Help with setting up a proofing system

[eriswerks]

The product I'm selling is heavily customized for each buyer, which requires that I prepare artwork proofs (jpeg images) for them to review and approve. I'm trying to find a way to display a specific image to a specific user when they log in, and to allow the user to either approve the proof or reject it and tell me what changes need to be made.

The best idea I've had so far on how to do this is to use the phpbb forum. However, it looks like the file attachment features I'd need are only available in phpbb 3, and Zen Cart only wants to work with phpbb 2. I'd also need a way to lock down threads so only they can only be seen by specific users, which I'm not sure is possible in either version of phpbb.

Has anyone already solved this problem? If not, any suggestions on how I can show user-specific content and get form feedback from it?

[DrByte]

Some conceptual thoughts:

1. You want the content to be user-specific.
Indeed, you really even want it to be order-specific.

2. You want security around it.

3. You want a way to administratively upload the content and advise the customer that it's available.

I suggest writing code to expand the order-data components to allow you to store the proof as binary content into the database (uploaded from the Admin "orders" area). From that same screen you can tell the customer that the order is updated and awaiting approval.
Then you could expand the customer-side order-history screen to allow them to accept/reject the proof and add comments if needed. Either response could trigger an email to you as well as update the order data.
Then you can continue order fulfillment as needed (or repeat by uploading another proof, either replacing original or adding another, plus email).

If I understand what you've described correctly, that's how I think I'd tackle it. Not a small task -- will take a fair bit of time to implement. Time to brush off those PHP manuals ! <grin>

[eriswerks]

That sounds about right... For the meantime I'll have to do something quick and dirty like emailing proofs or creating pages manually, but eventually I would like to add some real proofing functionality. I guess I ought to get a book that covers something more recent than PHP 3.

[garrettdavis]

Exactly the kind of module I was just thinking of creating, same idear as DrByte, guess I'm gonna have to get dirty unless someone has tackled this already