Message Board Plugin

This is a database based message board plugin for the TWiki system. Users can post and read messages from a database as if it was a message board fixed on the wall.

Syntax Rules

Use the TWiki Tag %MESSAGE_BOARD% with options:

MessageBoardPlugin Screen Shots

• This is the look'n'feel of the MessageBoard posted messages. Please don't take this too seriously: it's pretty customized (I've translated about all texts and messages so folks at my company could read it).

• And this is the message posting form (displayed under the posted messages). Again, don't take this too seriously, its almost completelly translated to portuguese (and the plugin original is english).

MessageBoardPlugin Global Settings

• One line description, shown in the TextFormattingRules topic:
  • Set SHORTDESCRIPTION = Database-Based message board plugin.

• Color Settings
  • Set TABLE_HEAD_COLOR = #E3E9A5
  • Set REVERSE_LINE_COLOR = #CCCCCC

• Icons and Image Settings
  • Set TRASH_CAN_ICON_LINK =
  • Set PENCIL_ICON_LINK =

• Database Settings
  • Set DB_DRIVER = mysql
  • Set DB_SERVER = ip_address or hostname here
  • Set DB_SERVER_PORT = 3306
  • Set DB_DATABASE = message_board
  • Set DB_TABLE = message
  • Set DB_USER = board
  • Set DB_PASSWORD = password

• Plugin Messages (so you can internationalize them):
• Error opening connection to the database
  • Set MSG_DB_CONNECT_ERROR = Error connecting to the database
• Error closing connection to the database
  • Set MSG_DB_CLOSE_ERROR = Error closing the database connection
• Error during query preparation
  • Set MSG_DB_PREPARE_ERROR = Error preparing query
• Error during data fetch
  • Set MSG_DB_FETCH_ERROR = Error fetching data from database
• Error during query execution
  • Set MSG_DB_EXECUTE_ERROR = Error executing query
• No data found error
  • Set MSG_DB_NO_DATA_ERROR = No data found
• Update error message
  • Set MSG_DB_UPDATE_ERROR = Error updating data
• Insert error message
  • Set MSG_DB_INSERT_ERROR = Error inserting data

• Debug plugin: (See output in data/debug.txt)
  • Set DEBUG = 0

Plugin Installation Instructions

Note: You do not need to install anything on the browser to use this plugin. The following instructions are for the administrator who installs the plugin on the server where TWiki is running.

• Download the ZIP file from the Plugin web (see below)
• Unzip MessageBoardPlugin.zip in your twiki installation directory. Content:

• Create a table into your database using (this is mysql SQL, the only DB supported at the moment)

    CREATE DATABASE message_board;

    CREATE TABLE message(
      id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
      author VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
      due DATETIME NOT NULL,
      posted DATETIME NOT NULL,
      msg TEXT NOT NULL,
      dropped ENUM( 'Y', 'N' ) NOT NULL DEFAULT 'N'
    )

• Create a new user and give it appropriated permissions:

      GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
        ON messsage_board.message
        TO board IDENTIFIED BY 'b0aRd'

• Test if the plugin is correctly installed:
  • Open a MessageBoardTestArea and insert %MESSAGE_BOARD{ messageOrder="DESC" }% into the topic. Preview, save and try to post a message.

Plugin Info

Related Topics: TWikiPreferences, TWikiPlugins, DefaultPlugin

-- TWiki:LuisCamposDeCarvalho - 17 Jun 2004