Changes are coming for Contentteller
Philipp
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1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
Philipp
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From: Austria
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1342From: Austria
Changes are coming for Contentteller
Contentteller is a highly modular code base. Nearly all modules including news, files, articles etc. are independent plug-ins and technically not even core features.
The core itself is basically a framework that provides features such as the template engine and a module loader to load the plug-ins for the front end and backend.
Contentteller is a highly modular code base. Nearly all modules including news, files, articles etc. are independent plug-ins and technically not even core features.
The core itself is basically a framework that provides features such as the template engine and a module loader to load the plug-ins for the front end and backend.
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
jfranco 0
From: -
From: -
Changes are coming for Contentteller
Originally posted by Philipp:
Philipp,
I wanted to come back to these comments you made for the CT announcement and the direction development is taking. My question is simple:
How modular are you making CT to attract third party developers and be able to extend the core features? And in this regard, are CT core features modular at all?
Thanks
Julio
Originally posted by Philipp:
The other version of Contentteller will be available as open source software under the terms of the GNU GPL. The open source version will hopefully attract some 3rd party developers to create plugins or themes.
Philipp,
I wanted to come back to these comments you made for the CT announcement and the direction development is taking. My question is simple:
How modular are you making CT to attract third party developers and be able to extend the core features? And in this regard, are CT core features modular at all?
Thanks
Julio
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
cosmin 269
From: -
From: -
Changes are coming for Contentteller
:)
:)
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
Philipp
OP
From: Austria
Administrator
1342From: Austria
Changes are coming for Contentteller
This release should be out in a few hours. I will post an announcement as soon it is available.
This release should be out in a few hours. I will post an announcement as soon it is available.
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
cosmin 269
From: -
From: -
Changes are coming for Contentteller
tags, and files. This is great. Where is it? give it to me ...
tags, and files. This is great. Where is it? give it to me ...
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
Philipp
OP
From: Austria
Administrator
1342From: Austria
Changes are coming for Contentteller
Yes
Yes
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
cosmin 269
From: -
From: -
Changes are coming for Contentteller
where it says files, is that the downloads module?
where it says files, is that the downloads module?
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
Philipp
OP
From: Austria
Administrator
1342From: Austria
Changes are coming for Contentteller
Look like preview 1 is coming out tomorrow
Here a screenshot from the latest build:
http://www.esselbach.com/images/ct-news.tiff
Look like preview 1 is coming out tomorrow
Here a screenshot from the latest build:
http://www.esselbach.com/images/ct-news.tiff
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
Rushian 0
From: -
From: -
Changes are coming for Contentteller
Well, count me as one of those people who *wants* a built-in forum.
There's much less admin, and they automatically get the site's same look and feel without having to edit additional templates.
But yes the ST/CT forums would need to be spruced up a bit to be able to compete.
Well, count me as one of those people who *wants* a built-in forum.
There's much less admin, and they automatically get the site's same look and feel without having to edit additional templates.
But yes the ST/CT forums would need to be spruced up a bit to be able to compete.
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
Philipp
OP
From: Austria
Administrator
1342From: Austria
Changes are coming for Contentteller
This can be easily changed later by altering a template and a few lines in the dosearchfiles.php script.
Not officially after this is not compatible with the bulletin board integration.
An enhanced vBulletin integration that allows you to use the message forum for comments is in the current development version and will be in preview 1.
This means searches can be bookmarked, they'll show up in google, and it will allow building search plugins for Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox
This can be easily changed later by altering a template and a few lines in the dosearchfiles.php script.
And for downloads, could you please make it so I don't have to give access to cadmin to users who want to edit/update the downloads they submitted.
Not officially after this is not compatible with the bulletin board integration.
Will we get proper forum integration that works with news comments, as original promised, in the new code?
An enhanced vBulletin integration that allows you to use the message forum for comments is in the current development version and will be in preview 1.
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
mark99 9
From: -
From: -
Changes are coming for Contentteller
Will we get proper forum integration that works with news comments, as original promised, in the new code? I hated that you couldn't use your vBulletin etc. L/P to post news comments, that was pointless and prevented me using v1.8. I was told this would be in for Test2 so I assume that means it's in for the next release of this "new" product too?
Also, can we get a larger default font size on this forum please.
Will we get proper forum integration that works with news comments, as original promised, in the new code? I hated that you couldn't use your vBulletin etc. L/P to post news comments, that was pointless and prevented me using v1.8. I was told this would be in for Test2 so I assume that means it's in for the next release of this "new" product too?
Also, can we get a larger default font size on this forum please.
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
cosmin 269
From: -
From: -
Changes are coming for Contentteller
Philipp, two things: I hope search works better this time. because in version 1.8 it's definitely wonky. Searching for dc++ didn't work for instance, guess the pluses in the name were causing it, sometimes the search brings up duplicates, and it seems it doesn't search extra fields, and also please use $_GET instead of $_POST for searches. This means searches can be bookmarked, they'll show up in google, and it will allow building search plugins for Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox.
And for downloads, could you please make it so I don't have to give access to cadmin to users who want to edit/update the downloads they submitted.
as shown here
http://www.esselbach.com/thread.php?id=565
Anyway here's hoping you're still on track for this week's release.
Philipp, two things: I hope search works better this time. because in version 1.8 it's definitely wonky. Searching for dc++ didn't work for instance, guess the pluses in the name were causing it, sometimes the search brings up duplicates, and it seems it doesn't search extra fields, and also please use $_GET instead of $_POST for searches. This means searches can be bookmarked, they'll show up in google, and it will allow building search plugins for Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox.
And for downloads, could you please make it so I don't have to give access to cadmin to users who want to edit/update the downloads they submitted.
as shown here
http://www.esselbach.com/thread.php?id=565
Anyway here's hoping you're still on track for this week's release.
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
Philipp
OP
From: Austria
Administrator
1342From: Austria
Changes are coming for Contentteller
One of the main differences of the commercial version is the extended support.
The final commercial code base will be released as visible source and not encoded. However, it is not really necessary to modify the main code base after many modifications are possible with the templates.
One of the main differences of the commercial version is the extended support.
The final commercial code base will be released as visible source and not encoded. However, it is not really necessary to modify the main code base after many modifications are possible with the templates.
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
Forma 17
From: -
From: -
Changes are coming for Contentteller
this is good news. I'm relying on CT for some big changes to my site. What type of support will you offer in the future? One of the key reasons for being glued to esselbach products is the incredible personal support you offer, is this still going to be available?
And the new licencing, am i correct in assuming the commercial versions code base can't be modified?
Essentially i'm worried customising and adding new code might be tricky now, just curious to know more about what's best for those who have relied on your help over the years with cutom code etc.
Cheers,
James.
this is good news. I'm relying on CT for some big changes to my site. What type of support will you offer in the future? One of the key reasons for being glued to esselbach products is the incredible personal support you offer, is this still going to be available?
And the new licencing, am i correct in assuming the commercial versions code base can't be modified?
Essentially i'm worried customising and adding new code might be tricky now, just curious to know more about what's best for those who have relied on your help over the years with cutom code etc.
Cheers,
James.
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
jfranco 0
From: -
From: -
Changes are coming for Contentteller
Philipp,
It all sounds good as long as it keeps the development alive and back into schedule. A few misc. comments:
- I assume there is people relying on ST forums but because there are so many forum software packages out there I believe it's a good call to separate it from current development and I suggest you even make it a separate module in the new product.
- Excellent idea to open up for third parties to extend your code base
- I have no idea how large is the user base for your CMS but I would suggest you consider hiring a second programmer to assist you and push the development forward. Even if you have to increase the cost of the CMS package, it may be worthwhile to widen the scope of your business.
Julio
Philipp,
It all sounds good as long as it keeps the development alive and back into schedule. A few misc. comments:
- I assume there is people relying on ST forums but because there are so many forum software packages out there I believe it's a good call to separate it from current development and I suggest you even make it a separate module in the new product.
- Excellent idea to open up for third parties to extend your code base
- I have no idea how large is the user base for your CMS but I would suggest you consider hiring a second programmer to assist you and push the development forward. Even if you have to increase the cost of the CMS package, it may be worthwhile to widen the scope of your business.
Julio
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
Philipp
OP
From: Austria
Administrator
1342From: Austria
Changes are coming for Contentteller
The release next week based on the current development version, which originally should become Test 2. It is approximately 4 times bigger then Test 1.
Using an abstraction layer alone makes no real difference. MySQL have some shortcuts that other database server doesn’t support.
Here an example:
MySQL:
PostgreSQL:
But if I understand it correctly you're starting from scratch again? or what we get next week is an improved test release 1? With at least bug fixes if nothing else?
The release next week based on the current development version, which originally should become Test 2. It is approximately 4 times bigger then Test 1.
What I don't get is why didn't use you use ADODB or ADODB Lite or something like that for db abstraction in the first place? I think ADODB even supports query caching, so it would have been better than for you to write your own db abstraction code.
Using an abstraction layer alone makes no real difference. MySQL have some shortcuts that other database server doesn’t support.
Here an example:
MySQL:
INSERT INTO TABLE VALUES (‘VALUE1’, ‘VALUE2’, ‘VALUE3’);
PostgreSQL:
INSERT INTO TABLE (FIELD1, FIELD2, FIELD3) VALUES (‘VALUE1’, ‘VALUE2’, ‘VALUE3’);
1 Re: Changes are coming for Contentteller
cosmin 269
From: -
From: -
Changes are coming for Contentteller
Wow. Finally something.
Which as I've said in another topic, is what you should have done long time ago. But better late than never.
But if I understand it correctly you're starting from scratch again? or what we get next week is an improved test release 1? With at least bug fixes if nothing else?
What I don't get is why didn't use you use ADODB or ADODB Lite or something like that for db abstraction in the first place? I think ADODB even supports query caching, so it would have been better than for you to write your own db abstraction code.
Wow. Finally something.
The main focus at this testing stage is to get rid of many bugs as possible. I highly suggest that everyone setup a test installation and report bugs and issues in the support forum.
...
It is planned to release Contentteller Pro previews quite frequently.
Which as I've said in another topic, is what you should have done long time ago. But better late than never.
But if I understand it correctly you're starting from scratch again? or what we get next week is an improved test release 1? With at least bug fixes if nothing else?
What I don't get is why didn't use you use ADODB or ADODB Lite or something like that for db abstraction in the first place? I think ADODB even supports query caching, so it would have been better than for you to write your own db abstraction code.
I am announcing today some significant changes in the development of Contentteller. As you all know the successor of the Storyteller 1.x series is now a few years in development.
The first original Storyteller 2.0 version was planned for early 2004. This version was released later as Storyteller 1.6.
The second attempt was in late 2004 and was basically a more modular version of Storyteller 1.8. Everything went well until I tried to port it over to PostgreSQL. It turns out that PostgreSQL had a much stricter and slightly different SQL syntax than MySQL, so it was necessary to rewrite all SQL queries to make it compatible with both MySQL and PostgreSQL. This results in the third attempt.
The third attempt was in early 2005. I started to separate all subroutines in classes and used PostgreSQL as default database server for development. However, I was not entirely happy with the result after I had to rewrite a lot of code
So I started the fourth attempt. This time I used some of the new subroutines classes from the third attempt and started a complete new code base from scratch. Main priorities of the new code base were:
-) To create a modular and easy maintainable code
-) Using more a general syntax for SQL queries to make it compatible with other SQL server beside MySQL
-) Creating new XHTML templates that are using CSS and will pass the w3c validator
-) Adding new features
At this point I didn’t realized that this was nearly an impossible task after I had to recreating everything from scratch.
The new code base progressed quite nicely over the last couple of years but still far to slow because the new version is not a new version but an entirely new product. Nowadays the new Contentteller code base could replace most of the existing Storyteller installations after only a few things such as the forums module are missing. However, there is no time to fully debug and test the new code base after I am still busy adding features to it.
This is a vicious circle. Basically, there is an almost complete product but I can’t release it because it is untested. I can’t test it after I am busy adding features. I can’t release it to the public for testing because some bugfixes might need database or template changes. I can’t test it on my own sites because I need to port some custom modules to the new code base. I can’t port my custom modules to the new code base because I am busy adding features.
I think it is time to exit this vicious circle. Here is my new plan:
A new product
As you know the new version is a new product rather than a new version, so I make this now official. Contentteller will be separated from Storyteller. Both are now two different products. This also means that the initial Contentteller release is now Contentteller 1.0 rather then Contentteller 2.0.
What does this means for Contentteller?
I stop working adding new features to the new code base and start focusing finished the existing features up. Some features such the forum module will be released in one of the later versions. Once the final version is out I will start working on 1.1, 1.2 etc. which will add new features.
What does this means for Storyteller?
I will start releasing new Storyteller versions as well. Not as frequently as Contentteller releases but from time to time some updates. Storyteller is still a rock solid and proven code base that handles huge websites and articles. It would be pointless to discontinue it anytime soon. However, the freeware version will be discontinued, only the commercial version will remain.
What does this means for existing customers?
Existing customers will be able to switch over to the new commercial version (Contentteller Pro) of Contentteller for free.
A new licensing
Contentteller will be available under dual licensing, which means you can choose between two different license types/versions. Each license/product version has different advantages and disadvantages.
Contentteller Pro will be released under a commercial license and comes with extended support and features such the automated Windows installer.
The other version of Contentteller will be available as open source software under the terms of the GNU GPL. The open source version will hopefully attract some 3rd party developers to create plugins or themes. Unlike the current freeware and commercial version of Storyteller, the commercial and open source version of Contentteller will be keep in sync.
Upcoming testing
Finally, I announce a new testing time line for Contentteller. Originally, it was planned to release a Test 2 and later Test 3 release. However, the entire testing scheme has been changed. There are two testing phases planed.
Phase 1
In the first phase the so-called Contentteller Pro 1.0 previews will be made available. Basically, they are snapshots from the current development version. Useable but untested. It is not suggested to run production websites with these preview releases. To make this clear all Contentteller Pro 1.0 previews will be encoded with ionCube and Zend. It is planned to release Contentteller Pro previews quite frequently. However, it is not guaranteed that you can upgrade from one release to another.
The main focus at this testing stage is to get rid of many bugs as possible. I highly suggest that everyone setup a test installation and report bugs and issues in the support forum.
Phase 2
Contentteller will be finished up for release. There will be some beta versions before the final release. At this point Contentteller Pro is no longer encoded and the open source version will also become available. The separation from Storyteller is complete at this stage.
When?
The first Contentteller Pro 1.0 preview release is planned for next week.