01: MODing Philosophy

[Nuttzy99]

MODing Philosophy

The least you need to know:

• we're 6G while everyone else is a mere 2G or 3G
• Keep FINDs limited to the minimum uniqueness
• Use the IN-LINE commands as much as possible
• Avoid the REPLACE command like the plague

[/b]
Mapping the Way

The phpBB MODing community has evolved to the point of using a 3rd Generation Command Set. Our MOD Authors are not only concerned about installing their own MOD but also care how their MOD will interact with other MODs being installed. This kind of thinking puts us far ahead of MODing communities from any other BB's, all of which are stuck on 1st Generation.

The key is to maintain the integrity of the core phpBB files, changing them as little as possible. Think of the core phpBB code as a map. There are distinctive features that can easily be found. Things like SQL statements, $lang variables, various looping structures, and even some of the developer's comments act as landmarks. Start changing too many landmarks in the map and suddenly you can't find (or FIND ) your way around any more.

There are three essentials keys to success:

• Keep FINDs limited to the minimum uniqueness, meaning you only FIND the fragments of the line that makes the line (or lines) unique
• Use the IN-LINE commands as much as possible, it's like performing minimally invasive surgery
• Avoid the REPLACE command like the plague, it's like performing surgery with a sledgehammer

EasyMOD is 3G in the way it can manipulate files while other BB's are stuck on 1st or 2nd generation. So the combination of 3G EMC standards plus the 3G EasyMOD program kind of puts us at 6th Generation while everyone else is a mere 2nd or 3rd Generation

-Nuttzy

[Xore]

I'm not sure i understand the jump from 3 to 6...

also, if i'm writing an API with my mod for other mods to work with it in a manner as easy as possible, does that make me 5,6, or 7?

[chickeneater]

good work the Nuttzy

check your PM at the real phpbb site

[Nuttzy99]

Hrmmmm... that sentence could definitely use some rewording plus a link to the File Manipulation Technology supplemental article. The loose idea is that 3G + 3G = 6G

-Nuttzy

[Ptirhiik]

I must underline that most of issue installing a mod manually are involving in-line statement and the place where the insertion is done. So even with precise surgery, you can surely kill your patient. Automated installation can also issues in many way to screw a sql request, or a tpl file. You have so to consider they are no better instructions than other, but only a way to use each.

At least, only coment can help to fix an issue, this point - most important - is missing.

[Nuttzy99]

I could be misunderstanding your point. Since you were a part of the EM uninstaller topic you know that EM will be automatically documenting everything once the beta comes out. As for screwing up lines, 99% of the time this will be the MOD Author's fault for not writing his script well enough. The other 1% will be from times when the Author could not forsee a problem. I really see the odds of something getting screwed up as being very small. It is more likely that the FIND is going to fail rather than having text inserted inappropriately.

But, if you like the idea of fixing this, then I think you will be very interested in something I'm hoping to propose to the community later today

-Nuttzy

[Ptirhiik]

There I don't agree : 99% of errors on an IN-LINE FIND/IN-LINE AFTER, ADD comes from the difficulty to perform such an action, because it requires a particular attention to a modder - before the comma, after the quote ? - and so. A good example is the gender mod, which was correctly writen on the sql instruction, would be compliant with the EMC requirement for this particular line, and has screwed an impressive amount of boards because of this issue due to the high level of difficulty to add in-line fragment where it is supposed to be.

As I said on the find-relative topic, a mod has to remain hand-installable, without enhancing risks of making a mistake because of EMC requirements - just a though .

[Nuttzy99]

I've not seen the Gender MOD in a long while and the last time I saw it was nowhere near EMC. Let's let the code do the talking. Post some up and then we can discuss the approach. I maintain that a well written MOD will enjoy over 99% installation success. It is only on vastly differing TPL files (from subSilver) where things really degrade.

-Nuttzy

[Ptirhiik]

I was mentioning only this paticular line, which was a find, an in-line find, and an in-line after, add, in the usercp_register.php. All were perfectly right, but in-line process are comfusing for users, which very often doesn't notice the comma or the quote, much more often than after/before adding.

[A_Jelly_Doughnut]

Which would be the perfect time to add a comment in the MOD install file.