Module development and code questions

I am designing software for managing fiction (or more generally, documents). An example of what I am attempting to build would be the script at Fanfiction.net (http://www.fanfiction.net) or the eFiction script provided by Orodruin (http://orodruin.sourceforge.net). I wrote down a set of requirements that I am looking for in composing this module, located at http://yetta.net/~arcana/fiction_drupal_module/requirements.php.

The navigation provided with the "Book" module would fit into my requirements perfectly. However, there are some limitations with that module - it doesn't allow restricted editing access, for example.

Why is this a problem? If I want to use the "Book" navigation tree in a module in Drupal right now, I would have to either code-clone the Book navigation tree, or import book.module and call the book_ functions for navigation. Code cloning is obviously not a good idea, because if the book module gets a nice facelift, then I want my module to get that facelift as well. Importing book.module would work, but it's risky as far as programming goes because I am exposing entirely that module to my own.

Is there a way to inherit characteristics from other modules without making it all kludgy and ugly?

About four months ago, I was working on a module that was designed to manage a list of "persona" that a Drupal user might create for the purposes of something such as a role-playing game or a collborative fiction piece.

I have not worked on it for some time now, and have only tested it with a patched version od Drupal 4.2.0, so it might not necessarily work. However, I thought I would share it in case this might help someone out.

Is anyone aware of a way to email content into the system directly.

I'm a system admin and use drupal as change tracking system; when we make changes to IT infrastucture, we post what we did.

We use the taxonomy to help keep track of the chages.

Id like some of systems to be able to post directly to the site.
Like OpenManage events and systems starting up or services stopping, etc.

Is there a way I could email these events directly to Drupal ?
Or can I construct a url and post the data in ?

any ideas ?

Matt

Hey everyone,

To people who took interest in my module before, I'm sorry on the lack of updates. I don't have a personal web-site to link to, and I haven't had much chance to work on it lately. Anyway here's the low-down:

This is a module for a simple e-commerce site. You set up you're store, create items to sell, and collect the cash!
* You can group items by creating a taxonomy linked to the module for the different categories (doesn't work with sub-categories yet).
* The module comes with 3 blocks as well: a shopping cart, a newest item block, and a special navigation block for getting between your item types (remember the taxonomy?).
* The users check out using PayPal.
* There is support for shipping and handling per item, and per group.
* You can link items to one-another to create sub-items. For example, if you have a shirt to sell, you can make a blue shirt and a red-shirt item and link them both to shirt. This way when they go to the product page they can choose between which shirt to buy.
* Each item can have 2 images. One product image, and one thumbnail.
* Intuitive and easy to use. Add content as just another node, so it can be managed in the same way as a story or forum post.

Hi all,
since Drupal is changing so rapidly, I need to decide which way to choose in order to create additional module for Drupal.
Basically, I need to create different modules that will be extension of the standard STORY module (they will contain more fields than a normal story).
I also want users to be able to link ONE image (with automatic thumbnail creation, possibly) to each node.

Now i'm a bit confused on how to go on, while waiting at the new Drupal 4.4 coming out.

Now I'm working on Drupal CVS.

The possible choices are:

(NOTE: I originally posted this in Usage... forum, this is probably (??) a more appropriate place for it.)

I've searched about six or seven modules for clues, and the online doc - but no dice. I'm completely baffled how a Taxonomy Type is defined. I noticed the menu.module does not create a Taxonomy Type - so when you define a Menu structure, you select a taxonomy term to associate with that menu. No taxonomy type of "menu" exists. I know I can use a different type, and it shouldn't matter, but it still bothers me.