Animation Source Forums

I have had this idea for a while, but I've yet to really test it with a phpBB forum (it works fine with SMF).

I believe we could make BaltoSource/TLKSource/AnimationSource work more efficiently in terms of site mechanics, banning, member tables and similar if the SSI.php file were to be used (this is basically a page filled with PHP scripts that can interact entirely with the forum.

I believe it would make the website clean and more efficient than it is today (and it will also add the extra security scripts inside the Forum to the website as well, in addition to any other security scripts it might have already).

The code for the main site would probably look something like this:

Code: Select all

<?php include('path/to/forum/SSI.php');

echo 'your HTML here';
?>

The above code would go instead of the <html> tags.

If you want to protect a page from visitors - in other words they have to register and log on to see it - this code should be sufficient:

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<?php
include('forum/SSI.php');
if ($context['user']['is_logged'])
{
               
echo 'your html here';
}
else
{

echo ' Please register/login to see the full content.';

}
?>

I am not sure if it would work with phpBB, however, but it works efficiently with SMF boards. I am also sure it could be modified to differentiate between moderator status and non-moderator status member (which in theory will be yet another added protection - I dare say flawless - for moderator functions that you could put on the website).

Naturally, this is Steet's decision, but if he'd like to convert this forum into SMF (which is -much- easier to use and much better, in my honest opinion) there are a number of converters out there on the net (free, all of them) that can be used.

To add a protection on a page so only moderators can see it (and this will -not- bug in such a manner some members can accidentally view mod pages, like the moderator shoutbox, for instance), all that has to be done is to put

Code: Select all

if ($context['user']['is_moderator'])

in the code. However, this would probably only affect Global Moderators (I have yet to try to modify it to work with section mods), so a good idea could be to make member groups for all types of mods.

Personally, I'm messing a bit around with that code. Currently I am trying to expand the "if" integer to include a specific group of member groups.

So far, it looks like this:

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if ($context['user']['is_grouped']['Testgroup'])

It's not working as intended, though.

Perhaps it could be rewritten to work with phpBB boards, perhaps not.

Linking the forum with the website in this manner would most likely reduce lag on the website, free some strain on the database tables, reduce the aumont of scripts needed for the website (that one should ease your job a bit, Steet) and overall improve the security of personal data (the limited personal data found here anyway), improve moderation utilities - completely eliminate the need for a separate banning system, as Forum bans would be site-wide, and basically make Animation Source work smoothly.

Regardless of how bad this idea sounds, I'd still like Steet's opinions on this (and those who want to make an input too) ^^

So, from what I'm reading, is this like a trigger/action sort of implementation? Some of the scripting looks similar to Starcraft's (and Warcraft III's, for that matter) map editor. As in, if "x" happens, it sets off the trigger to begin action "y".If you're familiar with those editors. I just thought there was some similarities between the editor and what you've presented us with.

Anyways, I applaud this step you've taken to improve the site. I have yet to see something go to this extent.

I am not familiar with the concept the scripting Warcraft 3 and Starcraft uses (I don't even play the games), however yes; it's quite simply a basic cause-and-effect script that interacts with the forum (the cause) and responds accordingly on the website (the effect) when changes there are done. It also interacts with the forum's memberdatabase like both sites were one, thus completely eliminating the need to use different user settings on the forum and website altogether.

There are still a few flaws that should be worked out before the script is actively used on a website anyhow (such as the fact that if a person gets the hold of an admin's password, that person could do MASSIVE damage to the website, and Global Mods get some more responsibility as they will have to be careful with a few extra options - having two separate passwords, one for the account, and the other for the tools would solve this - and how to make it recognize moderators and non-moderators properly).

However, that depends on whether phpBB forums have ssi.php files or not. The scripts are dependant on such a file.

Well, sorry by advance to be so negative about this, but :

What's the point?

What you're describing here, is a permission system. Something both the forums AND the site HAS. (even if phpBB has a more confusing permission system, but it still works)
Basically, if there's something only a mod can see, this is what I'm doing :

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if(isMod($bs_id)) {

   // show something restricted to mods, such as, for example, a link to delete a news
}

$bs_id is the id of a member on the site. If an id has not been declared as moderator in the staff page, the function isMod returns false. Simple as that.
Same thing for logging : members who are not logged have $bs_id equals to 0. The others have their id in the member table. So it's as easy to test if a member is logged in or not.
As this is a server side check, there's no way for someone to get access by modifying anything on his machine. The only way would be to get access to the server files or database, which is far from being easy.

That's exactly the same thing you're describing. I don't see anything more. There's no other way to do it, besides. Call it SSI or anything, that's only a permission system.
I only use my own "permission" system, which works pretty well (I'm not sure there are really visitors who can see the mods box, but if there are, I will need a capture screen to believe it and to understand how to correct this) If it didn't work, you would see news being deleted, for example...Because you would be sure one visitor would use the link.

My permission system is linked to the forums one, but in a way so that I would be able to use any forums if I wished to (but I don't wish to move to any other forums unless I would have a very good reason to do so), unlike your solution which would force a site based on it to stay with the same forums forever. (or to rewrite big parts of the code)
This is a choice, not something I have forgotten. It doesn't slow down queries or anything. It was only longer to do something like this. Yes, forums bans are separated, but that's also something that can be changed - they can be unified.

Basically : I want the site to stay independant from all the other scripts or applications it's using.