Module: Spammer v.1.00 Alpha
Xoops: v2.45
PHP: V5+

**WARNING ALPHA VERSION**

Description:

Spammer is exactly the opposite of what its name suggests. Spammer is an Anti-Spam module that helps fight against Spam using the Akismet API. Akismet FAQ.

Spammer requires a key to function correctly. You can create one from this website.

Commercial website wishing to use this service must buy a license.

How does Spammer work?

Spammer checks each post against the Akismet database to see if a post has elements of spam contained within the content. Spammer can deal with this spam in a number of ways.

1. Ignore it and let it bybass.
2. Delete it.
3. Mark the post as spam.
4. Mark the post for moderation.
5. Mark the post for moderation and mark it as spam.

(4+5) will probably be combined in a future release.

Spammer requires no hacks to the system at any level. You just install the module and it should work. This is possible through using the pre-loader system and plug-ins.

So far, Only a comments plug-in has been created, but this can easily be developed to include many other modules very easily. Please let me know which modules you believe should its own plug-ins.

As this module is only Alpha, it is only for testing but should work correctly with the comments system. (Famous last words).

What is not working yet
1. The logging system: This will be in the next release of Spammer.
2. Email to Administrators: as above.

New Features for next version
1. Plug-ins for the following modules: News and NewBB/CBB.
2. Ban users by IP.
3. Set a posting limit by IP
4. Add this is not Spam/Ham. Not sure how to go about this yet.
5. New Name for Spammer, I don't like this one, so your welcome to suggest a new one.

Download the alpha from: Here.

Please use this forum for feedback, bugs and features

ATB

Catz

Feature Request: Ability to place plugin in ./modules/<module_name>/plugins folder - so maybe something like spammer.inc.php, or something similar in the module's folder.

This prevents admins from having to copy the plugin into the ./modules/spammer folder and also makes it easier to 'relocate' the module folder for things like xoops_getmodulehandler(), etc... Otherwise the plugin will have to be edited manually if the admin wants to place a module in a directory other than the 'default' for the module.

For example:
I want to install mx-directory in a folder called 'directory'. It's easy to find out what folder the spammer.inc.php file is located in so setting up the $permalinkURL is pretty easy. It would have to be 'hard coded' if the plugin is in the ./spammer/plugins directory.

By the way, I vote for a plugin for wf-channel...

Hey Jim,

I have already done what you asked in the new version, which I will be releasing next week and I have a few surprises in store ;)

Once I have the module as a full release I will add all the plug-ins for different modules, because I am not quite sure how I will have the plug-in system until then.

ATB

Catz

Two things for consideration id like to suggest.

Since some spammers are using bots to leave spam messages and these bots leave messages very quickly could you also scan for things left quicker then a human could possibly leave them and mark them as spam?


Also would be interesting if you were able to setup a way that this module could connect to other hosts running the same module and let them communicate the bad IP's. Have thought for a while since a majority of spam comes from the same IP addresses that it would be nice to share those IP addresses across many hosts. With a method of removing IP's that have been added erroneously.

Quote:

All posts are checked for spam ratings before they are saved to the database. That way, even if they are using bots and they are marked as spam, they hit the moderator queue long before they will be visible on your website and shown to the world.

Of course this is not fool proof, but it should go a long way to reducing spam.

Quote:

When you come across a bod bot, you can submit this to the Akismet database, and this way it will be shared with the rest of the Xoops community. plus, you have many other CMS's using this system as well, so it will be well maintained and kept up to date.

Quote:

Yes, I have more or less completed this. While most of the work will be done automatically, webmasters will have the ability to ban users suspected of spamming or mass postings without them having to make an actual spam post.

Hope that helps?