zForum

zForum is a feature-rich message board system, XHTML 1.1 and CSS 2.0 standards compliant with a clean, pleasant user interface, front-end (UI) done entirely in Zope Page Templates, secured with a SQL back-end. All SQL method are protected and only accessible through the zForum API, all the core back-end is done in the python engine (class), providing full separation between logic and presentation.

Project Description

zForum supports Private Messaging, Topic/Forum subscriptions, emoticons, administration interface, Postgres or MySQL back-end, localization and many more options.

zForum is based upon the well respected forum for Zope - fcForum (same developers).

zForum in Plone is a unique combination in a sense that zForum does not require its own "content types" since all of them are provided by the SQL/Python back-end and API, this allows zForum to be somewhat "autonomous" and in some ways not too "plone-aware". On the other hand, with just a few hooks (emulating zForum's "right nav" as one portlet or slot, zForum can be talking to Plone seamlessly (and sharing users).

zForum & Set-Up:

- Add the zForum instance in ZMI (must select Plone option when adding zForum in Plone).

Plone Set-Up:

1) Edit (Customize) ploneCustom.css and add <dtml-var "zforum.zUI['zforum_plone_stylesheet.css'](_.None, _)"> in its appropriate place.
2) Enabling zForum in the portal-tabs section:
+ Click on portal_actions
+ Add new action, Give it a title, id (zforum), the URL will be something like string:${portal_url}/zforum",
permission: View and Category: "portal_tabs"
3) Add "here/zforum/zf_macros/macros/rightnav" to Plone's right_slots property

External Product Dependencies:

- Either ZMySQLDA (MySQL DA) or ZPsycopgDA (Postgres DA)
- CookieCrumbler (Although zForum will not add it since Plone already provides it)
- MySQL 3.23 - 4.1 or Postgres 7.2.3 (Tested)

NOTES:

- zForum's plone-enabled stylesheet grabs the color and UI properties from Plone's "base_properties".