Later this week we will be releasing XenForo 2.3.10 with a couple of notable additions for developers.
Phrase tools
For more years than I've been at the company, we have had an internal tool which we use during development of features to help us keep on top of phrases. It scans the code base to detect strings in templates that might need to become phrases and also looks for certain delimited strings in PHP code that can also be converted to phrases.
In XenForo 2.3.10 we have (finally!)...
Featured content
A short while ago we let you know about some improvements coming to XenForo 2.4 related to custom fields. You can catch up here:
https://xenforo.com/community/threads/custom-field-improvements-filtering-and-more.235686/
Today we're continuing on that topic with the next logical progression: Custom field searching!
When adding a custom field you can now, under "General options", toggle whether the field can be included in the search index. This appears just below the new option to enable...
In XenForo 2.4 we are abstracting our existing GIPHY support out into a general GIF providers system and adding support for a new provider, KLIPY.
The new "GIF provider" option replaces the previous "Enable GIPHY support" option which, if already configured in XenForo 2.3, will be migrated to this new option. Setting up a new key in the KLIPY partner dashboard is simple with generous rate limits for testing keys. Applying for a production key is simple too with just a little bit of basic...
With XenForo 2.4 we are finally addressing one of the most common pieces of feedback we get regarding custom fields which is filtering! But first, let's take a little look under the hood to see what else is new:
Flexible custom field types
Each of the existing custom field types are now moved to their own individual handler classes and assigned to add-ons in the database. This opens the door for developers to finally introduce their own custom field types for their add-ons. So instead of...
Although we still have a little way to go before our vision is fully complete, the first phase of our documentation overhaul is now live!
Previously our manual and developer documentation were stored in two separate sites, powered by MkDocs, and our REST API endpoint documentation was in a page node, right here on this forum!
Now all of the documentation is in one place, docs.xenforo.com, and you can navigate between the Manual, Developers and API documentation from the top navigation...
Although you may be anticipating a XenForo 2.4 HYS, we invested considerable effort in 2.3.8, resulting in new functionality significant enough to deserve its own announcement. XenForo 2.3.8 will be released today!
Retina thumbnails
To ensure attachments are displayed at a much higher fidelity, especially on high-DPI displays, we now generate two versions of every thumbnail. One which matches the configured size under Options > Attachments as usual and a second which is double that size...
Where are we?
TL;DR: We're working hard to release XenForo 2.4 ASAP, but it's taking longer than expected due to scope changes and strategic decisions to wait for certain upstream developments that will benefit the long-term roadmap. Here's an analogy to explain why:
Software development is like planning a cross-country expedition with multiple destinations.
When you set out for version 2.4, you're not just driving to the next town over. You're charting a course through unknown territory...
PWA Improvements
Hot on the heels of the improvements announced earlier this week, we have another set of improvements to show you today, again, courtesy of @digitalpoint! This time we'll be focusing on some improvements to Progressive Web Apps which some of you will be familiar with if you're already using the [DigitalPoint] PWA add-on.
Web app manifest editing
We've been rocking a web app manifest for a while now but starting with XenForo 2.4 you will be able to modify the web app...
Flash Message Improvements
In the coming weeks, we will be showcasing a few improvements very kindly donated to us by XenForo development G.O.A.T, @digitalpoint!
When digitalpoint heard that the primary aim for XenForo 2.4 was to implement some tangible quality of life improvements, he was very quick to offer up some code he has written over the years - some released, some not - which he wrote for his own sites. Is there a somewhat ulterior motive to this code philanthropy aside from our...
Since announcing Featured Content for XenForo 2.3 we have been closely monitoring feedback through various channels and our own overall vision for the feature and, as such, in today's Have you seen...? for XenForo 2.4 we are highlighting some of the recent changes we have made.
Automatic feature expiry
When curating content, sometimes it can take time to manage the list of featured content effectively to ensure it stays fresh for your visitors, and part of that is the inevitable time where...
Welcome back to our Have you seen...? series for XenForo 2.4! The code reviews are coming in thick and fast as we complete our planned features so there should be plenty to show you over the coming weeks.
Part of our process for this and previous releases has involved looking at the amazing pool of developer talent that we have in this community and considering how we can work with those developers to bring those features to the core.
And that's the focus of this time where we'll be taking...
Rich text editors are hard. When you drill down into how they actually work, it's a wonder why there are so many of them, and why developers would willingly spend a significant part of their life working on one. At XenForo we have been through ... counts on fingers ... three different rich text editors in our history, so if we're being generous we can at least attest to what a feat of engineering they are and how difficult they can be to get right -- and all we have to do is implement them...
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on our first Have you seen...? thread about the upcoming Add-on update notifications for XF 2.4. It's exciting for us to start this process so soon after the release of XenForo 2.3! And while we are not sticking to a specific schedule for this series of HYS threads, our next one is already here!
This time around we are adding Direct message labels as a way for people to be able to add a little more organisation to their inboxes. This is a long...
Welcome to the first "Have you seen...?" post for XenForo 2.4! As we discussed a couple of months ago, XenForo 2.4 will focus mainly on quality-of-life improvements for admins, moderators and users, and today's first look at our next version absolutely ticks that box.
Occasionally the inspiration for new features doesn't solely come from the suggestions forum and at times we sit up and take notice of what is popular in the Resource Manager. In this particular case, the Add-on update...
Today is the day we sadly have to report that this is the final 'Have you seen...?' thread for XenForo 2.3. While there are still changes planned, these will almost exclusively be changes to existing features, bug fixes and miscellaneous improvements that aren't significant enough for their own thread. But this only brings with it the implication of very good news to come as we start wrapping up the beta process for XenForo 2.3 and rocket towards a stable release as soon as possible...
Since the initial release of XenForo 2.3, there has been a new system working away behind the scenes. One that some developers might have spotted but one that we hadn't actually talked about yet, because it wasn't relevant. Until now!
Let's talk about this somewhat underlying system first.
Content activity log
This is a generic system, based on content types, which we strongly recommend you consider using for your own add-ons. Essentially what this does is keep a log of content and tracks...
First thing's first, don't panic, don't rush to your customer area, there is no Beta 3 release today! We are likely to be moving the remaining HYS posts to Thursday/Friday, coinciding with those features rolling out to this very forum so we get some extended testing and feedback before they appear in a subsequent Beta.
Next order of business, before we get into what's coming in Beta 3, is a big thank you to Shawn, AKA @digitalpoint. We're big fans of Shawn's work and he's genuinely a stand...
Brand new in XenForo 2.3.0 Beta 2 is support for a few long overdue enhancements related to our payment and purchasable system. Let's look at each of these below!
Stripe Checkout
Stripe Checkout is Stripe's native and hosted checkout page which not only brings with it some powerful customisability, it also makes accepting new payment methods completely trivial and available in an instant. Allow user upgrades and other purchasables to be purchased with options for "Buy Now Pay Later" (e.g...
It's finally here! Today we are pleased to mark the next major milestone towards a stable release of XenForo 2.3 and this time we need your help!
As per the announcement XenForo 2.3 Beta 1 is now available to all licensed self-hosted customers. We'd very much appreciate your thoughts, your feedback, and your uncanny ability to break things in ways we can't even imagine. But, as ever, please do not even contemplate installing it on your live forum at this point. There will be bugs; some of...
If you are using a computer or mobile device using dark mode, and you have been living under a rock for the past several weeks, you might be rather surprised at the appearance of the XenForo Community Forums at this point.
On the other hand, if you have been paying attention, you'll understand that we have now upgraded our own forums to XenForo 2.3, which means we are getting ever closer to a public release, while showing our usual confidence in the stability of our products by 'eating our...
