PostNuke

From 1st October 2008
PostNuke 0.7x will only be available as a download package from code.zikula.org. New modules and themes for the .7x series will no longer be accepted into the Extensions repository after this date, and devlopers are encouraged to convert their extensions to Zikula 1.0. Any security updates to 0.7x modules will still be accepted in the repository.

From 1st January 2009
Official support for 0.7x will no longer be available. The extensions database and support forum will be archived, and new submissions will no longer be accepted.

On 1st July 2009
Official support for the 0.7x series of PostNuke ends on this date. Security fixes will no longer be provided, though it will still be possible to upgrade a 0.7x website to the latest version of Zikula. In addition, the download packages will be removed from trac and PostNuke 0.7x will only be available via checkout from SVN.

From our perspective, Trac provides a lightweight and clean solution to the problems we are experiencing with the monolithic NOC, which is very hard to maintain. We're hoping you'll find the trac installation easy to use and navigate, and an improved NOC in all respects.

From the perspective of third party developers, trac provides a useful administration interface from which you can administrate all aspects of your project, from it's description to SVN commits list and file downloads. Trac also has much better milestone and target tracking for bugs and releases.

As a user, you can search the available projects, and use the clean navigation to find your way around. There's also an online SVN browser where you'll be able to look at a project's source code.

Chris is looking to begin converting projects over from the NOC as soon as possible. On request, he can import tracker and SVN history, or alternatively you can start afresh. He'd like to talk to people as he makes the conversion so that if anyone's missing something useful, or has suggestions he can improve the Trac installation for everyone.

Looking to the future, we'll convert the core PostNuke project over to Trac. We'll also try to get single sign on between community.postnuke.com and Trac working if possible.

If you are a third party developer, be aware that we are planning to close the NOC in the future. If you have active projects you should have them converted to Trac as soon as possible. All NOC content will be archived, however due to the ongoing spam issues we will eventually remove the NOC from public access.

As a quick fix we suggest to replace the original pnuserapi.php with the content of PostSchedule-Quickfix.zip that can be downloaded [url=http://support.pn-cms.de/module-Downloads-view-cid-501-start-0.htm]here[/url]. As a long time solution we suggest to look for a replacement as the development has stopped some time ago. For .764 PGCalender or PostCalendar might be a solution, when using .8 crpcalendar, Eventliner or TimeIt may be worth to look at.

We do not support PostSchedule with this fix, you use it on you own risk. It may (or may not) fix the recent exploit, but there might be others in the code. If someone wants to have closer look at it, feel free.

2. What attracted you to the Google Summer of Code as a programme, and PostNuke as a project?

For me, the Google Summer of Code is the opportunity to carry out an interesting project and better know the open source evolution. I do think that type of knowledge should be shared. That is why I like open source, and why I did my utmost to be accepted into your organisation to program with you during this Google Summer Of Code. Actually, by making easier the creation of a website for anybody you get close to my way of thinking. I want to participate to an Open Source project because I already take advantage of the work of the Open Source community. (I use Mandriva with KDE, I can program with PHP, C...) I couldn't be who I am without the Open Source community. It is my way to thank it.

3. Tell us about your project, and how you hope it can benefit PostNuke?

My project is a revisions control. It will be a user-friendly central system GUI in the admin panel which could allow to see the different versions and to revert to a previous version. All existing modules and future modules should be easily added to this revisions control. It could be very useful if there is some admins.

5. What do you personally hope to gain from participating in the Summer of Code with PostNuke?

This GSOC is the opportunity to realize something useful for everybody. Due to Open Source I could meet people who live all around the world and learn to know them. I could learn who they are, and share my time with people who have the same hobby I have. I do think it is an interesting experience and a human adventure.

6. Can you see yourself contributing your talents to Open Source projects following the SoC? Will you continue to work with PostNuke in some capacity after the programme has ended?

I am very interested in Open Source projects thus I would contribute to them and carry on with PostNuke after this GSoC.

7. Is there anything else you’d like to say now, as the programme begins?

I would thank you PostNuke again to choose me to realize this project and the community which is very friendly. I am excited to begin.

Lastly, thanks for your time – we in the PostNuke team are excited about the Summer of Code, so thank you for taking part and choosing PostNuke!

2. What attracted you to the Google Summer of Code as a programme, and PostNuke as a project?

I looked at Google Summer Code as a great challenge. But I do not dare. Until this year, if I did. I applied to several projects related to the topic of usability. And because apply to PostNuke some years ago I work as freelance. Develop some portals for small businesses in my country using postnuke and other CMS. PostNuke is attractive because this was installed in a single attempt. I was surprised. So I think support.

3. Tell us about your project, and how you hope it can benefit PostNuke?

I'm copying what we present in my proposal:

The criteria for the evaluation usability are:

• Comparison of controls on Good Practices or patterns Usability on the Web.
• Include improvements within the Framework.
• Create a guide to improve and documenting findings to the community PostNuke.

a. Usability
To improve the usability of Postnuke i will work graphical interfaces suggested some of the modules and the framwork which are used in the forms. Attempts to put in these modules some good practices and standards for Web usability. I will Work with what is necessary XHTML, CSS, Ajax whether it is possible to implement and methodically.

b. Accessibility and conformance
For the accessibility i take the the Guidelines and techniques(6). After the programing process. I will make a list for test usability. I will Choose 6 to 7 cms users to test usability with the corrections. The proceeds will help create iterations for each test.

c. Maintainability
Maintenance may accelerate taking intoaccount that at the end of the draft the conclusions will be made in the form of best practices for Web usability postnuke. I will help in the incorporation and supporting of usability guide line in other modules PostNuke.

In the forums I will clarify the tasks of the project and also its scope.

4. What do you personally hope to gain from participating in the Summer of Code with PostNuke?

Many, many experience in knowing more about how a community of developers interested in do make a good product. Learning from good programming practices and especially knowing more about web usability. Of course Social Recognition. I want postnuke as a milestone in the renewed Internet.

5. Can you see yourself contributing your talents to Open Source projects following the SoC? Will you continue to work with PostNuke in some capacity after the programme has ended?

The GSOC ends after a month of my graduation from college. I hope to finish that time almost all my tasks in the project. I would like to leave a module to test usability. I feel a duty to contribute to the community. I am confident that the project can achieve more significant improvements in its next release and then create or generate support the development of future lines. It should not be discouraged postnuke which has short market ... we see the top, be with them and then jump to heaven.

6. Is there anything else you’d like to say now, as the programme begins?

I would like to see other issues as the framework and its implementation in business or insert google app into the framework. I would like to make a strategic planning for IT postnuke. Devising strategies to make the best CMS, simply: Easy.

Not only is needed to schedule some things to achieve a well-accepted product.Need to know that is what the user wants in the next 5 years and venture into that vision. So I count on your support to work with postnuke .... And of course do my project as realistic as possible in these 3 months in the hope that is of benefit to all.

Lastly, thanks for your time – we in the PostNuke team are excited about the Summer of Code, so thank you for taking part and choosing PostNuke!

We are going ... postnuke to make the Best CMS, the easiest. GEN a social network that seems to make FaceBook a grain of sand in our seas.

I will continue reviewing more documentation and adjusting the project to postnuke with the help of my mentor Steffen Voß and I hope all of you ... I support in arms of giants.

2. What attracted you to the Google Summer of Code as a programme, and PostNuke as a project?

I was attracted to GSoC because I enjoy coding and I thought that I could do with some experience before I actually get a job and I can also help out the community while I'm at it :). I chose PostNuke in particular because php is the language I have the most experience with, I made countless websites through my teenage years and I also spent a lot of time modifying PHP-Nuke to suit my needs (although the code I used is probably buried somewhere now), so I thought it'd be the project that would benefit the most from me and it'd be the one I'd be most comfortable doing.

3. Tell us about your project, and how you hope it can benefit PostNuke?

I'm going to be doing an overhaul of the categories system in PostNuke. I hope it will benefit PostNuke by increasing the usability and efficiency of the categories system.

4. What do you personally hope to gain from participating in the Summer of Code with PostNuke?

1. Experience and something to put on my CV :)
2. The satisfaction of doing something productive in the community.
3. Money - I'm a broke student, so it has to be said :P.

5. Can you see yourself contributing your talents to Open Source projects following the SoC? Will you continue to work with PostNuke in some capacity after the programme has ended?

Depends on time constraints really, I'd definately consider it if I had quite a bit of free time but at the moment I'm pretty swamped with work, I have a few projects of my own that I've had to put on the backburner =\.

7. Is there anything else you’d like to say now, as the programme begins?

I wish everyone good luck with their respective projects and I hope to speak to you all soon :)...Oh and "hey mum, I'm on the internet!" :P.

Lastly, thanks for your time – we in the PostNuke team are excited about the Summer of Code, so thank you for taking part and choosing PostNuke!

I'm excited too, thanks for choosing me!

I was born and have lived in England my entire life, although I am also an American national due to my father being one. I tend to switch between being American and English whenever it’s convenient (It’s pretty much only more convenient to be American when trying to enter America).

I enjoy doing a bit of drawing here and there and pretty much any reasonable kind of sport, especially team sports. But as far as interesting hobbies go I don’t raise boa constrictors or compete for the world record for juggling with flaming knives or anything like that. I guess I need to take something up so I can better answer these kinds of questions.

I currently run www.lincolnjcr.com (technically not completely finished yet) where I’ve implemented a specific self-made content management system, which probably had something to do with what drew me to Postnuke.

2. What attracted you to the Google Summer of Code as a programme, and PostNuke as a project?

What tempted me about the GSOC program was the flexibility of the whole system, working where you want, when you want, as well the opportunity to get paid to code, which probably wouldn’t have been possible otherwise and is obviously going to offer some useful experience.

PostNuke seemed like a project I could actually make an impact on, as I already have a decent head start in all the required areas, I didn’t like the idea of taking a plunge into the unknown and having to spend half the time trying to figure out what was actually going on rather than actually contributing. Also a lot of people use websites, and a lot of people benefit from Postnuke, so the idea of contributing to something genuinely useful to many people was a factor for me.

3. Tell us about your project, and how you hope it can benefit PostNuke?

I’ve been on countless websites where the search functionality is just not up to scratch, it’s frustrating to say the least. Although Postnuke already has a fairly well implemented search module, theres room for improvement. My project is essentially to construct a fully functional search engine for PostNuke. Actually, two. One direct port of an existing search system, (along the lines of htdig or phpdig) and one more specific implementation that works more intimately with PostNuke.

The outcome for Postnuke should be the following the features:

1. Unsharp searches so that users get probably expected results in spite of typing or spelling errors.
2. Searching of non-html documents (such as open office documents and PDF)
3. Improvements in performance. Currently, each module is queried individually, multiple results for the same page are displayed more than once and there is no way of displaying searches by relevance.
4. (If time allows) Semantic searches (ie content added by person x)

5. What do you personally hope to gain from participating in the Summer of Code with PostNuke?

I’m looking forward to getting an insider’s perspective on an open source project as I don’t really know much about open source, and this seems like the best way to learn more. Of course in terms of further work prospects, this is a useful bit of experience to have for sure. It would also be nice to make some friends in the process.

6. Can you see yourself contributing your talents to Open Source projects following the SoC? Will you continue to work with PostNuke in some capacity after the programme has ended?

It’s a definite possibility, I’ll have to see how it goes and see how much I enjoy it. It also depends on how much spare time I have as well I guess. But I’d definitely consider it.

7. Is there anything else you’d like to say now, as the programme begins?

I’d like to thank the people here at PostNuke for applying to GSOC so that I could have this opportunity, and I’d like to say that I’m looking forward to the next few months and that I’ll do my best to make my effort a worthwhile addition to PostNuke.

Lastly, thanks for your time – we in the PostNuke team are excited about the Summer of Code, so thank you for taking part and choosing PostNuke!

Calendars! Calendars! Calendars!
A long time we all lived with PostCalendar - a complex and powerful modules that included Smarty before it was included as templating engine into the core. But the complexity was also the reason why the original maintainers gave up their work and nobody really picked it up again. Robert Gasch attempted to dissolve the code jungle and turned to other projects. Other modules like Zerocal, cal-zone or the pgCalendar addon for Pagesetter never really took off in the shadow of the huge PostCalendar. For a long time nothing much happened until recently several new calendar modules started to grow:

1. Daniele Conca's crpCalendar started off as a simple list of events but it is slowly turning into a full fletched Calendar with day-, week- and month-views. Moreover it supports hCalendar microformats and Content via plugin so you can integrate calendar events into your Content articles.
Download: http://noc.postnuke.com/projects/crpcalendar/

2. TimeIt is attempt to clone PostCalendar with .8 technology. In the meantime version 1.1 RC1 is released which not only offers all the features postCalendar has but also event registration and user events.
Download: http://www.assembla.com/spaces/files/cxTPX-9PKr3lxaabIlDkbG

3. Eventliner is a new Calendar which also imports PostCalendar data and offers day-, week- and month-views.
Download: http://noc.postnuke.com/projects/eventliner/

Good News for Communities
Florian Schliessl released a new, cool community module called ContacList which handles lists of friends. Your user will be able to ask other others for friendship and see their friends birthdays. The module can also be used in other modules to make user profiles aso only visible for friends. TimeIt already supports ContactList so your users can add their events or register and make this information visible to their friends.
Download: http://noc.postnuke.com/projects/contactlist/

Totally Web 2.0
Mark West released a little plugin that allows you to include these little buttons for all kinds of link services like del.icio.us, mr. wong aso. into your modules.
Download: http://noc.postnuke.com/projects/pnwebservices/

Pagesetter Successor
Marco Kundert is still working on his Pagesetter clone. The module will have all the features that Pagesetter has but replace all the stuff that Jørn first implemented in Pagesetter which now has been included into the core by the core features. Guppy will be repleaced by pnForm, the workflows will be replaces by the core workflows aso. Moreover he aims at making Pagemaster easier to use for beginners. Gabriel Freinbichler is already running a test version on one of his sites and he seems to be quite satisfied with it.

Shops
There are at least 3 forks of pnCommerce out there, maintained by Rüdiger Hahn, Jim Hatfield and others the problem now is that they all are very busy with their system and that they need to integrate all forks again to have a common code base again. There were several attempts to reunite the code but AFAIK the project lacks somebody who is really willing and able to put some time into it - who works self-motivated and needs the shop for his own sites.

Robert Gasch is working on a commercial shop. I had the priviliedge to take a look at it and it seems to offer a lot of very advanced features. If you need a shop and you are willing to invest some money into it, you should contact Robert.

Media
Axel Guckelsberger seems to have 50 hour days. His latest project is MediaAttach - finally a real solution for a central media repository. It still has some legacy from it's predecessor pnUpper but it already offers a lot of great features for the handling of media and it is included in Scribite and Content.
Download: http://noc.postnuke.com/projects/mediaattach/

Certainly there is a lot more going on - so if you are working on a project, please leave a comment.

For about one and a half month ago I wrote a piece on OpenID. If you haven't read that yet and is interested in OpenID then please read it here - it will explain the whole OpenID background.

For those of you that haven't heard about OpenID yet, here is the very short explanation: OpenID is a relatively new web-technology for managing your online identity. It's primary purpose is to facilitate Single Sign On across independent websites. This means you can create yourself an OpenID identity and use that for login in to different websites without having to retype your password over and over again.

When I wrote the last article I promissed to deliver an OpenID implementation for PostNuke, and, well, here it is! You can now download OpenID from the NOC OpenID project page.

By installing this module you enable your users to:

• Register an OpenID with their PostNuke account and login with this OpenID. The OpenID manager page can be found in the user account panel (Profile).
• Create an account on your website using OpenID's registration process.

The OpenID module requires PostNuke version .8 from SVN (april 15th) - and probably also PHP 5.x since a required extension "domxml" is not delivered with PHP 4.x.

So don't hesitate - get your website OpenID enabled today and save yourself (and your customers) the hazzle of managing multiple user accounts.

Intra-web usage

You can use OpenID for Single Sign On between closed "intra-webs". For this you must have a trusted OpenID Identity Provider (IP) - either your own or an external one. Then you add a filter on the OpenID admin pages - this filter should allow access from your trusted IP and deny access from any other provider. In this way only users from your trusted IP will be allowed to access your website.

Read more

You can find lots of information about OpenID around the web. The most obvious place to start is of course openid.net. But at openidbook.com you can get a free copy of the 200+ pages OpenID book from Rafeeq Ur Rehman. This should satisfy even the most curious people

Enjoy, Jørn Wildt