========================== = CHANGELOG.TXT = ========================== -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 March 2003 ------------------------------ Change: Made a change to the system in order to allow for the hosts to decide how taglines will look. Instead of using default colours et cetera, the hosts can overide two CSS tags being FONT.TITLE and FONT.TAGLINE in order to set things as they see fit. This cleans up the code in the generation, and makes things more dynamic in a way. Not to mention more in tune with the realms needs. Modified: ./Ethereal/Comm.pm Affected: All posts are affected. 24 March 2003 ------------------------------ Change: Noticed a faily major bug in the Gallery code. Essentially, no one could make a comment unless you had some there already, and that in itself brings about a chicken and the egg paradox. So with a rooster and a bit of code changing, things work as expected now. Modified: ./gallery.pl Affected: Only the gallery client is affected. 22 March 2003 ------------------------------ Change: A few changes to the comm panel generation, as to allow for a consistent order when tabbing. This will make things easier for those who make use of the keyboard, as the order will be the same reguardless how the look and feel dictates and affects mouse users. Modified: ./Ethereal/Comm.pm ./post/private.pl Affected: Private messages and the comm panel are affected. 17 March 2003 ------------------------------ Change: Again, a new feature was added in due to a request. Essentially, you can dictate where exactly the timestamp will actually appear. This is useful for people who again care more about their taglines then anyone else. Modified: ./Ethereal/Comm.pm ./Ethereal/Stamp.pm Affected: Posting and it's display are affected. 16 March 2003 ------------------------------ Change: Some people have mentioned that they would wish to see images being ignored instead of handles or going to purely imageless mode. With that in mind, the system has been adapated to actually allow for this type of behaviour without a significant change in user interface or design. By making use of the 'Ignore User' script, you can add an entry as a visual entry. Visual entries are ignored for normal ignores and are used intractively to modify posts when it applies. Modified: Databases: ./config/ignore.pl PuppetIgnore ./Ethereal/Post.pm Tag Affected: The post retrieval process is affected. 13 March 2003 ------------------------------ Change: There was a bug in the display of imageless and spartan modes. This has been remedied to display properly, and work as would normally be expected by the user. Modified: ./Ethereal/Comm.pm Affected: The posting mechanism is affected. 02 March 2003 ------------------------------ Change: The attributes pages was getting a bit long. As a result, the control panel has been changed to show one specific sub-type at a time. This makes it much easier for people who happened to be chained to a modem. Modified: ./admin/system.pl Affected: Only the administrative control panel is affected. 01 March 2003 ------------------------------ Change: A new components was added in order to remove the need for external services to handle this task. Essentially, the system now handles polling directly allowing us to collect results without the banners, or other forms of advertising associated with it. Polls are controlled from the Administrative Control Panel, and can be created/managed with a fair amount of ease. A hack was added into the script as to make it easier to fetch results, but will pose a minimal annoyance. Modified: Databases: ./poll.pl Poll ./admin/system.pl PollOption ./Ethereal/Database.pm PollVote Tag Affected: Only the administrative control panel is affected. The rest of the polling system is independent. 28 Feburary 2003 ------------------------------ Change: To work around the fact that some people simply cannot get over the fact that locale is so redicuously ugly that it makes them cringe. I have allowed them to satisfy their vanity and allow them to put it wherever they want. In order to make use of this new feature. Simply make use of the LOCALE macro, which works in tag lines or titles. Modified: Databases: ./Ethereal/Comm.pm Tag Affected: The posting process is affected. 25 February 2003 ------------------------------ Change: Quick change to the code to not subscribe any users that have been banned. Allowing you to send an Email to all members without informing people you may find undesireable. Modified: ./commandline/etherealcmd.pl Affected: Only the command line script is affected. 18 February 2003 ------------------------------ Change: The ignore feature has been enhanced to ignore people at puppet level, and puppeteer level. If one bans globally all puppets will be ignored, even if they do not know the associated login name. Modified: Databases: ./config/ignore.pl PuppetIgnore ./Ethereal/Post.pm Affected: Post display is affected. 17 February 2003 ------------------------------ Change: The ability to find a realms homepage is critical in it's development. If a user cannot make it to a realms page and find information or details, chances are most users will simply give up. The system has been changed, as to keep track of a homepage for a realm and link to it in the SSI include page as well as a webring. The webring is internal to the site itself, meaning that there exists no external registration and is optional to hosts. However, hosts choosing not to make use of this new feature will not be listed in the realm lists, even if publicly hosted. Hybrid and adult realms can also opt to be listed by putting in a link and appropriate description. This is all done under the regular panel for hosts. Sample code will be generated for them, all they need to do is copy and paste the information to a page somewhere. The template for administrative modification is named 'WebRing' and can be changed under the template management page. Modified: Databases: ./portal.pl Realm ./webring.pl Tag ./config/realm.pl ./Ethereal/Database.pm Affected: Control Panel for the hosts and portal are affected. 07 February 2003 ------------------------------ Change: Additional changes to the authenthication process, as to prevent problems with rapidly shifting IP addresses. These fixes will allow for someone to re-aunthenticate with the system and get back on track more easily. Also changes in reguards to the use of cookies. As to simplify overall coding applying them whenever the process of authentication fails. Modified: ./Ethereal/Login.pm ./Ethereal/Param.pm Affected: All scripts dealing with parameters are affected. 05 February 2003 ------------------------------ Change: The site has been changed as to allow for more ganularity at the moderator level. Moderators being under the superisory level access and controlled by the those above can now be given more freedom in their realms. These Access Control Lists take the form of roles which a person can take charge of. This will also cut down on the need for a thousand hosts when only a few are really needed. (A)rchivist : Allows to access the post extract (D)esigner : Allows to access to the font/design page (J)ailer : Allows to ban people and words (S)toryteller : Allows to access the canon/location pages Supervisors will access this through normal means. The first letter of the above is what will show up besides the login to tell people what roles they current hold. Modified: Databases: ./portal.pl RealmSupervisor ./config/realm.pl Tag ./Ethereal/Database.pm ./Ethereal/Options.pm Affected: All realms will be affected. Change: Slight changes were done to the Spel daemon as to prevent runaway children. Making this something that can actually be used instead of gawked at from a distance. Modified: ./commandline/spel.pl Affected: Only the daemon is affected. 02 February 2003 ------------------------------ Change: Due to the fact that IPC::Open2 does not work at all under mod_perl, a new system has been created. Essentially, the main module itself has been moved into a daemon which deals with Ispell exclusively. This allows it to use IPC::Open2, avoid the penalty of creating a new perl interpreter every time and offload spell checking onto another box if need be. This was made to be a TCP service, which when we hit 4000 unique words the additional overhead will be negligeable. With Ispell being handled directly from a daemon, the mod_perl script using sockets instead has absolutely no trouble getting information back and forth. While not as integrated, it does offer a good alternative. NOTE: The protocol for the new daemon is rediculously simple. It gets any non-zero value and it will run it against Ispell itself. Instead of returning lines of non importance, it will clean that up and simply send that we want. Modified: ./commandline/spel.pl ./Ethereal/spel.pl Affected: The post zoomer is directly affected, as would any future implementation of this functionality. Change: In order to lock down the system a few more notches, the system will now check your current IP address against the one you logged onto the system with. If there is no match, then the system will ask you to provide the system with the necessary information to confirm who you are. It is important to note that IP addresses are matched in the first three sets. For example: New Old Result 192.168.1.2 - 192.168.1.2 : Perfect match, allowed 192.168.1.2 - 192.168.1.3 : Matched within three sets, allowed 192.168.1.2 - 192.168.2.1 : Matched within two, not allowed For those using proxies that vary IP address to a greater extent, cookie based logins will kick in. Modified: ./Ethereal/Crypto.pm ./Ethereal/Login.pm ./Ethereal/Param.pm Affected: This affects the entire login portion of the system. 27 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: Message boards have been changed to accept realm names directly in the same way that the portal does. This will allow for easier access to these pages from other sites or even a hosts personal space. Indentation, seperation and the use of Cascading Style Sheets have all been thrown in. This will make things clearer overall, and hopefully reduce confusion amoung those spoon fed Ezboard. The topic display page is now much more verbose. Which saves a lot of trouble. The system will also move all general posts to a new topic when one becomes available. Users can also now link directly to a thread or post by making use of the link provided by the number. This has obvious merrit for getting their point across. Modified: Databases: ./board.pl Tag ./config/realm.pl Affected: All natively hosted message boards will be affected. 26 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: Due to the fact that the Archive::Zip library has grown more mature, the code itself has been shifted to produce .zip files instead of the GNU Zip version previously done. This has the primary advantage of helping those that cannot grasp the concept of a .gz file and simplify support in general. Modified: ./Ethereal/Date.pm ./Ethereal/Pull.pm Affected: All of the post extracts are affected directly. There is also the need to download and install Archive::Zip module which will handle all of this fun. 21 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: In anticipation of an overhaul that will be taking place on the message boards. The system now allows hosts to provide a description for every topic they have. As one can probably see, this will allow for a more descriptive and flowery page, to introduce people to the topics available. Modified: Databases: ./config/realm.pl BoardTopic Tag Change: Only the Hosts Control Panel is affected. Change: Adapted the options module to return default instead of yes for the privacy option. This will keep things in proper order and prevent overall confusion. Modified: ./Ethereal/Option.pm Affected: Puppeteer configuration is directly affected. Change: The statistics handling table has been changed to be more in line with standard SQL doctrine. Essentially, it is used as a table to store daily totals gathered from the system and individual realms. Instant improvements are the proper tally of monthly and yearly statistics for individual realms, as well as the ability later on to graph out useage using Image::Magick or similiar. Modified: Databases: ./commandline/etherealcmd.pl Statistics Tag Affected: Mailed out reports are affected, as is the statistical reset. Which now works on a yearly basis. 20 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: Changes were done to the system, in order to allow for the use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) in the use of Who's On and how posts are displayed within the realms itself. The CSS tags that can be overriden are as follows: TR.WHOPRI - Primary row definitions TR.WHOSEC - Secondary row definitions TR.PSTSYS - System Posts TR.PSTDIE - Die Roller TR.PSTPVT - Private Messages TABLE.PSTNRM - Normal posts TABLE.PSTALT - Alternate posts with System, Die and Private posts In order to set the style, simply override the defaults. Modified: Databases: ./Ethereal/Comm.pm Tag ./Ethereal/Who.pm Affected: All realms are affected. Change: Changes were done to the filter code, as to use quotemeta instead of the existing regular expression changes. Makes things a bit cleaner. Modified: ./Ethereal/Filter.pm Affected: All functions making use of the filter. 17-18 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: The zoomer functionality has been enhanced by a few levels, as to allow for a cursory check of the document before the user decides to send it out. This is done by linking directly to International Spell (ISpell) and quering every unique word for results. This basically creates a summary, which is generated and shown to the user in question. Allowing for the user to see what is wrong, correct as needed and get on with his life. Due to the nature of the generation, CSS was employed as to allow for hosts to customize the default output. The tags are called SPELW and SEPLC for the word and choices. These can be changed by overiding the defaults. On a side note, the IPC::Open2 module seems to not operate as expected under mod_perl. It had to be moved off to avoid troubles. Modified: Databases: ./Ethereal/Spel.pm Tag ./post/colours.pl ./post/zoom.pl Affected: The zoomer is directly affected as it has become it's own file. The colour display is now once again independant. 16 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: A front-end was added to the gallery viewer. This allows users to look at galleries that belong to a specific type and genre. This obviously leads them to the galleries themselves, then onto the works and associated comments. With the addition of the gallery itself to the system, changes were needed to be done to the administrative/background scripts in order to remove galleries when users go out the door. This has been put into place. Modified: Databases: ./gallery.pl Tag ./admin/system.pl ./commandline/etherealcmd.pl Affected: Puppeteer removal and the gallery itself is affected. 15 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: Changes were done to the login proceedure as to allow for alternate look and feel to be applied when authenthicating to the system. This applies to the gallery itself, in which a seperate look and feel is planned to seperate it from the rest of the site. Modified: Databases: ./Ethereal/Login.pm Tag Affected: All authenthication windows will be affected. 13-14 Jaunary 2003 ------------------------------ Change: The ability to query information from the gallery interface as to search for specific works is now in place. This required the addition of a query generator to help things along and of course add several lines of code to the system in order to achieve this. As a result, the Database.pm module now has the capability to generate queries based on standard boolean methods. This function, while only use on the gallery currently has obvious other uses, and may come into use later on. This addition marks the last addition next to an actual front-end that will be needed to release. Modified: Databases: ./gallery.pl Tag ./Ethereal/Database.pm ./Ethereal/Option.pm Affected: The gallery viewer is directly affected. 13 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: A slight fix to the posts. When the [Image] link appears the target has been changed to _blank instead of it's former setting. This in fact, should help things along. Modified: ./Ethereal/Comm.pm Affected: Posts are affected. 12 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: The gallery now includes a complete comment based system, which allows for the posting, administration and displaying of these posts from one singular script. This basically adds one of the final components into place allowing work to progress onto other things such as the basic navigation sequence. A few other changes were done to the script as to make truncation cleaner, warn people when comments are made and navigate seemlessly from one aspect to the other. Modified: Databases: ./gallery.pl Tag ./config/gallery.pl ./Ethereal/Database.pm Affected: Once again, no operational script is directly affected. 09-10 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: A bug fix in the homepage component which allows people to actually upload more then one file at once. Previous versions would literally append the files together and just write larger images. Modified: ./home.pl Affected: Home page component is affected. Change: A viewer and general client side access point has been designed for the gallery sub-system itself. There are still a few missing feaures, but the primary navigating and viewing of galleries and works has been put into place. Due to the nature of this script, authenthication is generally not needed. Other then when making posts, or entering galleries of a restricted nature which allows for more speed and more eyes on the galleries. Components, such as comment and rating viewing are forthcoming. An attempt will also be made to allow for things to be divided into subsections as to allow the casual visitor to visit galleries and such. Modified: Databases: ./gallery.pl Comment ./Ethereal/Database.pm Tag Work Affected: No other script is directly affected. 07-09 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: The ability to add, manage and remove works has been put into place, added to the gallery management panel directly. This will allow for a more direct management of both galleries and works and reduce going to multiple scripts in order to get the job done. Since there are two different types of galleries, the system changes behaviour depending on said type. Text will allow for a large posting window, while images will be uploaded at creation time. Modified: Databases: ./config/gallery.pl Tag ./Ethereal/Database.pm Affected: The gallery management panel is affected. 06 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: The ability to add, manage and remove galleries has been put into place. This new script called ./gallery/manage.pl provides a one stop place for all of the functionality needed to manage galleries themselves. Future plans aim at extending this script to also handle works directly. This would create a control panel which is a common site on the system these days. There has also been a change of paradign in the Gallery table. Basically moving the Pen Name and Email to a simple puppet name. This makes the interface more consistent and familiar to others. Modified: Databases: ./config/gallery.pl Gallery ./Ethereal/Database.pm Tag ./Ethereal/Option.pm Affected: No currently used susbsystem is affected. 05 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: Cosmetic change to the global who script, in which the link itself works more in accordance to other such functions such as the login and register et cetera. This meant the addition of a tag, which grants much more control on the matter. Modified: Databases: ./gwho.pl Tag Affected: Global who is affected. 03 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: Due to the rather large group amount of gummies available out there, the display script has been changed to allow for more fine tuned displays. Meaning that instead of loading all 250 gummies at once, you can view the class and groups you wish. Modified: Databases: ./config/gummies.pl Tag Affected: The gummy viewer is affected. 02 January 2003 ------------------------------ Change: Due to the impending implementation of the Gallery component to the system, changes were made in order to prepare for this. Todays changes include the addition of three database tables along with a change to the database name itself. This is due to the fact that a gallery component while linked to the rest of the system would not fit in well with the webchat paradigm. This resulted in all of the webchat references being changed appropriatly and the database being changed over to ethereal as well. This is a similiar change that took place when Ethereal Realms moved over to version 2.0.0 of it's software. In that chase the modules were housed in webchat and moved over to Ethereal. Now all the changes are synched. Along with these changes, copyright dates have been changed on all of the scripts and modules and certain descriptions have been adapted. This also meant that the webchatcmd.pl command line utility script would be renamed to etherealcmd.pl Modified: Databases: ./commandline/etherealcmd.pl Comment ./Ethereal/Database.pm Gallery Tag Work Affected: No visible change will be noticed other then the obvious name changes and associated crond scripts needing an update. Change: The WebchatText table has always contained information in a very similiar fashion to the Tag table. As a result, the two tables have been merged simplifying queries an extent and cutting down the table count by one. Administration of the templates themselves can still be done from the same interface. Attribute administration normally associated from managing the Tag table will not be able to see templates themselves. Modified: Databases: ./admin/system.pl Tag ./config/realm.pl ./Ethereal/Database.pm Affected: No visual changes will be observed, simply an organizational change. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Ethereal Realms 2.7.1 -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29 December 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A few corrections were made to certain scripts which will allow for their correct operation throughout their use. This includeded internal mail using Crypt for long term waits, and providing a proper link. Board was also affected, as to display the proper link instead of a relative link which is not overly useful in this application. This in general should help things along. Modified: ./board.pl ./mail.pl Affected: Internal mail and board mail are both affected. 28 December 2002 ------------------------------ Change: The homepage component has seen a major rewrite as to give it more options that users of the component were seeking. Things that have been changed are as follows: Editing text files directly Multiple file uploads Multiple file removals Renaming files Resizing images Tabbed navigation system With these changes, the component not only looks different but becomes easier for people to navigate through. This also implements more of the changes which the Gallery subsystem will be making use of. Modified: Databases: ./home.pl Tag ./Ethereal/Home.pm Affected: Homepage component users will be directly affected. 27 December 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A new image manipulation library has been added into the system itself as to allow for the eventual integration of a gallery system. This library also simplifies matters as it makes the image library consistent across all scripts. Due to the preperation, the homepage component has also been expanded considerably as to handle file operations which will be needed for the gallery and homepage component updates. Modified: Databases: ./admin/system.pl Tag ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl ./Ethereal/Home.pm ./Ethereal/Image.pm Affected: The Puppet Configuration panel is directly affected. 26 December 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Code has been changed to retreive absolute URL's instead of complete addresses as it once did. This will allow for reduced traffic as it cuts down on the size of appropriate URLs. Modified: ./mail.pl ./realm.pl ./board.pl ./weblog.pl ./admin/system.pl ./admin/swho.pl ./config/puppet.pl ./config/puppeteer.pl ./config/realm.pl ./Ethereal/Comm.pm Affected: All of the above will be affected, though the change will not be that drastic to the end users. Change: Links have been changed to the weblog as to remove their time delimited use. This makes the weblog less time critical as it should be. Modified: ./weblog.pl Affected: The weblog and it's SSI counterpart are affected. Change: Streams are rather ill suited to work in conjunction with ZLIB compression packages such as mod_gzip and their ilk. As a result of this issue, a seperate symbolic link has been created just for streaming windows. This will allow to compress all of the scripts except for the streams themselves. While not being perfect, it will reduce traffic sent down stream considerably. Users of stream will notice the stream.pl symbolic link being called into action. Modified: ./realm.pl Affected: Streaming users are affected. 20 December 2002 ------------------------------ Change: There exists the ability for one command to actually terminate all the streams running on the system. Very much useful when you need to reload a setting in order to get things working throughout the site. Modified: ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl Affected: While only the command line utility is affected. Users will notice this when you actually make use of this. Change: Default behaviour of the die roller has been changed. Essentially, the difficulty roll has been adapted to make it possible to roll 1d10 with difficulty of 10 and still succeede if you roll a 10. Modified: ./post/dice.pl Affected: The die roller is affected. 19 December 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Changed the Puppet Configuration panel as to display all puppets including the suspended ones. This allows for the suspension/activation to take place entirely from this screen if so wished. Modified: ./config/puppet.pl ./Ethereal/Database.pm Affected: Only the above panel is affected. Change: A new alias is accepted by the Weblog as to allow for the main body to be embedded directly into a page. Useful, if you want to spider news entries or make them accessible through other methods. This can be accessed though the ./extlog.pl alias. Modified: Databases: ./weblog.pl Tag WebchatText Affected: This script will be indirectly affected. 18 December 2002 ------------------------------ Change: The die roller has undergone a series of corrections and additions to meet the needs of those few who actually make use of it. With this in mind patrons will see the following changes: Added verbosity when listing: Difficulty Max scores Botches Individual damage calculations Added functionality: Ability to add damage modifier to each die rolled Ability to sex a max score Ability to switch handles Most of the visual changes will not require any changes to existing panels. If you are interested in making use of these changes are really don't want to simply load up the default and work from there, here are the necessary macros. WCHARSLCT - Character selection drop down WDICEINDV - Damage individual modifier WDICEBLOW - Damage below level All of these can be designed into the default panel or at realm level. Modified: Databases: ./post/Post.pm Tag Affected: Anyone using the die roller will notice at least some of the following changes. 16 December 2002 ------------------------------ Change: The ignore process has been slightly streamlined to use allow for quicker handling and generation. In return it also allows for banners to show even if they have people ignored, which is something that people may lack. Modified: ./Ethereal/Post.pm Affected: Everyone reading posts will in fact be affected. Change: Banners now have the ability of getting information from another site. This is very much an advantage if banner providers allow you to display HTML and not wait for them to generate it for you. Quicker response rates et cetera come into play. This can be used when the TagBanner tag exists in the system hash and is configured with a URL; Modified: Databases: ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl Tag Affected: Banners generation is affected. 11 December 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Quick change, in which users can now tell how many handles they have in their posession. Apprently useful for those who have a lot of handles in their control. Modified: Databases: ./config/puppet.pl Tag Affected: The puppet configuration panel is affected. 10 December 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Slight change to the quick weblog, as to not require database dependant parameters. This simply means that the links will work longer then they normally would. Modified: ./weblog.pl Affected: Only the SHTML implementation is affected. Change: Due to an unspoken need, the functionality reguarding going back a specific amount of posts has been adapted. Meaning that the first behaviour which is the default is to go back a certain amount of time, which is generally ten minites. The other new optional functionality is based on a specific amount of posts as specified by the users themselves. The added feature is that the system will only count back a specific amount of posts that are actually public removing everything else in it's calculations. This is done by changing WSCRLBACK to WSCRLADV in the host templates named RealmPanel and RealmRefresh. Which has the added bonus of making the refresh section changeable. Modified: Databases: ./realm.pl WebchatText ./Ethereal/Comm.pm ./Ethereal/Post.pm Affected: All realms wishing to make use of this functionality are in fact affected. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Ethereal Realms 2.7.0 -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 07 December 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Due to certain patrons incessant needs to have the perfect title and tagline all the while forgetting that there are other resolutions on this planet other then their own... I have implemented a way to not show a gummy and instead display the link using the older WBS style method. For now, only verified users can access this functionality. Modified: ./config/puppet.pl ./Ethereal/Comm.pm Affected: Posts are affected. 06 December 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Added in the ability to clean up the audit table automatically without having to resort to complex manual queries. It is important to note that it will not remove banned user entries and instead keep them in record. Modified: ./webchatcmd.pl Affected: Only the command line script is affected. Change: A modification to the PostClass implementation allows people to keep track of duplicate private messages. This can essentially make statistics that much more accurate since duplicates have a tendency of increasing overall post counts. Modified: Databases: ./webchatcmd.pl Post ./Ethereal/Comm.pm ./Ethereal/Pull.pm Affected: Command line reports and post extracts are effected. Change: A slight fix to the die roller allowing it to once again display die rools in the proper font colours. Modified: ./post/dice.pl Affected: Only the die roller is affected. Change: Users can now verify changes without posting publicly or using the private message window in addition to the configuration window. This is done by creating a false post which is then sent down the line. As a result, users will see a private message sent only to them with the full formatting they would otherwise expect. This is done from one interface and for streaming users will allow changes to appear almost instantly. Modified: Databases: ./config/puppet.pl Tag ./Ethereal/Comm.pm Affected: This affects private messages only. 02 December 2002 ------------------------------ Change: The die roller now has the ability to send privately to the user instead of throughout the entire realm. Useful as a storyteller component and was a fairly simple fix. Modified: ./Ethereal/Comm.pm ./post/dice.pm Affected: The die roller is affected. 29 November 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A quick fix to resolve an issue that is rarely seen by the average chatter. Essentially, if using a canon handle the system would use another locale if a handle already had this in place. This change basically means that the locales will be seperate as they should and allow for less confusion Modified: ./Ethereal/Comm.pm ./Ethereal/Database.pm Affected: Only source handle users would be affected. Change: The ability to clone information such as Titles and Taglines is now possible and can be done through the standard Puppet Configuration interface available to the general users. This is done in two ways. The first is to select a handle for cloning when you create a new one. This is essentially a quick way of populating it without going out of your way to store this information using another means. The second is a selective/mass cloning system. One basically selects a source handle, the target or targets and then the information to clone. After this is done and the script is called with these details in place information is cloned into the appropriate handles making mass changes much easier. Modified: Databases: ./config/puppet.pl Tag ./Ethereal/Database.pm ./Ethereal/Option.pm 28 November 2002 ------------------------------ Change: In order to curb paranoia and allow for long term links to work without the having to store long term tokens, I have created a variant of embed that follows the old style methods. This subroutine is meant to deal only with inline parameters and will not touch on MORI since it it not needed for the registration confirmation code or the bio link. Modified: ./registration.pl ./Ethereal/Comm.pm ./Ethereal/Param.pm Affected: Registration and posts are affected. It is important to note that the parameter retreival code already worked with direct implementations of the encoded SEC parameter. 25 November 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Due to the fact there seems to be abuse in people purposely leaking tags as to create certain overrides, a change to Ethereal::Filter was in fact necessary. This resulted in a series of changesm the first of which is a change in focus from a DENY list to an ACCEPT list. The change to the accept list basically means that we only allow what we deem to be safe. The rest will be automatically filtered out, meaning that new HTML tags that have not been sancitifed by the code will not be allowed through. This in the end, will massively simplify matters of security. The second change is in reguards to an imbalance check. This will look at every tag, looking for an odd number of quotes. If this is dicovered the system will then append one before the closing bracket. While not perfect, it does lend to reduced bleeding. Modified: ./Ethereal/Filter.pm Affected: All scripts that call the SafeHTML subroutine within Ethereal::Filter is in fact affected. 20 November 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A simple idea that turned itself into a change in the way that posts are handled from transmission to retreival. Essentially, all posts are not sorted using a class, and based on that class things can configured to either bypass the post altogether or push through nonetheless. As a result of this change a user can now filter out all posts that do not have a locale entry if the host adds in that field. The user can also opt to play without fear of getting drowned in private messages except by those with administrative, moderative or superivosry access. Another change was required as to make this happen over active streams. This can be seen by the removal of the PostStreamKill field and the addition of a general PostCmd field which can be used to send commands to streams or frames. With this in place streams and frames can get the change and act accordingly while not having to make use of cookies at all. And this is good news for all of those who wish to not use client side voodoo. Modified: Databases: ./config/puppeteer.pl Post ./Ethereal/Comm.pm Puppeteer ./Ethereal/Database.pm Tag ./Ethereal/Option.pm ./Ethereal/Post.pm Affected: Puppeteer Configuration and anything dealing with posts is in fact affected. 19 November 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Additional corrections were needed in order to make sure that everything worked as expected. Some of which was the addition of a default puppet finder for realms that require the knowlege of the puppet to continue operation. Modified: ./Ethereal/Login.pm ./Ethereal/Param.pm Affected: Again same as the last series of changes. 18 November 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Some additional changes were needed in order to smooth out the new implementation of the parameter code. As a result changes in the way that this system pulls parameters were changed. There were also changes for realms as to allow it to not get lost if the window remained open for too long. There was also a change to make sure that the sequence number is not already assigned and the range is not much much greater in size. Modified: Databases: ./Ethereal/Database.pm ./Ethereal/Param.pm Affected: All scripts making use of Param.pm will be affected. 17 November 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A new parameter subsystem has been put into place. This has the primary advantage of making parameters being sent back and forth much smaller in size reducing bandwidth costs considerably. Also, they tend to be more secure as the parameters that make things tick so to speak are on the server and cannot be sniffed. As to avoid guessing, the parameter sequence is unique to the user and is also random. Meaning that you cannot simply try numbers at random in order to access other accounts. If things require more security you can even make use of encryption. Modified: Databases: ./bio.pl Param ./board.pl ./guest.pl ./gwho.pl ./home.pl ./mail.pl ./realm.pl ./registration.pl ./weblog.pl ./portal.pl ./admin/system.pl ./admin/who.pl ./config/realm.pl ./config/cookie.pl ./config/ignore.pl ./config/puppet.pl ./config/puppeteer.pl ./Ethereal/Comm.pm ./Ethereal/Param.pm ./Ethereal/Post.pm ./Ethereal/Who.pm ./post/dice.pl ./post/private.pl ./post/who.pl Affected: Every scripts that needs to make use of parameters are effected. Change: Quick change as to allow the system to convert DNS encoded hostnames into something more useable for storage. This basically meant that we needed to add a 'use Socket' statement as to allow this to take place, which had been missing previously. Modified: ./Ethereal/Audit.pm Affected: All scripts making use of the auditing entries are affected. 11 November 2002 ------------------------------ Change: There has been a change between versions of Net::STMP which cause it to add a < at the beginning of a line that contains an Email address with <> already in it. This causes an imbalance and all Emails being sent are then refused due to the imbalance. In order to prevent changing core modules, I have changed the code to keep a list for the MIME header generation and then one for internal use modified to keep Net::SMTP happy. This effectively makes life easier for all involved. Modified: ./Ethereal/Mail.pm Affected: All scripts sending mail are affected. Though it should only increase the cases where the script will work without any modification and not lessen it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Ethereal Realms 2.6.0 -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 05-07 November 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Ethereal Realms no longer makes direct use of Sendmail to send out Email as needed to users. Instead it makes use of a unified mail module which will send out Emails in a consistent fashion, provide redundancy (more then one server can be used in case of a failure) and reduce the need for a local Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) on the web servers themselves. This new mail module named Ethereal::Mail is used by tying it to a filehandle giving it the functionality needed to work under all scenarios that apply to the system currently. In certain cases, it also makes the coding a bit cleaner. Modified: Databases: ./mail.pl Tag ./registration.pl ./board.pl ./donations.pl ./admin/system.pl ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl ./config/realm.pl ./Ethereal/Mail.pm ./Ethereal/Pull.pm Affected: All scripts which send out mail have been affected. While the list is extensive the change will not be made known easily. There are changes which show X-Mailer as being the system itself, so it can be used to identify the system that generated it et cetera. 04 November 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Slight change to the Puppeteer Configuration page as to show the current Email address in the field. This will basically allow them to see what is there and determine if there is a need for a change based on that information. Modified: ./config/puppeteer.pl Affected: Only the Puppeteer Configuration page is affected. Change: A change was brought about as to inform people that their archive was processed and Emailed to them at a specific address. This will hopefully remind people that they need to change address, and know that their request has in fact been processed and not lost in the proverbial mail. Modified: Databases: ./Ethereal/Database.pm WebchatText ./Ethereal/Pull.pm Affected: Database and post pull are both affected. 25 October 2002 ------------------------------ Change: The system now keeps track of default realms for users. Default, meaning last realm in which they entered, as to simplify their return to it if they open the portal another time. This is made with the assumption that people generally play in the same realms over and over. This will allow them to scroll a bit less, and creates the illusion that the system a bit smarter. Modified: Databases: ./portal.pl Realm ./Ethereal/Database.pm ./Ethereal/Who.pm Affected: The portal is directly affected by this. Change: A change in the behaviour to the System Posting capabilities. Now works as the banners work, which means messages are only sent to the realms that are actually active. Modified: ./Ethereal/Comm.pm Affected: The private message script is affected. 24 October 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Changes to the static portal in order to display by genre and include a global list. This allows for quick peeks and more detailed searches as well. Modified: Databases: ./portal.pl Tag Affected: Only the static portal is affected. 21-22 October 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Addition fields were added to the Realms in order to standardize things such as their rating and genre. This in the future, may allow for a more advanced static page with subdivisions based on the name of the realm genre et cetera. Modified: Databases: ./portal.pl Realm ./config/realm.pl Tag Affected: The portal and it's variants is affected. Only the Javascript description will actually show the rating and genre. Change: Changed the location of the Who is On link in order to match the location that is used by the Guest interface. It allows us to clear out the Misc section and clean up the design a bit. The new location also allows it to have a bit more dominance in the portal giving a higher chance for people to find it. Modified: Databases: ./portal.pl Tag Affected: Only the portal is affected with this change. Change: Changes in look and feel were made to the Ignore script as well as the Hosts Control Panel as to create a more consistent and user friendly interface. This also resulted in a change of the locale administrator in order to have its interface match other section of the same type. The control panel changes resulted in extensive renaming of tags for the Configuration types. Modified: Databases: ./config/ignore.pl Tag ./config/realm.pl Affected: Ignore Users and the Realm Control Panel are affected. Change: A change to the code was done as to allow us to display the amount of people in a realm without having to use the Global or System who functionality. As a result, this will make it easier for users to see where to go as they can tell which realms are active. Modified: Databases: ./portal.pl WebchatText ./Ethereal/Who.pm Affected: Only the portal is affected. Change: There has been a series of tag changes done to the Portal in order to grant more control over the way it looks. This basically allows us to get rid of the tired design and implement something that is more pleasing to the eye and more consistent with the rest of the system. Modified: Databases: ./portal.pl Tag Affected: Only the portal is affected. Change: A fairly significant change on the operations of Ethereal Realms, in which the tag system has been moved from a one tag one attribute to a multi-layer model that makes it easier to maintain complex yet consistent designs throughout the system itself. As a result of these changes, a new series of tags have been added which can be identified by the apperance of 'Tmpl' as the first four character. With this in the name, the attribute administration page will automatically create a text area instead of the textfield, allowing for cleaner designs and administration of the more complex HTML attributes. On the other hand, the old tags have been cut down in scope, making use of mainly just text and additional attributes that are needed to be passed to the script. The way we manage to do this is to pass the simple tags through a processor where they are displayed with the more complicated template tags. All of this is done through the new Ethereal::Template. And as a result of this shift, the portal itself has been greatly enhanced and consistency remains from script to script with a minimal amount of changes... After the implementation of this code. What does this all mean? For one it means that changes in design will not mean a change of several hundred attributes. Instead it will bring about perhaps fifteen changes in all, which is a marked advantage over the old attribute subsystem. This also means that administration in general will improve. As one will be able to see the actual meaningful parts of the tags without having to sift through the individual complex HTML that made it difficult in the past. Memory issues should be lessened as well. Instead of pulling hash value with thirty values of three-hundred characters, you are pulling three instead with the rest dropped off to an average of ten. This in itself will mean more processes can be run with less risk of large processes in memory. Modified: Databases: ./bio.pl Tag ./board.pl ./donations.pl ./guest.pl ./gwho.pl ./home.pl ./mail.pl ./portal.pl ./realm.pl ./registration.pl ./weblog.pl ./admin/system.pl ./config/cookie.pl ./config/gummies.pl ./config/ignore.pl ./config/puppet.pl ./config/puppeteer.pl ./config/realm.pl ./Ethereal/Database.pm ./Ethereal/Table.pm ./Ethereal/Template.pm (new) ./Ethereal/Who.pm Affected: All working scripts for the exception of the command line utilities has been affected by this shift in focus. 17 October 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A request was made to allow hosts to select which colour they would rather have as default in case the default colour was not allowed in that realm. This is especially apparent in realms that have massively different colour schemes then the defaults. Now hosts select the default and instead of falling to the first available it will opt to show you the realms default. Modified: Databases: ./config/realm.pl Realm ./Ethereal/Comm.pm Tag ./Ethereal/Database.pm Affected: The Communications Panel and the Realm Control Panel are affected. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Ethereal Realms 2.5.0 -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 October 2002 ------------------------------ Change: When the portal is called with a name starting with static, it will begin to generate a list of all public/verified realms with their descriptions and the proper quick link address. This allows to generate content pages that list all realms without needed registration. Modified: Databases: ./portal.pl Tag Affected: Only the portal would be affected. 14 October 2002 ------------------------------ Change: The system now understands what to do with the 'Verified' attribute associated with users in terms of realms. Any realm that is configured to be verified, will show up publicly only to those who are in fact verified themselves. If you are not, you will not see the realm nor can you actually enter it. Modified: Databases: ./portal.pl Realm ./config/realm.pl Tag ./Ethereal/Database.pm ./Ethereal/Login.pm Affected: Only the Portal and Host Control Panel are affected. Change: There new exists the functionality for hosts to link directly to the portal of their realms. And in the end, even allowing for patrons to bookmark directly to that point as well. The link is required to be a symlink so that the system understands to undertake the additional processing. http://baseaddress/go/realmname The above is an example. Where go is the symlink that will trigger the response and realmname is the name of an actual realm. Modified: ./portal.pl Affected: Only the portal is affected. 13 October 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Administrators can now post to the weblog without having the post filtered and additionally cloned into the Community Board as to allow for announcements to coincide with discussions on the matter. Modified: ./admin/system.pl Affected: Only the administrative control panel is affected. Change: Changes to the contribution system as to account for the new currency system that paypal has decided to make use of. This also allowed me to code in a more useful donations message for both the donator and the receiving end. Modified: ./donations.pl Affected: Only the donations page is affected. 08 October 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A new class of gummies has been added into the system. Called contributor class, as they will only be accessible to verified patrons. This allows an additional layer that can allow people who donate to show them off Modified: Databases: ./admin/system.pl Gummy ./config/puppet.pl ./Ethereal/Database.pm Affected: Puppet Configuration and the System Control Panel are affected. Change: Ability for administrators to exempt realms from displaying banners has been added. This modification has been done to the Host Control Panel itself as to simplify coding. Modified: Databases: ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl Realm ./config/realm.pl Tag Affected: Banners and administrative access to the Control Panel is affected. Change: Quick addition of code as to have the default handle automatically selected when making a post. Making it much easier to work with. Modified: ./board.pl Affected: Message board is affected. 07 October 2002 ------------------------------ Change: The system now allows you to send out a pre-defined message to all of the realms. Since it is not formatted like others, it allows for the administrators to insert complex code if so desired. WebBanner is the name and its purpose is implied by the bane. Modified: Databases: ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl Realm ./Ethereal/Database.pm WebchatText ./Ethereal/Who.pm Affected: Only the command line script is affected. Change: The message boards have been adapted as to allow for a certain amount of administration. Administration, being the ability to see all posts being made as to save the administrator from having to scan through the list at all times. Board notice message has also been changed as to be a bit more useful to the users. Specially when attempting to determine where the post is currently hiding. Modified: Databases: ./board.pl Realm ./portal.pl Tag ./config/realm.pl WebchatText Affected: Realm Configuration and Boards are affected. 03 October 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Quick change to the way that the Quick Log showed entries. Basically, it has been condenced as to make things more efficient, take up less space and allow for messages to be displayed individually. Modified: ./weblog.pl Affected: Only the weblog is affected. 01 October 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Changes in response were made to the weblog. Now if it is called with the quicklog.pl filename, the script will interpret it as a SSI request and display a stripped down version of the weblog itself. Quick and easy and simple. Modified: Databases: ./weblog.pl Tag Affected: The weblog is affected if used with its alternate name. Change: Message boards have been changed a bit to meet different needs. The first change was done as to allow people to look at posts made on the board without being required to log onto the system itself. As one can tell this will make it easier for realms to link it off their homepages and not expect people to be members or log onto Ethereal Realms in order to simply see posts. Another change was brought about by the way that the weblog function. This is basically the addition of a link on the Puppet that links to the Bio script which will list contact information if so desired. The default behaviour of the boards has been changed to support boards that actually have activity. While this is currently not the case the activty based filter will actually make things cleaner and is honestly a better default. The ability to have a board outside the standard realms is now possible. This is done by detecting the name of the script, meaning that sysboard.pl instead of the traditional board.pl will bring the person to a board that does not exist anywhere else. Useful if a system wishes to have system specific boards used for coding et cetera. Modified: Databases: ./board.pl Tag Affected: Message boards is the only affected sub-system. 30 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A new script as added to the current list as to allow for the display of posts in the Weblog. This is essentially a read only script with some navigational options thrown in to make life more interesting. Since the script itself does not contain any important information the links are not as closely guarded as they could be, however the use of encoded links still remained a priority. A minior correct was also made to the message boards during this modification. This was in reguards to the title display. Modified: Databases: ./board.pl Tag ./weblog.pl ./Ethereal/Database.pm Change: The Admiinistrative Control Panel now has the support added in to manage and add entries to the systems weblog. This required the addition of a new table to the database (Weblog) and the addition of a new script which has not yet been added. Modified: Databases: ./admin/system.pl Tag ./Ethereal/Audit.pm Weblog (new) Affected: For now only the Control Panel is affected. Change: Puppeteer Configuration and Bio have been adapted to work with the new functionality. The first will allow for management of the information on the contact list, while the other will neatly display the information as to hopefully cut down on clutter and provide additional information to the user itself. Modified: Databases: ./bio.pl Tag ./config/puppeteer.pl Affected: Affected scripts are system.pl, puppeteer.pl and bio.pl 29 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A new field can be controlled from the Puppet Control screen, as to allow for contact information to not be displayed. This is essentially a privacy feature being added into new functionality. A change was also done to the Administrative Control Panel, adding a new section which allows for the addition and removal of possible contact information. All of which done in a fairly standard interface for new administrative scripts. Modified: Databases: ./admin/system.pl Contact (new) ./config/puppet.pl Puppet PuppeteerContact Affected: The Administrative Control Panel and Puppet Configuration pages for now are the only ones affected. 28 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Consolidation of all the administrative scripts into one massive container. Unlike the supervisors Control Panel, this variant makes use of symbolic links in order to know which script that is currently using it and act accordingly. This simplifies coding to a certain extent and in this case allows for the bookmarking of the specific sections if so desired. Removed: Databases: ./admin/access.pl Tag ./admin/chat.pl ./admin/font.pl ./admin/gummy.pl ./admin/realm.pl ./admin/text.pl Created: ./admin/system.pl Affected: All former scripts are affected as they are replaced with the container. 27 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Canon handle interface no longer makes use of self contained forms, instead it uses the cleaner design of using Checkboxes mixed in with one encompassing form. This also has the side effect of allowing for mass removals if need be. Modified: ./config/realm.pl Affected: Only the Realm Control Panel is affected. Change: Quick change as to Carbon Copy (CC) Email when donations are made. As it seems that PayPal itself is no longer sending out Email to notify people that donations are made. Modified: ./donations.pl Affected: Only the donations script is affected. 25 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A change was done to the code as to allow Detached Comm Panels from working with Internet Explorer only. This is due to oddities that appear from using other browsers such as Netscape Navigator in reguards to how it functions in with different frame modes. Modified: ./realm.pl ./Ethereal/Comm.pm Affected: Netscape browsers will be affected. 24 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Detachable Comm Panels have been added into the system. As of yet Internet Explorer is the only browser under which is works without a problem with Netscape 6.0 working fairly well under Auto-Scroll mode. More changes will be done to correct this. Modified: Databases: ./realm.pl WebchatText ./Ethereal/Comm.pm ./Ethereal/Database.pm Affected: All chat modes excluding basic may be affected. Change: Making use of normal HTML attributes, hot-keys were added in to the Comm Panel as to make navigation much faster in general. Unfortunately, there a difference between Internet Explorer and Netscape which means the behaviour changes. For those making use of Internet Explorer they will need to press enter. Alt+P: Sends off a post. Alt+T: Selects the text box. Alt+R: Refreshes the frame / restarts stream. Alt+Z: Brings up the post zoom window. Alt+G: Brings up the colour selection chart. All of these keys are generated when the widget is formed or the link is created in the case of the Zoom window and Colour selection chart. There is no effort needed by supervisors/hosts. Modified: ./realm.pl ./Ethereal/Comm.pm ./Ethereal/Post.pm Affected: Only those making use of the ALT-Key combinations will notice the change however the above scripts/modules were modified. 23 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A new section was added in order to create the ability for users to zoom their posts into a new window. This new window would not be a replacement for the Communications Panel, but instead offer the ability to see posts in a larger area before sending it back down the line for posting. Other advantages include the ability to store longer posts in another window while making quicker posts to the realm itself. This in itself may or may not make the use of the LZOOMER macro widespread. Modified: Databases: ./Ethereal/Comm.pm WebchatText ./post/colours.pl Affected: Colours Display will now change behaviour based on the name of the script which in this case would be zoom.pl instead of the conventional colours.pl. Any realm making use of the new macro LZOOMER will be able to use the new functionality. 19 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Code was added into the Private Message and Communications Panel code as to allow for a change of focus if the option for Javascript is enabled. This will speed up posting by changing focus to the post textarea once submitted all without using a mouse. The Post-Tab-Enter combination grants the user a quick posting method as well. Modified: ./Ethereal/Comm.pm ./post/private.pl Affected: Posts made publicly and privately will see the difference. 18 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Modifications where made to the Realm Control Panel in order to automatically send Emails to a user informing them of their ban on a realm. This message is also sent to another address as to keep track of mailed bans. Modified: Databases: ./config/realm.pl Tag ./Ethereal/Database.pm WebchatText Affected: The Realm Control Panel is affected. Change: Modification to the regular expressions in the sanity check in order to make sure that posts with certain characters that Perl extrapolates are escaped properly. This was especially noticed in posts which had a certain amount of question marks. Modified: ./Ethereal/Filter.pl Affected: Anyone who loves to use an excessive amount of ? will be happy. 17 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A sanity check was added to all posts being made within a realm. This means that anyone posting a series of attached characters beyond a certain length will find that the string will have spaces embed as to allow the browser to do a normal wrap around. While some people may think this Draconian, it does allow for a less annoyed chat experience when dealing with people who feel overly creative and give into their yearnings for posting drivel. One can also have their Email addresses linked off. This makes life a bit simpler and prevents the truncation/abuse. Modified: Databases: ./board.pl Tag ./Ethereal/Comm.pm ./Ethereal/Filter.pm Affected: Message Boards and Realms themselves are affected if you post Email addresses or hyperlinks. 16 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Added functionality to allow for streams to be ended when the user so wishes to. This in return will allow the user to save posts when he or she deems it necessary and also allows for a cleaner exit of the realm. Modified: Databases: ./Ethereal/Comm.pm Post ./Ethereal/Post.pm Tag Affected: Stream or Auto-Scroll users will see the changes. 12 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: The original concept for the system was to have three methods of access for realms. The first being the one that most people know of based on the behaviour of public realms, which the second has been used in some lesser form to restrict access to certain realms. A new access control has been added to complete the initial schematic done a few years ago. The following access control modes exist: Relaxed - General login access with possible bans Restricted - General login access with restriction to canon handles List - Restricted login access based on reverse bans These access methods also required the change to the system as to allow administrative overrides on bans for the Realm Control-Panel. Without which a realm that selected an improper mode would not be able to back out from the change done to it. As a result, an administrator with administrative access can still enter a realm that would normally deny him access. This access only applies to the control panel and would not allow him/her to post or access the realm itself. Since list access is a Canon handle only realm, certain logic changes have been made. Essentially, they can send and receive private messages due to the fact that no one else in the room has a system level handle. They still have the same limitations when creating them however. All patrons entering a realm that restricts to canon handles, will soon discover that they will automatically be switched to the first available canon handle. Without this, problems would arise as to illegal characters making posts et cetera. Modified: Databases: ./portal.pl WebchatText ./realm.pl ./config/realm.pl ./Ethereal/Comm.pm ./Ethereal/Database.pm ./Ethereal/Login.pm ./post/private.pl Affected: Many scripts were effected directly and are seen above. List level access will not be seen by most as a matter of protocol on the current development environment other then in hybrid realms which are not common knowledge. Change: Quick change to the database and scripts to allow the filter phrase to be changed. A more comedic example of this would be to change the default **** with the word smurf. Modified: Databases: ./config/realm.pl Realm ./ethereal/Comm.pm Tag Affected: Direct changes seen at the Hosts Control Panel and any post made in a realm that restricts such material. Change: Administrative override has been added to the Realm Control-Panel as to allow administrators in aiding supervisors when certain settings have gotten them banned from their own realms. Modified: ./config/realm.pl Affected: Only the realm control panel is affected. Change: Ability for bans to become mostly permanent has been put into place. This is also accomplished in order to prepare for proper realm access modes in which LIST based access inverses the behaviour of the ban list. Modified: ./config/realm.pl Affected: While the change is only found in the Realm Control-Panel, people will notice the change for a bit longer when they are banned. 08 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Major changes in functionality were added to the dice roller in order to patrons more control when making the roll of a dice. Functionality that has been added is as follows: Damage modifier Variable botches and difficulty levels Ability to drop an amount of high and low rolls Ability to add a comment or action with roll This change comes effectively after input from the hosts and patrons. With this in place, future need for changes should be lessened. Modified: Databases: ./post/dice.pl Tag Affected: Only the dice roller is affected. Secondary effects will be seen when posts are made with the additional functionality. Change: Modification to the nightly automation script that will round down times used in statistics sent to the hosts. Makes the output look a bit cleaner and will also have the effect of making the output more consistent even if the system takes a bit longer to complete the task et cetera. Modified: ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl ./Ethereal/Date.pm Affected: Only the nightly automation script will be affected. 07 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: New script added to display all gummies ranging from the administrative ones that we all know and love to the general list which is by far the largest. This allows users to become more familiar with the various choices and not spend hours on end working on puppets by simply selecting a different gummy every post. Modified: Databases: ./config/gummies.pl Tag Affected: Only the Puppet Configuration page will reflect the change. And this is done with a tag and not a code change. Change: The ability for hosts to control the dimensions of the Communications Panel and the Remote Control have been put into place. All of this can be controlled from the hosts Control Panel and will result in immediate changes so one should be aware of the numbers placed. Modified: Databases: ./realm.pl Realm ./config/realm.pl Tag ./Ethereal/Database.pm Affected: Realm Control Panel and Realm display are both affected. 06 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A quick change that will make it harder for people to accidently remove puppets and files in their home-pages. The only change is the addition of a checkbox besides the button which is required before the action can take place. Modified: ./home.pl ./config/puppet.pl Affected: Only Puppet Configuration and the Home page module are affected. 05 September 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A change to the control-panel allows for hosts to specify one Email address which will be used specifically to get automated archives of the public posts made in that realm before they would normally be cleared. Modified: Databases: ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl Realm ./Ethereal/Database.pm Tag ./Ethereal/Pull.pm Affected: Only the background night process script is affected, and more specifically only if you are doing realm level statistics. Change: Added the ability for hosts using the Realm Control Panel to dictate the position of the timestamp. The default is at the bottom which is the more classical position used by WBS, then of course you can have it at the top and non-existent. If you select the removed position, the time will not show under any post other then posts that are sent privately. The reason for this being that there is information that can be useful, and if anything they should be tracked. Modified: Databases: ./Ethereal/Comm.pm Realm ./Ethereal/Database.pm Tag Affected: Primary effects are felt when making the posts, and then secondary effects can be observed as the post is pulled from archives, logs and guest access. 31 August 2002 ------------------------------ Change: A change was done in order to allow rooms to be promoted and demoted based on their status. The logic is fairly simplistic, even if it may take a bit of thought as to why it works the way it does. It goes as follows: Demotion: Only public realms can be demoted. Hybrids carry information that should not exist in private realms, as a result they must be removed. Promotions: Hybrids and private realms can be moved up. Public realms remain where they are. The script has also been cleaned up a bit to generate less HTML, making it faster and allowing at the same time for multiple realms to be affected with the click of a button. Modified: ./admin/realm.pl ./Ethereal/Audit.pm Affected: Only the Realm Administration page is affected. 29 August 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Some changes in preparation for the planned changes in the portal itself. This essentially is a change to allow for hosts to specify a description of the realm for display in another locale. Other changes were subsequently done to the portal in order to allow for a javascript description handler. This means that any patron who has javascript enabled will be given a realm description is one is available saving them from going deeper into the links. Modified: Databases: ./portal.pl Realm ./config/realm.pl Tag ./Ethereal/Database.pm WebchatText Affected: Only realm configuration is affected. 28 August 2002 ------------------------------ Change: The ability for the message boards to support 'topics' or subsections related to a different matter. For legacy reasons, every realm will make use of a 'general' topic for which all existing messages will be placed. This is also useful for new realms who have not yet setup topics. This also means that 'general' is always there no matter what. Something that supervisors will need to be made aware of. Modified: Databases: ./board.pl Board ./config/realm.pl BoardTopic (new) ./Ethereal/Audit.pm Tag ./Ethereal/Database.pm Affected: Board and realm configuration are directly affected. 27 August 2002 ------------------------------ Change: Changed the login sequence of the registration and login scripts to accept passwords of fifteen characters. This is only meant to avoid the annoyance of selecting a longer password and receiving warning bells because it is longer then the stored and used eight character passwords. Modified: ./registration.pl ./config/puppeteer.pl ./Ethereal/Login.pm Affected: All scripts which require authentication, puppeteer conf and reg. Change: Adapted the active/suspend functionality to support more then one entry at a time. This means that you can mass suspend and activate without waiting for each individual entry to be processed. Modified: ./config/puppeteer.pl Affected: The puppeteer configuration script is the only affected component. Change: Users can now see how much Internal Mail they have when entering through the portal itself. This effectively allows them to see if something new arrived or determine the need for a visit. Modified: ./portal.pl ./Ethereal/Database.pm Affected: Only the portal is affected with this change.