Modification Suggestions.

[Hyperion]

> Modifications

The following parts quoted were taken from the list I've compiled at my forum of the modifications I've installed.

1. eXtreme Styles 2.1.0

• Details: "This mod is heavily optimized version of phpBB templates system and has some additional features. It compiles and executes files much faster, has cache system that speeds up templates many times, allowes to use php in templates and few other new features to style designers. Also it has huge control panel that replaces phpBB styles management with more efficient easy to use functions. It also allowes to quickly import/export styles using .style format."

This one is of no concern to me... not really, at least. It's supposed to make the forum faster as well as provide a more elaborate template handling system. Not difficult to get used to. VERY easy to install, as well. You just upload a bunch of files and overwrite one.

13. Save Bandwidth 1.0.0

• Details: "This mod will save you 166 bytes of bandwidth per page if you do not get a popup for a new private message."

Just another speed hack that would do no more than benefit. Though not very significant a benefit, the benefit's still there, and I think that's enough, and it's also quite simple to install.

14. User Always Browsing 1.0.1

• Details: "This hack ensures that the user's name is always shown in 'Users browsing this forum' (view-forum pages).

This one's self explanatory. It's more of a fix.

6. Modcp Extension 1.1.3

• Details: "Extend the moderators control panel to include Sticky / Announce / Normal of topics with Check All / UnCheck All."

Of no concern nor benefit to me, a regular member, but it should benefit your moderators. It should make their jobs easier and less time consuming.

I assume and respect the staff's not wanting to have so many modifications. Just think that it wouldn't hurt to provide a list of some modifications that I find to be quite useful. If ever you feel that they would be of some use to you, here they are.

[meowth1982]

I actually have one of my own that might save the Mods and Admins around here a lot of headache:

Double Post Merge
This hack allows you to merge post text on a post to the last message of another topic, instead of adding a new post. It will only work if the posts were both made by the same person.

I have no clue if you guys have this already or not and if you do, ignore me and don't give me dessert -._.-

Edit: You saw nothing here. These are not the droids you're looking for. Move along. <_<

Last edited by meowth1982 on Sun Jan 23, 2005 11:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Zero!]

have no clue if you guys have this already or not and if you do, ignore me and don't give me desert -._.-

No Sahara for you! :O

Hey, while we're on the subject of adding hacks... *poke* Personal quote? ;P What? I never saw anyone post a reason why not... XP

[WIS]

Can we add some new skins too?

[Hyperion]

Here are two more neat ones I added on my forum:

23. Post Is Sending 1.1.1

• Details: "This mod changes post submit button text from "Submit" to "Sending" on posting to ensure user that his message is being send. And adds protection from double post"

Note: I believe that double post protection is quite a nifty feature. It greys out the button as to prevent it being clicked multiple times and having the post submitted numerous times. It's happened on this forum many times, as it has on almost all phpbb forums.
24. Deter Comment Spam 1.0.0

• Details: "Provides a deterence to so-called comment spammers." More information can be found here.

[Kitten Medli]

have no clue if you guys have this already or not and if you do, ignore me and don't give me desert -._.-

No Sahara for you! :O

Hey, while we're on the subject of adding hacks... *poke* Personal quote? ;P What? I never saw anyone post a reason why not... XP

Hehe.

Yeah, I want those back.

Thanks for posting all this spiffy stuff Hyperion. :O

[Hyperion]

What exactly was Personal Quote?

[Alex]

Under your avatar, you were able to have a "Personal Quote", which you could change through your profile.

[ahoteinrun]

Note: I believe that double post protection is quite a nifty feature. It greys out the button as to prevent it being clicked multiple times and having the post submitted numerous times. It's happened on this forum many times, as it has on almost all phpbb forums.

To be honest, I don't see many double posts on this forum.
And i'd like you to go find a few, to show me where they are...

Most members figure out they've double posted, or they just forget to edit. And then Mods do, what Mods are supposed to do, and put the posts back together. No big deal.
This hack seems... *shrugs* like an excess. We don't need it.
And we don't need personal quotes.

[Zero!]

And we don't need personal quotes.

We didn't need subRed or subBlack but we got those anyway...

And they come in handy. When you're using a set by someone, you can say in personal quote "set by (blahblah)" so it doesn't take up room in the signature. :3

[Hyperion]

Note: I believe that double post protection is quite a nifty feature. It greys out the button as to prevent it being clicked multiple times and having the post submitted numerous times. It's happened on this forum many times, as it has on almost all phpbb forums.

To be honest, I don't see many double posts on this forum.
And i'd like you to go find a few, to show me where they are...

Most members figure out they've double posted, or they just forget to edit. And then Mods do, what Mods are supposed to do, and put the posts back together. No big deal.
This hack seems... *shrugs* like an excess. We don't need it.
And we don't need personal quotes.

I'm not going to go scurrying about and look for some, because I know that many, if not all, have already been dealt with by the moderators. With Post Is Sending, though, moderators wouldn't have to deal with the particular problem that is accidental double posting, because Post Is Sending would prevent it. And it's a modification that's easy to install, does not slow down the forum, and does not add queries, which is something that can go along with not slowing down the forum.

Yeah -- we don't need it, but it's a small convenience that will do absolutely nothing to hamper the forum's performance or cosmetics.

[ahoteinrun]

I'm not going to go scurrying about and look for some, because I know that many, if not all, have already been dealt with by the moderators. With Post Is Sending, though, moderators wouldn't have to deal with the particular problem that is accidental double posting, because Post Is Sending would prevent it. And it's a modification that's easy to install, does not slow down the forum, and does not add queries, which is something that can go along with not slowing down the forum.

To be honest...
I don't know if i've ever dealt with a double post. Mostly it's people who don't edit their posts, and reply and even then thats rare. And thats not a big deal. Few clicks, copy paste. Ta da. Presto Chango, Taken-care-of-o.
I just feel it'd be a pointless edition.

Not to mention, we already have something that prevents people from posting to quickly, I don't know if it's a mod or a hack or whatever (i'm not a technical guru), but normally if you hit the button too quickly, you don't double post. A different page should pop up saying "You cannot post so soon after already posting" or however it goes. Meh.

[Hyperion]

Well, you've convinced me. I agree. I still believe it's of value, though very meager.

Any opinions on the others I've suggested, anyone?

[Yoshi]

Going back to the first few you posted, those don't seem very necessary either. 1 and 13 are not needed, seeing as the site seems to runs sufficiently fast and apparently, PPT already sucks up quite a bit of bandwidth- those probably wouldn't make much of a difference. 14 seems to be a fix to something that isn't often faulty. 15 is very unnecessary, as we do not often (de)sticky or (de)announce topics, let alone a large amount of topics. Also, we seldom use the moderator control panel.

Nice ideas, but we're fine with what we have. :)

[Hyperion]

I see, but the ones regarding speed: even with a forum that runs at good speed like this one can benefit from those speed hacks. Though minor should still be of use. I see nothing wrong with optimizing this forum as much as possible without sacrificing much except the time it takes to install them. eXtreme Styles, for instance, should only take about one minute, at most. And it's not all bandwith with eXtreme Styles. It caches the files for the templates so that less strain is made to the server this forum runs on. Also, Save Bandwidth 1.0.0 would make it so you don't unnessarily waste bandwith in that case.

What do you think of #24: Deter Comment Spam 1.0.0? It would prevent people using this forum as a host for plugging sites and raising their google rating. There are a lot of people who've plugged and not posted.

User Always Browsing 1.0.1 is no more than a minor fix and very simple to install. I don't see the problem with making a minor fix like that. Yeah, it isn't necessary, but I don't see anything wrong with something that fixes even a minor problem and isn't time consuming to install.

I understand about Modcp Extension 1.1.3, though. Thanks for the explanation.