My how-to originally started out as a review, it really did, I swear!!

http://www.concrete5.org/documentation/how-tos/designers/integrate-...

I play with this add-on on a daily basis and try to figure out what I can do with it next. It's almost a challenge... a challenge I enjoy!! Thanks John! And for all others reading this, consider my how-to at the above link as my review. And enjoy the few simple implementations I've provided ;)

I'm not a wizard when it comes to php but with a basic understanding of programming and familiarity with using 'short codes' (from wordpress and HTML email generator software I've used in the past), this add-on has opened up a whole load of possibilities and ways to enhance my website.

Already saved me hours of work and I'm now able to really customise the website for my visitors (I'm using this add on to display a count of the number of pages within a section of my site, for which a copy of the symbol code is here...
http://www.concrete5.org/community/forums/customizing_c5/need-to-ec...

Excellent support, excellent add on 10/10

I have a membership site and I needed an easy way to give some feedback to the user about information in there account .. example there time left in a group

I couldn't figure out an easy way to call this information.

John was able to provide a solution very fast with his add-on using symbols. And after playing with it for several days I am starting to wish I started with this add-on from the beginning. If you are developing with C5 on any level beyond a static website this is well worth looking at.

I give this a :: Highly Recommended! (the type of add-on where you wish was included in the core)

P.S. John is also as nice and helpful as he is a solid programmer

some of the other solutions that have helped me along the way from John are

Load jQuery.UI
Front End File Manager
Front End File Uploader
Toolbar Quick Links
Last Updated
Image List Templates
Cache Vac
Magic Tabs

(im sure the list will grow bigger as time passes)


Thanks for the help JohntheFish,
-Cory

If there is something you want C5 to do and doesn't...this will most likely do it! It will take a few to get the hang of it, but when you do, it will be the add-on you will use most.

Love it!

I just started playing around with the MagicData-Addons some weeks ago but yet, I cannot estimate how much more could be done with it once I get a real grip on it and know some more symbols.

It is easy to use and John gives great support and updates on these add-ons. This can save a lot of coding and custom development!

I must say up front that there is a learning curve with Magic Data. The built in learning resources and symbol testing engine though make it unbelievably interactive and powerful.

I thought at first that spending the necessary time learning MD may be better spent learning the inner workings of C5. What I didn't realize until I did it was how well MD helps you to learn all of the classes, handles and attributes that C5 exposes. John packages the most important elements together so nicely that you can quickly get a bird's eye view.

Still having a measure of understanding of the structure of C5, you see that many things you would want to do with PHP snippets are much cleaner and better handled by Magic Data. Especially when you start to embed the MD symbols in other blocks.

I warn you, you will get kind of addicted and start to evaluate the purchase and use of other addons depending on their Magic Data support. It is because once you have climbed the mountain and saw the vista on the other side, you won't want to look back.

John is unbelievable with his support and seems to have an overarching master plan, that IMHO, is making C5 vastly more powerful and adaptable to any conceivable use. He is a true asset to this community.

Great support for this add-on. I typically got a response within a couple of hours and the response was always detailed and helpful. Thanks!

It really does add power & flexibility to what you can do, all without php.
Initially, if it were not for the amazing support from John, I might have dinged it a star because it can take a bit to get your mind around how to use it. Part of that comes from the plethora of symbols and such. READ THE DOCS!!! Having said that, the support makes this 5 star without a doubt. See review of Magic Data Templates for more on that!

Excellent product!!

This product is easily the most powerful and versatile product in the market place. If there is something you can’t achieve with other products, or lack the essential php background to customize the core code, or product code, you should definitely buy this add-on.

I purchased this product for my business. The add-on developer, JohntheFish, worked with my partner, Kim Stone, to achieve multiple objectives.

1) Display a list of user generated pages to be displayed on the User/Member profile page.
2) Customize a link that initially lead to a Bio Page generation form. Once the form was generated and submitted the Bio Page, the original link dynamically changed to a link to that page.
3) Used in conjunction with Front End File Manager, and Sorcerers Gallery add-ons to display the a bio image an a user generated page. Most significantly, with John's support, we created a Magic Data token to generate a file with user id to upload the images to. By adding user based permissions to that file it allowed the user to add/delete files from the file manager without interfering with or accessing other user files.

I can't say enough about John's support. He responded to each inquiry promptly, and sensing our urgency, even proactively let us know his availability to help in the future. John made us look like a superstars to our client. Thanks, John!!