Will Most Mods Have To Be Re-Written for 4.0?

[edytwinky]

I'm not a coder by any means so this may be a stupid question. With 4.0 coming out, do you think a majority of mods will have to be re-written for 4.0 compatibility or would most work right away?

[Lynne]

Any mod that evals a template will need to be rewritten (in many cases, I would think a rather simple change). Evaling a template is done differently now. All the templates that call variables will need to be changed to use the new syntax for the variables also.

[wacnstac]

Probably not most but all.

[matthewhotdude]

So it will be a hard job to upgrade to VB4 if you have a modded site

[James Birkett]

So it will be a hard job to upgrade to VB4 if you have a modded site

Yes.

vB4 was a whole rewrite, using new variables and new methods. Coders need to learn this new syntax and upgrade their products.

When vB4 beta is released, vB.org are putting up forums anyway.

[Lynne]

Probably not most but all.
There is at least one product I can think of off-hand that worked with no changes - and *tons* of one-liner plugins I've written for testing things. And there are several mods that needed the most minor of tweaks to work.

[PossumX]

It's going to be a "fun" time, that's for sure. Granted, some of the "simpler" mods will likely work with a tweak or 2, but some staples to many will have to be rewritten, and many are unsupported or abandoned by their original developer.

[edytwinky]

Lynne, how did the ibproarcade work out?

I'm guessing you're an alpha tester

[Lynne]

I don't use ibproarcade, so I have no idea if it works.

[James Birkett]

ibproarcade uses templates so it's going to need to be modified before it works on vB4.

Lynne, are all of the old hooks still in vB4 or did they remove some?

[Alisa Lindsay]

Is it possible to buy the upgrade and not install it immediately? I have two mods that our board simply cannot live without. One is a total custom mod and the other is Psionic's Quick Account Switch.

[DeanLag]

Yes, Alisa.
You can pre-purchase vB4.0 now and install it in 2 years time as your license will still be valid.

[Alisa Lindsay]

Oh good... I just don't want to disrupt my writers by losing a couple of the Mods they depend upon.

Thanks and Regards,

Alisa

[Lynne]

ibproarcade uses templates so it's going to need to be modified before it works on vB4.

Lynne, are all of the old hooks still in vB4 or did they remove some?
Many of the old hooks are there, however, since some of the coding was completely redone in some areas, you may find some hooks removed and new ones in their place.

[Helmut71]

what about Downloads II and Radio and TV add on?

[steven s]

Is it possible to buy the upgrade and not install it immediately? I have two mods that our board simply cannot live without. One is a total custom mod and the other is Psionic's Quick Account Switch.You can always buy or renew your license and not use vB4.

I also have some most have mods, particularly anti-spam mods.
I also need vBadvanced.

[realdx]

I have this feeling that we are gonna see for a loooong time 3.8.4 boards around..

[AfterWorldForum]

There is at least one product I can think of off-hand that worked with no changes - and *tons* of one-liner plugins I've written for testing things. And there are several mods that needed the most minor of tweaks to work.

Lynne,

Would you please be so kind as to elaborate on exactly which mod you tried? None of us have any information whatsoever, and I'm sure that we're all plenty worried.

I installed the Template Manager mod in the hopes that will allow me to continue running my forum as seamlessly as possible, and to ensure the number of edits I have to do are minimized to single locations (and centralized), and still, I'm worried.

Thanks in advance :)

Peter

[James Birkett]

Something that might ease your mind:
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/blog.php?b=2373

Make sure you click the thumbnail also.

[Lynne]

Lynne,

Would you please be so kind as to elaborate on exactly which mod you tried? None of us have any information whatsoever, and I'm sure that we're all plenty worried
I don't know that I'm at liberty to say, at this point. However, I can say that if the plugins in the product eval a template, it will need to be modified (templates get evaled differently now). And, if the product has any templates in it, those will have to be modified.

[donnie_ogm]

Mmmm I still don't understand if it will be a good move to purchase this board or not.
At least I will do like the other member suggests, so I will purchase the new board, but after that I will wait for the develop before proceed with the installation. I am too much afraid to loose important parts of the site.

It will be possible, once bought the new board to run some testm just for the staff, while the old board is still running?

Ones of the worst thing is that last week after years of waiting I installed a new theme for my board in order to replace the default theme. From this post it seems clear that the 3.8 theme will not be ok for the 4.0 board.

What a pity, what a mess.

Anyway there will be some special efforts to convert the major modification from 3.8 to 4.0?

And the last question is: what do you suggest to do, to a user of vBullettin with a quite big site (85000 members).

[Lynne]

Anyway there will be some special efforts to convert the major modification from 3.8 to 4.0?
Special efforts by whom? It is up to the developer to decide whether to upgrade their modification. Someone else cannot come along and update the modification and then posted here *unless* they get permission from the original developer. You may, however, convert mods on your site for your own personal use (but not distribute them).
And the last question is: what do you suggest to do, to a user of vBullettin with a quite big site (85000 members).
I suggest you set up a test site, take a backup of your live database and upgrade it on the test site and then fix/upgrade any modifications you may need. That is what I am doing anyway.

[donnie_ogm]

Thanks for the answer lynne.

Here you are another question:
What will be the advantages to pass from 3.X to 4.X?

thanks

[Lynne]

Thanks for the answer lynne.

Here you are another question:
What will be the advantages to pass from 3.X to 4.X?

thanks
That's a hard question to answer. It really depends. If you like to stay up-to-date with the latest code, then you'll want to upgrade. And, I know there are lots of plans to add new features once 4.0 is out. Some devs may move up to 4.0 and stop their 3.8 mods. Or vice versa. I think everyone needs to evaluate their own situation in order to decide what is best for their site(s).

[donnie_ogm]

Upgrade done, now I can just cross my fingers :D