The first thing I decided to do with the plugin is remove some `useless` features. Mostly these are settings hardly anyone uses and just confuses people. What I want is the plugin to be super easy to use, not to much trouble with configuring and other stuff should be necessary.
One other thing that I removed is the possibility to upload images. While this might have been a very nice feature for some of you, I decided it isn’t really something that does belong in this plugin.

Second I’ve completely rewritten the code. The whole plugin is now OOP based, and I’m very happy with the current results, even though I’m not done with it yet.

So what is new then? Well, something that the plugin misses right now is the possibility to create some sort of archives from all the great posts you receive. And this is something that I really wanted to add, and improve further in the future.
For now, I added pagination to the plugin, witch will be the start of being able to have an archive of news on your website. To get this simple archive on your website, use the following tag:
<!--fvCommunityNews:Archive-->
Make sure to put it into your page using the code view!

Besides the start of archives, the plugin received numerous of other updates, bug fixes and other improvements.

If you are interested in testing the plugin, you can download it from the wordpress repository.

If while using it you find any bugs, find ways to improve things or just have this awesome idea, do not hesitate to leave a reply! Or just send me an email.

For new ideas you might have, I would like you to ask to post them into the forums, created for exactly that kind of stuff.

Changes regarding the plugin can kept track of here.

A quick side note; currently the beta says that it is version 1.4. This is correct, and done to make sure there will not be any problems with updating to the final version.

More information about new features of the plugin will follow.

A while ago I told you I would pick up the project again, and now version 2.0 will be soon ready for some test runs
If you are willing to help me test it, please throw me an email.

As soon as it is ready, everyone who contacted me will get a link to the beta version. For now, I don’t have a date when it will be done yet, but it will be soon.

Forums!

As you might have noticed, there is a new link at the top of the site, directing to forums. I have set up these forums so I can keep things more organized, since looking into hundreds of comments isn’t really handy. If you have any questions, suggestions or anything else; you now have the chance to write a nice topic about it!

After adding version 1.3, I received a few notifications about the javascript. It gave errors, wasn’t compatible with most plugins and/or themes and just sucked

My decision was to update the complete javascript used with version 2.0, since that one is going to have a complete makeover. However, more and more emails came, telling about the JavaScript. The problem seems to be worse then I was thinking, so an early patch for the javascript is already available.

I removed the Prototype framework for compatibility, since most themes and plugins are using jQuery. Now the Community News plugin does too. It uses the jQuery lib that comes with WordPress itself. I hope this will improve the compatibility. Also errors which occurred in the old javascript are fixed.

Template Tags

A lot of people were asking for it, template tags for use in posts/pages. Well, here they are:

1
2
3

<!--fvCommunityNews:Form-->
<!--fvCommunityNews:Submissions-->

The first one will display the form, just as the widget does, but then within a page or post. The next one will display a list of submissions, as defined in the admin panel (under: Settings – Template). You can simply put these tags in your post or page, and thats all.

Uninstall Feature

While I was thinking what this plugin needs, I decided that it should have an uninstall function. Before, you could only deactivate the plugin through the wp-admin panel under plugins, but when that was done, all the data/settings still remain in your database and on your server. With this new Uninstall function you can remove all settings, and/or all data before you deactivate the plugin and remove all the plugin files.

Translatable

Before version 1.3, all text displayed on the screen, produced by this plugin was static data, you couldn’t change it. From now on the plugin uses the WordPress functions for displaying text, wich makes it possible for you to translate it and run the plugin in your own language. There are no languages included yet, but don’t hesitate to submit your own translation. I will include it in the plugin and would be very thankfull.

Custom Response Messages

Didn’t like the standard responses? You are now able to customize them so they fit for you. Go to Settings – Appearance, and modify all possible responses. Also a simple stylesheet is included to give the form a little style.

Improved Akismet

As of the previous (1.2 series) version, I included an Akismet class to fight spam. Unfortunately, this class was causing some serious problems at random servers. Because of this I searched for another solution, and found the MicroAkismet functions. These do work on blogs where the old class failed. I want to thank my friend Ivan, who made his blog availible for some tests.

Features

Currently, the Community News plugin has the following features:

• Widget Ready (Different form/results widget)
• Tags for use in posts/pages
• AJAX Form Handling
• Multi-Language Support
• Moderation panel (with email option) – Make sure you approve the right articles.
• Edit Submissions
• “My Community News” Page – Allow registered users to view their submitted articles.
• Customizable templates
• Akismet Spam protection (API key required)
• Build-in RSS 2.0 Feed
• Settings Page
• Uninstallation – Not the right plugin for you? You can easily remove it completely.

How To Install & Use

In order to successfully use this plugin, you will need the following:

• PHP 5 or higher
• WordPress 3.0 or higher

Installation Steps

1. Download the files
2. Upload the files to /wp-content/plugins/
3. Activate the plugin (WP-admin > Plugins > FV Community News)
4. Browse Community News > Settings to select the settings you prefer.
5. Go to Design > Widgets to add the Community News widgets to your sidebar.

You can also show your Community News on a static page. You can do that by placing the following codes on a page that supports PHP.

Add Form

1

<?php fvcn_form(); ?>

Latest Articles

1

<?php fvcn_list_posts(); ?>

Archive

1

<?php fvcn_post_archives(); ?>

If you are not familiar with PHP, and you want the Community News to be shown on a WordPress page or post, you can use the build-in tags for that. Make sure you are using the HTML editor while adding these tags!

Add Form

1

<!--fvCommunityNews:Form-->

List Posts

1

<!--fvCommunityNews:Posts-->

Archive

1

<!--fvCommunityNews:Archive-->

Custom Templates

Every blog out there has different requests and needs. With version 2.0 and up, the plugin supports custom templates so it can meet all of those needs. Creating your own custom templates is simple, and more information on this can be found on the Custom Templates page, dedicated to this topic.

Example

If you would like a live demo of the plugin, be sure to check out DivitoDesign.com. The plugin has been running there for quite some time now.

Bugs & Questions

If you find any bug in the latest version of this plugin, I hope you’d be so kind to tell me about it. This will only improve the plugin, which is better for the users! When you have anything else to say (appreciated!), please comment!

Plugin Info

AUTHOR: Frank Verhoeven
AUTHOR URL: http://www.frank-verhoeven.com/
WORDPRESS VERSION: 3.0+
TESTED UP TO: 3.1.2
CURRENT VERSION: 2.0.2

Change log

If you are interested in the changes this plugin has had, please check out the changelog on the official WordPress page.

Download

DOWNLOAD: FV Community News

Donate

Like this plugin? Please consider making a small donation.

Or help promoting it by adding a link to this page, definitely appreciated!