[IPB 2.1] ACP Templates Part III

Looks great Matt! Nice job mate.

“Now I’m off to complete what could be the biggest feature in IPB 2.1…”

Per-section admin permissions?

Whatever it is, I hope you’ll blog about it before the end of the day.

Nope, it’s a feature that’s not in the ACP.

It might not be the biggest “whizz-bang” feature, but it’s one that will open up doors to IPB that have remain closed to the bulletin board market since day 1.

/me is intrigued

Is it on the roadmap? >_>

Kind of ^_^

A revolutionary feature, that has never been implemented before. Isn’t as flashy as IPB 2.1’s other features, but may just be the biggest, and is sort of on the roadmap.

It seems your blog stole the tail-end of my last comment:

“

It did it again, lol.

I’ll just stop. It seems that it doesn’t like the “less-than” character followed by an underscore followed by another “less-than” character.

“Nope, it’s a feature that’s not in the ACP.

It might not be the biggest “whizz-bang” feature, but it’s one that will open up doors to IPB that have remain closed to the bulletin board market since day 1.”

Something that makes Rikki’s coffee, delivers Subway, AND perfects cloneing all in one?

Ok… I have Matt narrowed down to this… hes working on Caching to Hard drive, IPB Portal (crosses fingers… tapes them that way), or I should just ask Debbie :shifty:

Matt,

While you’re revamping the ACP.
PLEASE finish the logging function and log all of the actions you take. There are like 3x as many actions that go utterly un-logged in the ACP as actually do get logged. Maybe even a “ACP/Moderator Logging Settings” inside of “General Options” that would log far more and give you the option of what to log like

Log moving of topics through:
* post form
* forum inline moderation
* topic inline moderation
Log editing of topic titles and posts content.
• A before and after for the post (with an optional on/off).

Log the moving/splittong/merging of topics better.
• For example, when you split a topic it only gives the source topics ID # and not the ID number of the resulting topic. It is a very incomplete log of what has just occurred and extremely easy to lose said created topic and never have a complete log of it.
Log the following AdminCP actions:
• General Settings and a depth level. Most of the general settings remain utterly un-logged and there are now too many general settings to get any useful information from the logs in their current state.
ACP Skin Manager (on/off switch).
* A lot as deep as what template / skin set was edited and when. And who. Anything deeper is already handled by the skin state reversion system. As a side note to the reversion system it would be nice to be able to see a reversion history or maybe just the last reversion … as compared to the current.

These are just a couple examples, and I think it should be easy to expand the logging in the release of IPB 2.1 when its compared to say the revamping of the ACP, etc… to make use of AJAX. And with your expansion into AJAX scripting it becomes even more important to expand the logging system for more complete logs of what has occurred.

I’ve got it!

He’s going to at last finish his rumored iAddict module that he’s been working on since Ikonboard 3.0 was on the production line. I mean, think about it. It’s not exactly a flashy feature, but it would open up doors to IPB (and particularly IPS corporate).

…Sorry, couldn’t resist. You sorta needed to be there to fully understand the joke.

“Now I’m off to complete what could be the biggest feature in IPB 2.1…”

# ACP: Localized language packs
# ACP: Per admin section permissions
Multiple Calendars
IPB Portal overhaul
De-clutter some front facing components
# Caching
* Make option to cache to hard disk
* Reduce overhead on forum cache
# Comment Spamming
* Option to add rel=”nofollow” into all posted links (group option?)

Any of those could probley be the feature(s) he’s talking about.

Except the first two and the option to cache to hard disk, as they’re ACP features.

“it’s one that will open up doors to IPB”

Hes going to release it open-source … as if!

Crosses fingers and hopes its the portal :$

I’ve a feeling it’s to do with the module system.

As do I.

I would see that as a 3.0 feature

Be sure to keep us updated on the biggest feature! I bet it has to do with the module system as well, but from the screenshots/movies of the module that I’ve seen, it looks almost done.

rename templates with ajax.

“rename templates with ajax.” (If you ahven’t read past entires) he can’t rename templates. that would cauase a revolt in the community. so (I think) more skinning features have beens stripped to 3.0(.0) like:
# ACP: Templates: Export each bit to HTML (in folder structure)
# ACP: Templates: Template link function to link DB templates to text files in filesyste or URL.
ACP: CSS interface improvement (reduce # classes, sep. areas)
ACP: Templates: Search and Replace makes new templates if matches found in default templates
ACP: Skin infinite inheritence / recursion
Library Functions and Pre-made response templates

a more advanced/user friendly converge?

> a more advanced/user friendly converge?

Warmer

Yay! Converge!

Oooh, colder!

More advanced and user friendly interface?
I’ve come across two types of forum users:
1) there are too many options and I’m confused. (non-computer people)
2) “Where are the extra bells and whistles?” people. That would be those of us way into computers.

So… some sort of user customizable interface? Something techno-flashy for us and something simple for the laymen?

Some SEO would be nice!

It’s the overhaul of IPB Portal!

Maybe an option for users to choose basic or advanced layout for the board?

Umm… Intergration with IPDynamic?

Nah…

It’s to do with log in authentication, registration and member management. I’ll blog about it in a few days when I’ve got something to show.

When it’s done, it’ll be easy to allow IPB to bolt onto an existing and active member database or even use external internet databases, such as Microsoft’s Passport system.

It also opens the door fully for converge.

Cool. That’ll be nice. Especially if you can get the other Invision products to follow the same route when your down. (thinking mostly of Top Site List)

Wow very good news !!!

You talked about registration, and an idea came to my mind:

Could you make the registration so that the Admin is able to make the whole in two or more pages ?
Would be usefull. If not enough time yet, I hope it will come in IPB3

I think i sort of get that. but I am not sure.

What do you mean mikee?

I mean that you can make the whole registratin in more steps.
Example:
On the first page the user is can choose username, passwords, email-address and security validation.
On the second page you can ask for optional details like Messenger usernames, interests, eventually avatar updater …
On the third page you can let the user set-up his preferences, like get email for administrator, time saving, pm-notifications ….

Like this, user are not affraid and don’t leave because they are affraid of the first page with 15 fields.

One great additional thing would be to continue with page two after having completed email validation !

I guess these steps can be enhaced greatly with ajax…

That would be beyond annoying and time consuming.

It’s much better on one page alone.

This is common use in most commercial registration processes.

This has to be an option, and of course a lot of people would stay like it is now, but some need to get more information from its clients/users, and the best is to do that on registration, because you can not hope that users edit or add informations later, because only a minority does this.

“I guess these steps can be enhaced greatly with ajax…”
What is the misconception with that?
Look… ALL Ajax does it allow the page to change WITHOUT a refresh. Not register a user easier. Your thinking Javascript or something. Not Ajax.

Ajax can enhance the registration process for example by not only checking if an email address has the correct syntax with javascript (name@domain.something) but by also looking in the database if the email is already used by someone. This can be done directly after having completed a field.

Hmm… you have a valid point there…
It can also check the username. Very good young Grasshopper.

I made a little script to do that to test out the abilities of Ajax.

I’ll write some instructions and release it to Invisionize

The 2.1 alpha 5 reg form already uses ajax to check usernames and email addresses.

I hope you aren’t reading our minds.

“The 2.1 alpha 5 reg form already uses ajax to check usernames and email addresses.”

Sweeet

Alpha 5 eh? wonder when the IPS forums will get updated