Boardtalk.org

Extension Name: SmartPreview
Author: Boardtalk.net

Extension Description:
SmartPreview replaces the traditional phpBB forum index with a modern, scrollable “Recent” feed designed for clarity, speed, and usability on both mobile and desktop.

It provides a clean, content-first view of forum activity, allowing users to quickly scan conversations and jump directly into relevant posts.

• A truncated preview of the first post in each topic
• The most relevant reply preview:
  • First unread reply (if available)
  • Fallback to latest reply if all content is read
  • Opening post only if no replies exist
• Fully clickable topic and reply preview blocks
• AJAX-powered “Load More” pagination (no full page reload)
• Visual unread indicators using phpBB session tracking
• Smilies and image support with automatic thumbnail previews
• Single-image preview logic with clean layout handling
• User avatars with fallback placeholder support
• Configurable “Start a Conversation” button
• Sitewide Recent / Categories navigation tabs
• Mobile dropdown dock with:
  • Avatar access
  • Notifications
  • Quick navigation
• Optional avatar-triggered side navigation menu
• Optional desktop sidebar layout
• Back-to-top button (ACP controlled)
• Page loading indicator (ACP controlled)
• Flexible ACP settings for:
  • Homepage behaviour
  • Navigation layout
  • Posting options
  • Dock branding (text or logo)
  • Read/unread marker styles (icons or text)

Unread tracking is fully integrated with phpBB’s native session system, ensuring each user sees accurate read/unread states.

SmartPreview is built as a standalone extension and works alongside existing forum structures while offering a significantly improved browsing experience.

Extension Version: v1.2.9 Beta

Requirements: Compatible with phpBB 3.3.x, PHP 7.3 or higher

Important Notes:

• Beta release.
  This version is actively under development. It is stable for testing but may continue to evolve.
• Clean install strongly recommended.
  If you have used SmartPreview before (especially pre-1.2.7), you should perform a full clean install.
  Older installs may contain outdated ACP modules, navigation structures, or settings that can cause conflicts.
• Why a clean install?
  Recent versions introduced major changes to:
  • ACP module structure (Smart Suite integration groundwork)
  • Navigation system (dock, tabs, side menu)
  • Routing and homepage handling
  • Settings structure and defaults
• Guest behaviour (current beta):
  Guest users may see all content as unread. This will be refined in a future update.
• Ongoing development.
  UX polish, performance improvements, and additional ACP controls are actively being refined.

Installation:

• Upload to /ext/boardtalk/smartpreview/
• Enable via ACP → Customise → Extensions
• Purge cache

Upgrade Instructions (Clean Install Recommended):

• Disable SmartPreview in ACP
• Click Delete Data
• Delete the SmartPreview folder:
  /ext/boardtalk/smartpreview/
• Upload the new version
• Enable the extension
• Purge cache

What’s New in v1.2.9 Beta:

• Improved dock stability and scroll behaviour
• Refined mobile interaction and tap responsiveness
• Cleaner state handling for navigation components
• Improved layout consistency across devices
• Better internal handling of SmartPreview UI state
• General bug fixes and performance improvements
• Documentation and changelog alignment with current feature set

Roadmap:

v1.2.x (Current Beta Cycle)

• Final UX polish for dock, menus, and navigation flow
• Unread display improvements (including guest behaviour)
• Meta row consistency (views, replies, unread counts)
• Compact number formatting (e.g. 1.2k, 100k)
• Performance optimisations and query improvements
• Stability fixes across mobile and desktop

v1.3.0 (Next Major Release)

• Set SmartPreview as default homepage (ACP controlled)
• Audience targeting (admins, groups, guests)
• SEO-safe routing options (bots vs users)
• Expanded ACP settings structure
• Preview length controls

Future Features

• AJAX live updates with notification bar
• Admin announcement cards in feed
• WordPress/blog preview cards (meta-based thumbnails + excerpts)
• Group-based posting defaults (Start a Conversation)
• Floating mobile compose button
• Enhanced navigation customisation in ACP

Feedback, bug reports, and suggestions are very welcome.

This extension is being developed with the assistance of Codex and ChatGPT, helping to accelerate development while maintaining phpBB best practices.

Thanks!
— Colette
https://github.com/boardtalk/

Extension Download:





Important: A clean install is strongly recommended when upgrading from older versions.

Older Versions:

Important:

Please use the topic on phpBB.com for discussion, bug reports, and suggested ideas. Thank you.

Link to Topic on phpBB.com:
[3.3][BETA] SmartPreview – Clickable Topic & Reply Preview Feed


Changelog:

26 March 2026
SmartPreview v1.2.6 Beta – Navigation & Layout Update

• Added sitewide Recent and Categories navigation bar beneath phpBB header
• Introduced mobile dropdown dock with avatar access, notifications, and optional branding
• Added structured avatar side menu with improved layout and usability
• Implemented optional desktop sidebar navigation with improved presentation
• Fixed routing issues when using SmartPreview via app.php
• Updated navigation links to use phpBB-safe URL handling
• Added Back to Top button and page loading indicator
• Improved layout consistency across mobile and desktop
• Refined navigation structure and overall user experience

22 March 2026
SmartPreview v1.2.2 Beta – ACP Structure & Stability Update

• Fixed ACP module structure (SmartPreview → Settings)
• Improved ACP language loading
• Fixed raw language key display issues in ACP
• Cleaned up ACP module configuration
• Internal improvements for stability and consistency

22 March 2026
SmartPreview v1.2.1 Beta – New Topic Button + ACP Settings

• Added ACP settings page for SmartPreview
• Added ACP toggle for Start a Conversation button
• Added default posting forum ID setting
• Start a Conversation button now displays on the SmartPreview page only
• Button respects forum posting permissions
• Button opens the normal phpBB new-topic posting page for the configured forum
• Includes mobile full-width and desktop natural-width behaviour
• Initial styling added, with further polish planned

21 March 2026
SmartPreview v1.2.0 Beta – Clickable Feed & UX Improvements

• Entire topic cards are now clickable (opens topic/first post)
• Entire reply preview blocks are clickable (opens specific reply)
• Reply clicks correctly override topic clicks
• Keyboard accessibility added (Enter / Space support)
• Links inside preview text are no longer directly clickable
• Quotes and embedded content no longer interfere with navigation
• Improved mobile interaction and consistency
• Implemented using delegated JavaScript with minimal template changes
• No controller or database changes

20 March 2026
SmartPreview v1.1.1 Beta – Performance & Stability Improvements

• Optimised unread reply batching (removed N+1 queries)
• Ensured efficient retrieval of first unread reply per topic
• Fixed fallback reply handling for unapproved/hidden posts
• Prevented empty or broken reply preview blocks
• Internal performance and stability improvements
• No visible UI changes