GetSimple Blog

A simple an easy to use blog for GetSimple.

With this plugin, you can create blog posts, sort posts by category, view posts in monthly archives, plus much more.

Version 3.5.0 ~ Beta

Feature Enhancements:

  • [#006] Created a new Post Image uploader/selector
  • [#120] Added support for layout templates in the active theme's directory
  • [#110] More enhancements to the Posts Admin Page
    • Created post filtering mechanisim to compliment the search function
    • Modified the layout of the posts list to now include a bit more information about a post
    • New layout now includes a mini version of the image thats attached to the post
    • Action icon changed to now use the FontAwesome library of icons.

Back End (Admin) Changes:

  • [#111] Enhancements to the Category Management Page
    • Category names are now editable. Click the new edit button will reveal a text field for updating the name.
    • Number of posts in category now shown next to category name
    • Post quantity links back to post management page with a filter applied to only show posts from the click category.
    • Filtering or sorting of Categories by name or popularity (# of posts) is now possible
    • New category action icons using FontAwesome library.
    • Page layout cleaned up to look much better and inline with the new styles.
  • [#134] Added 'Save Post' button to Post Editor page.
  • [#104] Better metadata management for search engine optimisation
    • Added the ability to include a description for each of the core pages; categories, archives, tags, search results
    • Descriptions are used in the html "description" meta tag.
    • New settings page added specifically for SEO based settings such as the page descriptions.
    • Option to enable showing the descriptions on the respective page's list-layoutBefore template.
    • Placeholders available to description texts: {archive}, {category}, {tag}, {search}, {results}.

Frontend UI Improvements:

  • [#085] Added read more link to layout-list.php file.

Bug Fixes:

  • [#119] Fixed php parse error: missing '$' on lines 417 and 418 in Blog.php
  • [#119] Fixed php parse error: missing ',' on line 716 in Blog.php

Core Code Changes

  • [#110] Significant improvements to the search class method to also include filtering.
    • Allows searching for keyword in specific node, combining search and filter functions
    • Removed the now redundant filtering class method, but mapped it to search to allow backwards compatibility

Version 3.4.4 ~ Latest Stable

Back End (Admin) Changes:

  • [#128] Created a more uniform method of displaying success/error messages that prevents displaying on the frontend.
  • [#116] Dropped support for old UserManagement plugin

Bug Fixes:

  • [#109] Fixed class constructor after previous rewrite. Fixes the message 'Blog Settings Successfully Saved!' Message always being displayed.
  • [#115] Fixed alignment of input field boxes in the metadata section of the post editor.
  • [#117] Hide tags when there are no tags attached to a post.
  • [#119] Removed some unused variable declarations.
  • [#122] Fixed incorrect double slash in GSBlog->listPosts function.
  • [#125] Unpublished posts (dated in the future) could not be viewed when accessed directly for previewing.
  • [#131] Fixed trailing comma showing at the end of the list of tags.
  • [#132] Fixed PHP parse errors for improper method of accessing array element.
  • [#133] Fixed CKEditor triggered twice on Post Editor page.
  • [#135] Fixed Incorrect values used in html input/label tag attributes, causing the blogurl setting not to save.
  • [#138] Fixed PHP fatal error: Using string offset as an array in customFields.php

Version 3.4.3

Feature Enhancements:

  • [#095] A few minor imrovements to the RSS generator:
    • <description> now respects the excerpt length setting.
    • Added <content:encoded> tag to include the full text including html of the post.
    • Added <pubDate> tag to each post in the feed.
    • Added <generator> tag to the <channel>.
  • [#102] Minor enhancements to the Posts Management page:
    • Search button is now hidden when there are no posts in the database.
    • The search field is now shown by default when listing the results of a search. Allows use of the 'Cancel' button to clear a search.
    • When showing the results of a search and no posts were found, a new message is now displayed instead of the default no posts message.
    • Covnerted no posts message to use the <h5> tag instead of <strong>, added centre alignment and fixed missing closing tag. <h4> used for notice on no search results.
    • The page navigation container box is now hidden when there are no posts on the page.
    • Category Admin Page: Removed the uncecessary 'Or Cancel' button in the 'Add Category' box
    • Added unversal alignment layouts and properties for the search box on the posts admin page and the add category box on the category admin page.

Bug Fixes:

  • [#097] Fixed unprotected quotes in Russian language file.
  • [#098] Fixed critical error where adding a node to the settings xml would fail because an array was given when a string was expected.
  • [#100] Fixed "Search Engine Suicide" bug where the meta description of a multi-post page would contain the excerpt of the last post on the page.
  • [#105] Corrected a spelling error in a variable name in versionCheck.php.
  • [#106] Removed a runaway closing </p> tag on the Post Editor page.

Core Code Changes:

  • [#090] Implemented a function that will read, reorder, then write the plugins.xml file so that the 'user-managment.php (MultiUser)' plugin will work as expected.
  • [#109] Rewrote the class constructor function: Added check for missing or redundant settings in the settings file and update if required.

Languages:

  • [#099] Updates to the Russian language file thanks to f30d0r.

Version 3.4.2

Back End (Admin) Changes:

  • [#088] Added paging of posts list on Post Management page. Qty per page is determined by "# posts per page" blog setting.
  • [#088] Implemented Column width limiting on Post Management page; Prevents line-wrapping, making things a bit neater.
  • [#088] Removed redundant "Custom Fields" button on Post Management page.
  • [#087] Moved RSS Feed Title and Description to the correct settings page. Cleaned up layout of Main Settings page.
  • [#088] Post searching feature now available on Post Management page.
  • [#064] Sorted out the Spanish es_ES language file. Some translations may be incomplete or incorrect.

Bug Fixes:

  • [#074] Missed part of this fix... Whoops...

Front End UI Improvements:

  • [#083] Category and Date are now links to their relevant category or archive page when showing a post or in a list.
  • [#081] All list sections (categories, archives, tags, search) now include layout-listBefore and layout-listAfter files.

Code Changes:

  • [#080] Even better date internationalisation on both the front end and the backend. Creating/editing a post will now accept any date format supported by strtotime(), including "today".

Version 3.4.1

Bug Fixes:

  • [#---] Some language files were missing some commas in the array. Added html entities for certain characters.
  • [#075] German and French language files were missing some commas in the array.
  • [#075] German language file had 9 missing strings.
  • [#074] Fixed issues with post count in categories: casting of XMLobjects to string, a few missing punctuation marks, updated en_US language file to add Categories to Archvie Post Count string.
  • [#074] Fixed 'illegal offset' warning in show_blog_category() function. XMLoject is now cast properly as a string to use as array ofset. This prevented show_blog_categories() from being able to count the posts.
  • [#076] Fixed language string concatenated use for 'Manage Custom Fields'.
  • [#077] Fixed incorrect language string references for the RSS Auto-Importer Settings page.
  • [#079] Fixed some issues with the CustomFields Manager. Also added a sidebar button so that CFM could actually be used.
  • [#080] Much better handling of date format internationalisation.

Front End UI Improvements

  • [#074] Properly implemented post counts in categories. This was incomplete in the previous release. Rebuilt methods to make it more robust than originally planned.

Version 3.4.0

Bug Fixes:

  • [#068] Fixed string not translated in generateRSSFeed()
  • [#067] Fixed rss.php issues ... Finally...
  • [#043] Fixed syntax error, unexpected ';' - Related to the rss.php issues.
  • [#058] Variable $p['thumbnail'] needed to be casted correctly because it was returning a SimpleXMLObject even when empty. This caused an IF statement in the layout operate incorrectly.
  • [#057] Fixed language setting not being available to language based functions. The language string is now stored in the language files and loaded from there instead of settings.
  • [#054] Fixed Advertising code in 'Original' theme causing php warning because the setting wasn't available in fresh installs.
  • [#051] Fixed Hierarchical URLs not supported by i18n plugin. A function was updated to use i18n's find_i18n_url instead of the core find_url
  • [#050] Removed obsolete IF statement related to versionCheck. This may have been the cause of the slowness!
  • [#000] Updated version number definition. I forgot it again...

Front End UI Improvements:

  • [#036] Front-end functions modified to allow lists to be echoed or returned.
  • [#056] Image thumbnail paths separated into parts to allow for easier customization in the layout. IF statement added to check if an image is included with the post or not.
  • [#055] Removed theme layouts and converted to using 2 include files for layout generation. You can customize these as needed.
  • [#029] Better handling of date/time formats for different languages. Format string now stored in language file.

Back End (Admin) Changes:

  • [#011] Added 2 actions to allow for compatibility with other plugins, such as 'Auto-open Page Options'.
  • [#069] Removed reliance on private server for "What's New" information.

Updated Languages:

  • [#029] Added English (British) Language file to enable date formats for this region.
  • [#059] Add German (DE) Language file.
  • [#061] Updated English (US) language file with new strings and removed old strings.
  • [#061] Updated French (FR) language file with new strings and removed old strings.
  • [#035] Updated Spanish (ES) language file with new strings and removed old strings.
  • [#034] Updated Italian (IT) language file with new strings and removed old strings.
  • [#061] Updated Polish (PL) language file with new strings and removed old strings.
  • [#061] Updated Russian (RU) language file with new strings and removed old strings.
  • [#062 - #066] Layout of language files changed so that they are much neater and easier to read.

Version 3.3.1

Bug Fixes:

  • [#039] Fixed runaway string on Help page
  • [#038] Fixed hard coded English string in Custom Fields management.
  • [#043] Fixed syntax error in rss.php
  • [#044] Fixed only 1 blog post showing on main frontend page
  • [#045] Fixed RSSBody generation method. Now uses create_excerpt function instead. HTML characters shouldn't show up in there now.

Version 3.3.0

Back End (Admin) UI Improvements:

  • [#003] Implemented selectable layout templates system
    • Re-wrote show_settings_admin() function from scratch.
    • Removed settings that are no longer needed. Most tasks can now be completed by creating/modifying template file.
    • Created function blog_theme_layouts() which gets the list of available theme files.
  • [#022] Added pluginManagementFA.js script : Adds icon to plugin's listing on the Plugin Management admin tab.
  • [#021] Updated FontAwesome version to 4.2.0 and changed $media from 'screen' to 'print'.
  • [#023] Updated website address in plugin registration

Front End UI Improvements:

  • [#003] Implemented selectable layout templates system
    • Re-wrote show_blog_post() function from scratch. Old: 131 lines, New: 31 lines.
    • Created 1 layout: Original. More will be available in future bugfix releases.
  • [#003] Modified original layout to add scoped CSS functionality (New in HTML 5.1) : Backwards compatible with most current browsers.
  • [#008] Fixed "Go Back" links in posts (sort of). The link is now in the template file. You can change it as needed, or remove it if you like.

Bug Fixes:

  • [#014] Fixed undefined variable in manage_custom_fields.php

Code Changes:

  • [#018] Removed social media functions. If you need this, add your own code to a template file.
  • [#017] Cleaned up functions and comments in adminFunctions.php
  • [#020] Cleaned up functions and comments in frontEndFunctions.php
  • [#019] Moved some HTML sections of the code to separate files in 'html' folder to make for much easier reading and modification of code.
  • [#028] Cleaned up functions and comments in common.php
  • [#027] Removed redundant CodeMirror files.
  • [#020] Moved RSS Auto-Importer functions into it's own file.

Updated Languages:

  • [#016] Added new strings to English en_US language file.
  • [#026] Added new strings to Russian ru_RU language file.
  • [#025] Added new strings to Italian it_IT language file.
  • [#024] Added new strings to Spanish es_ES language file.
  • [#041] New Polish pl_PL language file added.

Version 3.2.4

Bug Fixes:

  • Removed blank line at start of English en_US language file that caused headers to be sent early.
  • Fixed undefined variable $data in frontEndFunctions.php on line 71. Should have been $post.
  • Fixed undefined variable $data_edit in manage_custom_fields.php on line 283. The defining location has been moved outside of an 'if' condition and should be set all the time now. This should also fix Trying to get property of non-object.
  • Fixed undefined variable $blog_data in adminFunctions.php on line 1049. This variable was not needed there and has been removed.
  • Fixed link for "Display CSS: Click here to view available classes and ids". FancyBox JavaScript had not been made availble on that page when Settings was split into multiple pages.

Front End UI Improvements:

  • Separator pipe ( | ) has been removed from the info line. If you really want it back, create a custom layout.

Version 3.2.3

Bug Fixes:

  • Posts with dates in the future are now hidden in all frontend areas (inc. Archives) but not in admin.
  • Date format in RSS feeds should now be standards compliant.
  • Language will now be selected based on GetSimple's language or will properly default to English (US) if the language is not available in GS Blog.

Updated Languages:

  • Russian ru_RU language file, thanks to 'Oleg06'.
  • Fixed missing strings in Italian it_IT language file.
  • Fixed missing strings in Spanish es_ES language file.
  • Fixed missing strings in English en_US language file.

Version 3.2.2

Bug Fixes:

  • Updated version number in gs-blog.php. Forgot to do this in the previous version. Updater will now show the correct results.
  • Fix PrettyURL setting on Settings admin page. Converted to radio buttons to handle the page separation in settings.
  • Fixed link to show .htaccess example for PrettyURLs. FancyBox script was in the wrong place. It has been moved accordingly.
  • Fixed thumbnail as link to post. Link A tag was missing but has now been added again.

Version 3.2.1

Security Fixes:

  • Added check if defined 'IN_GS' to all php files. This prevents files being loaded directly, rather they need to be called from within GS.
  • Updated MagpieRSS from 0.7a to 0.72

Code Changes:

  • MagpieRSS will now use the GS cache instead of trying to create its own. This would fail because of permissions in the plugin dir.
  • Added Italian (it_IT) language file, thanks to Nicola Laviola (nikynik)
  • Fixed typos and a missing string in en_US and it_IT language files.
  • Fixed issue with RSS Auto-Importer creating blank posts when using content.
  • Fixed author not showing in post.
  • Changed strings in en_US language file for descriptions on settings pages.
  • CKeditor Bug? Mentioned in the forums, but I couldn't reproduce it. Used given fix anyway.
  • Removed outdated language files. As translators come on board, languages will be added.

Version 3.2.0

Back End (Admin) UI Improvements:

  • Split 'Blog Settings' page into 4 sections : Main, Customisation, Advertisement, Social.
  • Moved 'Create Post' link from side-bar to 'Manage Posts' page.
  • Moved 'Custom Fields' link from side-bar to 'Manage Posts' page.
  • Renamed 'RSS Feeds' to 'RSS Auto-Importer'.
  • Added 'Settings' button to 'RSS Auto-Importer' page.
  • 'RSS Auto-Importer' related settings are now on their own page.
  • HTML Layouts changed to match the GS Admin default layout.
  • Plugin is now compatible with the awesome 'Modern Admin' backend theme. Seriously, try it!
  • Added setting to RSS Auto-Importer to choose between getting content if available or description with link back to original article.
  • Added setting to Settings page to show/hide Post Author.
  • Added setting to Settings page for Default Post Author if none is defined. Enter 'hidden' to hide if not defined.
  • Added setting to Settings page to show/hide Category.

Front End UI Improvements:

  • Added ability to show Author's name. A default will be shown / or hidden if author not defined. These can be setup in settings.
  • Added ability to show the category the post has been saved in. Hidden if not defined.

Code Changes:

  • VersionCheck now gets it's "What's New" messages encoded and will decode them for display.
  • Download link updated in VersionCheck.
  • adminController.php has been merged into adminFunctions.php
  • displayPosts.php merged into frontEndFunctions.php
  • pageTitle.php merged into frontEndFunctions.php
  • Original Settings button idea ditched along with settingsButton.php
  • Fixed yet another URL problem in ckeditor.php
  • Added new strings for Settings and Sidebar buttons to en_US language file. Really need some translators here, please help?
  • RSS Auto-Importer now has the ability to search for a <content:encoded> tag in rss files, and if it exists, will fill the post with that rather than the description.
  • Fixed date localization on Windows based systems.

Version 3.1.3

Back End (Admin) UI Improvements:

  • VersionCheck updated to include the ability to show What's New information on update page.

Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed constant 'BLOGFILE' not defined when calling rss.php.
  • Added better handling of having no posts on systems where glob() returns 'false'.
  • Fixed cache generation : Cache will not generate if there are no posts.
  • Fixed 'Delete RSS Feed' link in admin panel.
  • Update MagpieRSS to use explode() instead of the depreciated split().
  • Fixed stupid syntax mistakes. I really shouldn't code whilst tired...

Version 3.1.2

Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed a URL in manage_custom_feilds.php
  • Fixed 2 URLs in the Primary Class File blog.php
  • String 'Directory Successfully Created' changed to 'File Successfully Created' for categories XML file in EN_us language file.

Version 3.1.1

Back End (Admin) UI Improvements:

  • Updated VersionCheck system to use PHP's version_compare() function instead of a simple < or >.
  • Added strings to EN_us language file for VersionCheck's admin page status table.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed missing semi-colon in gs-blog.php causing a syntax error.
  • Fixed missing forward-slash for the variable BLOGPLUGINFOLDER in common.php that caused issues with missing include files and a file copy failure on initial setup.
  • Fixed URLs for buttons and links across the admin area.

Version 3.1

Back End (Admin) UI Improvements:

  • Added Version Checking system
    • Created Function
    • Function moved to external include file.
    • Added strings to en_US language file. Further translations required.
    • Added link to version string on admin panel. Points to new Update page.
    • Added Update Check page to admin panel under settings.
  • Added slug transliteration support - Thanks to Carlos for spotting that I'd missed that while scouring the forums for bugs.

Bug Fixes / Code Cleanup:

  • Core plugin file now somewhat smaller and easier to read.
    • Moved Admin Controller function(s) to external include file. Code still needs cleaning.
    • Moved Front End Controller function(s) to external include file. Code still needs cleaning.
    • Page Title fix function moved to external include file.
  • Require_once paths now reference $thisfile to make future updating easier.
  • Fixed some spelling errors in en_US language file.

Version 3.0 (Where I took over)

Front End UI Improvements:

  • Page Title is now changed to either the Post's Title, Category Name, or Archive Date
  • $post->title now only shows on the listing page, not on the individual posts page. This prevents double titles with the above UI fix.
  • When show_blog_categories() is called and no categories exist, a message is displayed saying "No Categories Exist!"
  • When show_blog_archives() is called and the archive contains no posts, a message is displayed saying "Nothing in the Archives!"

Back End (Admin) UI Improvements:

  • The blog now has its own tab in the Admin area, which also includes its own sidebar links for each area of configuration.
  • Each admin page now has it's own title and description at the top of the page and will also show the version of the plugin you are running.

Bug Fixes (Front and Back End):

  • Clicking on Cancel in the post editor will now take you back to the Posts Management page. Previously it would take you to a different plugin, or throw an error if that plugin wasn't installed.
  • Fixed Read More links on post excerpts. Previously the link was empty.
  • Fixed default values not showing in custom fields when creating or editing a post.
  • Removed <ul> tags from Archive functions to bring it in line with the rest of the plugin and the standard list format used in GetSimple. You now need to provide your own <ul> tags and apply attributes as needed.
  • Fixed improperly closed <strong> tags on Help admin page.
  • Fixed error Trying to get property of non-object in frontEndFunctions.php on line 671.