Extensions v Mods

david63 · Post by **david63** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 8:40 pm

Something that needs to be born in mind when requesting an extension is the difference between a Mod and an Extension - both do what they say on the tin, and both are different.

A Mod, as we know it from 3.0.x, is a modification of core code. This may add new functionality or it may change functionality.

An Extension is something that will extend the core product by adding a new feature/functionality - not necessarily changing what is already there.

There are many mods for phpbb 3.0 that will be impossible to replicate with an extension - or at least with extensions in their current form unless we have an event on almost every line of code. Yes most of these mods will be able to be partly ported as extensions but they will also require core code changes which, I suspect, will prevent them from being validated.

The bottom line is that there will some features added with a mod in 3.0 that will not be available in 3.1 and we are all going to have to learn to live without them.

noth · Post by **noth** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 9:16 pm

Maybe we should live without them.

The core code runs what the vast majority of users go to a forum for, threads and posts - and there are a huge amount of users who just read what is going on and never participate.

I read on here once years ago from another Admin that his users could care less what mods he added, they were there for the posts, the threads and that is about it.

In a lot of cases it is the Admins who think one Mod or another would be good, not their users.

Louis7777 · Post by **Louis7777** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 9:20 pm

I believe we should still have a forum for MOD contributions which will not require any validation.

There should be a rating system (e.g. give 1 to 10 stars) which will help users decide whether they want to apply the modification.

noth · Post by **noth** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 9:25 pm

rated by who exactly?

and ... when you come to think about it .... just how many mods have been installed at phpbb.com?

We have a forum here with 0 mods and no one complains!!

John P · Post by **John P** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 9:37 pm

Agree completely.

I wrote a extension for a couple of people and for that changing a core function would make it simple without changing the working of this function.
The developers didn't want to change this function so it's not possible to run the extension.

Not changing the function but wanting to use the extension would need a lot of events in several files or ... changing the core.

So the extension becomes an motension..

leschek · Post by **leschek** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 11:02 pm

david63 wrote:The bottom line is that there will some features added with a mod in 3.0 that will not be available in 3.1 and we are all going to have to learn to live without them.

And I thought that 3.1 will be improvement over 3.0

noth wrote:just how many mods have been installed at phpbb.com?

We have a forum here with 0 mods and no one complains!!

Well, we have blog, extended menu, links to social networks in header, forum rules, phpBB ideas an probably more.
Nobody complains, because people don't need more MODs/extensions here, but every board is different. For me is important to have gallery on my board, but I don't miss it here...

tbackoff · Post by **tbackoff** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 11:34 pm

Moved to phpBB Discussion. Extension Requests isn't really the place to discuss the difference between MODs and Extensions.

leschek wrote:
noth wrote:just how many mods have been installed at phpbb.com?

We have a forum here with 0 mods and no one complains!!
Well, we have blog, extended menu, links to social networks in header, forum rules, phpBB ideas an probably more.

Actually, this board runs a vanilla install with a small set of tweaks (only 2 of which are in your list).

Louis7777 · Post by **Louis7777** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 11:46 pm

noth wrote:rated by who exactly?

Users who tried it and liked it. So the phpbb team won't have to test and/or validate any MOD at all (only extensions).

Lumpy Burgertushie · Post by **Lumpy Burgertushie** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 12:28 am

Louis7777 wrote:
noth wrote:rated by who exactly?
Users who tried it and liked it. So the phpbb team won't have to test and/or validate any MOD at all (only extensions).

the problem is that if they are available here people will assume that phpbb is responsible for making sure they work and fixing them if they break.
even though MODs are validated by the phpbb team, it is hard to make people understand that phpbb is not responsible for MODs at all, the authors are .

has anyone officially said there would no longer be any MODs for 3.1?
I would think that for those things that can't be turned into extensions that there would still be MODs that change the core etc.

Pony99CA · Post by **Pony99CA** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 2:05 am

Lumpy Burgertushie wrote:has anyone officially said there would no longer be any MODs for 3.1?

I recall reading that from a team member, but I couldn't find anything that specific in a search. The closest that I could come was the MOD Team Transformation/Rename announcement (and the discussion linked to in that announcement).

Steve

Pony99CA · Post by **Pony99CA** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 2:18 am

tmbackoff wrote:Actually, this board runs a vanilla install with a small set of tweaks (only 2 of which are in your list).

I would consider the style (and all of the other pieces, like the site-wide menu) to be MODs, too.

If you exclude changes to the style, there are still the ability to put graphics in the topic titles (like "Event" on the phpBB Discussion forum) and the five-post limit to send PMs. There are also, possibly, the rotating mini-banner "ads" (like the "Scam warning", although that could be done in the style). Also, using the Sphinx search engine used to require a MOD, I believe, although I think that's done with a plug-in now.

The point is that noth's claim of using zero MODs here is wrong. You can call them "tweaks", but they're MODs just the same.

Steve

CarolC1 · Post by **CarolC1** » Thu Nov 06, 2014 8:11 pm

david63 wrote: There are many mods for phpbb 3.0 that will be impossible to replicate with an extension - or at least with extensions in their current form unless we have an event on almost every line of code. Yes most of these mods will be able to be partly ported as extensions but they will also require core code changes which, I suspect, will prevent them from being validated.

The bottom line is that there will some features added with a mod in 3.0 that will not be available in 3.1 and we are all going to have to learn to live without them.

This is an extremely useful comment. It would help board admins to plan if they could have an indication of the likelihood this or that mod would be converted. If there are some where it is obvious they will never be converted, I would like to know now instead of waiting a year and then finding out it was not converted (when in reality it never had a chance to begin with).

I don't know if it would be appropriate, but I am considering posting in the discussion area of several mods in the Mods Database, to ask the authors what the probability is that the mods will be converted to extensions...?

Pony99CA · Post by **Pony99CA** » Thu Nov 06, 2014 11:12 pm

CarolC1 wrote:
david63 wrote: There are many mods for phpbb 3.0 that will be impossible to replicate with an extension - or at least with extensions in their current form unless we have an event on almost every line of code. Yes most of these mods will be able to be partly ported as extensions but they will also require core code changes which, I suspect, will prevent them from being validated.

The bottom line is that there will some features added with a mod in 3.0 that will not be available in 3.1 and we are all going to have to learn to live without them.
This is an extremely useful comment. It would help board admins to plan if they could have an indication of the likelihood this or that mod would be converted. If there are some where it is obvious they will never be converted, I would like to know now instead of waiting a year and then finding out it was not converted (when in reality it never had a chance to begin with).

I don't know how useful the quoted comment was. Did he mean that, no matter what, some MODs could never be converted into Extensions, or just that with the current set of Extensions, some MODs couldn't be converted? If the former, let's see some examples; if the latter, that's probably true, but the developers are willing to add extensions (many were added during phpBB 3.1's development).

CarolC1 wrote:I don't know if it would be appropriate, but I am considering posting in the discussion area of several mods in the Mods Database, to ask the authors what the probability is that the mods will be converted to extensions...?

I think that would be completely appropriate. Of course you should first check that an Extension isn't already available that does the same thing, but I don't know why anybody would get upset over being asked if they'll convert their MOD to an Extension.

Steve

moviehive · Post by **moviehive** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 3:32 am

Generally an extension can be developed differently. But there are quite a few that won't be able to be added. I agree.

ronthai · Post by **ronthai** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 3:11 pm

It has been 10 months since anybody posted here, but I would like to give my opinion as somebody who has a forum that depends heavily on MODS.

I understand why phpBB has switched over to Extension, since it never touches any core files anymore and solves loads of update problems. A excellent change for basic forums and new forums.

I do believe however that phpBB should either:
- make 3.1.x compatible with MODS, which it now is not, especially if database fields are involved.
This might not be possible for larger MODS, but for smaller ones should be done;
- or have a team available (volunteers and/or members) whom per request convert these small MODS (with database fields).
Many MODS I use have not been updated for years and the developer has lost interest, but the MOD still works (sometimes with minimal changes) on any 3.0.x version

It is the forum owners own responsibility and choice if he/she is willing to accept core changes or not and then updates or not, which in this case as always best would be manually.

My current forum (not really a forum anymore, totally changed, but the basic comes from phpBB) has about 20 MODS, many working oldies.

I do believe that many others,like me, also just will have to stay with phpBB 3.0.x for the coming years and hope for the best that the phpBB team will also keep updating 3.0.x and not just put it aside.

For me at this stage 3.1.x is useless, just no replacements for the MODS.
I have no problems with updates for 3.0.x, although it has a lot of manual changes, since many core files and style files have been changed by me and the MODS.
I just have it all very well organized and every change is recorded in the php or html files.

Unfortunately my programming/MODS/Extension skills are almost next to nothing for creating/converting them, otherwise I would do it all myself and help others also.

Just my 2 cents of worth.

Thanks, Ron