An alternative is to simply release hdiff's. Creating them is extremely easy. We could even modify the hdiff program to output more specialized instructions.

6,402

(18 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Post your impressions on PunBB 1.1.2 in this topic. Especially regarding the new release formats.

6,403

(0 replies, posted in News)

Today brings the release of PunBB 1.1.2. The release is a bugfix version for 1.1.1. No new features have been added. For a full list of changes, please see the changelog.

Beginning with 1.1.2, PunBB will be released in three flavors: full, changed files only and patch. The changed files only archive contains, well, only the files that have changed since the last release. The patch is output from the UNIX command diff and can be used together with the UNIX command patch to automatically patch all affected files. To use the patch, you will need shell access (SSH/telnet) to the server that hosts your forums and access to the UNIX patch application. To patch, upload the patch file onto the server and run the command: "patch -cl -d [punbb_dir] -p1 < [patch_file]". Replace [punbb_dir] with the path to your forums root directory and [patch_file] with the path to the patch file. If the patch for some reason is unable to complete (e.g. if a mod is interfering with the patch), you will have to manually update the affected files.

All packages are available on the download page. Discuss the release in this topic.

Enjoy!

6,404

(12 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Well, they should if you run the message through parse_message before you output it. You must have made a mistake somewhere in your code.

6,405

(12 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Ah, of course. Before you include parser.php, you have to include functions.php as well.

6,406

(3 replies, posted in General discussion)

Writing a PunBB mod readme.txt? :D

6,407

(12 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Yes, just include parser.php and then call

$message = parse_message($message, $smilies);

Where $smilies is one or zero depending on whether you want to convert smilies to images or not.

Louis wrote:

I understand feeping creaturism and the second-system syndrome, but this isn't bloatware, but something that could strengthen PunBB's extensibility and make it more versitile. (It's not bells and whistles either, since PunBB was designed to be elegant, yet also to have modifications to improve it's functionality.)

Exactly! Providing PunBB with a general extensibility "system" will ruin that part about it being elegant. It's just not possible to do with PHP in a sensible manner. The code will be filled with one ugly solution after another. The very first thing that would have to be done is to move more or less every line of code into a class so that the default class behavior can be overridden from an extension.

Also, FireFox has the same problems as PunBB when it comes to multiple extensions modifying some of the same behaviour. You can't have two extensions loaded that modify e.g. how mouse gestures work.

Louis wrote:

Perhaps I'll try forking 1.1.2 and attempt to integrate both CSS/XHTML and some kind of mod system to see what the result could be. ;)

Be my guest. I would love to replace the bad markup/CSS in PunBB 1 with a full-fledged XHTML/CSS design for PunBB 2, but I can't do it myself. I know programming, not markup.

Meilad: The other topic is enough.

Meilad wrote:

I don't know why it wasn't implemented into punbb itself...

Because it's a hack, not a permanent solution.

Well, do you know any PHP?

6,412

(20 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

I'll wait until tomorrow. I've been working on different ways to release it. I will probably have a full package, a packade of changed files and a diff file (to use with patch).

Paul wrote:

Any chance of vertical navigation. The current horizontal menu could get rather messy with say a dozen items on it.

Yes, it will have a vertical layout.

Paul wrote:

Good. I would rather see a simple portal system build around PunBB with modules being developed for the portal. They would essentially be standalone scripts which simply utilised PunBB's membership and other database tables and, where appropriate, included PunBB files. I am not at all convinced that such things as file uploading, image galleries and even private messaging need to be embedded in a bbs sytems, they simply need to work with it. One thing I would like to see though is an idiot proof (and I speak as an highly trained idiot) way of utilising PunBB's membership system outside of PunBB.

My own view, for what its worth, is that I would like to see Rickards efforts directed to making PunBB as perfect as it possibly can be within the original design parameters. There is also the question of reputation to consider. If PunBB carries on as it is now with each new version being a refinement of the previous version then eventually it will become the automatic first choice for anybody looking for a fast, light, reliable and easily customized board. If it keeps chopping and changing it will never establish itself. Thats not to say that nothing new should be added but the additions should be improvements and enhancements to the existing functionaility and not new features. As usual I have slipped slightly off topic, but maybe thats because I have yet to see a mod which I actually had any use for.

It's nice to hear I'm not alone in the battle agains bloat and feature frenzy :D

Yes, creating such a login box isn't at all difficult. Just have a look at the login box in login.php and you should be able to more or less copy and paste the HTML code to your site front page.

Making it easier to add admin interface "modules" is already on the todo list for 1.2. It will only be a matter of putting a file in a specific directory and it will pop up in the admin interface.

Rewriting PunBB so that it allows "plug-ins" a la Firefox is a massive undertaking. It's also very un-PunBB:ish. If it is not absolutely clear why, I refer to the about page. It is simply not where I want to go with PunBB. Also, writing "modular code" in PHP that is short, fast and pretty is virtually impossible. Well, as far as I know anyway.

Regarding the whole mod create/install thing, I think the only viable solution is to create a visual application (not a script) that "helps" you create and/or install a mod. You start the app, load up the mod and then the app tries to patch the scripts. If it runs into trouble (i.e. conflict with an earlier mod), that perticular step will have to be done manually. However, someone needs to write this app. Also, the app must work on Windows, *NIX and MacOSX. Perhaps with the help of wxWindows.

6,416

(19 replies, posted in General discussion)

Louis: Stop posting links to that topic. I'm sure people will notice it anyway.

6,417

(13 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 bug reports)

Yes, I believe it is. On top of what you edited above, try adding the following directly after that row:

$message = str_replace("\n", "\r\n", $message);

^
|
|

He lost it!

Have a look at faq.html that was included in the package :)

6,420

(11 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 troubleshooting)

That's odd. Could you export a dump of the database structure and post it here? You can do that via phpMyAdmin or any other database management system.

6,421

(3 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 troubleshooting)

Try setting you cookie_domain in config.php to '.dutcholsentwins.com' and see if that helps.

But please don't. If you read the other topic you will see why ;)

6,423

(3 replies, posted in Feature requests)

I'm considering it.

6,424

(4 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 show off)

I take it you like the Olsen twins? :D

6,425

(20 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

As a few more bugs have surfaced since I first posted this topic, I will most likely release PunBB 1.1.2 tomorrow. There are no database changes and most (if not all) changes in the scripts are "one-liners".