1 Topic by cannyboy (edited by cannyboy 2010-10-31 13:29)

  • Registered: 2010-10-31
  • Posts: 4

Topic: Forum with no interface - possible with PunBB?

I'm not really a server-side person – I generally do iPhone apps, though I've hacked together a few Wordpress sites.

I'm curious as to whether I could use PunBB for the back-end of an iPhone app whose front end presents as a basic forum. In other words, people can create new threads, and respond to them - with plain text only - on the iPhone, and use PunBB as the backend on a server somewhere. The phone can send GET and POST stuff via http.

The forum would not exist as a website.. the only way to access it would be on the phone.

Could I use PunBB for this? Other parts of the spec include no user registration - the user just chooses a name, and ability to search (titles only)

  • KeyDog
  • KeyDog
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Re: Forum with no interface - possible with PunBB?

Are you asking for permission to build a commercial iPhone app based on PunBB?
Or are you asking it it will be technically possible, code-able to make such an app?

  • Registered: 2010-10-31
  • Posts: 4

Re: Forum with no interface - possible with PunBB?

I'm asking if it's possible to set up PunBB on a server to act as the backend of part of an iPhone app. So there is no website, it's just accessible via the iPhone app. So a user could create new threads etc on the iPhone without using a website.

I know how to do the iPhone stuff.. I'm just wondering if PunBB can be the forum backend bit.

4 Reply by Grez

  • Grez
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Re: Forum with no interface - possible with PunBB?

I suppose it should be possible. Inserting data to db is handled by functions, but for loading the data you'd have to solve how to display the data...

But IMO it would be easier to do the layout for mobile users and use it as normal website, rather than making app  neutral smile

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  • Registered: 2010-10-31
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Re: Forum with no interface - possible with PunBB?

What functions would I use to create a new user, create a thread, search etc? and with what variables?

For displaying the forum, I guess I would alter the display code so that it outputted XML, like this:

<messages>
  <message id = 0>
    <title>The Title</title>
    <message>Lorem Ipsum message. Lorem Ipsum message. Lorem Ipsum message</message>
  </message>
  <message id = 1>
    <title>The Title</title>
    <message>Lorem Ipsum message. Lorem Ipsum message. Lorem Ipsum message</message>
  </message>
</messages>

.. since parsing XML is reasonably easy on the iPhone.

6 Reply by Grez

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Re: Forum with no interface - possible with PunBB?

functions add_user(), add_post(), add_topic() <- the data you need to send you find at proper files (register.php, post.php...)  smile

Eraversum - scifi browser-based online webgame

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  • Registered: 2010-10-31
  • Posts: 4

Re: Forum with no interface - possible with PunBB?

thanks a lot, i will look into it