Limitations of Plugins?!

[misc86]

Ah i see.

What is the extent that plugins can do? For example, can we design a plugin that allows me to see the google keyword search queries of people who stumbled across my forum? How much customization is allowed via plugins? And what are the limitations?

Thanks again

[misc86]

hi there,


I run a forum here: m4.boards.net

What is the extent that plugins can be used to customize the site? Ie. can you implement a simple e-commerce platform for purchasing certain products?

I am trying to gauge, for example, if I wanted to sell forum currency for real money, would I be able to do that with a plugin? What are the limitations when designing plugins? 

[Keith Rozett]

I moved the above post since it belongs in the Plugins board and I saw this thread already existed.

Because plugins are powered by JavaScript and CSS, you can do anything that these client-side languages can do. In addition, we also make some data available to plugins - such as information about the logged-in user. This data interface is accomplished with JavaScript, but it's beyond what the language itself normally lets you do. Plugins can also store data, in the form of keys.

We are in the process of writing a Plugin Developer Guide, which will make the whole system easier to grasp.

But the rule of thumb is this - if it can be done client-side, it can be done with plugins. If it needs server-side data, it's possible as long as it's data that can be stored in a key (users, threads, posts, conversations, and messages). Forum currency wouldn't be hard to implement, but making an e-commerce platform, even a simple one, would be difficult if not impossible. There are security and legal considerations for this as well.

For your google keyword search question, look to see if there is a block of JavaScript you can add to your forum. If so, then you should be good to add it to a plugin.