Forums


No site can claim to be a "community" without some form of forum system. PostNuke does not include a forum system in its core package, but other forums applications can be installed to remedy the need.

PNphpBB2

By far, the most popular third-party forum with PostNuke integration is PNphpBB2 (www.pnphpbb.com). It is based on the phpBB2 forum (www.phpbb.com), and although phpBB2 is a standalone forum, PNphpBB2 incorporates features of PostNuke, such as your site's theme and user accounts to join it completely with your website.

Version 1.2g of PNphpBB2 is included with the book materials. You can download the current version of the forum from its website (URL listed previously), which also contains templates, patches, and the extensive Users Guide.

PNphpBB2 uncompresses to a very large directory tree, but all of the relevant files are nicely contained in the one root /PNphpBB2/ folder. Move the folder and all of its contents to your server's /modules/ directory.

Before you install the forum, you should turn off compression for your site (in Site Settings). It has been known to prevent some screens from displaying during the install. It can be turned back on after the forum is operational.

Note

For PNphpBB2 1.2g to work with PostNuke .750, you need to set the Enable Support for Legacy Modules option in your PostNuke Website Configuration page to "Yes." Release candidates for .750 prior to RC4 also need the Enable pnAntiCracker option set to "No."


PNphpBB2 initializes and activates just like the majority of other third-party modules. The module does not allow you to use the forum or access administration functions before you remove the install directory. It's on your server at /modules/PNphpBB2/install/. Delete the directory from your server.

Now when you go to the PNphpBB2 Administration page, you should see a screen much like Figure 7.5.

Figure 7.5. Managing your PNphpBB2 forum.


You can set up a public link to the forums using the direct URL /modules.php?op=modload&name=PNphpBB2&file=index or by simply adding [PNphpBB2] to the Main Menu block.

User accounts on your PostNuke site automatically have access to read and post on the forum; its account system is fully integrated with PostNuke.

A test category and forum are created as part of the install. To make the default entries a little more useful, you can modify them. On the PNphpBB2 Administration page, scroll down on the left navigation column to the Forum Admin section. Click the Management link. The page shown in Figure 7.6 appears.

Figure 7.6. Designing your forum's sections.


This form is very important because you create the layout for your user forums using this form. Click the Edit link on the same line as Test Category 1; change the category to read "Local Concerts." Do the same for the Test Forum, renaming it "New Artists."

Now return to your home page, and click into the forums like a regular user. Add a couple posts to the New Artists forum, such as "2 More Days to Billy Plays Sax" and "Jenna Marx @ the Boulevard Café."

Next, you can add a side block to your site that contains the most recent forum posts. From your Block Administration page, add a new block. Title it "Forum Activity" and use the PNphpBB2/Multi-Block setting. After committing the initial block choice, you are given a host of additional configuration options for the multiblock. Click the Display Last Forum Posts in Block check box. Obviously, many other options are available, but for now, leave all of the rest at their defaults. Submit the block and return to your site's home page. You should now see a new block that looks something like Figure 7.7.

Figure 7.7. Showing users what's happening.


The side block can also be used to display forum statistics, a category list, or a "Who's Online" box that also displays any new PNphpBB2 private messages.

XForum

This module was originally developed from the XMB Forum, but has since become a full fork due to many code changes. It's available for multiple versions of both PostNuke and PHPNuke, which has been a useful feature for those running both Content Management System (CMS) portals and those converting their site from one to the other.

XForum version 1.81.1 is included with this book's additional materials. More current versions of the module can be found at its website (www.trollix.com).

XForum for PostNuke uncompresses to a directory containing includes and modules subdirectories. The two directory trees in the includes should be placed in your server's /includes/ path, and the XForum directory needs to be copied to the /modules/ path.

Check the permission settings on the files settings.php and jumper.php; they need to be at least chmod 666 to ensure a complete install. After that is done, go to this URL to run the XForum install:

 http://[YOUR site here]/modules.php?op=modload&name=XForum&file=install 

The install script should autodetect all your database and connection information, but check it over to be certain. French is the default install language, so if you want English, be certain to change that. Pick a theme and click the Next button.

You should see a Connection OK message from the database test. Clicking the Next button again does the table creation and completes the install. XForum does not require the initialize/activation like the majority of other third-party modules. This manual install process accomplishes that step.

XForum is not as fully integrated with PostNuke as PNphpBB2, and you won't see an admin icon/link under the main Administration Menu. But PostNuke user accounts are used for XForum, and as a site administrator, you do have access to all of XForum's features.

Go to your Blocks page and edit the Main Menu block again to add a link to [XForum]. Reload the page to get the link to appear. Users can now use that link to see the forums and start threads. Administrators can also use that link to manage the XForum module.

Click the new link as both an administrator and user. The only difference is that administrators have the Control Panel link. Click the link and you go to the page shown in Figure 7.8.

Figure 7.8. Taking control of XForum.


Now add in the same category and forum you used for the previous section. Under Setting, change the Forum Name to "Live Music." Under the Forums link, change "Category Tests" to "Local Concerts" and "Forum Tests" to "New Artists." Check the boxes by the two headings to make them visible.

Now, as a user, add in a couple of new topics just like you did for PNphpBB2. The sample headers are "2 More Days to Billy Plays Sax" and "Jenna Marx @ the Boulevard Café," and when you are done, you should have something similar to Figure 7.9.

Figure 7.9. Creating topics for discussion.


Overall, XForum has the same standard features you'd expect from a website forum application. But XForum is not as cleanly tied into PostNuke. It is possible to set up a block to display XForum content, but blocks are not included with the main XForum package. You have to download and install the block separately. In addition, for the current version of PostNuke, only a "Who's Online" block is available.

XForum does have the benefit of a simpler interface that can be easier to work with than PNphpBB2's. XForum often lets you complete more operations in a single screen and requires less scrolling and clicking to get to the screen you need. The right choice depends only on which of these applications best suits your needs.



    PostNuke Content Management
    PostNuke Content Management
    ISBN: 0672326868
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2003
    Pages: 207
    Authors: Kevin Hatch

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