First reactions to IPB

[Shanj]

Well so far I'm very happy to have joined IPB. I have two boards and got one going with quite a bit of nice customisation.
The support is extremely excellently good both by staff via tickets and on this board. :thumbsup: Very very impressive.

:thumbsup: Of course I like the software or I wouldn't have bought it. On almost every count it beat VBulletin bigtime.
The admin cp is worlds better so much better to navigate with the tabs above AND a side menu. Most of the routes and controls are very clear and it's all very refreshing compared to the weary trudge in VB admin. The permissions especially are very well done though see note below on cloning.

There are two things I'd suggest though. One is that the tiny tiny very pale Edit icons on the right in any admin grid displays are NOT comfortable. Too small, too pale, to tucked over on one side. A large red EDIT icon please and right by the name of that section. It is the most frequently needed click in the admin CP after all.
The other is to have an admin duplicate forum feature (cloning). It saves ac lot of fiddling about. Even though IPB permissions are much better laid out they are still a pain if you're setting up several forums - which can be almost identical. So "Make forum based on another? + select box please.

The other board I tried is Xenforo. I really liked it :) and I think the way that alerts are handled, and the user box top right generally could be a bit better here. :grin: A direct link to a new PM please, meanwhile I'll paste it in the template likewise and showing the user avatar beside the Quick Reply bx - it's so inviting because you're already part of the thread! Also Likes clearly (there's a mod here I see).
But there's not a lot in it and there are so many other features here.
I thought at first I preferred the sleeker editor on XF but actually it's better to see what I'm doing - the formatting is clear to see here.

Finally though I had a big struggle to create a portal. :sweat:
The IPB one is pretty clunky - very little flexibility. I tried adding the Sidebar Blocks mod as IPB Portal doesn't let me make my own blocks nor reorder the layout. Sidebar Blocks are fantastic :thumbsup: But because there's no ordering of the portal's blocks it was all still too awkward.
IPConent looked awful in the demo I did - far too complicated and not really designed for what I want. I might try it later but much too complicated when you're first setting up.

At the moment I'm using Unreal Portal which has been absolutely great. :thumbsup: It's utterly flexible, lets me do exactly what I want in terms of blocks and layout. With Sidebar Blocks :thumbsup: I'm duplicating the blocks on the portal on to the other pages. Only thing is the support is not brilliant for Unreal but it's so well designed it doesn't need much. It's just a risk if something stops working. I'll have another look at IPContent one day I expect.

The other fantastic mod here is Tutorials :thumbsup: - it lets me build a library of content pages as easily as writing forum posts on the frontend - with permissions too! AND converts a forum post to an article. Wonderful, this was one of my big gripes on XF no editor on their Pages so only html coders could use them. I c an do that but I'd rather be able to share the workload with my un-coder mods.
Mustn't forget the skins ... delicious and very easy to add. Oh and the skin generator very useful as a starter base. A plug for Dragonfly here her skins are gorgeous.

It's said that there aren't many mods or skins here but it's not true. The real situation is that what's here is recent and workable, not a load of old junk from years ago that won't run. The quality is good too with very good fast installation for apps and hooks.

Hope that helps others with a realistic assessment. Overall very much a happy admin here.

oh pooh I was trying to make the post fun with emoticons and you won't let me! couldja say how many are allowed con the dialogue notice or else how am I to know how many to delete?

[3DKiwi]

The IPB one is pretty clunky - very little flexibility. I tried adding the Sidebar Blocks mod as IPB Portal doesn't let me make my own blocks nor reorder the layout.

You can create your own blocks either using IP Content or by using the following code in the Portal skin template:

<div class='general_box'>

	<h3><img src='{$this->settings['img_url']}/comment_new.png' alt='{$this->lang->words['icon']}' /> &nbsp;Block title</h3>

	<ul>

		<div align="center"></div>

	</ul>Your html code here</div>

</div>

Reordering is pretty simple just by editing the same template.

3DKiwi

[Shanj]

Thank you Kiwi. I'm sure that will be useful to have on file here and I have pit it in my notes too.
I prefer Unreal Portal right now because I can it all instantly and easily in the admin cp - no template coding needed.
But there could come a time when it lets me down and I have to use the EPB portal so your advice here makes me feel safe.