Archived : Techno Babble
This is the archived version of my b2evolution code blog.
If you require any help regarding b2evolution then
visit it's support forums
You can find my current blogs here
Code : {@link : WafflesOn}
Personal : {@link : InnerVisions}
OMG we almost have a new plugin!
Posted on 16th Aug 2007 in : Plugins & Widgets
Hi %name%, yer gonna be really impressed with me, I just wrote a new post called "%title%"
This post won't come as much of a revelation for those of you who have the AstonishMe Bopit plugin installed, because you'll have seen it in the list of plugins on the admin tooltab, but it's worth reading anyway ..... honest 
What is the plugin?
Although most people who actually use blogs know about that wonderful little thing called RSS which allows you to follow a blogs post or comment feeds without having to actually visit the "Pastel Palace" in question, some of them still use InterDebt Exploiter ( or *shudder* AOL ) and wouldn't know a feed if you hit them over the head with a meal voucher. So, this plugin allows them to subscribe to your wondrous examples of literary excellence via email.
Great, I just love AOL users, so how do I get it?
Well, in a totally Pimp-A-Plugin fashion, the only place to currently get it is by installing the AstonishMe Bopit plugin and clicking on the download link .... Install is the normal shit : unzip, upload, click install ... you're probably gonna want to wander over to the settings and amend stuff, there's a full list of what they are and what they do in the readme ..... and, erm, well, that's it really .... don't forget that it's still under development though, if it melts your servers cpu or harasses people then don't blame me huh?
As always, let me know if it screws up
¥
Customise your posts
Posted on 1st Aug 2007 in : Plugins & Widgets
We've had this plugin lying around for so long that we've already updated it twice and still haven't managed to do a public release ...... oooops 
Anyway welcome to the AstonishMe Custom Plugin, this plugin allows you to add all sorts of custom stuff directly from your posts giving you far more control over your blog than ever.
Wanna play with SEO?
Whilst b2evolution is a great little blogging platform, it does have a few drawbacks, one of which is the static keywords and descriptions for each blog. As you probably know, the evil google bot prefers to see keywords and description that are relevant to the content on the page at any given moment. Now you can have custom keywords and description on a per post basis, you can also control the title and even add more meta tags if you want. The title & description of the post are used when you're in single post mode ( it defaults to the stock ones if you don't have one for a post ). The keywords are used whenever the post is being viewed archives/categories/front page etc, only the unique ones are shown so you shouldn't get any duplicates.
Gimme some style
Apparently some people like to make their posts look like a tarts boudoir which, up until now, has meant that you either needed a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge stylesheet or *shudder* you had to restrict yourself to just a few boring styles!! Now you have the ability to add post specific baubles to your blog with no fear of excessive bloat. To make things easier you can target each post specifically simply by using %post% in your class/id names. This will be replaced by am_custom_post_##_ so you can avoid conflicting classnames.
Need a script?
If you had javascript enabled, you wouldn't be reading this
If you happen to be one of those people who are forever adding all sorts of javascript gimmicks so that you can amaze your visitor with some stunning new effect, assuming they have javascript enabled of course, then you're probably going to want to meander through the plugins code and change a 0 to a 1 . This will then allow you to either add your script in <head> or directly inside the post at the spot you type it. Fair warning though, enabling this option will allow any user with posting rights to post javascript, so be think before you enable it huh?
Enough already
I suppose it's time to tell you how to use all these new found powers huh? First off all you need to do all the usual stuff like, download the plugin, unzip it, upload it, wander into admin and install it. Unlike most of our plugins, this one also involves you ripping a couple of bits out of your skins _main.php. Don't worry though, it's fairly painless and the worst you could do is melt down your server if you delete the wrong bit huh? So, now that you're reassured, crack open your skins _main.php and delete the red bits
PHP:
<span style="color:red"><title><?php </span> | |
<span style="color:red">$Blog->disp('name', 'htmlhead'); </span> | |
<span style="color:red">request_title( ' - ', '', ' - ', 'htmlhead' ); </span> | |
<span style="color:red">?></title> </span> | |
<base href="<?php skinbase(); /* Base URL for this skin. You need this to fix relative links! */ ?>" /> | |
<span style="color:red"> <meta name="description" content="<?php $Blog->disp( 'shortdesc', 'htmlattr' );?>" /> </span> | |
<span style="color:red"><meta name="keywords" content="<?php $Blog->disp( 'keywords', 'htmlattr' );?>" /> </span> |
Now what?
From now on, whenever you make a post you have the ability to customise it in all the ways mentioned above by using the following tags. For css and javascript %post% will be replaced with .am_custom_post_##_. For those of you who have been using this plugin for a bit, don't worry, all old style tags still work as well
Html:
<!--title title to use --> | |
The title to use will be used as the pages html title in single post mode. | |
<!--description post description --> | |
The post description will be used as the pages description in single post mode | |
<!--keywords keywords to add --> | |
The keywords to add will be appended to the pages keywords. The plugin also ensures that there are no duplicate keywords | |
<!--meta meta tag data --> | |
This will add a meta tag <meta meta tag data /> | |
<!--css custom css for post --> | |
The custom css for post will be output between <style> tags | |
<!--script javascript to add --> | |
The javascript to add will be output inside <head> between <script> tags | |
<!--js javascript to add --> | |
The javascript to add will be output inside your post between <script> tags | |
WARNING : This will allow any user with posting rights to post javascript, it's disabled by default. To enable javascript you need to manually change the setting in the plugin code. |
So, now you can decorate your posts to your hearts content, let me know if you have any problems huh?
¥
Widgets
What are widgets?
Widgets, in the case of b2evolution, are basically skin tag plugins, like the weather plugin; ministats plugin; calendar plugin; and all the others that you normally have floating around in your sidebar. Currently if you want to rearrange the order in your sidebar, or add a new skintag plugin, you have to crack open your skins _main.php and manually add a snippet of code wherever you want the results to be shown.
This method of course has a couple of flaws when it comes to reality. The main flaw it has is that it requires a slight knowledge of php, not a lot but often it's enough to trip up the basic user. The other main flaw is that it requires the ability to be able to ftp files to the server. In a multi blogger environment I'd be very surprised if more than a couple of chosen users had ftp access at all.
This is where widgets come in. From version 2.0 skintag plugins have become Widgets and they work in a very different way, although they're still plugins at heart and can still be added to a skin in the old school way. With widgets, and an appropriate skin that uses them, you no longer need to edit your template to change the order, or even to add new ones, or delete ones you no longer use. Now you can do all that from admin. With a few clicks of your mouse button you're able to add and remove widgets, change their order of appearance, and even choose where they appear in your skin.
The advantages of widgets
The advantages to the basic user are obviously huge, they no longer need to know any php, they don't need ftp access, they don't even have to know what a parameter is. All they need to do is wander over to the admin area for their blog and click buttons, how simple is that! There's also other advantages, skin designers no longer need to think about every possible plugin that might get installed. It's all taken care of for them so all they need to do is to add "containers" to their skin, which is basically a place holder for widgets to fill. Widget designers no longer need to say "crack open your skins _main.php and paste this code snippet wherever you want the answer to appear", which should save a fair few support requests and crashed blogs.
It all sounds to good to be true huh? Simple enough for even the basic users to be able to use, convenient for skin designers who no longer have to worry about what plugins should go where and in which order, and great for blog admins who no longer have to give out ftp accounts to users so they can change their skin.
The problem with core widgets
There's absolutely nothing wrong with the core widgets, as long as you want to use their default output. A prime example is the rss widget which has a hard coded title, part of which is that groovy little orange icon. Unfortunately that groovy little icon has a white background instead of a transparent one which meant it looked bloody awful on a pink skin I was playing with ( don't worry, I won't assult your eyeballs by linking to it ). Now for me that's not a huge problem, I have CVS access so I can convert the background to transparent and upload it to the core for all future versions.
The problem is, I don't actually want the icon in the title for my skin. In this instance, because the title is hard coded, I'd now have to hack a core file to remove the icon, ohhh, and it'd be removed for all of the skins. Now, I've not wandered through all of the core plugins to see if they're equally hard coded, but lets pretend they're not. Lets imagine that I could call the rss widget in my skins _main.php in the old school way, and pass it the title that I want it to use. Great, now I can remove the icon for just the skin(s) I want, so no problem right? ........ Wrong. The moment you put a skintag call in instead of using it as a widget you lose the ability to put it where you want in your sidebar, unless you put all of the widgets in as skintag calls, in the order that you want them. Which kind of defeats the purpose of having widgets in the first place, so now were back to square one 
The only real solution to this is to go through the code for all of the core widgets and to convert all of the hard coded values into settings which can be changed on a per blog basis. This would at least allow the user to change the values to something that suits their needs. Although it would also be nice to have widget settings on a per skin basis, this would probably be overkill
Summary
I think users and admins are going to love widgets. For the user they get far more control of how their blog looks without having to worry about how to add it to a skin without breaking the skin. The admin advantage is even clearer, no longer do they have to consider either giving users an ftp account so they can alter their own skin, or making the changes for the user, or just telling them "tough shit, that's the way the skin looks". The other bonus for them is they no longer need to change every skin just to install a new plugin.
From the skin designers point of view, there's no longer the need to either try and code for every plugin out there, and ones that might be out there in the future, or if they're anything like me, code for all the plugins I use and sod the rest Now they can create a skin that has the basic skintag parameters, and put a container wherever a user *might* like to have a widget .... hell, they could add one to each and every <div> and give the user complete freedom of choice.
For widget developers it's just made the documentation easier, "click install" is pretty simple to explain, and, if they use parameters well enough they should also be able to cover any skin / situation. Another bonus will be the reduction of "I tried to install the 'foo' plugin, but when I added the php to my skin it didn't work / looked wierd / went tits up / some other reason" support questions to answer.
All in all I think that widgets, like many other things in 2.0, are a great step forward for every part of the user base, from the basic user, to blog admins, to skin designers to plugin developers..... mind you, that's probably why it's version 2.0 and not 1.11 huh?
¥
Top 40 ways people found my blog
Posted on 21st Jun 2007 in : Techno Babble
Now that I've encouraged my search cloud to filter out most of the myspace muppet search terms that I get hit with it's become a far more interesting read! Not that it needed much encouraging, it was practically begging me to put it out of it's misery.
- your country needs you - if it can survive blair it probably does
- un block sites - ok
- optomistic quotes - urm, does this mean you're looking for cheap insurance?
- unknown proxies - if it was unknown how would google know about it?
- my space un blocker - it's called age
- tit wankers - thank you for entertaining me
- "muathe.com" doesn't work - no, he spams
- un block pages - sure, just send me all your login details, your bank account number ..... actually, forget that, you're probably one of the muppets that filled in my form
- summary the eagle has landed - yay
- babbles games - I really should find out what this game is
- ttfn summary - it means "bye" then you leave
- m y s p a c e u n b l o c k e r - You really win muppet of the year, do you know how many sites there are with the letters "A B C E K L M N O P R S U Y" in the content?
- pond pumps yabba - I don't sell them, but my mate does
- link words - yay, next comes a complete sentence
- un blocker - try a plunger
- un block my space - no
- platform beds uk - platforms sleep!!!!!
- potting shed pics - I'll post some as soon as Ash visits the field
- un block un block - urm, why would unblocked be blocked?
- "scorched earth" band scorchio - must be a famous group, cos I've never heard of them
- clock quotes - I can sell you a nice grandfather for £3,000 ..... he even comes with a clock
- katspells - normally a cat spells ripped wallpaper, flattened plants, shit all over the place, and fleas
- potting sheds - the best bet is to pick a pot that's bigger than the shed, otherwise it'll never grow
- innervisions - lsd
- yabba flowers pond pumps - I have a pond pump plant?
- unknown web proxies - try 127.0.0.d0h
- un block - anything in particular?
- fitting kitchens - work best when they meet the walls
- potting shed - same as potting sheds but you only need one pot
- glass stones - whilst they look great don't try and make an axe out of one
- dying hair - red is the way forward
- bimble - *salutes* I do my best
- filter proxies - use a sieve
- silly quotes - EdB said "this sucks" and I will.
- un blocking sites - first pay for your own connection, computer, electricity, house ....
- bimboland - welcome to the right place
- b2evo $blog->disp( 'pingback_url', 'raw' ) - WOW, someone who knows how to use a search engine if you still need help then just holler
- url un block - any url in particular?
- un block all websites - if all websites are blocked then maybe you forgot to power up your modem?
- i am lucifer - yeah yeah
¥
The ultimate "unlock myspace" solution!!!!
Posted on 15th Jun 2007 in : Techno Babble
This is a special message to all the people out there who're still looking for a way to access myspace from "my school" ....... I've tried telling you that you'll end up as some spammers bitch if you use a proxy but I still get a plethora of comments asking me how to unlock it.
So, I've decided that there's only one way to attempt to solve this situation. If you're trying to unlock myspace then just use the form below to login and I'll fulfil your wish
*note* To any teachers out there that are considering adding my blog to their filters, you might like to fill in the form and press submit before you jump to that conclusion, use a bogus u/p
¥
*edit* - comments are now fixed
Link your words
Posted on 4th May 2007 in : Plugins & Widgets
I finally managed to get the time to play with my Link-a-Word plugin, which at least one person has been waiting a fair smidge for, and I think it's done! If any of you want a pre-release play with it then you can grab it from here unzip/upload/install it and then meander over to the tools tab for a shiny new Link-a-Word tab. It *should* work with all 1.8.x, 1.9.x & 1.10x b2evolution blogs
How does it work?
Well, if you'd meandered over to the shiny new tab you would have seen a form for adding words and the url you wish to link them to, plus a few other boxes for stuff like the hover title, classname and whether the words are case sensitive or not. You'll also have seen a bloglist, as the words are blog specific, and a table containing any current words for the blog you're on, with options to delete or edit the entries.
The first thing to do is to start defining a few words and their links for whichever blog you test this on. When you've done enough then go visit the front page of the blog and magically all of the words you defined will be linked ..... how cool is that? ..... It gets a tad cooler actually. First off you will have noticed that it only linked a single occurrence of each word and if you have a case-sensative version and a case-insensite version of the same word, then it will have linked a single occurence of each. Other stuff it does is, it won't link words that are already part of a link, the w3c sorta frown on that, and it won't link words that are part of a tag ( title, class, alt text etc ), because that's another thing the w3c tend to frown on
One of the things I haven't coded in is the ability to add a rel="nofollow" to any of the links, for starters why link to somewhere in your post and then remove the power of the link? The other reason is, why the hell should I bow to Googles will and do their job for them, they've more than enough money to pay a coder to sort out their algorythms huh? .... mind you, they can't differentiate between www and the root domain, so maybe they do need the help
As always if you find any bugs, or have any feedback, then feel free to leave a comment,
¥
Page archived : 6th Mar 2010
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