CHAPTER 11 MODIFYING (Cedant web hosting) PHPBB 329 Using the
CHAPTER 11 MODIFYING PHPBB 329 Using the Two Top Hack Databases The phpBB Group operates its own hack database, located at http://www.phpbb.com/mods/. If you already use phpBB.com for supporting your board software, it can be quite convenient to have your modification support in the same place. You can also find development guides and coding standards here as well, if you are adventurous enough to create your own hacks. The official phpBB hack database has a fair selection of hacks for you to choose from, divided into several categories. You can also download development tools from their database. Note that support on this site is limited to the hacks available in the official phpBB MOD Database. If you are looking for a wider selection of hacks to download, visit phpBBHacks.com, located at http://www.phpbbhacks.com/. (Full disclosure: I do consulting with phpBBHacks.comand was once a support team member there.) This site offers a full array of modifications for all versions of phpBB, including the deprecated 1.x series. The support forums are top-notch as well, with a team of hack developers waiting to assist. The signal-to-noise ratio at phpBBHacks.com s support forums is generally lower, mainly because it is not the official phpBB site, and thus concentrates most of its energy on modifying phpBB. phpBBHacks.comalso offers a Site of the Month, which is usually a great example of a modified, professional-looking phpBB in action. I found it to be a wonderful resource when I was getting started with phpBB. Getting Recommended Hacks Some hacks out there really should be regular features of phpBB. Until that happens, you ll probably want to install those hacks on the phpBB boards you run. Other hacks provide cool features that you might find interesting. Table 11-1 lists some hacks that I recommend. Caution A vast majority of hacks that use the database are written primarily for the MySQL database, as that is the most common database system used with phpBB. As a result, if you are using another system such as PostgreSQL or Microsoft SQL Server, you may run into differences in SQL syntax from MySQL and will need to port (or find a knowledgeable user to port) the necessary commands to the other database system. Table 11-1. Some Recommended Hacks Name Description URL* Log Registration IP Records the IP address of users when they first register. It provides elaborate cross- referencing tools inside the Administration panel, as well. http://www.phpbbhacks.com/ download/2975 Last Post Topic on Index Displays the topic title of the thread where the last post was made on the forum index page, in addition to the date and the user. It uses permissions to ensure that privacy of forums is not breached, and also uses the word-censoring feature, if enabled, to curb offensive language. http://www.phpbbhacks.com/ download/566 Continued
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