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Frequently Asked Questions v2

 

The slice.php3 is the main script used to display items from database. The alternative for this script is view.php3. The main ussage of slice.php3 script is to include it into some .shtml file by the SSI include command - like:

 <!--#includevirtual="/aaa/slice.php3?slice_id=a91256ed53287912d74495d781076bd6"-->

The following parameters you can add just like url parameters. It is possible to combine more than one parameter. Example:
<!--#includevirtual="/aaa/slice.php3?slice_id=a91256ed53287912d74495d781076bd6&listlen=10&no_scr=1"-->

The slice.php3 is there from the beginning of ActionApps, so some of the parameters are quite old. Such parameters are still implemented, but in many cases it is better to use newer - more powerfull substitution for the parametr. That's why the list is prioritized from the most common parameters (which should be used) to the old parameters (which use is deprecated).

The only way, how to display data from slices, where 'Reading Password' is set. See: http://apc-aa.sourceforge.net/faq/#slice_pwd
ParameterRequiredDescription
slice_idYesid of displayed slice
conds[]Novery usefull for complex conditions - see How to setup the searchform? for conds parameter setting (it can be used as url parameter too - not only form Forms, as described in search section)
Example:conds[0][category........]=Environment&conds[1][category.......1]=Waste
defaultCondsOperatorNoreplaces LIKE for conds with not specified operator - simplified syntax of conds[] uses LIKE operator as default - you can change it by this operator to RLIKE for example (RLIKE is better in many cases - at least it is much faster from database point of view)
Example: defaultCondsOperator=RLIKE&conds[0][category........]=Environment
neverAllItemsNoif set, don't show anything when everything would be shown (if no conds[] are set) - good for search pages, where on the top (or bottom) is searchform - normaly, for the first time (when you did not send the searchform), all items are shown - if you want to have there only blank page intead, use this parameter
sort[]Nosee conds[] - very usefull for complex sorting
Example:sort[0][pub_date........]=d&sort[1][headline........]=a
(a ...ascending order; d ... descending order)
xNothe same as sh_itm, but short_id is used instead (implemented for shorter item url (see 1767 alias))
iviewNochanges the design of index item listing to the design defined in specified view. The view should be of 'Item listing' type.
Example: iview=49
- listing of items generated by slice.php3 will use format-strings as defined in view No. 49
fviewNochanges the design of fulltext to the design defined in specified view. The view should be of 'Fulltext view' type.
Example: fview=48
- the item displayed by the slice.php3 script will use format-strings as defined in view No. 48
dviewNouses specified view for discussions instead of the one specified on 'Slice Admin' -> 'Design - Fulltext' page. (good for testing new discussion view, ...)
Example: dview=18
- view 18 is used as tepmlate for discussion design in this slice
listlenNochange number of listed items in compact view
Example: listlen=10
slice_pwdNo
Example: slice_pwd=VerySecret
no_scrNoif true, no page scroller is displayed
Example: no_scr=1
group_nNodisplayes only the n-th group (in listings where items are grouped by some field (category, for example)) - good for display all the items of last magazine issue
Example: ( group_n=1 )
slicetextNodisplays just the text instead of any output - can be used for hiding the output of slice.php3
Example: slicetext=%20
highlightNowhen true, shows only highlighted items in compact view
Example: highlight=1
als[alias]Nouser alias definition - you can define your own aliases in url (for both - slice.php3 and view.php3). Aliases names MUST!!! be 8 characters long. Don't forgot, that the alias value have to be urlencoded.
Example: als[MY_ALIAS]=Summary%20Page (or maybe better: als%5BMY_ALIAS%5D=Summary%20Page)
defines alias _#MY_ALIAS. If used in formatstring ('Admin - Design Index' for example), it prints 'Summary Page'
incNofor dispalying another file instead of slice data (for example some static html file)
Example: inc=/contact.html
items[id]Noarray of items to show one after one as fulltext (ids are the long ones - see sh_itm, but there is special 'x' character before each index).
Example: items[x5462876e8ab29ac95462876e8ab29ac9]=1&items[x65ac876e8a555b29543ea76e8ab29a34]=1 (doesn't matter which value is given to element (1 or 'on' or ...) - good for display of the form, where you select which item to show)
hidefulltext=1Noif you add this parameter to url, the fulltext is not shown when you go to page, where the specific item should be displayed. The discussions under the fulltext are not hidden. It is usefull, if you want to show discussions for the item on separate page. On the other hand, probably better results You can get by using fview parameter.
banner=2-38Noby this parameter you are able to display any view (38 in or case) inserted just after the second (2) item in view (number 23). The item shown in inserted view (38) is selected randomly, possibly with weight specified in weight field (number.........1) - just like in random parameter described above. If you do not want use random item (banner), use 'norandom' keyword in place of 'weight field' (good for displaying nested newsbox). See also banner parameter for view.php3. The example of included banner is on http://ecn.cz.
Example: banner=2-38 or banner=2-38-number.........1 or banner=2-38-norandom
nocache=1NoURL parameter for page refresh - the items are not taken from cache (- no matter if allready cached or not). Cache is updated.
searchlogNoif you add searchlog parameter to the slice.php3 script on some search page, all searches (by conds[]) are logged into database table searchlog. There are logged not only the conds[] parameters, but also the time, which database spent on the query. The access to the log is for superadministrators only, right now. You will find it on 'AA' -> 'Misc - View SearchLog' page in AA admin interface (or you can look into searchlog table in the database).
scr_url=script_nameNoscr_url parameter is answer to problem mentioned in apc-aa-general mailinglist (apc-aa-general mailinglist). If you try to include the slice.php3 into your php3 script by calling include("http://www.sitename.org/apc-aa/slice.php3...");, the page scroller do not work, becouse the called script (slice.php3) do not know from which script it was called. But the scroller should know it - scroller should point to the same page - to the calling one. By scr_url parameter you can define the name of calling script.
Example: include("http://www.sitename.org/apc-aa/slice.php3?...&scr_url=%2Fscripts%2Findex.php");
('%2F' stands for ' / ' character).
sh_itmNoid of item to show - if specified, selected item is shown in full text
Example: index.shtml?sh_itm=01ac1b10fae13c0a61c5292ba72d70b1
restrictNofield id used with "res_val" and "exact" for restricted output (display only items with "restrict" field = "res_val"
Example:restrict=category........&res_val=Environment&exact=1
res_valNosee restrict
exactNoif set, restrict field must match res_val exactly (=) otherwise substring is sufficient (LIKE '%res_val%')
orderNoorder field id - if other than publish date add minus sign for descending order
Example: order=headline........-
timeorderNoif rev - reverse publish date order (less priority than "order")
Example: timeorder=rev
scr_goNosets page scroller to specified page
Example: scr_go=2
encapYes for not encapsulateddetermines wheather this file is SSI included to .shtml file (<--#include virtual="... ) or called directly as slice.php3
Example:encap=false
cat_idNoselect only items in category with id cat_id
Deprecated - better to use restrict and res_val parameters - or even better conds[] parameter
cat_nameNoselect only items in category with name cat_name as substring
Deprecated - better to use restrict and res_val parameters - or even better conds[] parameter
srchNotrue if this script have to show search results
Not supported from AA v1.5

 

Related Articles:

Designing nice search results

Last Edit: Aug 17 2011

<aafaq id=1767> ~ToDo: 1767 Which parameters can I use with slice.php3 </aafaq> 

This FAQ interface was developed by Jason at Commons.ca

APC: Internet and ICTs for social justice and development APC ActionApps is a free software content management system initiated by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
APC - Internet and ICTs for social justice and development