1 Reply by reviewum.com

(42 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 show off)

zef wrote:

The theme looks good to me. What bothers most is the new structure in the administration panel.
Although it's more structured and organized it's unnecessary. But that's a subject to one's viewpoint.

For a board like phpBB and alike it's makes more sense cuz they are jam packed with stuff punbb doesn't have nor need.
Punbb <1.3 is more then intuitive enough. I started using it a week ago and found everything at on look in the admin panel.
There was no looking or thinking under which category it might hide. It was just there at the first look. It was perfect.
And I'm saying this as someone who just isn't to much used to it, to accept a new style but as a novice who tried many forums in the last weeks.

There is a reason for people choosing pun before others. Don't loose that quality by going phpBB style. It was very well organized till now.. (kudos to rickard for that)

I've thougth the same thing for the past 1.5 years and never said anything.   Thanks zef for putting my thoughts to words.

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 show off

2 Reply by reviewum.com

(3 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Thanks Smartys!  Is that documented anywhere or are you just a super coding genius (possibly both!?)

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 discussion

3 Topic by reviewum.com

(3 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Hey All,

Drives me crazy that I can't bookmark search results like:  http://punbb.org/forums/search.php?search_id=876882659

I know I can do this:
http://punbb.org/forums/search.php?acti … and+Upload

But that doesn't give me what I want.

How do I, for example, send someone a search that has these elements:

1)  specific keywords
2)  search only topic subjects
3)  show as topics

I find that I quite often want to point out specific searches to my members but can't find a way to link them to the results.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 discussion

4 Reply by reviewum.com

(2 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

ahhh... those pesky cache files!

That was probaly it.  Thanks Smartys!

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 discussion

5 Topic by reviewum.com

(2 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

I use the following script to backup my DB's and it works great!
http://www.ameir.net/blog/index.php?/ar … -v2.1.html

Every once in a while I drop all my tables to make sure I can restore the backup files.  Today I did this and before I started I put my forum in maintenance mode.

After putting the forum in Maintenance Mode I dropped all the tables.
Then I restored a backup from YESTERDAY.

What's odd is that after the restore the forum was still in Maintenance Mode.   This must mean the setting for Maintenance Mode is not in the DB (since I dropped all the tables and used a backup from when the forum was NOT in Maintenance Mode).

So, where is the Maintenance Mode setting kept?

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 discussion

6 Reply by reviewum.com

(154 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 modifications, plugins and integrations)

I sent this in an email to Koos, but I figured... why not post it here for the community to benefit:

Hey Koos,

Long time no write!  I hope you?re doing well.  I?m using your image upload script on two forums and it is working GREAT!   I?m wondering if you would be interested in me making a donation in exchange for a little upgrade:

Basically, I want to limit the number of pictures people can upload.   Limiting the size is great, but it would be AWESOME if I could give different groups different #s of images to upload? for example:

Admin: unlimited
Mods: 200
Supporter: 100
Members: 20

Something like that.   Let me know what type of donation would make it worth your while and I?ll see what I can pull together.

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 modifications, plugins and integrations

7 Reply by reviewum.com

(7 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Thanks Smartys.  I've tasted the everlasting Kool-Aid from your fountain of knowledge on many occasions and I'm hooked.  You definitely know your stuff.

BTW, for anyone looking for a good DB backup script, I use this one here: http://www.ameir.net/blog/index.php?/ar … -v2.1.html

Here's what I do to try to help ensure that my DB won't get lost too easily:

1)  Create a daily copy of the existing forum database and compress it to a zip file
2)  Leave a copy of that backup on the local server and send a copy to another server thousands of miles away.
3)  Download all the daily backup files from that second server onto my local computer
4)  Every once in a while burn all the backups to a DVD and store them at another physical location.

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 discussion

8 Reply by reviewum.com

(7 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

I'm surprised there aren't more threads on this subject (or comments on this one).

One of my DB's for punBB is about 300 mb and most of that is the search tables.  Backing up and especially restoring such a monster DB is a major hassle.   

Any way I can clean up the above processes to create a macro / script to automatically do everything I've listed above?

Any other thougths / comments on backing up punBB and/or cloning it to a separate location to run tests and install mods in a non-production environment?

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 discussion

9 Reply by reviewum.com

(124 replies, posted in News)

elbekko wrote:

Bingiman:
Yes, they want to make money. Like any other company. But they are merely sponsors and, as said, the paid forum hosting could produce quite the income if played properly.
And for a paid version... why not? Personally, I think it'd be better if people could 'buy' official extensions in that case. It'd be pretty much like a donation.

And you know, it's still software under the GPL. If the developers don't like the way the company is going, they can just fork off and go their own way again.

I completely agree.  I've been looking at vBulletin because some of my forums and projects are to the point that I'd like to leverage all the professionally built, tested, and supported extensions.   If a sponsorship deal allows for a paid version of punBB that has many tested extensions then I'm all for it.

In general I think we should all withhold judgments until we see a decline in productivity of the team or the viability of the product.  So far things look good and I'm seeing more progress on 1.3 than I've seen before.

Go to forum: News

10 Topic by reviewum.com

(0 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Hey PunBB masters,

I've got no design skills but I've got a simple question for somebody that does:

How do I add a small image or small bit of text to the top right of the forum in the main light blue part of the table?

For example, in this forum the text to the left of the area I'm looking at says
PunBB.org Forums
Unfortunately no one can be told what PunBB is - you have to see it for yourself.

How do I add an image / test to the far right of that (right justified)?

Thanks in advance!

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 discussion

11 Reply by reviewum.com

(6 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Smartys,  I've been looking through some of the resolutions and this one seems easy to implement, but aslo a bit of fun:

http://www.punres.org/files.php?pid=400

My forum topics are pretty specific, so I could use a question that applies just to the community.

So, one last thing:  Humor me... let's say it isn't a BOT, but a real person who is logging onto the forum.   Is there nothing that could be done to prevent email and/or posting SPAM?

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 discussion

12 Reply by reviewum.com

(6 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Seriously?   Well, i guess installing a CAPTCHA, etc. would help.   I just can't imagine that it is a bot and not a real person.  Any way to tell for sure?

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 discussion

13 Topic by reviewum.com

(6 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Hey All,

There are a bunch of SPAM threads and after reading through them it seems that the majority are based on bots that automatically signup as members and start posting SPAM posts in the forum.  There are a number of solutions to this including CAPTCHA, etc. where we try to thwart an automated BOT system.

I've (knock on wood) not had a huge problem with BOTs posting spam in my forum, but what I'm seeing now is members signing up and using the forum email feature and the links to members' email addresses to SPAM email them.

I highly doubt these are due to bots.   Would you agree?   If it isn't a bot, but a real person, then the CAPTCHA, other validation methods do me no good, correct?   Seems that the only fixes (base on this being real people and not bots) are:

1)  Encouraging members not to post their email addresses or allow email through the forum - I don't like this idea as it prohibits the communication and comradere within the community

2)  Reactively ban the member - By the time members receive the SPAM emails and report the user the spammer has already hit a bunch of members.    I'm also hesitant to ban IP addresses and especially ranges as I've seen legit members also get blocked.

So, for non-bot related spam, especially in the form of email to clients, is there a solution?

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 discussion

14 Reply by reviewum.com

(15 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 modifications, plugins and integrations)

This type of functionality should be in the default installation of the forum with a toggle to open all external in a new window or not.

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 modifications, plugins and integrations

15 Reply by reviewum.com

(5 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 modifications, plugins and integrations)

Glad there are other members that are interested in this.  Let's define exactly what we want and don't want and we'll go from there. 

I got a quote for $75 on the following project from a programmer I've used for many projects:


I want to allow members to buy subscriptions to extra features on the forum, for example, image hosting, private messaging, etc.  There is no payment integration to Paypal, etc. needed.  Just a system that will automatically change the "group_id" from one number to another number once membership expires.

My idea of how to do this easily is below. 

1)  A member pays and I go into the application and selects a member and move them to the "supporting member" group (in the DB this is just changing "group_id" from 4 to 5).   
2)  Admin enters the length of time for the membership: for example, 12 months
3)  The system automatically checks, maybe every week, to see if an expiration is approaching:
If expiration date is 0 - 1 month away the system sends an automated email that their subscription is about to expire. 
If expiration date is < current date the system automatically moves them into the regular "members" group (in the DB change "group_id" from 5 to 4).     and send a notification email.

As you can tell I kept the project pretty easy and made it so it wouldn't need to be totally tied into punbb.  Also, no payment integration, but I'm sure PayPal subscriptions / payments could be added.

What do you think?   Please reply with your "Must Haves" and "Nice to haves" and we'll go from there.

For me, the must have is:
? Automated removal from supported member to regular member at end of subscription

From there, everything else is a nice to have.  smile

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 modifications, plugins and integrations

16 Reply by reviewum.com

(92 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 modifications, plugins and integrations)

A quick follow up on the item above.   I'd like to change the "Visit timeout" from an hour up to possibly 24 hours but am concerned of the impact this will have on the forum.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this matter.

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 modifications, plugins and integrations

17 Topic by reviewum.com

(0 replies, posted in Feature requests)

I'm running a forum with a lot of users and moderators.  I was shocked to see that PunBB doesn't record which moderator banned which user and when.   I would think all that information would be increadibly necessary to run a successful forum.

Please add the ability to record which moderator / administrator banned which user and when to the  admin_bans.php page.

Go to forum: Feature requests

18 Reply by reviewum.com

(92 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 modifications, plugins and integrations)

I've installed the mod on my forum and it is working great.   I upgraded my server right before the installation so it was hard to gauge if / how much of a server load impact it has had.   I've got timeout set to an hour (as suggested by the author).  I'd love to increase this to something like 24 hours, but am worried about how this may impact performance.   Any thoughts?

Using the patch was relatively easy and it made me yearn even more for the extention system of 1.3

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 modifications, plugins and integrations

19 Reply by reviewum.com

(12 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 modifications, plugins and integrations)

Any new thoughts on how to enable this without messing up thread titles?    I think this has a TON of potential to cross link popular words in each of my forum to content pages on my sites or to other forum threads.

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 modifications, plugins and integrations

20 Reply by reviewum.com

(11 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Quiet before the storm huh?  Well I hope the weather forcasters are correct and that the storm isn't too far away... it's been predicted for about 2 years, right?  tongue

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 discussion

21 Reply by reviewum.com

(11 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Thanks Smartys, good to know.   

In general I'm hoping that we can find ways to encourage developers to create more mods for this great application.   I vaguely remember seeing some posts about a contest with financial compensation for those who develop new extentions for 1.3.   That's when I donated some funds to punbb in my attempt to support that great idea.

So, I guess the only way to move forward on a mod project is to either pay for it oneself and donate it to the community or find a few people willing to pull resources to pay someone to build the mod.

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 discussion

22 Reply by reviewum.com

(11 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Devil's Advocate:   Where is the line between a "modification" that falls under the PunBB GPL and a new application which doesn't?   For example, there is a really cool script that Koos built for image hosting.   It isn't a mod or a plugin and it runs separate from punbb, but (from what I understand) uses the punbb user authentication / cookie to allow members only to upload images.  Does his separate application fall under the GPL for Punbb?

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 discussion

23 Topic by reviewum.com

(11 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 discussion)

Hey Everyone,

First off, I'm a huge supporter of open source and especially of PunBB (I'm on the donation list).  I'm also not a programmer, so when I need a modification or a plugin I either look here or at punres.  If I can't find it I usually just do without.

Then I got to thinking... maybe I could pay someone to create a modification and donate it to the benefit of the group / community.  This is fine for relatively small projects / modifications, but what about modifications that take funds that are out of one's budget?  One option is to get a few people who are looking for the same mod to "go in together" and combine funds to pay for the mod... but what if nobody wants to pony up?

Then I got to thinking a bit more... why aren't people building cool mods for PunBB and selling them?   Is it a license reason or an "all for one - one for all" reason, or both?

For example, I was recently in need of a mod that I can't find anywhere, even though it has been requested a few times (a paid membership mod).  It's something that is built into the core of vBulletin, but I want to stick with punBB.  I had one programmer give me a bid, but this bid was about 2 times the cost of a vBulletin owned license.  For one person to pay for this and donate it to the group is a bit out of scope, but what if someone payed to have it codded and "sold" copies of the code to others?   Is this prohibited / looked down on?

I'm sure there is a good reason because I've never seen any mods / plug-ins for sale.

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 discussion

24 Reply by reviewum.com

(57 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 modifications, plugins and integrations)

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I'm a huge fan of the "Active Topics" mod (used it on my very first install of punBB years ago).  I just installed "Mark as read" and I too can't get the Active Topics to be marked as read.   Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 modifications, plugins and integrations

25 Reply by reviewum.com

(96 replies, posted in PunBB 1.2 show off)

Dr.Jeckyl wrote:

damn! 2 in just as many days...

InCrysis. a fansite about the upcoming game Crysis.

Interesting... Tons of member and posts, but not as many topics as I'd expect.   Really nice syle / colors!

Go to forum: PunBB 1.2 show off