Invision Power Services: Invision Power Services -> IPS Company Blog

I just wanted to update everyone on our convertor services. We recently updated the convertor information page on our web site to try to clarify some confusion.

Note: There is a free conversion service sale going on right now so just keep in mind that the paid services I mention here do not apply until that sale ends.

We have two types of conversion services: free and paid. Our free conversion service is a pack of convertor scripts you can download and upload into your IPB directory. You simply run the convertor and it walks you through the process. As IPB3 is very new only a few free convertors have been made but we are adding more over the next few weeks.

The vBulletin convertor was recently updated so administrators converting from that software will not lose their links from all of their existing topics. This means that search engines or other sites linking to your existing topics will be automatically redirected to the new topic IDs in IPB once converted. We are also now supporting conversion from vBulletin blog and gallery data where applicable. Finally, the SMF free convertor is nearly done and will be made available on the site as soon as it's ready.

We also have a paid conversion service. You can have us convert many database types to IPB for a fee of $60 (including free ones if you prefer to have us do it). The list is on our convertor information page. Again, the $60 fee is waived until sale expires!

If you do not see your software on the list, or you have a custom database that you would like converted, just contact us for a quote.

Thanks everyone!

Update: The SMF free convertor is now available on the web site. Next on the free convertor list is Woltlab.

IP.Board 3.0.0 and Applications launch has been going great so far. We hope everyone who has already upgraded their installs to IPB3 is enjoying the new software.

Welcome to all the recent new customers and converts to IPS software and hosting. Everyone here hopes you enjoy your experience! Join in the community, get help from other customers or jump in and offer help yourself. You never know what interesting tips or resources you might find.

As I am sure most everyone has noticed, we also launched our new web site on invisionpower.com and the feedback there has been wonderful. We know there is some content missing and some broken links here and there but we are working on it. Also, the client area and order process is working but might not be very pretty in a few places so bear with us there. If you find anything wrong with the site please use the Tracker here to report. There is a category for the new web site.

A quick reminder to check IP.Board 3.0.0's requirements before attempting to install or upgrade. We will be maintaining the 2.3.x branch for those on outdated hosting providers who have not upgraded their server software.

We know that many customers are waiting on the Subscriptions Manager to be released so they can upgrade to IPB3. We sincerely apologize for this delay. The Subscriptions Manager update to be compatible with IPB3 is currently our number one priority. It is very close now. There will be an announcement as soon as it's ready.

Finally, we are working on 3.0.1 to fix any issues being reported. So far (knock on plastic wood-like composite) we have had no critical issues that impact huge numbers of installs but there are always issues here and there that impact installs on specific scenarios. Since 3.0.0 is brand new and a huge upgrade from 2.3.6 we do expect a few point releases to iron out any issue that come up from 3.0.0's first wide-spread usage. But don't worry, upgraded from 3.0.0 to 3.0.1 will be very easy.

Thanks again to everyone!

An important aspect to many webpages is the media embedded into the webpage. It's rare to come across a web page that has no images on it, after all. For this reason, we have included a media management tool in CCS to facilitate adding, organizing, and otherwise managing media for your pages.

A word about security

Security is a very important concern when working with files and folders on the filesystem. For this reason, CCS only allows image uploads to occur through the admin control panel and only allows file management operations within a directory defined by editing a file you must upload to your site through FTP. Through these restrictions, if an attacker were ever to gain access to your admin control panel they can only delete and upload within the directory you have previously defined (which can only be set through FTP). They would also only be able to upload image files, thereby limiting any damage that can be done.

You can, however, upload whatever files you wish through FTP and (if you set permissions appropriately on the files) delete and move those files through the admin control panel. This is a compromise we have made to help ensure we protect your site (and server), however, as most administrators will be primarily managing images through the media manager we feel the compromise will not be much of an inconvenience.

What the media manager can do

The media manager allows administrators to manage files on the server (within a specified directory structure). The administrator can create, rename, move, and delete folders at will within this directory. The administrator can also upload image files to any of these folders, delete the files within these directories, and move the files around as needed.

It is a really simple tool designed to help you accomplish a really simple task - uploading, previewing, moving and removing images you might need to embed within your web pages. The media manager manages real files on the file system, so it is presented in the admin control panel separately from the page manager (which handles virtual folders and pages that do not actually exist on the disk).

Conclusion

We realize many administrators are fine with uploading the images and other media they may need for their site through FTP: but for those occasional instances where you just need to quickly upload an image or two while building a web page - or you just need to grab the full URL to an image because you forgot it - you may find that using the media manager can save you a lot of time. It is a simple tool, with a simple and familiar approach, that can save you a lot of time in these very common instances.


No video demo for this one... no one would be too excited seeing image files being moved around.

The demo system for our software has been updated to include IP.Board 3.0.0 along with Gallery, Downloads, and Blog. This is a great way to try out IP.Board 3 if you have not yet wanted to try an RC release or if you are not currently an IPS client and are considering a purchase.

There is a limit to the number of active demo accounts that can be online at one time so if you are unable to sign up now please do try again later. Thanks!

The core of the CCS application centers around allowing you to create pages for your website. The way you create pages and the types of pages you create will be specific to your site, however the process is the same. One administrator may want to build the full front of their website using CCS, while another administrator may want to add some pages within the forums that are not there by default. Both scenarios can be covered by CCS.

The page manager interface looks similar to a computer folder view: you are presented with folders and files in a directory-style listing. You can create folders and subfolders, rename them, delete them, empty them, and move them around as needed. You can edit, rename, delete and move files within these folders as well. There is no built in limit to the number of folders or the directory tree depth imposed by CCS.

There are three page types that you can create: HTML, Javascript, and CSS. Javascript and CSS files are pretty straightforward - the main difference from HTML pages being that when you call to one of these files through a script, link, or import tag in an HTML document, CCS will output the correct HTTP header for the content type being served.

Actual pages can be edited as raw HTML, bbcode, or PHP; allowing you to do practically anything with your pages. You could make your page entirely dynamic, making use of IP.Board's database abstraction layer to retrieve data from the database, using the PHP page type. Or you could make a quick Terms of Service page to display to users using only the bbcode WYSIWYG editor. You can enter the actual filename, and a friendly name to describe the page. The folder and filename are combined to create the URL to reach the page, described later in this blog entry. You can also define the meta keywords and description tags when editing the page.

You can utilize page templates to make creating and editing pages simpler. We will be discussing page templates in a future blog entry, but in essence you would create a page template that defines the basic HTML structure, and then when adding a page you select the template you wish to use, select whether you want to import the template or just edit the page content itself, and the CCS will then be able to utilize pre-designed page templates to make page deployment much easier, faster, and more consistent.

Pages can be cached, helping to reduce overhead for pages that should be relatively static for all viewers. If your pages are very dynamic (for instance, they use a lot of feed or plugin blocks where content will differ from user to user) you should be careful regarding page caching. You wouldn't want an administrator to trigger some piece of the page to be recached with elevated permissions, for instance, showing topics a guest user wouldn't normally be able to view. If your pages are mostly static, however, pages can be built once, cached, and then served from cache on subsequent views. Remember that blocks can also be independently cached, so you can have relatively static blocks cached while leaving the page itself uncached (it will still used the cached HTML for blocks that specify to do so, and use dynamic HTML for blocks that have disabled caching). When you enable page caching, the entire page output is cached.

You can also define the permission masks needed to access a page, or allow all users to access the page. Using this, you can create moderator guidelines for your moderating team, or a contact information page for administrators, for example.

Actually accessing the page is an important matter, and many users will want to utilize friendly urls for this. There are many options built into CCS to handle this for you, which we will likely go over in more detail in a future blog entry. If you are accessing CCS through IP.Board, then CCS uses the built in friendly url functionality in IP.Board to generate friendly URLs (if enabled). Most people, however, will likely take our included index.php file, edit the path to their forums within it, and place this index.php somewhere else on the server. Using this method, you could place the website pages in a root directory of your domain, and have the forums contained within a /forums folder. You would then be able to manage your entire website, create virtual directories and pages, and more right in your IP.Board admin control panel easily. If your server supports mod_rewrite, you can create a .htaccess file and place it in the same directory as the index.php file provided with CCS, eliminating the /index.php/ from the URL entirely. Ultimately, you can define the urls entirely through the admin control panel by creating folders, defining the page names, and placing the pages within folders as you see fit.

As a traditional web server would do, if you visit a virtual folder but do not specify the file, an index.html will be looked for in that folder (you can change the file you wish to load by default in the settings). If the user requests a file that does not exist, a 404.html file will be looked for instead (again, the file is configurable in the settings). Nothing in the system requires you to use extensions, or requires extensions, when used, to be of a certain type. You could give your pages any extension you wish, or none at all (making pages appear to be "folders"). The system is extremely configurable to allow you to create pages for your site the way you want, and to appear in any way that you want. We've done our best to limit any restrictions in place so that you can define the website any way that you choose. Once you start creating pages, you'll be amazed at how simple and versatile the system really is to use.

This is the first blog entry going over specific features in the new Community Content System. See the full announcement for more information: http://forums.invisi...content-system/


Our Community Content System allows administrators to create blocks that can be used anywhere within the CCS framework and anywhere within the forums, blogs, galleries, or any other IPB applications. Blocks are small content includes that can contain practically anything.

CCS allows you to create 3 main types of blocks.

Custom Blocks

You can create custom blocks which can contain anything you want. CCS allows you to edit custom blocks in raw HTML mode, bbcode mode (using the RTE from the forums), and raw PHP mode. The first two methods are pretty self explanatory - what you enter is what is displayed. The raw PHP block mode allows you to enter PHP code (you simply print or echo the output) and the result will be displayed where the block is set on the page. Using raw PHP mode, you can extend the system quite a bit to accomplish whatever you want.

Plugin Blocks

Plugin blocks allow the administrator to select an available plugin to include. Examples that are included with CCS by default include:

• Mini-calendar
  
• Poll
  
• Welcome block
  
• Online friends
  
• Online users
  
• Watched content

We should note that these plugins are completely abstracted from the system, so adding new plugins does not require any file modifications. You simply upload a new folder to the appropriate location, import an XML file in the admin control panel, and the block is ready for use! We expect modification authors will create some interesting plugins once they get their hands on the framework.

Feed Blocks

Feed blocks allow administrators to create "feeds" of data from their forums (or from an external RSS feed) to display. Feed blocks, like plugin blocks, work through a plug-n-play setup whereby you upload a file that defines certain methods and CCS will automatically detect the new feed type and allow administrators to create feeds from other sources. Default feed source options include:

• RSS
  
• Forums
  
• Members
  
• Calendar
  
• Blogs
  
• Downloads
  
• Gallery

Each feed type can have multiple sources - for instance, the forum feed type allows you to pull forums (e.g. to create a forum "tree"), topics (e.g. for a "most viewed topics" block), and replies (e.g. a latest replies block). Feed types can define filtering, sorting and limiting options.



A few examples you can easily implement with no coding knowledge required:

• Featured blog entry block
  
• Latest topics block
  
• Top posters block
  
• Random gallery images block
  
• Upcoming calendar events block
  
• Latest news from CNN

Most feed types allow ordering by a date field (e.g. "latest"-style blocks), ordering by "random", and ordering by other fields specific to the feed type and source. It would be difficult to detail each possible configuration in a single blog entry, so we encourage you to simply look for yourself when CCS is available.




There are several other block-specific options you might be interested in. For instance, each block can be cached (or not) independently, and you can elect to hide blocks entirely if there is no content to show (rather than seeing an empty block). Each block creates a skin template unique to it, so you can edit each block's skin template independently of any other block for full customization.

Blocks are created through a wizard interface, allowing us to step you through the process entirely. Once created, however, you can quickly edit the template without relaunching the entire wizard process, allowing for faster customization of your site. The wizard interface allows the block process to step you through creation and present you with options specific to the block you are defining.

Additionally, blocks are not restricted to the CCS framework. Blocks are parsed through a template plugin tag, which means that you can add a block to any skin template in IPB. If you created an RSS feed block from your website, for example, you could easily display this block right on your forum index. Or you could create a block with advertisements in it, and use the IPB skin system to display this block anywhere within IPB. Blocks use the full power of the skin system, so you can embed blocks within blocks, use template conditionals, and do anything else that you can do within any other skin template. This means you can even add hook points in your blocks, and use the new IP.Board 3.0's hook features to extend blocks even further!


With all of this in mind, we believe you will find there is no end to the amount of customization that can be acheived through the blocks functionality provided by CCS.

The second release candidate of IP.Board 3.0.0 is nearly ready for release. We are just going through the final stages of internal testing and then it will be made available. Just to remind everyone of the previous blog entry which contains various FAQs and information on release candidates.

This release is a huge improvement from RC1 just a few short weeks ago. Since RC1 was the first release we declared "safe" to use many more people installed the software. As we expected, many bugs were reported which we were able to address. The larger install base for RC1 means a more stable RC2 and, of course, an even more stable final release. Thank you again to everyone who has been reporting bugs and issues!

You will be able to upgrade from RC1 to RC2 if you need to. When reporting any issues in RC2 please be sure to indicate if it's a fresh install or upgrade (and what version upgraded from).

Looking forward to RC2 and final release. Keep an eye on our blog and announcements forum for lots of activity over the next couple weeks. Thanks!

The first release candidate of IP.Board 3.0.0 is coming very soon. Everyone here at IPS wants to thank all of our customers who took their time to test the various beta releases of IP.Board to date. We also want to thank those who participated in the IPB3 preview forum and gave their pre-beta feedback.

IPS believes that the public beta process was an important part of this process. Although the process took longer than we originally anticipated, it is our firm belief that taking feedback and testing results from our customer base has created a great product we can all be proud of. Not only did we fix various bugs and issues but we also took the time to make certain changes to IPB3 when people pointed out areas we thought were great but turned out not so great. Granted it took time to make those changes but the end results are very good for all. That is the beauty of collaborating with our customers and are happy with the outcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

We are receiving various questions about the upcoming releases. Here are a few below. Some are repeats but good to review.


What is a Release Candidate?

A release candidate is a version of the software between the beta phase and a final release. Once we post the first release candidate of IP.Board 3.0.0 you can safely assume that we consider the software stable enough to use on your live community. Everyone here at IPS is very excited to reach this milestone of development. Note that technical support and service is not available until we reach the final, supported version. Keep in mind that, although this is a release candidate, there will probably still be some bugs and issues so make your decision to use the software carefully.

Is there a cost to upgrade?

So long as you have a current and active support/upgrade license there is no cost to upgrade to IPB3. Also, if you are on IPS Hosting, there is no cost to upgrade. If your Standard license is expired you can renew it for $25. If you need help just contact customer service.

Can you upgrade my board for me?

We will be happy to upgrade your board when IP.Board 3.0.0's final version is released. However, we do not provide support services for the release candidate stage. Keep in mind that all active IP.Board licenses come with free upgrade services so you can upgrade your install yourself or our staff would be happy to do it for you at no cost to you.

What about IP.Blog/Gallery/Downloads?

The release candidates for the applications will be available just a few days after IP.Board's release candidate. We are staggering the releases so bug reports can be confirmed that they are only regarding IP.Board itself. On the final release day, all applications will be released right along with IP.Board. Please note that the updates to the applications did not contain any major changes at this time but instead were updated to work with IP.Board 3.0.0's code. One of the very first updates made after IP.Board 3.0.0's final release will be major upgrades to the applications.

Will IP.Board 3.0.0 be encoded?

The beta releases were encoded so we could control the releases and how long they were in use. Starting with RC1, IP.Board 3.0.0 will not be encoded.




IP.Board 3.0.0 RC 1 will be out very soon. We hope you all enjoy!

We released IP.Board 3.0.0 Beta 5 last week and the release has gone very well so we are preparing to enter the Release Candidate phase of development. Thanks to everyone who has downloaded the various beta releases and posted bug reports. Please continue to do so! The more we can fix before final release the better for all.

A release candidate is a version of the software between the beta phase and a final release. Once we post the first release candidate of IP.Board 3.0.0 you can safely assume that we consider the software stable enough to use on your live community. Everyone here at IPS is very excited to reach this milestone of development.

Keep in mind this will not be the final, supported version. There will probably be bugs but hopefully nothing that will cause any major issues. So, although it's not a beta anymore, still consider this information before you upgrade your live community. If you cannot stomach a few bugs or areas not working perfectly you may want to wait before upgrading.

The upcoming release candidate for IP.Board 3.0.0 will also be the first release that is not encoded. We hope that our community developers will jump right in and start writing hooks and alternate skins. We have quite a bit of developer documentation already written and we will get that out for everyone as soon as possible.

For the sanity of our support department, keep in mind that release candidates do not come with technical support service. Once IP.Board 3.0.0 is released as a final version then support services will be offered.

Expect the first release candidate of IP.Board 3.0.0 in the next two weeks or so. Thank you again!

IP.Converge is designed to be an open platform allowing any application to share a common authentication method. This allows sites on different servers, and using different products, to let users access it with a 'global' login.

Unfortunately due to limitations within IP.Converge, only a handful of IPS applications utilised it. However, with the recent introduction of IP.Converge 1.1, functionality has been added to allow 3rd-party applications which use a different password hashing system, to integrate with Converge itself.

Being able to integrate popular products seamlessly was an opportunity we simply could not miss! We have noticed that modifications integrating products such as Joomla and Wordpress with IP.Board were so commonly requested, that we had to do something about it.

Introducing IP.Converge Modules
As many of you will be aware of, we have a team of Community Developers who actively develop and maintain our community-projects; IP.Tracker and IP.Shoutbox. We now have a new project that has been in development for some time, IP.Converge Modules. We are starting off with modules for integrating Joomla, WordPress and WordPress MU with IP.Converge and further modules will follow in the near future. You may have read our community developers talking about the development of these on the forums already.

This new range of community projects should prove a popular addition. Available for beta testing, we currently have IPC.Joomla and IPC.WordPress, a separate module is available for WordPress MU users (IPC.WordPress MU). These Converge-ready applications will integrate your existing Converge applications with these popular products. If you wanted to, you could link up multiple Joomla/WordPress installations with your IP.Board, as Converge supports this very well.

For the first release, the modules will offer simple integration compatible with IP.Converge, however in the near future more extension sets will be available for download. These extension sets will each offer a different level of integration for the products, but for now we are simply focusing on integrating these popular products.

To avoid confusion surrounding the products named 'JIB' and 'WIB' developed by Brandon D, IPC.Joomla, IPC.WordPress and IPC.WordPress MU are in fact the new 'JIB' and 'WIB'. Brandon D has been leading this new community project, and therefore work on his two old projects has been carried over to this community project.

You can download the beta releases of these Converge modules here, and the new forums have now been revealed, please feel free to ask any questions there! The Resource site's community project page has also been updated to reflect this new addition! Finally, a new bug tracker project has been set up to allow you to report bugs in these modules.

These converge modules require the PHP version that the product requires, for example to install IPC.Joomla, you will need a PHP version which is compatible with Joomla itself.

IP.Converge 1.1.0 RC 2
To go alongside this release, the second release-candidate of IP.Converge is now available for download for those with an active IP.Board license. Please continue to report any bugs you find in the IP.Converge bug tracker.

In order to install the Converge modules, you must be using at least IP.Converge 1.1 RC 2.

We hope that these new two projects will go a long way and prove to be a very popular addition.