser session) and contains one or more key/value pairs. The key/value pairs never leave the server. The SIPs will be used:

  • to protect values not to be spoofed by anyone,
  • to protect values not to be altered by anyone,
  • to grant access, e.g.:
    • load and save forms,
    • upload files,
    • download files,
    • PHP AJAX pages.

SIPs becomes invalid, as soon as the current browser session is destroyed. The client (= user) can’t manipulate the content of SIPs - it’s only possible to reuse already registered SIPs by the user, who already owns the session.

Access privileges

The Typo3 FE Groups can be used to implement access privileges. Such groups are assigned to

  • Typo3 FE users,
  • Typo3 pages,
  • and/or Typo3 content records (e.g. QFQ records).

This will be used for general page structure privileges.

A record base privileges controlling (e.g. which user can edit which person record) will be implicit configured, by the way that records are viewable / editable (or not) through SQL in the specific QFQ tt-content statements.

Typo3 QFQ content element

Insert one or more QFQ content elements on a Typo3 page. Specify column and language per content record as wished.

The title of the QFQ content element will not be rendered on the frontend. It’s only visible to the webmaster in the backend for orientation.

QFQ Keywords (Bodytext)

All of these parameters are optional.

Name Explanation
form
Formname.
Static: form = person
By SIP: form = {{form:SE}}
By SQL: form = {{SELECT c.form FROM Config AS c WHERE c.id={{a:C}} }}
r
<record id>. The form will load the record with the specified id.
Static: r = 123
By SQL: r = {{SELECT …}}
If not specified, the SIP parameter ‘r’ is used.
dbIndex E.g. dbIndex = {{indexQfq:Y}} Select a DB index. Only necessary if a different than the standard DB should be used.
debugShowBodyText If=’1’ and Configuration:showDebugInfo: yes, shows a tooltip with bodytext
sqlLog Overwrites Configuration: SQL Log . Only affects Report, not Form.
sqlLogMode Overwrites Configuration: SQL_LOG_MODE . Only affects Report, not Form.
render See Report: render. Overwrites Configuration: render.
<level>.fbeg Start token for every field (=column)
<level>.fend End token for every field (=column)
<level>.fsep Separator token between fields (=columns)
<level>.fskipwrap Skip wrapping (via fbeg, fsep, fend) of named columns. Comma separated list of column id’s (starting at 1). See also the special column name ‘_noWrap’ to suppress wrapping.
<level>.shead Static start token for whole <level>, independent if records are selected Shown before head.
<level>.stail Static end token for whole <level>, independent if records are selected. Shown after tail.
<level>.head Dynamic start token for whole <level>. Only if at least one record is select.
<level>.tail Dynamic end token for whole <level>. Only if at least one record is select.
<level>.rbeg Start token for row.
<level>.rbgd Alternating (per row) token.
<level>.rend End token for row. Will be rendered before subsequent levels are processed
<level>.renr End token for row. Will be rendered after subsequent levels are processed
<level>.rsep Seperator token between rows
<level>.sql SQL Query
<level>.twig Twig Template
<level>.althead If <level>.sql has no rows selected (empty), these token will be rendered.
<level>.altsql If <level>.sql has no rows selected (empty) or affected (delete, update, insert) the <altsql> will be fired. Note: Sub queries of <level> are not fired, even if <altsql> selects some rows.
<level>.content
show (default): content of current and sub level are directly shown.
hide: content of current and sub levels are stored and not shown.
hideLevel: content of current and sub levels are stored and only sub
levels are shown.
store: content of current and sub levels are stored and shown.
To retrieve the content: {{<level>.line.content}}.
<level>.line.count Current row index. Will be replaced before the query is fired in case of <level> is an outer/previous level or it will be replaced after a query is fired in case <level> is the current level.
<level>.line.total Total rows (MySQL num_rows for SELECT and SHOW, MySQL affected_rows for UPDATE and INSERT.
<level>.line.insertId Last insert id for INSERT.
<level>.line.content Show content of <level> (content have to be stored via <level>.content=….)
<level>.line.altCount Like ‘line.count’ but for ‘alt’ query.
<level>.line.altTotal Like ‘line.total’ but for ‘alt’ query.
<level>.line.altInsertId Like ‘line.insertId’ but for ‘alt’ query.

Report: render

QFQ will render Report or Form in three situations:

  1. Browser: The QFQ content is described by QFQ-Report syntax.
  2. Browser: The QFQ content is described by a QFQ-Form.
  3. API: The QFQ content is handled without Typo3. Typically a single tt-content record is specified in the request - only that one is rendered by QFQ. This mode is typically used to export data like Excel Export.

Option 1 and 2 are distinguished by the parameter form (STORE_SIP or STORE_TYPO3). If ‘form’ is given, in most cases only a Form should be shown (not the report).

render Use
single Display Form or Report, but not both at the same time. If a SIP parameter ‘form’ is given, the form is rendered, else the report.
both Display Form and Report, both at the same time.
api Create output only when called via API (no Typo3).

Example:

render = both
form = {{form:SE}}

10 {
  sql = SELECT ...
}

QFQ Database

Recommended setup for Typo3 & QFQ Installation is with two databases. One for the Typo3 installation and one for QFQ. A good practice is to name both databases equal, appending the suffix ‘_t3’ and ‘_db’.

When QFQ is called, it checks for QFQ system tables. If they do not exist or have a lower version than the installed QFQ version, the system tables will be automatically installed or updated.

System tables

Name Use Database
Clipboard Temporary QFQ
Cron Persistent QFQ
Dirty Temporary QFQ | Data
Form Persistent QFQ
FormElement Persistent QFQ
FormSubmitLog Persistent QFQ | Data
MailLog Persistent QFQ | Data
Period Persistent Data
Split Persistent Data

See Mail Log page (Table MailLog) and Form Submit Log page for some Frontend views for these tables.

  • Check Bug #5459 / support of system tables in different DBs not supported.

Multi Database

Base: T3 & QFQ

QFQ typically interacts with one database, the QFQ database. The database used by Typo3 is typically a separate one. Theoretically it might be the same (never tested), but it’s strongly recommended to use a separated QFQ database to have no problems on Typo3 updates and to have a clean separation between Typo3 and QFQ.

QFQ: System & Data

QFQ itself can be separated in ‘QFQ system’ (see System tables) and ‘QFQ data’ databases (even more than one are possible). The ‘QFQ system’ stores the forms, record locking, log tables and so on - QFQ data is for the rest.

A Multi Database setup is given, if ‘QFQ system’ is different from ‘QFQ data’.

Data: Data1, Data2, …, Data n

Every database needs to be configured via Configuration with it’s own index.

QFQ data might switch between different ‘data’-databases. In Configuration one main QFQ data index will be specified in indexQfq. If specific forms or reports should use a different database than that, dbIndex might change indexData temporarily.

dbIndex: A Report (field dbIndex) as well as a Form (field parameter.`dbIndex`) can operate on a specific database.

A Form will:

  • load the form-definition from indexQfq (table Form and FormElement),
  • loads and save data from/in indexData (config.qfq.php) / dbIndex (form.parameter.dbIndex),
  • retrieve extra information via dbIndexExtra - this is useful to offer information from a database and save them in a different one.

The simplest setup, QFQ system & data in the same database, needs no indexQfq / indexData definition in Configuration or one or both of them set to ‘1’

To separate QFQ system and data, indexQfq and indexData will have different indexes.

A Multi Database setup might be useful for:

  • several independent Typo3 QFQ installations (each have it’s own form repository) and one central database, or
  • one QFQ installation which should display / load /save records from different databases, or
  • a combination of the above two.

Note:

  • Option ‘A’ is the most simple and commonly used.
  • Option ‘B’ separate the T3 and QFQ databases on two database hosts.
  • Option ‘C’ is like ‘B’ but with a shared ‘QFQ data’-database between three ‘Typo3 / QFQ’ instances.
  • Further variants are possible.
  Domain Website Host T3 QFQ system QFQ data
A standalone.edu ‘w’ <dbHost>, <dbname>_t3, <dbnameSingle>_db
B appB1.edu ‘wApp’ <dbHostApp>, <dbnameB1>_t3 <dbHostB1>, <dbnameApp>_db
B appB2.edu ‘wApp’ <dbHostApp>, <dbnameB2>_t3 <dbHostB2>, <dbnameApp>_db
C appC1.edu ‘wAppC’ <dbHostAppC>, <dbnameC1>_t3 <dbHostC>, <dbnameSysC1>_db <dbHostData>_db, <dbNameData>_db
C appC2.edu ‘wAppC’ <dbHostAppC>, <dbnameC2>_t3 <dbHostC>, <dbnameSysC2>_db <dbHostData>_db, <dbNameData>_db
C appC3.edu ‘wAppC3’ <dbHostAppC3>, <dbnameC3>_t3 <dbHostC3>, <dbnameSysC3>_db <dbHostData>_db, <dbNameData>_db

In config.qfq.php mutliple database credentials can be prepared. Mandatory is at least one credential setup like DB_1_USER, DB_1_SERVER, DB_1_PASSWORD, DB_1_NAME. The number ‘1’ indicates the dbIndex. Increment the number to specify further database credential setups.

By convention, it’s necessary that DB_1 is the one who also have access to the Typo3 database. E.q. `QFQ Function`_ or download links (based on QFQ functions) needs access to the T3 database to directly fetch tt-content records.

Different QFQ versions, shared database

When using different QFQ versions and a shared ‘QFQ data’-database, there is some risk of conflicting ‘QFQ system’ tables. Best is to always use the same QFQ version on all instances or use a Multi Database setup.