Feature request: Editable Static Content via UI with JSON-Based Configuration Files

[berntpopp]

Overview

Introduce functionality to allow editing of static content (e.g., Help, FAQ) directly from the user interface. The content should be managed through JSON-based configuration files stored in the MySQL database.

Description

Static content on the website should be dynamically editable without the need for direct code changes or deployments. The proposed system would involve a UI component that can manipulate JSON structures, which are then stored and retrieved from a MySQL database.

Goals

• Allow non-technical users to update static content on the website.
• Utilize JSON for configuration to maintain structure and facilitate easy updates.
• Implement a robust and user-friendly UI for editing the content.

Technical Approach

• Create JSON schemas representing the structure of each static content page.
• Design a UI editor that conforms to the JSON schema and allows users to edit content.
• Develop backend services to save the JSON configurations to the MySQL database.
• Implement retrieval mechanisms for the front-end to load and display the content from the stored JSON configurations.

Useful Resources

• Blog Post: How to Work with MySQL and JSON in Developing Cloud Apps

Considerations

• JSON schemas need to be well-structured to accommodate all necessary content fields.
• UI editor should include validation based on the JSON schema.
• Version control for content changes should be considered to allow rollback if needed.

Tasks

• Define JSON schemas for static content.
• Design and develop the UI content editor.
• Implement backend services for content management.
• Ensure security measures are in place for content editing authorization.

[berntpopp]

Closing as delivered.

The static-content CMS is fully implemented with a draft/publish workflow backed by MySQL:

Frontend (admin editor):

• app/src/views/admin/ManageAbout.vue — WYSIWYG section editor with:
  • Draft/Published status badge
  • Version badge
  • Section count
  • "Save Draft" + "Publish" actions
• Consumed by app/src/views/help/AboutView.vue and DocumentationView.vue

Backend (CMS endpoints):

• api/endpoints/about_endpoints.R — full CRUD + draft/publish workflow:
  • GET current user's draft (falls back to latest published)
  • Requires Administrator role
  • Sections stored as structured JSON in MySQL
• Schema delivered by db/migrations/001_add_about_content.sql

Closing as the original goals are met:

• ✅ Allow non-technical users to update static content → admin UI with draft/publish
• ✅ JSON-structured configuration → sections stored as JSON in about_content table
• ✅ Robust UI editor → ManageAbout.vue with validation and preview
• ✅ Backend storage + retrieval → about_endpoints.R
• ✅ Authorization → Administrator role required

Identified via consolidated code review on 2026-04-11 (docs/reviews/2026-04-11-codebase-review.md).