Official MOD creation instructions

[Randem]

I have looked over the forum and could not find any. Although it would help many to create MODs for SMF in a speedier fashion; I have failed t see any documentation on the correct way to achieve this task. All that I have found was post that state that one should take apart someone else's MOD to create your own.  I always find that really bad advice for if you happen to choose a MOD that was not created well, your MOD may well suffer the same...

If one could get started really quickly with MODS then some really good MODS could be created. One does not want to break the system with a badly created MOD...

Any help would be appreciated...

[All Colours Sam]

Best advice is to just take a look at SMF's code.

If you want to know what kind of crazy parameters does the packager manager can handle and how it will be handle then take a look at the packager manager's files.

There is no right or wrong way to do this, you need to start at some point and will mature from there, heck, I remember my very own first mod, it was a disaster, I look at mods I did last year and I always say to myself: "what was I thinking!".

The point here is that you will never start knowing it all or doing the best possible mod out there, theres always room for improvements.

[Colin]

What type of mod are you trying to create? Maybe we can help point you in the right direction.

[Randem]

Suki,

Your experience is precisely my point... Why should everyone learn to re-invent the wheel when it has already been done? I don't have the time to spend all my efforts on failing... and why should anyone else? It is much better for the whole SMF project that everyone not start at ground zero...


Colin,

http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=515596.0
This is a starting list.

[Arantor]

Given that every mod is basically find/replace options, there is no meaningful instruction that can really be given beyond 'here's how you describe the find/replace changes', and there have been semi-official guides on this for years.

[Randem]

Well, I cannot find them and even you did not point me to these unofficial instructions. Why must this be so hard. It would seem that to benefit the SMF system these sorts of things would be so easy to find and use. As you stated find/replace... I first thought was find/replace what? Still no closer...

[Colin]

I see,

Here are the customization coding guidelines: http://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/Customization_coding_guidelines

What exactly are you looking for additional help with? What I have been considering and may start in the near future is a video tutorial on writing a one or two line SMF mod that just goes over the basics and package structure.

[All Colours Sam]

Suki,

Your experience is precisely my point... Why should everyone learn to re-invent the wheel when it has already been done? I don't have the time to spend all my efforts on failing... and why should anyone else? It is much better for the whole SMF project that everyone not start at ground zero...

I think we are talking about 2 different things here...

There's 2 differen things, making mods and making mods LOL

Making a mod, as in making the package to be ready to be installed via SMF's packager manager.

And making a mod, the actual PHP code neded to perform X action you want.

For the first, its is pretty straight forward, every mod has the same package-info.xml file so you copying someone else mod (the package-info.xml file) is perfectly fine since there isn't any other way to do it.

So please, do explain what is what you want to learn, how to code or how to build a package to be installed via SMF's packager manager.

[Arantor]

* Arantor Beeblebrox the First points to the SMF Coding Discussion board, whereupon the sticky topics are extremely useful.

Most importantly, http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=214513.0

After all, it's not a feature for the core of SMF, but discussion about coding...

[Randem]

Suki,

I really don't care which way I get the job done; just as long as I get the desired results without having to re-invent the wheel...

[Randem]

Thanks Colin,

I will take a look at it to see what I can do with it.

[All Colours Sam]

Suki,

I really don't care which way I get the job done just as long as I get the desired results without having to re-invent the wheel...

But, what exactly do you want to do?

Help with building the .xml file needed for installing mods or help with coding mods? Can you please elaborate a bit more?

[Randem]

Suki,

Well one thing is since I am new to SMF I have no idea of what it is I am looking for to replace or where to look for it. I have to ideas of what I want to do and no idea of how to get them accomplished. As to the link I posted with the ideas that I want to accomplish, I have no idea of what to find to replace or add to get it done.

[Colin]

Ah, so I was mistaken, too. Your question isn't about packaging the modification, it is about how to actually accomplish the tasks.

[Arantor]

In which case you have to study the code, to find out what it's doing that you want to change.

[Burke ♞ Knight]

Wait, let me get this straight...
You want a cheat sheet to making mods, basically?

Well, I got news for you.
The best "cheat sheet" is going into the code and LEARNING by doing.
What you are basically asking for is the easy way out, and if that's what you want in life, then as far as I'm concerned, that's ignorant.

If you don't really want to go in and learn something, then don't do it. Plain and simple.
I made a few mods back when I first started, and I did it not by asking for instructions, but by going in and learning. Sure, if I got stumped on something, I posted and asked for assistance, but mostly I did it the really satisfying way... On My Own.

I don't mind helping people, but they need to help themselves, first.
Yes, I do agree that some parts of mod making should be put into the wiki, but that would be just the basics, like info on what files would be best for certain edits, and maybe a very nicely done page on hooks, which may already exist, I'm not sure...

But the best way to learn, is like has been stated, go into the SMF code, and LOOK at how it's done. If you are so great at Perl, then learning PHP should be very easy for you.

[Colin]

That's a bit harsh.

Regardless, the content is right on. In order to build a mod you have to be familiar with SMF. Have a peak around look at the internals. A cookie cutter tutorial in which I was planning to make won't be too helpful to you.

Do note that we are more than happy to answer any specific questions you may run into as you start building the mod. Unfortunately pointing out every aspect on how to build it, is a bit too much to ask.

[Randem]

BurkeKnight,

Basically yes, a cheat sheet for MODS. And as for your remark on being ignorant...  Not wanting to spend your time doing something when you have other things to do is not Ignorant. Calling others names however is. I have a business to run and SMF is just a tool. When the tool was not available for me to convert my Support Board to SMF, I wrote it along with DOCUMENTATION on how to use it. No system is complete without documentation. In a successful business the only time you do something yourself is when you can't find it already done. Honestly I really don't want to learn how to do it unless I have too. Then I will find a way to get it done.

[All Colours Sam]

Suki,

Well one thing is since I am new to SMF I have no idea of what it is I am looking for to replace or where to look for it. I have to ideas of what I want to do and no idea of how to get them accomplished. As to the link I posted with the ideas that I want to accomplish, I have no idea of what to find to replace or add to get it done.

Then you will have to take a look at the codebase, as much as you don't want it or don't have the time for it I'm afraid.

SMF uses a system that resembles an MVC pattern, it has Sources fles that act as models/controllers and template files that act as views.

Theres http://support.simplemachines.org/function_db/ which is extremely helpful if you want to know is there is a function that you can reuse or just to know how X function works.

There isn't any other way, really, we can tell you which files controls what but thats about it, the rest is up to you and what exactly do you want to accomplish.

If you don't want to spend time on this then I suggest doing a search on: http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/ and perhaps you will find sometihng that suits your needs, I couldn't say for sure since I have no idea about what you actually want to do.

[Burke ♞ Knight]

My point is, in order to really make a mod, one that is useful and does not have issues, you need to learn.
You can't ask for everything to just be given to you, otherwise, your basically asking for the mod to be made for you, but with your name on it, taking credit for the work.

Mod making is just that. Work. We work hard on our mods, and we do it by learning.