Today I downloaded and installed XOOPS (ver 2.0.18.1). The install was flawless. My hats are off to the Core developers.

After downloading three modules only one of which would install and activate I am confused on how modules are tested/certified for use.

I suggest that an improved certification or grading scheme be used for modules.

Modules should be required to include installation instructions, dependencies, and usage documentation. A demo site would be nice, too. A summary (paragraph) that includes "use this module if you want/need x-y-z functionality ...". I did read the XOOPS Documentation (Operation Guide). Good start, but is lacking. No real complaints to the author it just needs to be undated which I am sure it will.

This forum lists post dates without the year, so there is no way on knowing how old a post is. I assumed a date with no year meant -current- year, but this is April and we haven't reached September yet so a post date of month #9 is illogical.

I am out of time - life commitments. I will try other modules, but I hope I have better luck than I have so far.

Hi Weddell,

a lot of good suggestions/ideas. We appreciate them all!

If you have problems with any module, tell us what functionality are you looking for, and somebody will be able to guide to the appropriate module.

We are currently in process of cataloging modules, so we can later on prioritize them, and fix the most important, especially for PHP5. This is the next item on our agenda for the "new XOOPS" - to get a good, clean, and organized repository of XOOPS Modules.

I also agree on the need to update our documentation. If somebody would like to help and join our Documentation team, please let me know. The good thing is that you don't need to be a programmer to help with it

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Can you provide me with the link, so I can take a look? If you go here, you can see that we have the date and the year of the message posted.

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This may be a language/convention thing. These Forums run on CBB 3.08 and the languge defines in some cases display without the year. This is easily amended if you prefer to do do for your own use (as I have done on my own site, for example).

Also, don't forget that the USA is different to most of the rest of the world in that the date format convention used is "month-day-year" rather than "day-month-year".

You can change your most of your site's date formatting in the language file. Some modules have their own date formatting and will need adjusting separately (e.g. these Forums).

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Out of interest, how do you set that preference in CBB? It is - as weddell points out - pretty useless without the year.

On-topic: The publication of basic system requirements for each module has often been requested. It would indeed reduce the 'hit-and-miss' experience of new XOOPS users.

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I've Been using XOOPS for about 4 years now and have learned much here in the XOOPS community.
I would be willing to help out on the documentation team.

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Hi,

CBB uses the Frameworks language files and the date is defined in the following file:
/Frameworks/compat/langauage/english/local.php

I use the following code in my local.php file, lines 15 to 20 inc:



Use the PHP date-format codes from the following web-page to set things how you would wish:
http://uk.php.net/manual/en/function.date.php

Basically, change any of d, m, Y, H and i to change how the date is displayed.

Hope this helps

[edit]Dang.... the code above has been sanitised (I think!). You need to keep the \ between the letters of "Today" and "Yesterday" as already in the file[/edit]

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That's fantastic!!! Thank you for your willingness to help. I hope, more people will follow!!!

Could you please post your name in this thread, so we can keep track of all the volunteers?

Again, thank you so much for your help!!!

@JAVesey

Many thx for that info. It's been bugging me for ages.

My desires for functionality is probably a little weird. I want a site that is on, and accessible only from, my home LAN. Accessing a server from outside the home is a distant maybe. So I am not too concerned with security. I am more interested in features associated with entering, storing, and retrieving information. The information will most likely include typical home and family-related data.

The first capability I want is to record configuration changes for each of the computers on the LAN. Currently being (poorly) done using a word processing file on one computer. I would like to enter short paragraphs/lists of commands as data tagged with at least: date, computer node, and application. For example; an entry that yesterday I changed the configuration of MySQL on server X to accommodate XOOPS (I changed where MySQL database files are stored, added a MySQL user for XOOPS). Another entry for the same day and computer node would include what I did to install XOOPS and its configuration. I will want to be able to search and retrieve what I did to that computer as a tool to aid setting up other MySQL or XOOPS setups. Note that there is no need for collaboration, comments, notifications, etc. This is just some kind of log book or journal. I will want a WYSIWYG editor for creating entries that can accommodate command-line code.

I did install AMS - thinking it might be useful for for the above functionality - but it is not what I want. Getting it to work was, I think, and accident. I had no idea what I was doing because most of the terminology was foreign to me and it wanted information that I did not understand.

Second capability is a photo album. I have been using Coppermine. I noticed a XOOPS port of that so I downloaded that module and looked at the read-me file and the links in that file to see what kind of support I might get. The external links take you to a bunch of dating service adds - so I didn't try installing that module. Tried myalbum-p but that would not install. Results are "invalid default value for 'res_x".

Other functionality I want includes inventory, central contact/address book, birthday/anniversary, etc, databases. I currently use the videodb tool (http://www.videodb.net) to inventory and track videos (DVD, VHS). Is there a module like that, I don't mind having that feature as an external site if need be. Other home-realted functions I can't think of right now. I would like to have a Block (right term?) that announces upcoming birthdays and anniversaries driven from the either a contact/address book module or a dedicated anniversary database.

Another general suggestion for modules is that they should include "Help" - on-line help I mean. Maybe there should be a Core function that supports the presentation of Help files included by the Module developers.

Another area I am confused about is the versions of XOOPS. Why is the current version 2.0.18, when there is a version 2.2 and what is XOOPS Cube?

Sorry to be so long-winded. Didn't start out that way.

Xoops is a fork from Nuke. Have ever you heard about Nuke?

At version 2.0.10 (?) XOOPS are splited to many branches: XOOPS 2.0.x, XOOPS 2.2.x, XOOPS Cube etc.

Xoops 2.0.x latest stable is 2.0.18.1

Xoops 2.2.x is not stable and not recommended to use. It is going to be merged with 2.0.x to form 2.3.x

XOOPS Cube Legacy is rewritten from scratch mostly by minahito - a hero in Japanese XOOPS community. XOOPS Cube has no business with Xoops.org here. If you look into XOOPS codes and XOOPS Cube codes you will see that while XOOPS Cube is a masterpiece of programming, XOOPS original is a bowl of mushroom soup. If you want to know more about XCL, go to xoopscube.org

I suggest you use HD distribution (powered by XCL) from http://www.hodajuku.org/

With it you will have Pico ready to use. Pico covers all the functions of other 'content' manager modules (AMS, article, SmartSection, Content, Wf-channel, etc.)

MyAlbum works natively on HD (Xoops Cube Legacy core). You can get full support from GIJOE the author at http://xoops.peak.ne.jp . GIJOE is one of the most briliant XOOPS developer I've ever known. He contributes almost of his XOOPS time to HD as I guess.