phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

This is the place to talk about our forums:
Questions about how to best use them, discussions about new features and things like that

phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby doktor5000 » Jun 12th, '11, 18:45

Hello,

just want to suggest this phpbb modification for marking a topic as solved (or later on as unsolved again.)
A topicstarter himself can mark an answer as solution, and so the topic gets automatically
marked as solved. At least this is the description of the mod, i''m not into phpbb.

It also lets you search only in unsolved or solved topics or only in your own unsolved topics.

http://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/mod/topic_solved
Cauldron is not for the faint of heart!
Caution: Hot, bubbling magic inside. May explode or cook your kittens!
----
Disclaimer: Beware of allergic reactions in answer to unconstructive complaint-type posts
User avatar
doktor5000
 
Posts: 17630
Joined: Jun 4th, '11, 10:10
Location: Leipzig, Germany

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby Akien » Jun 12th, '11, 19:48

I concur, that would be useful since we can't edit our old posts to add a [solved] in the topic's name.
Image
Co-leader of Mageia's packaging and development team (dev).
List of packages I maintain.
User avatar
Akien
 
Posts: 171
Joined: Jun 5th, '11, 22:54
Location: Brunswick, Germany

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby Max » Jun 13th, '11, 08:42

I also think that this would be a good idea.

But I have serious doubts that it will ever be implemented. :?
There were some great suggestions before, and some mods and admins have agreed that they are great, and yet they weren't implemented.
I don't want to tell anybody how to do their job, but from here it looks like a lot of bluster and talk and very little action.
Image
User avatar
Max
 
Posts: 269
Joined: Apr 4th, '11, 09:16

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby wobo » Jun 14th, '11, 11:13

Max wrote:There were some great suggestions before, and some mods and admins have agreed that they are great, and yet they weren't implemented.
I don't want to tell anybody how to do their job, but from here it looks like a lot of bluster and talk and very little action.

Please do not blame mods and admins in general - unfortunately almost all changes depend on one or two person's time and availability.
I know, it's a sub-optimal situation.
wobo
---
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter
(Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin)
User avatar
wobo
 
Posts: 1649
Joined: Mar 22nd, '11, 17:13

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby roadrunner » Jun 14th, '11, 11:51

Akien wrote:I concur, that would be useful since we can't edit our old posts to add a [solved] in the topic's name.
Yes I agree and might I add that it's not only useful but absolutely necessary.

.\\artin
- Mageia6 - 64-bit - Plasma 5.8.7 -
- AMD A6-6400K APU -
- 8Gb RAM - nVidia 8500GT GPU -
User avatar
roadrunner
 
Posts: 71
Joined: Jun 1st, '11, 16:00
Location: United Kingdom

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby roadrunner » Jun 14th, '11, 11:54

wobo wrote:
Max wrote:There were some great suggestions before, and some mods and admins have agreed that they are great, and yet they weren't implemented.
I don't want to tell anybody how to do their job, but from here it looks like a lot of bluster and talk and very little action.

Please do not blame mods and admins in general - unfortunately almost all changes depend on one or two person's time and availability.
I know, it's a sub-optimal situation.
In which case, would it not be possible to grant administrator access to more than "one or two persons".

.\\artin
- Mageia6 - 64-bit - Plasma 5.8.7 -
- AMD A6-6400K APU -
- 8Gb RAM - nVidia 8500GT GPU -
User avatar
roadrunner
 
Posts: 71
Joined: Jun 1st, '11, 16:00
Location: United Kingdom

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby wobo » Jun 14th, '11, 12:39

roadrunner wrote:In which case, would it not be possible to grant administrator access to more than "one or two persons".

It's not about "Admin" access, it's about write access to the forum software on the server.
MODs like this have to be installed on the server which implies check for security issues, compatibility with server settings (apache and php), and (maybe) some scripts the sysadmins have implemented outside the forum software which I know nothing about. MODs also have to be watched when the main software gets an update and as soon as you install more than one MOD you may run the risk that you break one MOD with the other.
I've been working with MODded phpbb forums myself long enough and I've always been pretty reluctant about MODs :)
wobo
---
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter
(Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin)
User avatar
wobo
 
Posts: 1649
Joined: Mar 22nd, '11, 17:13

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby Akien » Jun 14th, '11, 12:46

wobo wrote:
roadrunner wrote:In which case, would it not be possible to grant administrator access to more than "one or two persons".

It's not about "Admin" access, it's about write access to the forum software on the server.
MODs like this have to be installed on the server which implies check for security issues, compatibility with server settings (apache and php), and (maybe) some scripts the sysadmins have implemented outside the forum software which I know nothing about. MODs also have to be watched when the main software gets an update and as soon as you install more than one MOD you may run the risk that you break one MOD with the other.
I've been working with MODded phpbb forums myself long enough and I've always been pretty reluctant about MODs :)

Furthermore, more admins would need more people in the concerned team (I don't know if the forum is administrated by the sysadmins or the Web team, but those two teams have really few members). We would gladly give write access to more people if there were more contributors.
Image
Co-leader of Mageia's packaging and development team (dev).
List of packages I maintain.
User avatar
Akien
 
Posts: 171
Joined: Jun 5th, '11, 22:54
Location: Brunswick, Germany

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby wobo » Jun 14th, '11, 12:58

As I understand there are 3 layers:
- the sysadmin team who actually prepared and set the environment for the forum software, including external settings
- the forum leader who can make changes in the software (like inserting/changing a code string in a forum file to have another link available in a page or put an extra "Headline" in the header like in the German mandrivauser.de forum)
- the forum admins who can change internal forum settings via ACP, no changes to the software, though.

Of course the "borders" of the "upper" 2 layers are not fixed, so the "forum leader" (don't know whether it's only maat or somebody else as well) cooperates with sysadmin team and members of sysadmin team sometimes do layer2 work. There's also the webteam involved, for the sake of integration with other web pages.

This is to the best of my knowledge, in case of error someone pls correct me.
wobo
---
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter
(Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin)
User avatar
wobo
 
Posts: 1649
Joined: Mar 22nd, '11, 17:13

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby Germ » Jun 14th, '11, 13:46

Max wrote:I also think that this would be a good idea.

But I have serious doubts that it will ever be implemented. :?
There were some great suggestions before, and some mods and admins have agreed that they are great, and yet they weren't implemented.
I don't want to tell anybody how to do their job, but from here it looks like a lot of bluster and talk and very little action.


I think maat is the only one with admin access.
Starting in 1999: Mandrake > Mandriva > Mageia
Linux User #274693
User avatar
Germ
 
Posts: 572
Joined: Mar 30th, '11, 13:16
Location: Chelsea, Oklahoma USA

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby wobo » Jun 14th, '11, 14:30

To wrap this up (and also the related topic viewtopic.php?f=18&t=470 ):

1. There are some things which can be done via ACP inside the forum (like adding a bbcode)

2. There are others like MODs and customizations for the sake of convenience which need write access to the forum software.

Point #1 can be done by a member of the forum's admin group (maat, misc, ashledombos).
Although any member of this group can put any other registered user into the forum's admin group, this group is also a group managed by LDAP - which makes it a bit confusing (what if maat puts a registered user into the forum's admin group without changing his status in LDAP?).

Point #2 can be done by anybody who has write access to the forum software (maat, misc, ???)
This permission is given by the sysadmin group and is not related to any forum group or forum permission.

So, however we turn it around, everything seems to lead to 1 person, who lately seemed to be occupied by many other things. Resulting in requests not responded to, some not even discussed with the responsible person, things being done without pre-discussion/announcement (like the vanishing of the "Register" link in the international forum).

Without meaning to accuse anybody IMHO this situation needs improvement.

Unfortunately I could not attend last council meeting, but reading the logs shows that this issue is discussed already:
http://meetbot.mageia.org/mageia-meetin ... 0.log.html
(start reading at "19:45:16 <ennael> #topic Think about backups for important positions (admins of blogs, forums...)")
wobo
---
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter
(Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin)
User avatar
wobo
 
Posts: 1649
Joined: Mar 22nd, '11, 17:13

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby maat » Jun 14th, '11, 18:41

Point #1 Can be done by every forum admin... official forum admins (2 people needed at least: one to back up the other) like Ash or I and also some sysadmin got forumadmin roles (to give a second backup level).

Point #2 Can NOT be done (well should not would be better here) by someone with direct write access : the servers are under puppet control and changes are automated through puppet scripts.

Automation of deployments is not so slowering the process (well it need to ask sysadmin for a pull but we can live with it) and admin changes in ACP do not take much time either (except perhaps that bbcodes must be more than twice checked to avoid side-effects and cross-sites issues).

We need mods adding through git while ensuring separate branches and merges so that next phpbb upgrade does not break features... and that needs phpbb low level knowledge AND PHP skills (with security issues in mind if possible) AND git skills AND SCM theory (git oriented if possible) knowledge.

We do need these kind of people to ease forum evolution process... of people with ACP privileges we don't need herds. :)

In other words we need people wiling to install a forum clone @home and patch it with mods with in mind all above consideration and then say 'hey the modxxx it there ready to be git pulled, i have tested it and the upgrade is easy provided you do this and that'.

Till we have those kind of skills (and the time to do things) in our web team the mod pace will be as slow as i can spare moding time.

The problem is really not about backup but about moding/hacking man power. :)
maat
 
Posts: 307
Joined: Feb 13th, '11, 00:23

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby wobo » Jun 14th, '11, 19:32

Yes, of course. In principle you said the same as I but also explained the small print.

The result of all that: I could setup and test a phpbb3 forum at home any time, I've been doing this for the last couple of years. In fact I have one here at the moment. But this is no use unless all the external environment and the patches you mentioned are also integrated in the local testbed - how else could somebody test anything without? As you already wrote, it will be hard to find anybody outside of the current existing group who will match the requirements.

Back to the initial status: manpower needed but hard to find under these circumstances.
wobo
---
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter
(Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin)
User avatar
wobo
 
Posts: 1649
Joined: Mar 22nd, '11, 17:13

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby doktor5000 » Jun 14th, '11, 20:39

@wobo: Well, AFAIK the puppet and forum configuration are already publicly available in git.
maat is right in the fact that if we want to get this done properly and reproducable we need more people who can do the whole thing, citing him:
maat wrote:and that needs phpbb low level knowledge AND PHP skills (with security issues in mind if possible) AND git skills AND SCM theory (git oriented if possible) knowledge.
Cauldron is not for the faint of heart!
Caution: Hot, bubbling magic inside. May explode or cook your kittens!
----
Disclaimer: Beware of allergic reactions in answer to unconstructive complaint-type posts
User avatar
doktor5000
 
Posts: 17630
Joined: Jun 4th, '11, 10:10
Location: Leipzig, Germany

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby boklm » Jun 20th, '11, 01:26

wobo wrote:Yes, of course. In principle you said the same as I but also explained the small print.

The result of all that: I could setup and test a phpbb3 forum at home any time, I've been doing this for the last couple of years. In fact I have one here at the moment. But this is no use unless all the external environment and the patches you mentioned are also integrated in the local testbed - how else could somebody test anything without? As you already wrote, it will be hard to find anybody outside of the current existing group who will match the requirements.

You can get a copy of the source code used on the server from git. It should include all the patches.
Code: Select all
$ git clone git://git.mageia.org/forum
boklm
 
Posts: 44
Joined: Mar 15th, '11, 01:31
Location: Paris

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby wobo » Jun 20th, '11, 03:17

@doktor and @boklm: Yes, I know this and I already wrote about needed manpower in my previous post, not? :)
I understood maat's post and the consequences.
wobo
---
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter
(Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin)
User avatar
wobo
 
Posts: 1649
Joined: Mar 22nd, '11, 17:13

Re: phpbb mod to mark topic as solved

Postby viking60 » Oct 18th, '13, 13:00

I assume that the manpower situation has not changed. But I have implemented it and can therefore provide some info.
In my mind it is no good idea to split this work up. It is better to have one person doing it all - and if in trouble - let another person do the quality check.
It kind of takes one persons concentration (lots of meetings in the middle of the process only breaks concentration).

The implementation:
The implementation does take more than 45 minutes. I would say 2h is more realistic if you do the quality check.
It takes a person that has access to the phpbb files on the server. You will have to find her/him Image
( I am sure there are problems with that; but that is what it takes)
It requires some PHP knowledge even if the "monkey see monkey do" method will work if you do it exactly as described. That will leave you with no option to check for errors though.
It can be done on a "live" board.
The mod works fine on phpbb 3.0.12.

It involves changes to the database. Easily done in phpmyadmin in 5 min.
It needs changes for every language that you are using.
In my case it was only en and en_us but that might be a very different cup of tea here.
It does not require access to the phpbb ACP (phpbb Admin).

Setting it up:
Requires access to ACP (Admin)
You need to refresh the style themes and imagesets (prosilver)
you need to purge the cash
Then you can set the forums that should have the topic solved regime. You have various options:
You can let the topic solved marking lock the topic automatically and it will reopen if the topic starter clicks the "unsolve" button.
You can divide these functions between starter and moderators +++
You can search for unsolved topics on various levels - it is quite flexible and probably a moderators dream.

When finished
This is where the bug-hunting begins:
Even if you have done everything right; you will not have it visible in the forums you have set up to use the topic solved mod.
There are various "I cannot see the solved button" threads out there.
Do not panic and start all over again - this might be fixed by clearing your browser cash. :D
Better yet; open another browser (I use luakit) or have someone else testing it.

Do you really want and need this?

You are welcome to check out the functionality here

Description of how it works here

I agree with the Doctor that this would be a good thing to have here.
Image Flexibility is good and inxi is good... install both!
User avatar
viking60
 
Posts: 255
Joined: Mar 19th, '11, 22:26


Return to Discussions about forums

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

cron