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#1 2008-08-31 23:34:50

aesop1
Archived Plugin Author
Registered: 2004-09-19
Posts: 142

What are your "Top 10" Textpattern plugins and why?

As someone who has taken a bit of a vacation from TXP for awhile, I’m curious to know what you all think are the “Top 10” (or Top 15 or Top 5, for that matter) plugins that make TXP really sing for you. I need to find out what all the cool kids are using these days.

Naturally, these should all work with the latest TXP release and not require hacks to TXP core.

Anyone?

-Matt Helmick

Last edited by aesop1 (2008-08-31 23:43:40)

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#2 2008-09-01 03:59:41

mrdale
Member
From: Walla Walla
Registered: 2004-11-19
Posts: 2,215
Website

Re: What are your "Top 10" Textpattern plugins and why?

In no particular order
  • upm_savenew (because for some stupid reason a save-new button isn’t deemed core worthy.)
  • ign_password_protect (essential for any serious password protection in txp)
  • zem_contact_reborn (forms yo.)
  • zem_ir (Use whatever font you like for headers, etc…)
  • smd_where_used (cleanup your filthy install)
  • stw_category_tree (nice cat trees)
  • sed_section_fields + glz_custom_fields (the closest youre ever gonna get to custom content types in TXP)
  • jmd_image_select (finally, after years a decent image selector form the write tab)
  • jmd_import (import articles en masse)
  • rvm_if_privileged (native front-side edit button and more)
  • smd_if (all-you-can-eat conditionals)
  • smd_query (pipe query results through forms)
  • mdp_calendar (simple efficient large and small calendars)
  • postmaster (native mailings in TXP, with unsubscribe, subscribe, list management, etc.)

OK, I went over. There’s a lot of good dev going on in the community.

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#3 2008-09-01 06:32:48

aesop1
Archived Plugin Author
Registered: 2004-09-19
Posts: 142

Re: What are your "Top 10" Textpattern plugins and why?

Thanks, Dale.

-Matt

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#4 2008-09-01 06:36:43

eggnog
Member
From: Vancouver
Registered: 2008-03-10
Posts: 37
Website

Re: What are your "Top 10" Textpattern plugins and why?

Excellent thread for a newb like myself. I look forward to seeing what plugins others find beneficial.

Last edited by eggnog (2008-09-01 06:37:36)

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#5 2008-09-01 07:01:27

aesop1
Archived Plugin Author
Registered: 2004-09-19
Posts: 142

Re: What are your "Top 10" Textpattern plugins and why?

yeah, maybe the moderator could keep it sticky with some sort of index at the top.

-Matt

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#6 2008-09-01 14:03:29

els
Moderator
From: The Netherlands
Registered: 2004-06-06
Posts: 7,458

Re: What are your "Top 10" Textpattern plugins and why?

aesop1 wrote:

yeah, maybe the moderator could keep it sticky with some sort of index at the top.

Well, if you search you will find a certain number of similar threads. Every once in a while somebody is asking this question ;) Making them all stickies would be a bit confusing. Besides, such a ‘top 10’ is very personal, and depends very much on a site’s particular needs. There are rather unknown plugins that for a small number of users are just perfect. (Also interesting: ruud on ‘rating plugins’.)

But by all means continue this thread :)

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#7 2008-09-01 14:51:15

thebombsite
Archived Plugin Author
From: Exmouth, England
Registered: 2004-08-24
Posts: 3,251
Website

Re: What are your "Top 10" Textpattern plugins and why?

There are some plug-ins I find useful for new TXP users or whilst I’m developing a new site and a few I use myself:-

  • zem_contact_reborn – can you really do without it?
  • zem_redirect – useful if you move stuff around a bit. ;)
  • rvm_css – use, create and modify static css files from within the CSS tab.
  • ob1_pagination – cuz I prefer this to the usual older/newer tags on listing pages.
  • mem_akismet – a nice bit of spam filtering.
  • upm_insert_tab – cuz you can tab your code without getting your favourite text editor out.
  • ied_replacer – did you want smilies?
  • rvm_maintenance – excellent for those times when you want to modify your site. I tend to use it mostly when developing a new site on the host server.
  • mck_textilebar – I would use this on a new user’s site. Easy way to insert textile mark-up in an article.
  • upm_img_popper – a simple way of inserting images into an article. Another one for new users.
  • jnm_audio – the easiest way I’ve found of adding audio files to a page.
  • tru_podcast – and you want to podcast as well.

The ones I use are the top 7 plus Ruud’s maintenance plug-in as and when I need it.


Stuart

In a Time of Universal Deceit
Telling the Truth is Revolutionary.

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#8 2008-09-01 16:29:08

aesop1
Archived Plugin Author
Registered: 2004-09-19
Posts: 142

Re: What are your "Top 10" Textpattern plugins and why?

Els,

Your point is well taken, but I did do a quick search and didn’t find a similar thread (but I lost patience quickly). I do understand that no one set of plugins is going to please everybody. Still, I think there is some value to identifying key plugins—which may change over time—just as Stuart and Dale have done. I think users can identify which of these fine plugins are best to personalize their site based on needed functionality.

Perhaps the forum isn’t the best location for such a list. Ideally, if Textpattern.org (Textpattern Resources) had a rating system and “most downloaded plugins” (yes, and I realize that would be sensitive too), that would help with the identification of plugins that usefully extend a powerful, albeit lean, CMS like TXP.

-Matt

Last edited by aesop1 (2008-09-01 16:31:50)

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#9 2008-09-01 19:56:56

els
Moderator
From: The Netherlands
Registered: 2004-06-06
Posts: 7,458

Re: What are your "Top 10" Textpattern plugins and why?

aesop1 wrote:

I did do a quick search and didn’t find a similar thread (but I lost patience quickly).

Hehe, I know they are there, but I can’t find them either :) So don’t misunderstand me, I have no problem at all with this topic.
On my own site I’m using well over 20 plugins, but I’d be able to work around most of them should they ever stop working. The ones I always install on client sites (the first two already mentioned before, same reasons):

  • zem_contact_reborn
  • rvm_maintenance
  • rss_admin_db_manager (quick database backups; I could do without it, but it is so very handy…)

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#10 2008-09-01 20:12:42

Bloke
Developer
From: Leeds, UK
Registered: 2006-01-29
Posts: 11,243
Website GitHub

Re: What are your "Top 10" Textpattern plugins and why?

In no particular order, my usual suspects are:

  • zem_contact_reborn (natch)
  • rvm_css (speedier stylesheet loading)
  • rvm_maintenance (groovy “coming soon” pages)
  • sed_copyright (it’s the mutt’s nuts for copyright messages)
  • chh_if_data (can’t live without this sucker for detecting tag emptiness)
  • ied_plugin_composer (plugin development / testing… for I am a plugin author of sorts)
  • rss_auto_excerpt (the easiest way to tease people with copy)
  • upm_savenew (essential for authoring without having to manually clone common fields to a new article/form)
  • smd_if (can’t get enough of conditional stuff)
  • rss_admin_db_manager (uber cool for running quick queries and of course backing up the database)

And two fringe candidates, coincidentally mine:

  • smd_gallery (if there’s the potential to display multiple images of any kind)
  • smd_where_used (transitional plugin that gets loaded to vacuum up the mess I made while developing a site)

(EDIT: whheeeee, this is my 1111th post!)

Last edited by Bloke (2008-09-01 20:35:24)


The smd plugin menagerie — for when you need one more gribble of power from Textpattern. Bleeding-edge code available on GitHub.

Txp Builders – finely-crafted code, design and Txp

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#11 2008-09-02 21:01:22

uli
Moderator
From: Cologne
Registered: 2006-08-15
Posts: 4,303

Re: What are your "Top 10" Textpattern plugins and why?

Many of my must-installs have already been mentioned, so these are probably the #10-20.

  • asy_wondertag – nesting tags in tags (one of the last mentions)
  • msv_if_custom_article_date – love it for not having to calculate an article’s date of expiry, but simply entering the date into a custom field (hence its misleading name)
  • fpx_image_import – mass-import images per ftp, then include them into the DB and categorize them
  • hak_article_image – a whole carload of image tags for versatile uses
  • hcg_templates – make a snapshot of the current state of your templates, re-import them by two clicks, or transfer them to different installs
  • lam_image_uploader – upload images to the write tab
  • rss_admin_show_adv_opts – open the write tab with “advanced” open, easily customized for different goals
  • rvm_if_this_article – style the current article differently
  • stm_article_order – sort ordering articles by drag’n‘drop
  • wet_plugout – fine for finding conflicting plugins

In bad weather I never leave home without wet_plugout, smd_where_used and adi_form_links

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#12 2008-09-04 19:01:53

johnstephens
Plugin Author
From: Woodbridge, VA
Registered: 2008-06-01
Posts: 999
Website

Re: What are your "Top 10" Textpattern plugins and why?

Useful lists. Most of the plugins on my essential list have been mentioned. I want to add cnk_versioning, which has become a major boon to my development workflow. Slightly different than hcg_templates, cnk_versioning automatically imports changes made to template files with every page refresh when the production status is Testing or Debugging.

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