The Old Man Posted November 12, 2016 Posted November 12, 2016 I'm fairly new to Wordpress but have just found out how easy it is to update a third party Plugin. The Sparkpost plugin had an update available for it, so I clicked on the Details and it said what was new and gave me the option to Update or not. Done in 10 seconds! How easy was that? No messing about, no e-mail notification saying a download/plugin has been updated via the author but not actually saying what the changes are, no having to go to the Marketplace to see what's new in the updated file, no separate log-in, download, then browse to adminCP, upload and install. The email notifications of an update are handy in IPS, but couldn't we have something easier like this in IPS, please?
Good-Admin Posted November 17, 2016 Posted November 17, 2016 There is also a competing forum software that already has the function (WoltLab Burning Board). I would like to see IPB adopt this as well.
The Old Man Posted March 11, 2017 Author Posted March 11, 2017 Would be nice this makes it into 4.2 (update third party mods/plug-in hooks/apps). It's so easy and time-saving, especially if your using an iPad or mobile device. I've also recently installed a plug-in that notifies me by email when there is an update to my installed plug-ins, with a handy link to that part of the admin dashboard, where I can read the release notes, see if it's verified as compatible with my current version of Wordpress (always the latest) and I can then quickly run the updater with one click. It will down the zipped update from Wordpress, run the installer and display a log of activity and confirm its updated with a link to the plug-in's setting/configuration page. A feature like this with notifications for available plug-in updates would be a great addition to the current auto downloaded for the actual IPS software, and could possibly be restricted to IPS Marketplace files for security reasons. Downloading updates and installing manually
The Old Man Posted January 6, 2018 Author Posted January 6, 2018 Hoping Marketplace Plug-ins get easier, one click updating like Wordpress Plug-ins in IPS4.3. The update process is starting. This process may take a while on some hosts, so please be patient. Enabling Maintenance mode… Updating Plugin Ad Inserter (1/1) Ad Inserter updated successfully. Show details. Downloading update from https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/ad-inserter.2.2.16.zip… Unpacking the update… Installing the latest version… Removing the old version of the plugin… Plugin updated successfully. Disabling Maintenance mode… All updates have been completed. Return to Plugins page | Return to WordPress Updates page
DesignzShop Posted January 6, 2018 Posted January 6, 2018 Yep, that was me that brought this up some time ago however most the other devs complained and just wanted to leave marketplace like it was and use that functionality. Funny how popular something is with the user but not with developers. Again, I pm'ed my ideas to @Lindy some time ago for this. To take this even a step further to accommodate what's above the entire marketplace should be moved into the acp also for easier purchasing and control over what you buy. A LOT can be done with a ACP marketplace over the old tired stone age way called IPB Marketplace now. I'm actually sitting here snickering because yet again, I'm right by the looks of what the users want. As a matter of fact I was going to put a poll up to prove my point but I figured after all whining a lot of other devs done IPB wouldn't do anything anyways, and I was right, we sit with a stone age marketplace and way of taking care of the products in there. There's soooo many benefits to this and the possibilities become endless over what's available now.. Keep pushing this @The Old Man Maybe you'll get further than I since you aren't a dev.. Good luck.
DesignzShop Posted January 6, 2018 Posted January 6, 2018 Just a little mention here.. An ACP Marketplace would do... At the point of sale in the acp the end user could purchase a app / plugin / theme and have it auto-install When new version is available the user is warned across the top just like they are warned when a upgrade for IPB is ready. Of course that warning can be dismissed. Main objective for this is to let them know a new versions available. Removal of plugin theme etc could be centralized with the products Allow automatic update of 3rd party applications For themes - Remove the theme application in it's entirety and replace it with the new. Remove the xml and replace with the new For themes - Remove the need to have the current upgrade feature for themes. Everything's replaced so there's no checks involved of what's been altered and what has not. It just puts all new in and end of story. Remove the fact we as devs need to address the above by telling our customers they need to do a fresh install every version Devs would get access to a larger user-base that doesn't buy from marketplace A more professional support system for end users A modern detailed stats area like what's being used currently in the acp with pies and charts. Sales, projections etc.. It could give devs a ton more flexibility and knowledge about purchases and customer information. A lot can be done here to aid devs and give clues to things that could propel sales for some. devs could get the ability to mass email customers Possibilities of theft deterrents for themers by how the upgrades are handled. As one example using themes... The same exact way IPB upgrades are handled except we're removing the entire file and replacing each upgrade, License checks and all. Check url / check for license and if not a legal IPB copy send the url information back to IPB for further review and don't allow installation. Make thieves work for it.. Creates a better buying and using experience. It's more convenient and beneficial to have in your acp instead of dealing with another site for everything. You got to go to your acp to install the plugin or theme, why not just buy it there {ACP} too instead of going to another site to download and manually install yourself! It's a modern way of doing things How it's done... By using the current downloads database only devs would get access to that area only to take care of submitting new products and doing upgrades and possibly answering support requests for their specific items, the general public or customers would not get access to this area. All other business can be done the same way for payouts etc... This is just a small portion of the cool stuff that could be done I've thought of. Granted not everything I said above would be added but the mentions above are just examples of the power IPB could provide for everyone.
The Old Man Posted January 7, 2018 Author Posted January 7, 2018 Thank you @DesignzShop Great response and I imagine you're right, the current Marketplace is certainly limiting and a bit 'noughties'. The benefits of an integrated ACP are definitely a bonus, one click updates are awesome and email notifications of available updates are handy, but I'm not sure about some of the freedoms Wordpress devs for example can take for granted... opportunistic ads, risk of poorly written security code etc. Done respectfully, there are some great Wordpress plug-ins, but a lot I end up uninstalling if I'm not feeling reassured. To me, when someone invites you into their home to provide some service whether it's fixing a tap, laying down a new carpet or fixing a PC, you wipe your feet, respect the trust and opportunity then provide a good service that means you will likely pick up some referrals and extra word of mouth business. As good as Wordpress has become especially since its free software, the freedom Wordpress seems to give independent devs always leaves me feeling a little uneasy. With Wordpress, there are tens of 1000's of developers, whereas the IPS dev community is nicely large enough that you get to know the best regular devs, see the support, the responses, the occasional public character assassination of devs who don't live up to their claims etc. IPS Marketplace is not that large that plugins are provided by seemingly faceless large tech companies lacking the personal touch, or that may contain ads for premium versions that incidentally can track your admin activity and use of competitors apps, or plugins by unknown script kiddies that may well contain hidden digital currency mining code (like Starbucks' WiFi website!) ? There's definitely a middle ground to allow for some improvements, though.
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