Roadmap

Improve performance by implementing caching of message thread content

• Rewrite article storage to allow faster querying of the thread.

• Query for non user specific data and store in cached file if thread has changed.
  • dynamic data based on current user, ajax data, and security acls not rendered for stored cached.

• Query for user and dynamic AJAX data.

• Build page for user using cached content as a template.

• Users need the ability to have their password reset.
  

• Administrators neeed the ability to verify that email addresses are functional.
  

• Add the ability to define custom user fields
• Allow the custom fields to be acted upon using the macro system.

The ability to attach files, such as images, etc.. so they are stored locally. This would allow you to post and image so it was hosted locally, and not require the use of imageshack, or other file hosting service.

• Allow users to upload and attach files to a message.
• Quota system.
• Prevention of hotlinking by default.
• Files can also be stored in a users profile.

Add the ability for users to tag individual messages

• Database changes
  • Each message should have a have_tag flag to indicate if there are tags available.
  • A separate tags table will contain the tags made by each user

• Tagging interface
  • tags may be public or private
  • if a tag is preset, we won't query the tags immediately, but display an icon indicating tags are available.
  • an ajax interface will allow the tags to be retrieved on demand, or add additional tags.

• Extended search function
  • either public, private tags may be searched.
  • user requires admin privileges to view private tags of other users. a check box next to private will allow this.

• Tag cloud display in user's profile to display public and private tags.

• Add the ability for users to login using OpenID.
  
• Enable THCNET to act as OpenID authentication source.
  

The Private Messaging feature needs to be scratched and rewritten from the ground up.

• Private messages should look like private message threads between the sender and the receiver
  

To give more flexability in access control, the items which reference an access level, such as access to read or post, should be able to use the same style access control strings as are used in the macros. This will allow more granular control to limit access based on an access flag or other value.

The current method of recursively searching for replies to messages when displaying a message thread is vastly inefficient and tends to break for messages threads with 500+ replies.

• Store messages so they are a doubly linked list.
  • Each message has a link to the next and previous message as it should be displayed on the page.
  • An entire thread can be retreived with a single SQL query.
    

• Paging is enabled so an entire thread does not have to be displayed at once.