Simple Machines Community Forum

Customizing SMF => Building Your Community and other Forum Advice => Topic started by: Vanilla Lumina on June 03, 2017, 02:49:14 PM

Title: Useful MODs for general usage?
Post by: Vanilla Lumina on June 03, 2017, 02:49:14 PM
In general, what MODs have you found useful to add to any new forum powered by SMF? I'm now running a forum (specifically a 'general games' forum) and I'd personally like to know some good MODs to install, since there seems to be so many and I'm not sure what would be the most useful to users and staffers alike. ^^

I'm using SMF 2.0.13 (will upgrade when more themes are available for 2.0.14).

Thanks for any guidance. I also feel this is the wrong forum, but I couldn't post in the parent forum of this, so yeah.
Title: Re: Useful MODs for general usage?
Post by: Gwenwyfar on June 03, 2017, 03:48:08 PM
The mods of ported features from SMF 2.1 might be a good place to start. You may also want to install the official "responsive" mod for the main theme, if you're not planning on using a custom theme.

Most other mods really depend on your forum and what features do you want to have.
Title: Re: Useful MODs for general usage?
Post by: Steve on June 03, 2017, 06:38:57 PM
There have been a number of topics like this and the problem is as Gwenwyfar identified, it all depends on what you want to be able to do with your forum and what bells and whistles you'd like your members to have.

A couple of my favorites are SimpleColorizer (https://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=3067) and Simple Audio Video Embedder (https://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=2681) but that's only 2 of the 82 mods I have installed, which doesn't count a couple of custom made mods from a friend and several tweaks made by me.

:)
Title: Re: Useful MODs for general usage?
Post by: Arantor on June 04, 2017, 05:05:14 AM
I'd kick off with some of the anti spam mods.

Everything else is dependent on the style of community you want to build.
Title: Re: Useful MODs for general usage?
Post by: Vanilla Lumina on June 04, 2017, 05:58:56 AM
Already got a responsive blue theme for my site (DeepBlue), hence why I picked 2.0.13, although might install it because I like the simplicity of the default theme, hence why I also didn't delete it.

@Gwenwyfar: What features have already been ported? I'm a little lazy to look right now, although can get onto it later today when I mess around with SMF 2.1 on a test server.

I'll also look into adding the audio/video embedder, definitely, as well as the anti-spam mods, providing they work with 2.0.13 :)
Title: Re: Useful MODs for general usage?
Post by: Arantor on June 04, 2017, 06:01:14 AM
The key ones to have been ported were anti-spam ones, namely the 'misc anti spam' and the 'multi-language Q&A' ones. Those I remember doing. I don't know what else was backported from 2.1.

Almost all 2.0 mods work on any version of 2.0.
Title: Re: Useful MODs for general usage?
Post by: Gwenwyfar on June 04, 2017, 12:06:21 PM
Mentions, likes and drafts are also available for 2.0, off the top of my head (or was Drafts the other way around?). Other than that there's smaller ones that have been included in 2.1, like URL Popup.
Title: Re: Useful MODs for general usage?
Post by: Arantor on June 04, 2017, 12:09:18 PM
None of those were backports. Mentions was built for 2.0 first and later partially rebuilt for 2.1, the others were built completely from scratch for 2.1 (speaking as the person who implemented likes the first time in 2.1 and speaking as the person who wrote the drafts mod before 2.1)

I'd be surprised if URL Popup was included, seeing that it's a completely new editor in 2.1...
Title: Re: Useful MODs for general usage?
Post by: Gwenwyfar on June 04, 2017, 01:22:00 PM
Oh. I thought mentions (or likes, my memory may be failing me again) had been ported by Dragoon. Well, they're still mods for a standard feature in 2.1, so its worth a look :)

What I mean with URL popup is that the same feature is now on 2.1, even if it isn't the same code as the mod. Features that have become standard are more likely to be useful in any kind of forum since that's the whole point of it.
Title: Re: Useful MODs for general usage?
Post by: Arantor on June 04, 2017, 02:04:59 PM
Dragooon wrote both versions of mentions. ;)
Title: Re: Useful MODs for general usage?
Post by: Rust on July 20, 2017, 02:45:13 PM
When I was running SMF-based sites, the StopForumSpam plugin was a must. 
Title: Re: Useful MODs for general usage?
Post by: aegersz on July 20, 2017, 04:24:44 PM
a simple but vital mod for when you go mod crazy is the Sorted Package Manager Listing.

Simple Portal or others can make your forum look smart with Shoutboxes.

I'm running too many mods to the point that removing some is not viable. Visit my site to see how it differs from SMF vanilla but I understand that you may not want to do so. Steve is right, those 2 mods are excellent and what I consider mandatory.

I have also implemented Simpledesk as a way for the staff to discuss issues in another space.

My favorite mod is the Advanced Reputation System but it is no longer hosted here ... you may be able to hunt it down though.

Search Focus Dropdown, Tidy Child Boards and SA Chat are cool too.