IP.Board 3.0 Feedback

[N.U.]

I've been using IP.Board for a long time, since 2003 and been paying for it since 2005. So I have to say I have had my ups and downs but the one thing that has kept me to IP.Board over any other forum software (believe me I have thought of moving to something else and even making my own <_< ).

But the one thing that has kept as been how easy it is to make it your own, in style and to nearly be able to hook it into nearly anything let it be someone else free sofrware, gallery, blog (almost), even custom stuff thanks to great mods and a just a really good software.

So with that here is 3.0 and I have to say a major overhaul in my book, not just in the design but in the code as I've scan over some of it in the beta 2 version. I must say for me to upgrade to 3.0 my main site ( a draognball fan site) will have to be totally overhaul on its own and will be a nearly year process to do I know it.

Form what I have seen so far I like but there are a few things I don't really like so far and some unknowns maybe that can be answered. I know when the skins went form 2.1 to 2.2 that lot of the new features did not work because of this. Will 2.3 skins covert good to 3.0 with skin changes and such or should I just drop skinning 2.3 and simple go right into trying my hands at 3.0? I have yet to look at the skin section in the ACP.

Next and this is just simple what I saw here, before when it was added to make images smaller base on a setting, when clicked they would pop up into a new window. This was done to remove people who like to post overly large images into small areas. I see this feature is still here and yet I see that when you click it simple just shows you the full size pushing the window open, it doesn't pop up or anything. My question is why does it do this? I thought the reasons for making posted images bigger then a set size to get thumbnail was to stop large images form breaking the forum layout and yet here it does that when you click. Why not keep it as it was or use lightbox or something or something like that done on the gallery?

Other then that so far so good likely over the weekend I'll get in and try to break 3.0 like I end up doing to 2.2 back when it first came out :P

[bfarber]

Form what I have seen so far I like but there are a few things I don't really like so far and some unknowns maybe that can be answered. I know when the skins went form 2.1 to 2.2 that lot of the new features did not work because of this. Will 2.3 skins covert good to 3.0 with skin changes and such or should I just drop skinning 2.3 and simple go right into trying my hands at 3.0? I have yet to look at the skin section in the ACP.

Unfortunately 2.x skins will not work on 3.x. The architecture has changed so dramatically it's just not possible. However, the skin system in 3.x is much more powerful and has a lot of new features. For instance, you can write template plugins to do complicated work (and we have included several plugins to do common things, such as alternating row striping), the <php> template tags are always available for use, and there are now template hooks so you can modify the output as you see fit via the hooks system.

Next and this is just simple what I saw here, before when it was added to make images smaller base on a setting, when clicked they would pop up into a new window. This was done to remove people who like to post overly large images into small areas. I see this feature is still here and yet I see that when you click it simple just shows you the full size pushing the window open, it doesn't pop up or anything. My question is why does it do this? I thought the reasons for making posted images bigger then a set size to get thumbnail was to stop large images form breaking the forum layout and yet here it does that when you click. Why not keep it as it was or use lightbox or something or something like that done on the gallery?

The idea was to stop people from breaking the layout for everyone else. If you click to expand an image that you know is large enough to break the layou, you'd expect it to show you the full size. Purely a design choice. I'm sure it would be very easy (most likely simple template edit) to have it show in a lightbox instead. :)



From reading your posts you're familiar with PHP and how IPB2 worked overall. I think once you get your hands into 3.0 code you'll find it is quite a bit easier, and quite a bit more abstracted. Managing members, sessions, posting topics, you name it - very easy to do.

[N.U.]

Unfortunately 2.x skins will not work on 3.x. The architecture has changed so dramatically it's just not possible. However, the skin system in 3.x is much more powerful and has a lot of new features. For instance, you can write template plugins to do complicated work (and we have included several plugins to do common things, such as alternating row striping), the <php> template tags are always available for use, and there are now template hooks so you can modify the output as you see fit via the hooks system.

That is what I thought, I did look at the skin system last night to get an overall feeling and dare I say it was like working in dreamweaver with the tabs of the CSS. I was a bit confused on the need of more then one css files. Are those all put together into one css call when the board is loaded? I asked because that be more http calls then needed. If its what I think and broke up for easy editing thats a plus. It would be very nice to be able to put php code right into any template over having to use the include method that was added in 2.2 series, as I tend to like to add my own little apps that will work across all the different apps I have going. I am in a way happy as my board as been over due with a new skin and overall design of my site in over a year now.

The idea was to stop people from breaking the layout for everyone else. If you click to expand an image that you know is large enough to break the layou, you'd expect it to show you the full size. Purely a design choice. I'm sure it would be very easy (most likely simple template edit) to have it show in a lightbox instead.

I understand that, but thats not what bothers me. When it was added, I believe in 2.2.2? when someone added image that was larger then what you set, it thumbnail it and when you clicked on it it open it up to you in a new window. Now it just opens it in a ajax style method in the same area its posted. I don't see how this is better then a pop-up window as it will still break the layout when a user clicks the image to expanded it. That was my own reasons for bring it up but yes it would not be hard to edited see as IPB3 has lightbox set up as I'm sure I saw a folder that was labeled lightbox when I looked over the files the other night.

From reading your posts you're familiar with PHP and how IPB2 worked overall. I think once you get your hands into 3.0 code you'll find it is quite a bit easier, and quite a bit more abstracted. Managing members, sessions, posting topics, you name it - very easy to do.

Yeah I have been learning PHP frame work on my own since 2003 and have even design my own little CMS for my music video database using the same framework combine with IPB SDK for membership and coment control as well as admin control access. Still have yet to shift the project itself into say a component being its not something like autocom=page but a standalone really, I still see it as beta and works well for my own person use on my web site.


I have been looking at IP.B 3 and still need to download the new beta. I do wish there was a upgrade path form the betas, but I understand why there is to prevent people from upgrading from 2.3.x and then sending in supports saying my board is broke. :lol: