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It happens to everybody... in case you've forgotten the login password to your ProofBuddy site we've put out this script that will reset it for you. One very important note though. Once you've reset your password, take the script off of your server.
Note that this will only with version 2.1 of ProofBuddy.
The third beta of ProofBuddy 2.1 was just uploaded to our site and is available at our download page.
Along with several minor issues, the most significant fix is to the theme and plugin loader. There was an issue where the plugin and theme zips were corrupted when downloaded from our server. That's been fixed and you should now be able to install themes and plugins without having to fire up your ftp program.
A couple weeks ago I posted about a plugin we were working on to get ProofBuddy working inside a WordPress theme. Well, it's up and ready. Just added a page on our documentation site on how to, with the help of a plugin, to get ProofBuddy wrapped in your WordPress theme.
It's not 100% where we want it yet. Most notably the iframe is a bit jumpy as it resizes. But it is a much easier way to get your proofing pages to look like your main site if you're using WordPress.
It's not ready to go yet, but here's a quick screen shot of ProofBuddy runing inside a WordPress page with a WordPress plugin we're working on.
Edit 1/29/12
Not a full plugin in that there's nothing admin side, but I just added a page to our documentation site on how to get ProofBuddy wrapped inside a WordPress site using a plugin I wrote.
It's just about time for ProofBuddy 2.1. Only thing left in our ticket system is our internal testing, and then we'll be looking for a few users to help kick the tires before it's formal release.
So anyone out there who feels up to helping us test out the new version you can either put your name in the hat by commenting below or contacting us using the form on the right. We're looking for about 6 or 8 testers. Either way, be sure to include an email address so we can be in touch.
For the Pro users, 2.1 will be a free upgrade from 2.0; but you will have to unregister and re-register to download a newer version of the Pro files.
We've run in to a bit of an issue with our documentation site. While WordPress is a great backend, and just about perfect for our main site; it doesn't work well for documentation. Heck, even WordPress doesn't use WordPress for their documentation site.
What we've decided is to start using MediaWiki, the software that runs WikiPedia, for our documentation site. This should make it easier to create and edit pages and link between them.
One of the reasons we went with WordPress to start was to give everybody the ability to comment on pages and ask questions if needed. We'll be loading Disqus on to most of the wiki pages so the comments will still be there.
The new documentation site is still a bit light as we're in progress, and the documentation link on the top of this page still links to the old pages. But it will be switched over as soon as we get the pages moved over.
The new site lives at docs.proofbuddy.com
We've had quite a few requests for a WordPress plugin that works with ProofBuddy. And it is on our wish list. Catch is the requests have always been for a WP plugin without much else.
So the question for today is, if there were a WordPress plugin that interacted with ProofBuddy, what would you want it to do?
Here are my thoughts, roughly in order of likelihood. Let me know what you think in the comments if this is close to what you would like to see.
Shortcode for WP pages / posts
This is what I'm guessing most of the requests were after. Basically some way to insert a gallery from ProofBuddy in to a WordPress post. Maybe something along the lines of [ pbGallery passcode=123 ] that would pull a gallery out of the ProofBuddy database and insert it into a WordPress post.
Done correctly, this would allow you to basically wrap ProofBuddy inside of your WordPress theme and your visitors may not even have to know they're using ProofBuddy.
Dashboard widget
Possibly a dashboard widget for WordPress that displayed info about your ProofBuddy albums when you login to wp-admin. Something similar to what's in the ProofBuddy dashboard already where you could see sales, image counts, that sort of thing.
Insert Image
Some sort of interface that would let you insert an image that you've already loaded in to ProofBuddy without having to upload again.
Not sure how this one would work though.
Your thoughts?
Most of the really great features that have made their way in to ProofBuddy have started as a request from a user. Y'all are the ones using ProofBuddy every day with your clients and know all of those little nit picks that could make it better, and we truly appreciate any input you may have.
A bit of an update on a feature we're working on right now that should make adding and updating themes and plugins a lot easier.
ProofBuddy 2.0 is dependent on server settings on whether it can install plugins and themes automatically, and most hosts aren't setup to allow ProofBuddy to do what it needs to do. And they're setup the right way. While it would be nice for ProofBuddy to have access to write anywhere it needs to, it's generally safer for a host to not allow that to happen.
With ProofBuddy 2.1 we're adding the ability to upload themes and plugins using your FTP login information instead which should make it easier to add new plugins and themes. ProofBuddy will also occasionally check for new versions of any plugins and themes you have installed and let you update to the newest versions automatically as well.
The goal is for this also to allow you to update ProofBuddy through this same process.
And here's an obligatory screen shot of the first step to installing a new plugin via the new FTP uploaded.
The first step in uploading a plugin in ProofBuddy 2.1
It was originally going to be ProofBuddy 3.0 because of all the changes, but most of the changes won't be all that noticeable so we decided to go with version 2.1. Biggest reason for staying with 2 point something - Pro users of 2.0 will be able to upgrade to 2.1 Pro for free. It just didn't seem right to charge for an update when there isn't much visibly different.
Key word is "visibly" though. Version 2.1 is a major rewrite with more changes than when we went from 1.0 to 2.0, and that's why it's taking so long. It's just that they look and functionality isn't going to change much. The bulk of the changes relate to how themes and plugins are written.
When can I download it?
Guess we should get this one out of the way first.
We don't have a timeline on release yet. We've got a list of stuff to add and get ready, and when that's done we'll release.
So what's different?
A couple months ago we had a post about the new admin look. The tabs have been moved from the top to the left side, similar to how WordPress looks. The idea is that as plugins add menu choices we didn't want them stretching the page too wide.
There will also be a Flash image uploader to take the place of the 10 little boxes on the current version, and hopefully that will be able to take the place for the Files on Server option. This is actually what I'm cleaning up right now, and it looks and works much better than the browser uploading in version 2.0.
And we're really putting a lot of time into making themes and plugins more powerful, and easier to write. Some of the functions have been moved around and rewritten to make it easier on theme and plugin authors to use. We have also spun off a site for hosting ProofBuddy plugins and themes along with documentation on how to create your own. Ultimately we'll use this site as a way to make it easier to keep your site themes and plugins updated with the latest version.
PHP 5.2
A few months ago we put out a survey to see what version of PHP everybody had running on their servers. With those results, along with the fact that PHP 4 is years out of date, we've decided to require at least PHP version 5.2 for ProofBuddy starting with version 2.1.
It wasn't a snap decision, but we feel the benefits far outweigh the cost for this requirement.
What's next?
After we get 2.1 done and out we have a list of plugins and themes to get together. They've been on the back burner while 2.1 is in development. We didn't want to get a theme or plugin working just right only to have it break with a change in 2.1.
Let's say you're trying to customize your view image page to add a link or button so your clients can add a package, or any other single item, to your cart by clicking on a link or button rather than scrolling through a list of items. With a bit of digging in your database plus a little HTML it's fairly easy to do.
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