Plugin Nodes 1.2.1

[Bloodcinder]

Bloodcinder submitted a new resource:

Plugin Nodes - Embed Flash, Java, CometChat/ArrowChat, and other apps in the node tree alongside your forums.

Plugin Nodes add-on for Xenforo
by Bloodcinder

This add-on provides a new kind of node in XenForo called a plugin, which allows a portion of HTML code or a template to be embedded into the node tree to display anywhere you want in the hierarchy without the need for template modifications or other hacks.

Using plugin nodes, you can integrate third-party components such as Flash or Java applications, audio/video HTML5 embeds, or feature codes for software such as...

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[Bloodcinder]

Bloodcinder updated Plugin Nodes with a new update entry:

Example integration with ArrowChat

I updated the Overview tab to show an example of how to integrate an ArrowChat embedded chat room into the forum list. This is because it can be kind of hard to conceptualize what the point of the add-on is and I want you to see an example of it being put to its full use if you've already downloaded the add-on and had difficulty achieving what you wanted.

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[KCGaming]

This could be very handy don't need it yet but the customization this offers is great

 

[Alpha1]

I can surely see the usefulness of applying this to cometchat/arrowchat chat rooms. That still leaves their chat bars unaffected by usergroup permissions. But that's another story.
I am interested to see different applications of plugin nodes. Does this allow you to add plugin nodes with multiple entries under the node, similar to threads?

 

[Bloodcinder]

Regarding permissions, that does have more to do with how the applications themselves choose to integrate into XF's permissions system. You can, however, set node permissions to keep them from being visible to specific groups. Things like the chat bar... To be honest, I don't use CometChat or ArrowChat because the integration is so shoddy. I'm working on my own fully integrated, XF specific chat solution.

As far as multiple entries under the plugin like threads, I'm not entirely certain how you mean. Can you clarify? You can put as much in one plugin as you want, or you could list several plugins one after the other.

Help me understand what you mean. I'll be happy to implement feedback on this if the features suggested can make plugins more useful.

 

[Alpha1]

I can much relate to your statement about shoddy integration. I have been working with cometchat developers for a year, but have not yet got it to work on my active big board. I would love an advanced alternative that fully integrates and has quality code. So please tell me more.

In regards to multiple entries under the plugin node, what I mean is this: A chat room is basically one entity. The node basically has one page with a chat room. A forum is a node which holds multiple entries: threads. So I wonder if your addon can be used to show a node with multiple entries. This is a little bit theoretical, but I am trying to grasp the possibilities of your addon.

 

[Bloodcinder]

My chat add-on is going to be an all-in-one solution for IM, chat rooms, and shoutboxes, with its options and permissions fully integrated into XenForo (not an app-specific admin panel), fully templated in XenForo and styled to match your active style (no external templates or stylesheets). Everything will be completely integrated, modern, and efficient. I've still got a lot of work to do, but I'm hoping to finish it this year.

In fact, Plugin Nodes is a stepping stone to what I've just talked about (and will probably be a prerequisite add-on), because Plugin Nodes will allow you to insert chat rooms (or even one-on-one IM boxes with specific members) into the forum list as shoutboxes.

As for multiple entries within a node, not per se. I suppose if you wanted more than one thing inside a node, you could include HTML or template code that would provide a set of tabs inside the node that could be switched between, or a scroll box, or a collapsible/expandable tree, or some other organization. For the most part, what goes inside the node is entirely up to you and you can put as much or as little as you want, including multiple different functional elements. You can think of this add-on as a framework that can help you to integrate anything you can imagine, but actually implementing those things is outside the scope of the Plugin Nodes release.

 

[Bloodcinder]

Bloodcinder updated Plugin Nodes with a new update entry:

Compatibility with Rellect's Nodes Grid add-on

I've added compatibility with the Nodes Grid add-on by Rellect, an add-on which allows you to display your node list (ie. forum view) in two columns instead of one big wide column. If you do not currently use Nodes Grid, you don't need to upgrade at this time, because there have been no other substantial changes since the last version. If you already use Node Grid, this will allow you...

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[Bloodcinder]

Thanks to @rellect for helping me to get Plugins Nodes compatible with his excellent Nodes Grid add-on.

 

[Bloodcinder]

Does anybody want to share how they're using Plugin Nodes? So far I don't know how it's actually being used in the field, so I don't know what experience people are having with it. Without knowing that, I can't do much to address user concerns or improve features.

 

[Bloodcinder]

Bloodcinder updated Plugin Nodes with a new update entry:

Template variable arrays now use JSON for legibility and efficiency

Previously, template variables had to be specified for plugin nodes using PHP-serialized arrays. For example...

• a:1:{s:4:"room";i:1;}
• a:2:{s:6:"result";s:10:"successful";s:5:"color";s:5:"green";}

Well, that format is cumbersome for humans to write from scratch. So template variables now use JSON! Now those same examples look like...

• {"room":1}
• {"result":"successful", "color":"green"}

This should make template variables much easier to use. If you...

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[Bloodcinder]

Bloodcinder updated Plugin Nodes with a new update entry:

Bug fix for plugins in subforum menus

Fixed a bug where plugin nodes set to be visible in the node list did not display correctly in subforum popup menus.

Previously in such popup menus they displayed their replacement code, which was not intended. They now display a regular link to the standalone page or the parent of the node if there is no standalone page, just like any other node type.

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