Prefix Essentials featuring auto expiring prefixes and prefix filtering

Prefix Essentials featuring auto expiring prefixes and prefix filtering [Paid] 2.3.6.1

No permission to buy (£25.00)
Overview Updates (27) Reviews (2) History Discussion
Yes, XON made some changes for Stuart to get things running. If it's only that, I might be able to find it and handle it myself. If I remember correctly, it's not a lot of code.

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Präfix-Filter für Themen, Ressourcen und andere Elemente im Xenforo-Forensystem

Wir sprechen über Präfixe und darüber, wie man sie zum Filtern von Themen, Ressourcen und anderen Elementen im xenforo-Forensystem verwendet. Wir werden ebenfalls untersuchen, welche Add-ons für welche Situation und welches Szenario verwendet werden können.
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It works with the Multi Prefix add-on because there are two class modifications within it. According to Stuart, the add-on was developed by XON, who also offers the Multi Prefix add-on.
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Forsaken said:
It is not a bug, and is not something that @Stuart Wright is going to fund to change. I believe he has said to reach out to @Xon to have it done, but he personally doesn't see the point of multi prefixes on his site so has no intention of having it added.
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Some people want multiple prefixes. Personally I feel that only one prefix per thread is the correct use because prefixes are a very visible way of denoting threads of a particular type. For example, I use them in our classified forums to easily see which threads are For Sale, Wanted and For Trade prefixes. If threads can be multiple types, then prefixes are not the solution.
I strongly feel that using tags in threads are a much better way of managing content discovery than using multiple prefixes.
I can't imagine a scenario where I would use multiple prefixes, so I would not use the Multi prefix addon.

With regard to addon compatibility, any one addon author has no obligation to check that their addon is compatible with any others. With so many addons available, it's also impractical to do such a thing. Often if an incompatibility is found, the authors will work together to find a solution, but that's not always the case.
I can ask @Xon about XFRM compatibility, but I know that he is usually very busy and even more so right now getting his addons to 2.3.
 
I agree with you, and I disagree with you. Tags in most forums are mainly a huge pile of garbage words. To use tags the way prefixes are used, we would need to rethink and approach the whole thing differently. Today, I wrote a concept for myself on how this can work better in the future, as I have long wanted a second set of tags that work slightly differently but would be extremely useful for my purposes.

Unfortunately, I still need to repair a number of broken add-ons to make them work with version 2.3. After that, the topic of tags will be at the top of my list because with a different perspective and usage, tags, like prefixes, can be a fantastic and very powerful tool.

When I look at all the various add-ons for tags, it seems that no one has truly understood the potential they hold or have forgotten it. I'd be happy to share more soon, as your add-on only needs a few changes to function much better for my needs.

Regarding multi-prefixes, I think this should be part of the core because it brings many issues with it. There are quite a few add-ons that need to be adapted because of this, or you have to adjust Multi Prefix itself, like Xon did for your Prefix Add-on. But if X has to be modified because of one add-on, in my opinion, it should be part of the core, so no one has to worry about it anymore when developing an add-on.
 
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Robert9 said:
I agree with you, and I disagree with you. Tags in most forums are mainly a huge pile of garbage words. To use tags the way prefixes are used, we would need to rethink and approach the whole thing differently. Today, I wrote a concept for myself on how this can work better in the future, as I have long wanted a second set of tags that work slightly differently but would be extremely useful for my purposes.

Unfortunately, I still need to repair a number of broken add-ons to make them work with version 2.3. After that, the topic of tags will be at the top of my list because with a different perspective and usage, tags, like prefixes, can be a fantastic and very powerful tool.

When I look at all the various add-ons for tags, it seems that no one has truly understood the potential they hold. I'd be happy to share more soon, as your add-on only needs a few changes to function much better for my needs.

Regarding multi-prefixes, I think this should be part of the core because it brings many issues with it. There are quite a few add-ons that need to be adapted because of this, or you have to adjust Multi Prefix itself, like Xon did for your Prefix Add-on. But if X has to be modified because of one add-on, in my opinion, it should be part of the core, so no one has to worry about it anymore when developing an add-on.
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Whether or not the functionality from addons should be or is adopted within the core Xenforo platform depends on a few factors.
(And I’m only guessing here, but from the perspective of someone who has been developing software since 1980).
The advantages of keeping the software as lean as possible are significant. The XF team don’t have to do as much work maintaining extra functionality every time there is a significant update. They don’t have to write manuals or support it. And people who don’t use it don’t have to worry about the software being bloated with features and options that they will never use.
And like I say, I think the prevailing thinking is that prefixes denote a unique thread type and having more than one of them per thread goes against the principle of what they are for.
Having curated tags will work much better in my opinion, though I have some thoughts on how to make the key ones more visible at the top of forums like prefix filtering is with Prefix Easentials.
 
A prefix, to me, is first nothing more than a substitute for a subforum.
Instead of [cats], I could write [Forum cats] before or after a thread title.

With the prefix, I can put a topic in one forum, whereas without it, I might need it in three forums, or use links.
The prefix opens up new possibilities for multidimensional connections.

For me, it’s not just a filtering tool but also a label that makes an immediate statement in the topic title (in lists or threads).
It says: "This is about [cats]!"

If my forum is about cats and dogs, but also includes veterinarians and pet stores, I might not just want to label it [vet] or [shop], but [vet for cats], [vet for dogs], [vet for dogs and cats].
I could solve this with these three prefixes.
But they become long. So, I’ve used [vet][cat][dog] instead.

I don’t know if I’d want to give up multiple prefixes; without them, I might choose topics like this:

[vet] - Vets in Paris for cats and dogs
[vet] - Vets in Paris (cat), (dog)

Hmm, honestly, I don’t want to give up multi-prefixes. And I don’t see why they shouldn’t be a core feature. You can’t say that Xenforo always sticks to "Keep it simple!"—there are some odd things, like navigation level 3, for example. And jumping between main tabs.

With tags, I, or soon will, be able to connect topics beautifully. I plan to enhance their use and value.
But as long as tags stay small under the headline, they won’t get the same attention that prefixes do.

All in all, I’m happy with my view and usage:

Tabs connect two or three topics that truly belong together. (2-3)

Tags connect topics that should be in a list; here, I also use longer words or multiple words. (<21)

Prefixes connect topics that belong in a list (or at a certain number, they’re moved to a subforum) but at the same time, they’re clearly visible labels! [Warning!] (2-3)

Lists are handmade to show a couple of threads (10-20)

As a final touch, you could use, I forgot the name, Siropu’s add-on to connect words in text with something else. But I never really liked the add-on. I think it was too complicated and tiring. But I haven’t come up with a concept yet on how to improve it.

There was also a function in the Wiki add-on (sorry, forgot the name), for which I had some custom coding to connect words with a Wiki entry. These slugs work like Siropu’s word linking—certain words need to automatically lead to an explanation, a Wiki entry, another topic, FAQ, or whatever.

What else can i say:

Prefixes show a list of topics in a subforum.
Tags, on the other hand, always land on a global tag list; it doesn’t matter what forum or what prefixes are used.

And yes, the search and filter options exist, but they mostly annoy me. That’s why I took AndyB’s idea and changed it for myself—I search for many things through quick search. And now that I’m thinking about it, I should consider whether I need a quick search for tags. :)
 
I personally find being able to have multiple prefixes a huge help, substituting for too many nodes and allowing a degree of control that you can't currently get with tags. You can't, for example, assign only certain tags as multiple choices for users on a per node basis, and at the same time force them to use a minimum number of them. Without that, you get people adding tags "willynilly" and a lot of content not being discovered as a result. I use them mainly for book genres, since of course books often belong to more than one genre, and again, for me, there's just no substituting the degree of control you get with an addon like Xon's, not with the current tags system. And the fact that you can move the prefixes to the end of titles or beneath them helps get people away from the mindset that they have to go before the title simply based on the name, which makes for better readability. What's in a name? Name 'em something else. :p

But heh, I totally get why Stuart feels no obligation to make the two addons more compatible, since he's footing the bill for it and has no personal need for more prefixes.
 
Question about the prefix expires - there is a cron job but it is not enabled.

What is the mechanism for the add on to check for expiration? In a larger forum with more threads, is it going to be a performance issue if it is not run off a scheduled cron job?

How to turn on the cron job batch processing? I don't see any thing in the option.
 
ed762 said:
Question about the prefix expires - there is a cron job but it is not enabled.

What is the mechanism for the add on to check for expiration? In a larger forum with more threads, is it going to be a performance issue if it is not run off a scheduled cron job?

How to turn on the cron job batch processing? I don't see any thing in the option.
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I don't know (or care) exactly how it works. I could ask the coder. But there isn't a problem on AVForums with over 2.27 million threads.
 
Yea some addons support both when supporting 2.3 so I thought it was safe to upgrade. Wish it's a standard to not allow upgrades unless the right version is installed :(

Only way to downgrade is to uninstall right?

Any chance to support both? I'm sure lots of people are still using 2.2.
 
John917 said:
Yea some addons support both when supporting 2.3 so I thought it was safe to upgrade. Wish it's a standard to not allow upgrades unless the right version is installed :(

Only way to downgrade is to uninstall right?

Any chance to support both? I'm sure lots of people are still using 2.2.
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I apologise, I’m mistaken. It’s Tag Essentials which has a 2.3 only update. This should work. (I’m on holiday at the moment so am answering while out and about.)
In fact we’re using the same versions at AVForums without problems.
We don’t have the Resource Manager, though. What is Resource Prefix? Because Prefix Essentials won’t have been tested with the Resource Manager or any additional addons related to that.
 
Stuart Wright said:
I apologise, I’m mistaken. It’s Tag Essentials which has a 2.3 only update. This should work. (I’m on holiday at the moment so am answering while out and about.)
In fact we’re using the same versions at AVForums without problems.
We don’t have the Resource Manager, though. What is Resource Prefix? Because Prefix Essentials won’t have been tested with the Resource Manager or any additional addons related to that.
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Thank you for supporting this. Yes I can wait. Resource prefixes are similar to thread prefixes but basically have the prefix in front of the resources on the list of resources (like "unmaintained" prefix here on Xenforo resources when a dev stops support).

It's an official feature for the stock Xenforo addon Xenforo Resource Manager. I guess we just have to add code to ignore them. They show when I access the ACP page to edit certain prefixes (admin.php?resource-manager/prefixes/137/edit)
 
John917 said:
Thank you for supporting this. Yes I can wait. Resource prefixes are similar to thread prefixes but basically have the prefix in front of the resources on the list of resources (like "unmaintained" prefix here on Xenforo resources when a dev stops support).

It's an official feature for the stock Xenforo addon Xenforo Resource Manager. I guess we just have to add code to ignore them. They show when I access the ACP page to edit certain prefixes (admin.php?resource-manager/prefixes/137/edit)
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I’ve asked the coder to have a look.
Could you add what exactly you are doing to trigger the error? We need to reproduce it.
 
Yes so simply go to a resource prefix acp. In other words. You can create a resource prefix or edit an existing one and it will take you there. Below you can see the ACP breadcrumbs showing that too.

1737343002409.webp
 
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