Using Tags/Categories to fake DMS functionality

[pschena]

Not sure if this is feasible or if there is a better way of doing this.
Have a 'Resource Centre' (RC) section on a site I am building.
This is its own blog in the mu installation.
I am trying replicate a type of Document Management System (DMS) here.

For the most part, it works out of the box:
- 6 or so parent categories
- 10 or so sub-categories under this
All good so far.

It gets pear-shaped when I have to introduce an 'Archive' section.
I wanted to use tags to differentiate 'Current' for the main RC and 'Archive' for the archived equivalent RC.

For the main RC I am thinking of modifying the loop to only show 'Current' posts and then building a second loop for the 'Archive' posts.

Do you think this is practical?
Is there a better way of doing this?
Is there a DMS widget around at all?

Thanks in advance.
Paul

[ron_r]

I'm not sure what you are trying to accomplish outside of what WP will already do. (ex. tags/categories do provide a simple document management/retrieval facility)

I'm not aware of a DMS widget.

[pschena]

The ideal user experience is to:
1. Click on the resource centre
2. Choose between 'Current' or 'Archived' documents - thought a tag could control a documents placement
3. Choose a parent category
4. Choose a sub category.

I know that it sounds simple, but know that it is a little harder than that in reality.
To use the tag as the initial filter/condition and to then display the documents based on that.
Should be possible, just wanted to know if others has a 'better' way.

Thanks!

[Andrea_R]

Then for the Current ones, why not just retrieve them by date? That should be easy enough to do on the template level.

The big thing I see with what you want to do is going back and changing tags or whatever as the current ones age.

let the program work for you.

I don;t think you have to modify the loop - it;s going to show the latest X number of posts anyway, but you can divert people from skipping back. I'm thinking that really some creative template wrangling should do it.