Posts tagged plugin

Webcomic 3: Still Free

Work on Webcomic 3 is slowly coming to a close. The plugin is getting cleaned up, themes are being worked on, new video tutorials are getting planned, documentation is being written, websites are getting prepped for overhaul, and beta testers are doing God-knows-what with final beta packages. Nothings ever really finished, but God willing Webcomic 3 should be available from the WordPress plugin directory just a bit after the final release of WordPress 3.

I’d like to thank everyone that has responded to the Webcomic Survey. Apart from providing tons of constructive feedback and support there were more than a few great ideas I’ve tried to incorporate into Webcomic 3. It’s been really interesting to get so much anonymous feedback, and I may open up the survey responses for others to see. Keep submitting!

Apart from some brief thoughts and a discussion about upgrading I’ve mostly tried to keep quiet about Webcomic 3. With things wrapping up, however, it seems like a good time to share what’s going on. So, in no particular order, here’s a list of what’s coming:

  • Some people have expressed concern (probably due to ComicPress’ recent announcement) over backwards compatibility and having to pay for Webcomic. The Webcomic plugin will remain free for as long as I’m developing it, and thanks to the new Upgrade Webcomic tool (a feature integrated into Webocmic 3) upgrading from Webcomic 2 to Webcomic 3 should be no more difficult than upgrading from Webcomic 1 to Webcomic 2 was.
  • Thanks to the new plugin framework and WordPress/WordPress MU merge multisite installations are now properly supported. Not only can you run any number of comics on a single WordPress site (a feature since 1.8), you can now use Webcomic on any number of WordPress network sites, either as a regular plugin or installed as a special mu-plugin.
  • Managing multiple comics on the same WordPress site (a feature since 1.8) is easier than ever. A greater focus has been placed on collections, which comprise the webcomics, storylines, and characters that make up a webcomic. Unlike previous versions of Webcomic (where multi-comic support came after the initial release), Webcomic 3 has been built from the ground up to support multiple webcomics.
  • Webcomics are now their own custom post type, completely separate from regular posts; no more “comic category” hacks. Webcomic still doesn’t care what you call your files and can easily publish any number of webcomics on a single day (a feature since 1.0). Now you can also bind any number of files to a single webcomic post (each with it’s own alternate text and descriptive “hover” text) and even modify the individual thumbnail files (large, medium, and small) Webcomic generates during upload, allowing you to assign unique imagery to each alternate size of each file.
  • The previous Chapters taxonomy (a feature since 1.0) has been upgraded to a more flexible Storylines taxonomy which removes artificial nesting limitations (it’s now fully hierarchical), allows you to reorder storylines, edit storyline descriptions using the WordPress WYSIWYG editor, and upload storyline cover images to display on your site.
  • A new Characters taxonomy has been introduced to complement the Chapters/Storylines taxonomy, which also allows editing descriptions using WordPress’ WYSIWYG editor and uploading avatar images for each character.
  • Transcribing (a features since 1.0) has been improved, with WYSIWYG support and the ability to specify which languages you (and users) can transcribe in. As always, transcript search is fully integrated into the regular WordPress search, and file alternate and description text is now fully searchable as well.
  • For those that like to get their hands dirty, Webcomic 3 provides nearly 200 new template tags to build exactly the sort of webcomic site they’ve always wanted, and a large selection of actions and filters allows developers to directly modify the way Webcomic works using WordPress’ own hook framework.
  • An often-requested feature, Paypal integration, is now available. Webcomic 3 provides options for selling domestic, international, and original prints using Paypal’s single-click or shopping cart methods in the currency of your choice. Print prices and availability can be adjusted for entire collections and for individual webcomic posts. Webcomic also offers donation options for easily placing a Paypal donation form on your site.
  • Collections now have a selection of options to keep them differentiated. Apart from the regular taxonomy stuff like name and description, each can have a unique cover image (just like storylines and characters). Access to a given collection can be restricted by age or registration (requiring users to login), and “bookends” (a lesser-known feature that first appeared in 2.0) can now be easily set from the Edit Collection page.
  • For the super lazy, Webcomic now includes an integrate option that, when enabled, will attempt to automatically add webcomic functionality to any WordPress theme (not for use with the “official” Webcomic themes). Getting a webomic site up and running with Webcomic 3 can be as easy as picking a theme and flipping a switch.

Those are the highlights… there are probably a few things I’m forgetting, and any new stuff mentioned is of course in addition to everything Webcomic 2 already provides. Themes are still being worked on so there aren’t any specific details to share, but here’s what I know for now:

  • Five are planned, with two (updates to Archimedes and Inkblot) available when Webcomic 3 becomes available and the others coming as they’re finished.
  • All are being developed using the same custom-built framework Webcomic 3 is based on.
  • All will utilize HTML5 and CSS3. A couple of the fancier ones will probably integrate advanced CSS and Javascript effects.
  • All will utilize the new theme features provided by WordPress 3 (custom headers and backgrounds, editor styles, etc.).
  • All should be available directly from the WordPress theme directory.

That last one I’m not positive about (none have actually been submitted yet, obviously), but that’s the goal. If any aren’t, they will of course be available from the official Webcomic site, which (much like the plugin and themes) will be getting an overhaul to bring together the various hosted services (documentation and bug tracking on Google Code, forum on Google Groups) into one site under a new domain.

So that’s what’s been going on for the last couple months. If anyone would like to start playing with the plugin prior to it’s release on the WordPress plugin directory let me know (typical prerelease-software warning apply), and many thanks to all the Webcomic users out there for keeping things fun!

The Next Webcomic

After an extended and much needed hiatus from near-constant updates (for both myself and some of Webcomic’s users, I imagine), I’m starting to kick around ideas for the next version of the Webcomic plugin. Working on Webcomic taught me a lot about PHP and the WordPress platform, and feedback and additional projects (Empathy and Chapbook) have greatly expanded my understanding in both of those areas. I’ve learned quite a bit, and I’d like to bring this knowledge back to Webcomic.

First, some of my current thoughts on the next Webcomic:

  • It will be a major update, much like the transition from Webcomic 1 to Webcomic 2. It’ll probably end up being Webcomic 3.
  • Unlike the transition from Webcomic 1 to Webcomic 2 I’m not limiting myself to what exists now. Webcomic 2 was a heavy rewrite of Webcomic 1. Webcomic 3 is an entirely new plugin built from the ground up and borrowing things I’ve learned from Webcomic, Empathy, and Chapbook.
  • There will be some new features (some you may have seen elsewhere, others you may have not) but my primary focus will be making Webcomic even better at the things it already does, which is quite a lot to begin with.
  • As with all major releases there will be a new companion theme, possibly more than one.

I’m really glad so many people have chosen to use WordPress with Webcomic to publish their own comic. I never imagined something I started on a whim (as a challenge by Liliy of The Adventures of Wiglaf & Mordred no less) would turn into such a fun and, admittedly, draining project. There have been a few minor conflicts along the way but nothing of consequence, and a lot of support from Webcomic users. Overall it’s been a great experience.

What I’d like to ask of all Webcomic users (past and present) out there now is for your own thoughts: on Webcomic, on how it works for you, on what doesn’t work so well for you, and on how you’d like it to work in the future. To this end, I’ve put together a brief form I’d like as many Webcomic users to fill out. Thanks everyone!

Take the Webcomic Survey