Suggestion: Integration of 3rd party code

[svit]

During the years of managing our online communities via IP products, I was facing the need of extending the functionality of the IP Board by 3rd party addons. I believe some of them are so important for every IPB client/user that I was wandering if they could be integrated into the IPB package as its standard functions. This would ease our works of clients as we wouldn't be forced to follow and upgrade these addons independently on IP upgrades and IP team would be providing a stronger package to their customers. The addons I found most imortant are:

1. (JG32) Forum Spammer IP & Email Check via stopforumspam 1.1.0
Since installing this hook a few weeks ago, I haven't had a single spammer trying ot register on my forums. Previously I had to be dealing with deletion of 20 spam users every day per each board, despite using captcha nad QA challange.

2. Queued Items [3.2] 1.2.1
Without this hook I had no chance timely respond to items waiting approval. I believe for us admins/moderators it is essential to have an indication of content waiting approval on the main page, to be able to react immediately. I have witnessed this functionality to be requested many times on this forum.

3. Auto Welcome Members
I think this function greatly enhances the comfort of each community as members are being welcome by an automated message / email. I think it is an essential addon for every forum as it provides extra information to each newcomer and enables his landing to the forum to be softer and safer and I think it would be appreciated by most of us admin.

If you have similiar feelings, please let us know, maybe the IP team could negotiate ways how some bits of code could be integrated to the main package the provide yet stronger product.

[• Jay •]

1) I'd actually prefer to see KeyCaptcha integrated as a default feature, but good thinking. :smile:

2) No opinion.

3) It's a popular add-on, for sure. However, I would not be in favor of implementing it as a standard feature. I think that a better idea would be to have an admin-configured "landing page" (default topic) for members to load immediately upon validation of their account. Then, it doesn't clutter up the database with duplicate content and that information is publicly available for future reference (no risk of them deleting the PM then needing to PM the admin to ask questions about what the welcome message covered in it later on).

[Jυra]

I never read welcome PMs. It's too clear that it's automated since you get it right after joining.

[bfarber]

2) Our moderator CP already consolidates every area of the software to show you items waiting approval. You do not get a count at the top of the page if that is what you are actually requesting, but all content waiting approval is already available from one page as of IP.Board 3.2.

[svit]

Thank you, I think it is really important for admins/moderators to see some sort of notification of queued items on the index page (whether on the top bar or as a hook) as it draws immediate attention and timely action can be taken. This follows the same logic the board is using when trying to notify members on the new messages etc.- in the top black notification area. I am surprised the same logic is not being used in this case.

On our pages, we don't need to moderate the content often and it is not practical to be forced to be clicking on Moderation link every day to check if there is any new content waiting. At present we have solved it by installing Michael's hook which is doing the work.

I have attached some ideas of how i think it would be helpful to be notifying moderators on a new content.

[• Jay •]

There is already notification on the board index.



There is also notification on the topic listing.

[Marcher Technologies]

.... does anyone bother to take into account the mod authors that made the code you wish to be absorbed into the core for your piece of mind?
... pretty certain Michael McCune and Mike John aren't gonna vanish randomly...
I still fail to see the point of all the wrangling to absorb mod authors features into the core product.... frankly, what is a "must-have" add-on for some, is "bloat" to others.... the fact mod authors can make these type of items for you to install/use easily is a testament to the extensibility of the core itself..... unless its a must-have for a mass majority... i don't see the point in adding the overhead, however slight, to the core... my 2 cents(I also fail to see the point of adding a core feature where a mod already fills the gap).

[Adriano Faria]

I do agree. ModCP -> Unapproved Content is not a good idea; it's too hidden... Queued topics can be easily viewed on board index and forum list because appears the queued tag but all other apps don't. Unless you click thousand times on ModCP you won't know if there's a file, image, blog entry, comments or something else awaiting approval.

That's why Queued Items from Michael is totally necessary for board maintenance... Can't imagine a big community without it.

[Michael]

Yeah, the ModCP is great in that it does give you one central place to go to see what all is unapproved, but you have to actually go into it and click through each of the tabs to see what needs your attention. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me when most apps cache the counts of what is queued, you could be able to calculate that without even needing additional queries. That's what I do in this hook where I can.

[svit]

There is already notification on the board index. There is also notification on the topic listing.

That's fine, we just need to be able to approve content of all the modules: Blogs, Calendar Events, Downloads..etc.

.... does anyone bother to take into account the mod authors that made the code you wish to be absorbed into the core for your piece of mind?

... pretty certain Michael McCune and Mike John aren't gonna vanish randomly...

Sure that's why I have writen in my post:
'If you have similiar feelings, please let us know, maybe the IP team could negotiate ways of how some bits of code could be integrated to the main package the provide yet stronger product.'

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]([/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=2]I also fail to see the point of adding a core feature where a mod already fills the gap[/size][/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]). [/font][/color]

I think the benefit is that once integrated - it would save time to all newcomers to figure out through (usually painful) experience that the feature is missing, time searching for the proper mod, installing it and keeping up to date independently on upgrading the core.

[Marcher Technologies]

Yeah, the ModCP is great in that it does give you one central place to go to see what all is unapproved, but you have to actually go into it and click through each of the tabs to see what needs your attention. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me when most apps cache the counts of what is queued, you could be able to calculate that without even needing additional queries. That's what I do in this hook where I can.

...why, if i may ask... was a "landing" for the modcp not implemented? simply just a spilling pool by last update for all apps when you hit modcp for items you have access to handle seems.... less of a hassle.(agreeing... clicking through all the tabs on an app-populated environment... eesh)

[svit]

I will say it yet differently :smile: If we adopt the same system we are at present offering to moderators to community members, then for them to get to know whether or not have they received a new private message, they would have to click User (on the top panel) and then Mail as a submenu and the message would be there - maybe or maybe not. Which we feel is unacceptable.

I really believe these features should be leveled and both should be notifying us directly on the main information panel of the index page.

[Marcher Technologies]

I will say it yet differently :smile: If we adopt the same system we are at present offering to moderators to community members, then for them to get to know whether or not have they received a new private message, they would have to click User (on the top panel) and then Mail as a submenu and the message would be there - maybe or maybe not. Which we feel is unacceptable.

I really believe these features should be leveled and both should be notifying us directly on the main information panel of the index page.

:smile: Think a little more on the idea? I like it... but not all of us have the forums as the landing... or even turned on.

[• Jay •]

([size=2]I also fail to see the point of adding a core feature where a mod already fills the gap[/size]).

That's all well and good until upgrade time rolls around and you have to wait for that mod author to get around to updating that mod.

There are plenty of other ways the product can be modified if something is integrated that was once a mod. It's not like IPS goes through the Marketplace adding every mod submitted into the core product.

[Royzee]

1) I agree it would benefit all, even though IPS already has their own spam service. I think the problem is the IPS spam DB only contains spammers that have been collected from other IP.Board websites (as far as I know), while the SFS DB contains spammers that have been reported from any and all sites.

2) Not familiar with this problem as my main board is arcade/RPG and low posting.

3) This I suppose is up to the site owner, but I would disable it on my forum. I have always felt put off with an auto welcome when I join a new forum as being very cold and impersonal, as well as an obvious canned response. For this reason, I have a staff member who handles a personal Welcome for all new members.

[• Jay •]

3) This I suppose is up to the site owner, but I would disable it on my forum. I have always felt put off with an auto welcome when I join a new forum as being very cold and impersonal, as well as an obvious canned response. For this reason, I have a staff member who handles a personal Welcome for all new members.

That's another reason I like the idea of a landing page for new members. There's no expectation of a personalized welcome, they're designed for mass consumption.