4WDCSA.co.za/docs/EVENTS_ADMIN_SYSTEM.md

Events Management Admin System

Overview

A complete admin system for managing events on the 4WDCSA website, following the same patterns as the trip management system.

Files Created

1. /src/admin/manage_events.php

Purpose: Form for creating and editing events

Features:

• Create new events form
• Edit existing events form
• Fields:
  • Event Name (required)
  • Event Type (required) - e.g., Workshop, Training, Rally
  • Location (required)
  • Date (required)
  • Time (required)
  • Feature/Category (required) - e.g., Off-Road Training, Social Event
  • Description (required) - Full text description
  • Event Image (required for new, optional for updates)
  • Promotional Image (optional) - Displayed when users click "View Promo"
  • Published Status (checkbox) - Controls visibility on website

Technical Details:

• AJAX form submission to process_event endpoint
• Image upload with validation
• CSRF token protection
• Responsive Bootstrap grid layout (col-md-6 fields)
• Success/error message display with auto-redirect

2. /src/admin/process_event.php

Purpose: Backend endpoint for handling event CRUD operations

Endpoints:

• POST /process_event - Create/Update event
• GET /process_event?action=delete&event_id={id} - Delete event

Features:

• Create new events with image uploads
• Update existing events with optional image replacement
• Delete events and associated image files
• CSRF token validation
• Image type validation (JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP)
• File organization in /assets/images/events/
• Automatic timestamp management (created_at, updated_at)
• User tracking (created_by stores admin user_id)

Image Handling:

• Main event image: Stored with unique ID prefix
• Promo image: Stored with _promo_ prefix
• Both uploaded to /assets/images/events/

3. /src/admin/admin_events.php

Purpose: Admin dashboard for managing all events

Features:

• List all events with sortable columns
• Real-time search/filter across all columns
• Create new event button
• Edit event link for each row
• Delete event with confirmation dialog
• Status badges (Published/Draft)
• Responsive table with alternating row colors
• Rounded corners on even rows

Sortable Columns:

• Event Name
• Type
• Location
• Date
• Status

Actions:

• Edit - Redirects to manage_events.php with event_id
• Delete - Removes event and associated files

Database Schema Changes

Migration File: /docs/migrations/001_add_events_tracking_columns.sql

Columns Added to events table:

• created_by (int) - References user who created the event
• published (tinyint(1)) - Boolean flag for publication status (default 0/false)
• created_at (timestamp) - Automatic timestamp when event is created
• updated_at (timestamp) - Automatic timestamp updated on modification

Indexes Added:

• idx_date - For sorting and filtering by date
• idx_published - For filtering published/draft events
• idx_created_by - For tracking who created events

Design Patterns

Follows Trip Management System Architecture

• Same form layout and styling (.comment-form.bgc-lighter)
• Same table styling with sortable headers and filters
• Same image upload and validation patterns
• AJAX submission with success/error messaging
• Auto-redirect on successful operation

Image Organization

/assets/images/events/
├── {unique_id}_{original_filename}.jpg (event images)
└── {unique_id}_promo_{original_filename}.jpg (promo images)

Front-end Integration

The existing /src/pages/events/events.php displays published events:

• Shows event image, name, location, date, time
• Feature description and full description
• "View Promo" button displays promotional image in modal

Usage Workflow

Creating an Event

1. Navigate to /src/admin/manage_events.php
2. Fill in all required fields
3. Upload event image
4. Optionally upload promotional image
5. Check "Publish Event" if ready to display
6. Submit form via AJAX
7. Redirected to admin_events.php list view

Editing an Event

1. Click "Edit" button on admin_events.php
2. Modify any fields
3. Image upload is optional - existing image retained if not changed
4. Update timestamps and user tracking automatic
5. Submit form
6. Redirected back to list view

Deleting an Event

1. Click "Delete" button on admin_events.php
2. Confirm deletion in dialog
3. Event and associated image files removed from server
4. Page automatically refreshes

Publishing/Unpublishing

• Toggle "Publish Event" checkbox before saving
• Only published events appear on /src/pages/events/events.php
• Draft events hidden from public view

Security Features

1. CSRF Token Protection: All forms include CSRF token validation
2. Admin-only Access: checkAdmin() function validates user permissions
3. File Validation: Image type checking (JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP)
4. SQL Injection Prevention: Prepared statements with parameter binding
5. XSS Prevention: htmlspecialchars() used for output escaping

Styling Classes

Form Container: .comment-form.bgc-lighter.z-1.rel.mb-30.rmb-55 Action Buttons: .btn-edit, .btn-delete Status Badges: .badge.badge-published, .badge.badge-draft Tables: Uses sortable header styling with visual sort indicators

Browser Compatibility

• Modern browsers with AJAX/Fetch API support
• JavaScript enabled required for filtering and sorting
• File input accepts image MIME types

Future Enhancement Opportunities

1. Bulk event operations (bulk delete, publish multiple)
2. Event categories/tags system
3. Event capacity limits with registrations
4. Email notifications for published events
5. Event calendar view
6. Event image gallery (multiple images per event)
7. Recurring events support
8. Event attendee tracking