Invision Power Board Wordpress Integration, IPBWI as Wordpress-Plugin Options

[Matthias Reuter]

Dear Community,

I am currently working on a IPBWI plugin for Wordpress. I try to make most IPBWI functions available for Wordpress. In this topic I'll stay you informed which features I have implemented yet, so you are able to see in which status the project is. If you are using Wordpress, please feel free to submit feature requests here, so I get notified about the needs for this plugin. Any feedback is welcome.

The following features are currently implemented:

• Widgets
  • View latest Board Topics
  • View latest IP.gallery Images
• Single-Sign-On
  • If a user loggs in/out or registers to wordpress, the same will be done in the board.
  • If a user tries to login in wordpress with board-datas but there isn't a wordpress-account with these datas, a new one will be created. This is important, because the IPBWI wordpress plugin will often be used with already existing boards.
  • Wordpress-Profile-Datas will be synced with IP.board ones
  • Wordpress-Profile-Page will be enhanced with additional board's profile fields including custom profile fields
    • Enhanced Profile Edit Page and Profile View Page can be customized by editing the delivered theme files.
    • If you want to view Members-Profile-Page, you have to use the following Links:
      • %blog_url%/ipbwi/user/
      • %blog_url%/ipbwi/user/%boards_member_login_name%
    • %-vars have to be replaced with your specific blog vars.
• The following features are partially developed and integrated, but they are not finished yet or buggy, so they are deactivated for public beta. It's really not recommend to reactivate them by editing sourcecode, but some hardcore-kamikaze-user maybe could not resist
  • Board Statistiks & Online Members
  • Sitemaps (HTML for users and XML for google)
    • Widgets
      • Viewing Tag Cloud - deactivated (not completed yet for public beta)

Installation

1. copy directory ipbwi to /wp-content/plugins/ of your wordpress-installation
2. copy content of directory wordpress/ to your wordpress-installation, too.
3. The directory /wp-content/plugins/ now should contain a directory called ipbwi/ and a file called wordpressLoadIPBWI.php
4. You do not need to edit config.inc.php of IPBWI
5. After that, IPBWI should be listed as installable wordpress-plugin in wordpress-adminpanel. Activate it.
6. Now there should be a new menu item in your adminpanel called IPBWI.
7. Now you can start using IPBWI as wordpress plugin.

Kind regards,
Matthias

[ExtremR]

Sounds Good mate
Can't wait for it! Keep it up

[in8600]

What if instead of just adding functionality to ipb so it integrates with wordpress, you make this two part. By having wordpress authenticate against the ipb db. There is a wordpress plugin for this already, and this is what I use.

I would definitely like the ipb db to be what handles everything, and wordpress goes through this db. But wordpress itself would be what needs the modifying for this, not just ipb.

Great job on this stuff!

[Matthias Reuter]

Hi in8600,

I do exactly what you need IPBWI is an API to IP.Board. IPBWI never needs any change or plugin in IP.Board itself, because IPBWI is for IP.Board-Feature-Integration in other sites than IP.Board.

This means: I am programming a plugin for wordpress which uses IPBWI, so wordpress is able to communicate with the board. Actually, single sign on is implemented. So if you create an account in wordpress, there will be an account in IP.Board created, too. If you log in or log out in wordpress, your board account will be logged in and out simultaneously, too. Finally, if you update your profile in wordpress, including changing the password, both will be updated in your board-account, too.

Retrieving Forums, Topics, Polls and Posts from the Board for using (view, create & update) it in Wordpress is the next step. The aim is, to implement most IPBWI features to wordpress.

But, btw: Could you send me a link to the plugin you already use for IP.Board Integration in Wordpress? Would be nice to compare, which features this plugin already supports.

Kind regards,
Matthias

[in8600]

Thanks for the reply!

This is what I am using http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/extern...authentication/ .

It is nowhere near as advance as what you have, but what I am using it for - is to allow a member to use their forum account to log in when leaving comments to a wordpress entry and the comments are auto approved when they are from a logged in member. I really wanted tight integration with the word press comments systems and IPB.

And you can also log into the wp admin with your forum account since word press authenticates it against the IPB db.

Basicly, what I was trying to accomplish, is using word press as my news portal for the site, instead of something like the ipb portal. Because the wordpress cms is so much more feature complete, with its tag system, and its great admin panel for publishing articles.

I personally wouldn't use the feature to retrieve forum posts and polls and stuff like that into Word Press, I find it kind of extra. And personally find one of the beauties of wordpress is in its admin cp and the way you can publish contents through there.

I want my members to be able to use the forum as a forum, then seamlessly view wordpress articles, and leave comments their. And also to be able to check an option for ipb groups to have acccess to the Wordpress CP so they can write articles.

But what ever you do - keep up the work, because you are contributing so heavily to the ipb community with what you do! Thankyou!

This post has been edited by in8600: Dec 14 2008, 7:45

[Matthias Reuter]

Here is a first screenshot from the adminpanel of wordpress enhanced by the new ipbwi plugin. It shows the core configuration of IPBWI which means: You do not need to edit the config.inc.php, just edit all settings in the adminpanel.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[Rage]

Here is a first screenshot from the adminpanel of wordpress enhanced by the new ipbwi plugin. It shows the core configuration of IPBWI which means: You do not need to edit the config.inc.php, just edit all settings in the adminpanel.

This is awesome news… I’m really looking forward to this plugin.

would it be possible to test your beta?

[Matthias Reuter]

Hi Rage,

there will be a beta. When the beta is released, you'll get notified in this topic

Kind regards,
Matthias

[Solst1ce]

Hey Matthias,

Just wondering if you have an update for the release date. I am trying to integrate IPB on my Wordpress installation via the current IPBWI toolset but I am running into problems.

This Wordpress-specific version sounds promising and I can't wait to set it up.

Thanks,

Sam

[Matthias Reuter]

Hi Solst1ce,

I think first beta will be available at the end of february. There is lot of work and currently there are no helping hands which could support me in coding on this wordpress plugin.

There is a small public preview of my homepage on http://v3.pc-intern.com which I use to implement and test the ipbwi wordpress integration features. Some parts on this website are german because this is my development base.

Currently you'll see login/logout/registering is (partially) synced with board and implementation of tag cloud and sitemap through ipbwi. All entries in the sitemap are topics from the forum.

Tag Cloud is implemented as widget, see screenshot for this.

Kind regards,
Matthias

PS: If you want to join dev-team, just write a PM

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[Rage]

This is great news...

We need this plugin in a new community which are using WP mu as primary system..

I didn’t ask you about that, but i suppose you can use this on Wordpress MU to?

[Matthias Reuter]

This is great news...

We need this plugin in a new community which are using WP mu as primary system..

I didn’t ask you about that, but i suppose you can use this on Wordpress MU to?

Hi Rage,

I didn't know that there is a plugin like this. But it sounds really good. The first releases of the beta might not be compatible to this plugin, but till the final release their should be support for this plugin, too.

Kind regards,
Matthias

[Rage]

I didn't know that there is a plugin like this. But it sounds really good. The first releases of the beta might not be compatible to this plugin, but till the final release their should be support for this plugin, too.

I think you misunderstood me there..

I don't have a plugin.

Wordpress MU is not a plugin, it's more like the community version of WP where you could host thousands of blogs on a single WP install.
It's basically the same as what you find on wordpress.com

I think you know what this is.. right?

We will however only allow registrations on the primary site so I hope this would work on WP mu too!

If you like, please pm me a url for the file and we could help you test it.

This post has been edited by Rage: Jan 14 2009, 22:35

[Matthias Reuter]

Hi Rage,

you are able to download the nightlybuild from the svn server. This is always the newest version which I've installed for development, too. You can find the svn-datas on ipbwi.com.

Please note that using wordpress integration on this state of coding will be done at your own risk, there is no official guarantee or support for this.

Kind regards,
Matthias

[Solst1ce]

Hey Matthias,

Great start so far. I am working with your latest development version on the svn repository. What I am trying to accomplish is to have my Wordpress site act as a news site, with a forum in IPB sending posts to the Wordpress installation as news.

Have any recommendations on how to go about this?

[Matthias Reuter]

Hi Solst1ce,

thx for alpha-testing Actually this is not implemented, but I work very hard to make this feature possible. I've found a solution, but it is tricky to make it possible without limiting other wordpress-features (like blogposts & articles).

Kind regards,
Matthias

[Solst1ce]

Thanks for your response Matthias, and for all of your work. Here is my advice, but feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Maybe have two versions of the Wordpress plugin for IPBWI:

-One version would be for people that want to preserve Wordpress's integrated blogging/posting capabilities. This one would have all currently implemented features ie: sitemap, login, widgets, stats, etc.

-The other version could employ the solution that you mentioned. Wordpress's integrated features may be limited, but IPB topics can take their place. This is the version I am extremely interested in seeing. It would maybe have features like the news (view topics) and login and any others possible to implement.

I am really interested in seeing this come to light. Check your PMs

Sam

This post has been edited by Solst1ce: Jan 18 2009, 3:34

[Matthias Reuter]

Hi Solst1ce,

there is another, smoother, solution: Let the user decide which version is the right one. Best way for this is an advanced ipbwi-admin-menu in wordpress which allows to set each setting. This is what I want to create. A real, out-of-the-box integration of IPBWI where really no coding is needed anymore.

Kind regards,
Matthias

[Solst1ce]

Couldn't have put it better.

Let me know if you need help.

[GamerPhfreak]

Is this project any further along? I am following it with much interest.