After more than 2 years and over 50,000 lines of code version ProofBuddy version 1.0 is available for public download. Version 1.0 represents the first version that contains the features that we originally slated for ProofBuddy and is a significant upgrade over version 0.7, the previous public release.

Major Features in 1.0

Customization & Themes
ProofBuddy grew out of my frustration in finding an online proofing solution that I could customize to match my site. From the start the primary goal of ProofBuddy was to make it as customizable as possible and for that customization to be relatively easy. Previous versions used a series of variables that were inserted in theme files. While 1.0 still supports those variables the real power of the theme system is just now realized in version 1.0 with the addition of several data classes that you can access from your theme files using PHP code.

Customization starts with the theme system. You can edit your theme to match your site, or to look totally different. And you also have the option of installing multiple themes to your site and using different themes on different albums. This gives you the ability to use a different theme for different assignments. For example you can have different themes for your wedding clients, senior clients, and baby clients.

Starting with version 1.0 you will be able to edit the themes directly from within the administrative panels. Previously you would need to download each file via FTP, edit the file, and reupload. With version 1.0 you can edit the files directly without having to download first.

Also built in to version 1.0 is a theme browser. The theme browser connects to our server and allows you to browse any themes that we have available for download. As of this writing there is only the two basic themes that ship with ProofBuddy and a theme called White Glass. But the theme library will expand as we are able to add new designs. Our hope is that our users will also start sharing themes to give all of our users will have access to a growing collection of themes.

Packages
By far the most common feature request from users of previous versions of ProofBuddy, the Professional version of ProofBuddy 1.0 allows you to setup packages for your users.

To setup a package a new pricing item is added and marked as a package. You then add individual items under the package. When your visitors add a package any items that are added, or were previously added, will be filled into any package slots that they may fit.

Coupons
Coupons were available in previous versions, but 1.0 adds 2 new types. You can now add a coupon for a free item and for free shipping. Credit, Percentage, and Flat Value coupons were available in previous versions and are still available in version 1.0.

Also new in version 1.0 is the option to allow your clients to add multiple coupons to their cart.

Installation & Upgrading
If you are installing ProofBuddy for the first time, installation is fairly straightforward. Normally the most difficult part of installation is creating the database. We have several pages on our site to help you create the database, and our forums are available if you still need more help.

If you are upgrading from a previous version the process is almost the same as the fresh installation except that you do not need to create the database. Simply upload the new files over the old. Browse to your site and ProofBuddy will prompt you to upgrade your database if needed.

Download

Note that this is the 1.0.2 release which fixes a few issues that came up after release.