• sirena
  • sirena
  • Senior Member
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  • Registered: 2006-04-06
  • Posts: 473

Topic: Move all admin files into their own directory

It would be handy if punBB kept all its admin files in a discrete directory off the forum root.

That way it would be easier to password protect them (eg running under Apache) through user interfaces like cPanel, which easily let folks PWD protect whole directories but not specific files.

I know it can be done against the individual punBB admin_files in other ways under *nix and IIS, but this would be easier and tidier.

Request rating (self assessment):

Urgency scale 1(low) - 5(now!) -  1
Criticality scale 1(not) - 5(extremely) - 1
Usefulness scale 1(not) - 5(indispensable) - 3.5 (extra points as a security improvement)

Overall score: 5.5/15

smile

  • From: Leuven, Belgium
  • Registered: 2005-06-14
  • Posts: 2,653

Re: Move all admin files into their own directory

Why not use .htaccess to protect single files?

  • sirena
  • sirena
  • Senior Member
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  • Registered: 2006-04-06
  • Posts: 473

Re: Move all admin files into their own directory

As I mentioned in my original post, 'I know it can be done against the individual punBB admin_files in other ways under *nix and IIS, but this would be easier and tidier.'

.htaccess is fine, and HTTP authentication against specific files is doable too under IIS with no hassle for a site administrator, but most hosting users wouldn't know how to do either. 

Some popular hosting interfaces (ie cPanel) make it possible for users to easily setup authentication against Apache directories, but not files. Hence my suggestion.

And the easier something is to do, the more likely it will be done.

I also have a personal preference for web apps to better segment their files by function to make managing them easier.

punBB does that in part already (/img, /cache, /plugins, /style etc) so logically why not /admin?

4 Reply by Paul

  • Paul
  • Senior Member
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  • From: Wales, UK.
  • Registered: 2003-08-13
  • Posts: 3,089

Re: Move all admin files into their own directory

Before this conversation goes any further, this has been requested/discussed before.

  • From: 127.0.0.1
  • Registered: 2001-11-02
  • Posts: 9,167

Re: Move all admin files into their own directory

It's on my "investigate" list for 1.3 smile

"Programming is like sex: one mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life."

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  • Connorhd
  • Connorhd
  • Former PunBB Developer
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  • From: Leeds, UK
  • Registered: 2004-06-13
  • Posts: 4,195

Re: Move all admin files into their own directory

It would certainly look nicer than lots of files with a prefix imo (i mean what are directorys for? wink)

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