The problem with this is it is not scalable, you cannot just have unlimited columns in a Database table. This is the wrong architecture for a CCK.

yes you may be right but I've been using this very same architecture with some CCK for 8 years or so and we usually have between 5 to 50 fields for each content type without any issue. In some times we have even more
I guess we won't face a real limi in the real life here.

I guess we won't face a real limi in the real life here.

In your life. Maybe.

In real life all the large CMS's have gone for the correct db architecture of Entity-Attribute-Value. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entity–attribute–value_model

This is how Magento allows unlimited attributes per product.

This is how WordPress allows types, with unlimited fields.

we usually have between 5 to 50 fields for each content type without any issue.

Just one limitation - So tell me, what is the maximum row length in Mysql? MSSQL? A quick google:

MYSQL: The internal representation of a MySQL table has a maximum row size limit of 65,535 bytes
MSSQL: So a record size (row size) in SQL server cannot be greater than 8060 bytes

So not unlimited.

When you start working with large data sets, there are better ways to store the data. CCK's by their very nature, lend themselves to the EAV Model very easily and all the big players use that model.

....and all the big players use that model..... and are still able to "sort" on those fields (albeit not as performant as a SQL Join I admit.)

ok I guess you are right Phil. I just heard many times we could not propose to filter the joomla articles lists upon the custom fields because of the vertical storage of the CF values.

I've created CCKs... one of the first, called Phil-A-Form, that did exactly what you propose with horizontal (creating a new column per field) and even that was problematic.

There has been some renewed discussion about CCK and Joomla recently - maybe if everyone can get together and propose something amazing, with the right structure, and with the right migration path of com_content's data on existing sites, to a new Article Type in the CCK, then maybe we might get a CCK into Joomla. Let me link some links here:

#19150 ah I see you are in that
joomla/rfc#26

MAINTAINERS DO NOT MERGE THIS

read: wants to merge 47 commits into 4.0-dev from 4.1-dev very very odd.

This is not a PR... this is a discussion it seems.

We have been working with Seblod and others for years and know some of them very very well. My purpose here is not to have a full CCK in the core of Joomla (even if I'd love to but so many people here wrote me so many times it was not possible or too heavy ...)
my only concern here was to add the possibility to to filter the joomla articles lists upon the custom fields.

I whish I could participate in the debate, either for a real embeded CCK or at least this missing feature. Thanks for your kind answers

@pulsarinformatique something went wrong with your pull request. There is no code from you just a mistaken merge of 4.1 into 4.0

Yes Brian, sorry, this is what Phil wrote above. I don't know where to write my proposal then :(

Is your proposal just the words/thought of the idea - or do you have concrete code to contribute?

@pulsarinformatique if it is just words then please write it as requested a thousand times in the discussion #19150

If it code then something went wrong with your pull request

No, I'm sorry this is just the idea of a possible DB structure. I wish I could take part in the debate because I feel I could help. Please tell me where I could participate

@pulsarinformatique please close this. Please post it as requested in the #19150

ok Brian, with pleasure