XF 2.2 Style archive import/export, Style asset locations and Asset uploads

Everyday administrative housekeeping often requires direct interaction with your server's file system.

Installing or upgrading a style, switching out logo graphics and other images on your forum you will invariably require a dust-off for your rusty old FTP client and an exciting adventure into arcane directory structures in order to upload them manually, while desperately not trying to overwrite the server's kernel or otherwise accidentally lunch the normally smooth operation of your forum.

Booooooring!

We have already acknowledged that these archaic methods will no longer do. XenForo 2.1 removed many barriers in order to allow one-click upgrades and add-on installs/upgrades from archive to be performed directly from your admin control panel in a much more convenient way.

But, we felt there was still more to do and that's what we're talking about today

 

[Mike]

I would guess the asset locations are backwards-compatible. In other words, would the site be "broken" if we don't create and use the new asset locations?

They're optional/opt-in, though they are required if you want to use any sort of automatic style packaging/importing.

 

[sbj]

I found out who Chris really is!!!

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[Masetrix]

It would be nice if you could just as well add an add-ons to the control panel as styles. That would be very wonderful

Yes, that would be a dream, at least the basic structure for an addon ... installation routine ... dream ...

 

[Radhi]

Great, well done.

 

[JoyFreak]

I don't know what all this means but I love it!

 

[Alpha1]

It means that installing or updating styles will be easier and faster.

 

[Chromaniac]

i wonder if this would require additional work for people using the AWS addon out of the box after upgrade to 2.2.

To avoid issues with file permissions, and to ensure the files (such as images) are accessible, the data directory perfectly fits the bill. But what makes this even better is that you're already able to serve files in the data directory from a CDN or offload it to some sort of remote file storage so this potentially enables you to reduce disk usage, while also serving files from a potentially faster, geographically closer location to your visitors.

 

[Chris D]

Nope. The abstracted file system is a core feature of XF so whenever new things start to use it, you get that support automatically. The "AWS add-on" isn't really an add-on at all (in the traditional sense). Literally all it does is make the Amazon SDK files available on your server. It doesn't change the behaviour of XF itself in any way at all.

 

[RallyFan]

If an upcoming HYS mentions either movable thread nodes in themes or the ability for users to hide specific nodes, my head might just explode in excitement.

 

[doublespaces]

Nice, now we need addon cleanup

 

[tajhay]

This HYS is a masterpiece. Beautifully written.

 

[2B-A-Legend]

Awesome XF 2.2 features!

 

[Russ]

Before I make a suggestion for it , can the new upload field be used in the form of a custom property?

 

[robdog]

This is great, nice work.

 

[Karelke]

I love the new default style!
View attachment 227659

rofl, XenForo logo looks like it's drunk

 

[Max]

Please make the remote attachment storage a built in feature.

 

[Chris D]

Before I make a suggestion for it , can the new upload field be used in the form of a custom property?

Yes. But the upload part of it is designed for admins to use, if that makes sense.

It’s actually just a text box so it can contain any path or URL but if an admin prefers they can also use it to upload an image and point it to that custom path.

So you can have an asset upload custom property, but its default value as set by you might just be something you type in like %ASSET:thing%/whatever.png but then an admin can install your style and use the asset upload thing to point it to a different file.

 

[Chris D]

Please make the remote attachment storage a built in feature.

It is already a built in feature.

 

[Kirby]

Please make the remote attachment storage a built in feature.

It is a built in feature, just like Windows 10 has the built-in feature of being able to use printers.

However, to use a specific printer, you'll need a driver from the manufacturer - just like you will need the appropriate "driver" (SDK/API) to use cloud storages.

 

[Chris D]

Yeah. That’s why we released the resource about AWS and DO Spaces. It literally just includes the massive AWS SDK.