MOD Description: Integrates phpBB with the Akismet spam-catching service so that spam posts on your forum can get checked and tagged by Akismet. Requires a WordPress.com API key.
MOD Version: 0.1.0
MOD Download: http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/foam ... p?download
Latest Stable version: N/A
Subversion Access: You can checkout a working copy of Akismet Spam Butcher via this command:
Code: Select all
svn checkout https://svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/foamods akismetspambutcher_dev**************************************
Author's Notes for This Release
Akismet Spam Butcher 0.1.0, the "Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!" edition, has been released!
This release is still marked as [DEV] because the MOD doesn't exactly "do" anything yet. All that this MOD does so far is add an admin panel to enter your WordPress.com API Key and check each submitted post for spam. However, the check doesn't _do_ anything yet. Akismet will check each and every post to see if it is spam, and it will be tagged in the phpbb_topics and/or the phpbb_posts table as being spam or not, however regardless of what Akismet thinks, the post will still be displayed as usual. Hey, I said the MOD was still in development!
The next release will introduce the Spam Queue so that posts marked as spam will not be displayed but instead listed in a queue in the Admin Control Panel.I have tested what there is in this MOD with phpBB 2.0.21, and hopefully spam gets checked and marked correctly. If anything isn't working as expected, please let me know by replying to the topic. I am hoping that some people familiar with Akismet can look at this and give any opinions/suggestions regarding the implementation.
I'm planning for the next release, 0.1.1, to come out towards the end of June. Why so long? I'm leaving on Monday for a one-week trip to Austria, and won't be back until the 26th (and sorry, I'm not taking my laptop with me!). I'm going to begin working on 0.1.1 when I get back.
Thanks for testing Akismet Spam Butcher!
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Ever since I started using the Akismet spam-catching service on my blog, it has become a godsend. No more do I have to close up trackbacks and comments to registered users to keep out the spam; Akismet catches it for me. But why does this have to be limited to blogs? After all, forums which allow guest posting are also subject to spam, unless they install one of those MODs that require a user to type in a VC code every time they post. But who really wants to deal with that?
Akismet Spam Butcher finally brings together the pair that was meant for each other: Akismet and phpBB (yes, Akismet already had a relationship with WordPress, but in the world of technology, multiple relationships are good things!).
About Akismet:
For those of you that a) Don't have a WordPress blog, or b) Have a WordPress blog but don't use Akismet (and really should), here's a quick rundown of how Akismet works. You make a post, or comment to a blog entry. The entry is then checked against Akismet's HUGE database of spamming algorithms, etc., to see if it can be classified as spam. If it looks okay, the post is made as usual. If it's classified as spam, then the post is not made, but it is set aside.
No system is perfect, but Akismet learns from its mistakes. If a post that is actually spammy gets through, you can mark it as spam, and Akismet will make a note of it for later. Conversely, if a legitimate post (aka ham) is marked as spam, it can be "unmarked" from that by an administrator, and, again, Akismet will learn from its mistake.
All you need to use Akismet is a WordPress.com API key, which you get by signing up for an account at WordPress.com. WordPress.com also recently made it so you aren't obligated to set up an abandon-blog when you register, which is perfect if you just want to get an API key. Once you have a key, you can start using Akismet for free (noncommercial purposes).
More info available from Akismet's website.
About this MOD:
This MOD will mostly be an adaptation of the Akismet WordPress plugin for phpBB. When you enter your API key for the Akismet Spam Butcher MOD, you can choose to enable Akismet spam checking for all posts, only posts by guests, or completely disable it. When spam checking takes place, a post will be evaluated by Akismet. If it checks out as ham (clean), it will be posted like usual. If it checks out as spam, the post will still be added to the database but it will be hidden from view, and added to a Spam Queue in the ACP. From that Spam Queue, all the spam posts can be reviewed and either marked as Not Spam or deleted. Optionally, posts can also be automatically deleted in a set period of time from the queue. There will also be a button on each post for a moderator/administrator to mark a post as spam.
The phases of development for this MOD will be as follows (an alpha/beta release will occur at the end of each phase):
Phase 1: Implementation of Akismet checking for all posts (nothing happens to spam yet) -- Done! Version 0.1.0
Phase 2: Implementation of the Spam Queue
Phase 3: Completion of Configuration Options, including ability to have spam in the Spam Queue automatically delete
Phase 4: Ability to mark clean posts as spam, any other code cleanup/features
Note that these phases are only a blueprint for development and not binding.
phpBB3 Olympus:
Akismet Spam Butcher will be the first of my MODs to offer support for phpBB3 Olympus. This is really exciting not only for Olympus users, who will be able to take advantage of Akismet Spam checking right from the start, but also exciting for me, as it will give me an opportunity to become familiar with the code in Olympus (which is 100% different from phpBB2's code!). I will be working on the Olympus release simultaneously with the phpBB2 release, however the Olympus release will not be formerly released until Olympus' first release candidate (it will be in SVN however). Akismet Spam Butcher will be submitted to the MOD Database when the MOD Team starts accepting MODs for Olympus or when this MOD is completed, whichever comes later.
Advanced Version Check:
This MOD is compatible with my Advanced Version Check MOD which will allow you to track development and can notify you when a new release of Akismet Spam Butcher is available.
Enjoy Akismet Spam Butcher!
--Fountain of Apples
