Johannes
What I've found is that first, just like any Joomla extension, Fabrik is not the solution to every problem. (Although I'm starting to feel that it might be PART of the solution to most problems that are not easily solved by other existing extensions).
This has been my process when faced with any new feature request:
1. Do a THOROUGH search (not just JED) to see if there is an extension that will do what is needed (or at least 90% needed)
- If no, continue
2. Is there budget AND client patience to build a custom extension - if so - use ComponentCreator to start the process and go that route
- if not yes to BOTH
3. If there is budget but not patience - use Fabrik to build the 'prototype' (to get something up-and-running fast) then continue building-out the full extension using custom code.
4. If there is patience but not budget - use Fabrik to build the system - but let the client know that there will be limitations AND that you can't guarantee the longevity of the custom solution (i.e. there may be a re-write in the future ... but that could also be the case for custom project)
Of course, this would more properly be represented in a flow-chart. I wasn't able to include things like 'is this a 'focused' project with specific tasks/goals'.
I'm finding that Fabrik is a VERY handy tool in my Joomla development process. I can VERY quickly get something up-and-running as a prototype for a client (or for my own personal projects). Then I can easily work on the custom code after it's running (and even use most of my custom logic code from fabrik in the custom project - with just tweeks to handle the difference in the environment that it's running.
BTW ... IF it were possible, I would put in a wish list for the future of fabrik to be able to not create a 'package', but to be able to take an existing set of lists/forms/etc (the 'concept' of a package) and actually export that as custom/native Joomla extension. Now THAT would be cool. (And I'm sure Hugh could knock that code out in just a few hours!
)
If others are using Fabrik in this way (esp. creating the prototype in Fabrik and then moving to a custom app) maybe you could share some tips that have saved you time or things to make that process work better. If you can share here I'll compile things and create something in the wiki so we can all reference it as we work on our projects.
