I need to build an importer tool which shall read a xhtml/xml file with predefined structure and import the content to the typo3 backend system in page structure so that they can later be edited using standard UI based editing features in typo3. I am thinking about using a .NET webform and HtmlAgilityPack library based solution with C# for the importer tool. My theory is to traverse the input file, find predefined tags and determine page title, content and insert those data directly into the typo3 database in correct format. But ofcourse, for that to work I'll have to create a typo3 template first. Is this the right way of doing this? How shall I go about with the development? Is there a better alternative to HtmlAgilityPack library for my need?
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1 Answers
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Well depends on your skills.
TYPO3 uses a custom XML format for the import/export tool. So if you are fluent in XSLT, you might just convert the XML file.
If you are more of a C# guy, than you may just add the content to the DB directly. Just make sure that there is no concurrent edit while doing this. And fill the other fields too, mainly the timestamp fields - just have a look what is filled if you create some sample pages and content.
After import, you should run the reference index updater (DB Check, EXT:lowlevel must be installed).
You do not need a template for inserting the data. Actually TYPO3 works fine without a template. You just need a template to generate the frontend output ;) - which is usually needed for a website.
