A substanial update from the previous v1.2, I will boldly say, in my humble opinion, it blows every other forum extension away.
Currently the options for forum extensions:
DPLforum
WikiForum
MWBB - well supported extension, good admin features, plenty features but lacking the typical forum presentation, most importantly, lacks last post/new threads details/updates on main page.
AWC forum
Forum extension
IPBwiki - an excellent forum, but not a forum in an extension by itself, it requires IPB for the forum, and the IPBwiki extension intergrates it into the wiki - available at a cost
IPBwiki would be the best, but comes at a substanial cost, as it requires purchasing the IPB forum application, and the IPBwiki extension, and as the extension is not actually a forum itself, I will not compare it to the others, also the rest are free.
The other extensions, are all very basic, and lack the standard presentation of a forum...
The exception may be MWBB, which has excellent control and admin features, has stickys, annoucements, locked threads etc, but where its let down substanially is its presentation, as it does not display last post/new threads information on the main page, and generally its skin is just ugly.
The AWC forum on the other hand, looks just like a forum should, displaying last post/new thread information, nice catagories, and easy to skin, but in v1.2 it was let down but being a little buggy and lacking admin and user options, and lacking features such as annoucements, stickys and locked threads...
Well, the AWC forum has now been updated, and the improvements are substanial!
Its in the final stages of testing and debugging, and is due to be released shorty, but here is a highlight of features this extension now offers:
General
- Unread Thread Indicator
- Unread Post Indicator
- Full Wiki Syntax
- HTML as Wiki allows
- Full 'Breadcrumb' Navagation
- Global Announcements
- Thread Stickies/Pinned
- Thread Locking
- Restricted Categories and Forums based on Group Permissions
- Three settings: Everyone, Admin or Admin/Mod
User
- Adding Signatures
- Editing Own Post (if Sysops/Admins allow)
- Deleteing Own Post (if Sysops/Admins allow)
Moderator options
- Able to edit and delete posts/threads
- Able to lock or sticky threads/pin
Admin options
- Able to make threads annoucements
- Can edit user signitures from within wiki admin section
- Can edit the lnumber and length of a varity of forum settings
- Able to edit language file/wording and spelling of entire forum from within admin section
The presentation is also substanially improved, with many of the fine detailed bugs of v1.2 ironed out, and it also works on the latest version of Mediawiki.
I would highly recommend this extension to anyone with a wiki wanting to include a forum.
There is a working example of this forum available for all to see, but as its being used for testing/debugging, its not a great advertisment...
I will blog on this again with links provided once this extension is ready for release.
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