New! Rules Plugin

[mpdaddy]

This plugin redirects users from the submission form (add.php) to a page where you can list your rules for link submissions. Once they have read the rules, they simply click on the "I Accept" button and they are then sent to the submission form.

You can edit the rules by editing the rules.html file in the theme/yourtheme/ folder included with this plugin. I have included samples for several themes (blackjuice, bluesmooth, cleandex, kosmos, portaldex, and worlddex) and it will auto select the correct template as long as you are using one of those themes. The theme file is based off the add_error.html file included in IndexU.

This plugin was tested on IndexU 1.1 and is 100% plug-n-play. Simply edit the rules via the rules.html file, upload to your plugin folder, activate it via the admin, and you are ready to go.

Support requests should be directed to this forum thread.

You can view a basic demo at http://www.scriptdragon.com/test/

Regards
Wayne

[Bruceper]

Sounds like a *****in plugin.

[Dr. Jekyll]

Very nice!

[linksor.com]

Update repository pliz

[FSGDAG]

Update repository pliz

Not sure what you mean by "update repository"?!?!?! Since the plugin was made by someone other than NiceCoder, I dont think your going to find it in SVN.

[hdraye]

Thanx
What about language, is new text included in the .po file, or hardcoded?

[mpdaddy]

The text is taken from the add_error.html file, actually the file is just a copy of that file renamed and slightly edited. Since the text in that file is hardcoded, so is the text included in the plugin.

I think linksor.com was asking for it to be added to the repository at Mod/Addon Repository. It would make it easier to find.

Regards
Wayne

[Bruceper]

That thread is no longer updated, it was for 5.x

[tyomka1]

Very nice plugin, thanks

[webwitch]

That thread is no longer updated, it was for 5.x

Bruce, are you saying that when Deluxe was released all of the existing add-ons were instantly obsoleted and nothing has been done in the months since then to address that? Hellloooo....?!? It looks to me like NiceCoder has a serious case of recto-cranial insertion on this one.

Jeepers-Creepers, guys...

What a tragic waste of developer time, energy, support and good will... not to mention a loss of new user-created capabilities in a product that needs all the new features it can get. Under the circumstances, it's no wonder so many of your long-time hack developers vanished last year. Surely there must be something NiceCoder can do to help developers like ESM, Zubby, mpdaddy, InspireMe and others convert their contributed hacks into plugins. That in turn might help them earn some revenue from their past support and enhancement work...

It's just a thought, guy... I'm NOT a developer. So, I don't stand to benefit directly from whatever you do here. But if you guys could afford to devote a month or two of one developer's time to advise and assist outside developers in making their 5.4 Add-ons into plugins that are compatible with Deluxe, it seems EVERYONE would win in the long term -- not just the users and developers, or NiceCoder -- the product would benefit too.

It's a shame to lose all those addons. But more importantly the damage to community morale and loss of momentum is palpable here.

How about it, Bruce? Is there anything NiceCoder can do to try to mend this fence and put the mods train back on its track?

Thanks for listening.

[Bruceper]

We do not want "mods" anymore but that doesn't mean that users can't make them. Mods make upgrading a problem, and we're trying to make upgrading easier.

Yes we want all previous mods to be plugins now just for portability.

But saying that, a lot of the mods will work, but the lines have been changed because of added/removed code.

maulana has been helpful with making plugins, users just need to ask. In fact he helped mpdaddy with two plugins I believe.

[mpdaddy]

He did help me with the banner rotation plugin. I am grateful, because without his help I would have never finished the basic plugin.

Some of my mods have been converted to plugins already. I am working on them here and there when I have time. I have done a lot of converting and created a few plugins for other users that the community as a whole never sees. I spend most of my time helping others and usually my plugin creation takes a back seat.

In my opinion, Nicecoder has been very open about helping make the plugin system more useful.

Regards
mp

[webwitch]

I do realize that mods (or if you prefer, code hacks) in the old sense of the word are not what You need going forward. But well thought out and done plugins tend to fall into a different category and professionally designed and written products that do well will invariably attact folks with ideas about how to improve them. My concern is not about preserving and protecting code hacks... it's enitrely about maintaining a protective circle of sophisticated developers around the IndexU product who will devote the time and energy to expanding and supporting the product in ways and directions that your own staff can't.

Even Bill Gates eventually had to face the fact that Microshaft couldn't do a great job of fulfilling every single need and expectation it's user community had. The needs were simply too diverse. Clearly, the same thing is true with NiceCoder. Because I've been the product manager for million dollar software products, I KNOW how true that is. I hadn't realized Nicecoder had already done some active work to support your outside developers. But I've also noticed some disconcerting spats and pissing contests between the internal staff and some developers and really hate to see that when I know from first hand experience how important that protective circle of developers surrounding a product are to the long term success of the product overall.

The truth is developers like InspireMe and ESM and MPDaddy are essential to the long-term survival of small software houses like Nicecoder. For that reason I believe they should be encouraged and supported rather than being treated as rabble-rousers. It's a delicate balance to strike. But a healthy product and an eager band of camp followers in the end leads to a happier user community AND a more successful software organization too. That's all I was driving at here. I've seen Echo make similar remarks along the way. I'm just hummin' the same tune.

Yes, Bruce, I totally agree the plugins route makes more sense than the old mods techniques did. But You're BOUND to see some of both; because not everyone comes at these projects with the same level of knowledge, experience or professional skills at their command. Ultimately, the customers tehmselves will make the final determination who to use no matter what you do or say. Because for every user like me who says, $500 is a very fair price to pay to create a new custom skin, there are 20 others who'll say I can't afford more than $100. And as we ALL know software is an arena where the quality you get is often a direct reflection of what You paid to get the work done.

Even the vendors like SigmaChat (now Add-on Chat) that wrote their own sophisticated install routines ran the risk their automated install scripts would occasionally run afoul of other hacks users had installed. PLUS anytime you start sending users (or programmers) into the code with instructions to make changes you run the risk unexpected things will happen.

And the worst / most troublesome issue is ALWAYS upgrading later. I just went through that with the installation of the 1.2.1 upgrade and the upward migration of my own locally developed skin / template from v3.5.4 to Deluxe. Even with professional grade directory-by-directory, file-by-file, and line-by-line code comparison utilities to light the way, these things are never easy...

But then knowing that is what separates us pros from the amateurs, now isn't it?

Bottom line... I'm pleased to know Nicecoder HAS gone out of its way to help its developers and camp-followers bring their pdouct enhancements and changes forward. But I'm sad and disappointed to see You lose the support and backing of folks like InspireMe too. Hopefully ESM is only taking a short sabbatical or shore leave. I personally notice his absence and miss him. I'll be the first to say His help was invaluable to me and many others back in the bad old days a few years ago when things weren't going so well in Elbonia.

I'm pleased to see mpdaddy is still around and working. He does an excellent and professional job.

Thanks a lot for the follow-up, guys. And thanks for listening to my 'sermon on the mount' too.

Best Professional Regards,
Greg