This repository is a collection of the minecraftforum.net rules, both global and sectional.
I chose to use Markdown because Markdown is easy to write, that's what it was designed for. Although BBCode isn't /difficult/ to write it can be annoying, it creates extra stuff in the way of the text when reading. It's much easier to read:
### Title here
This is some text [with a url](http://google.com)
Than it is:
[size=6][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Title here[/font][/size]
This is some text [url="http://google.com"]with a url[/url]
Full markdown documentation can be found here. There is also a utility for testing markdown available here: http://michelf.ca/projects/php-markdown/dingus/
A brief summary of the relevant markdown:
[title](http://link.com)
<http://link.com>
# Heading
* list item #1
* list item #2
* sub-list item #1
* sub-sub list item #1
* list item #3
A single destination to find all rules that includes sectional rules. When the global rules are updated the message on the forum is updated to tell a user they need to read the updated rules. When a user reads the rules it will update their "last read" value to the latest commit (time, or id?)
When posting a new post if the sectional rules have changed then the changes to the rules will be shown on the screen above the post box with the user required(?) to acknowledge the new rules.
This is a markdown file that contains the actual rules. The deploy process will convert from markdown to bbcode.
# Section Title
## Sub title
### Sub Sub titleThere should only be one "Sectional title" in the document.
PLEASE NOTE: each heading MUST be totally unique. If a heading already exists and you make another it will not be usable for the jump to and linking. For example if someone has already done
### Posting Restrictions
and you do
## Posting Restrictions
it won't work! don't do that! If you have to add an extra word or something, do that!
- Topics are topics (not threads)
- Address users as members, NO: "Users should always...", YES: "Members should always..."
- Do not use colons in headings, NO: "Restrictions:", YES: "Restrictions"
- List items should not end with a full stop (unless it's the paragraph description of the item)
- Do not address the user, NO: "You cannot bump threads", YES: "Bumping threads is not allowed"
- Refer to minecraftforum.net as "we". NO: "minecraftforun.net staff will..." YES: "We will..."
- Try to use links as rarely as possible. Rules should be easy to read without any need to navigate away. Links are okay as long as they are necessary and provide value that cannot (reasonably) provided within the rules.
- Use 2 hyphens for a dash, NO: -, YES: --
- Positive framing, if a an issue can be presented in a positive way, do that. YES: "Do post in a polite manner", NO: "Don't be a dick!"
- (as above) Explain why an issue is good for the user, NO: "Search because if you don't people will shout at you", YES: "Search, it will get you an answer faster!"
- Plain English, rules should be understandable by anyone of any age (with a passable level of English). If a word can be open to interpretation don't use it!
- List items with a description should have the description as a paragraph and the title in bold (using 2 underscores):
NO:
* Be Nice -- Every member deserves to be treated with respect
* Search -- Search before posting...YES:
* __Be Nice__
Every member deserves to be treated with respect
* __Search__
Search before posting...- Frequently new line, having long sentences that extend way beyond any reasonable text editors screen size is unreasonable. The Markdown parser will treat double enters as a new line; a single return will not trigger a new line.
* This will all
show on one line
instead of across multiple lines
Produces:
- This will all show on one line instead of across multiple lines
This will
show across
multiple lines
Produces:
This will
show across
multiple lines
Each section should have a folder which contains meta.json and rules.markdown.
The folder should be titled as the section is, all lowercase with underscores separating each word. For example show_your_creations, servers, game_modes.
{
"id":"0", // forum id,
"position":"0", // position of the rules in the list
"title":"Global Rules", // title of the section
"last_updated":"2012-08-23 17:47", // last updated (BST)
"hidden":"0" // 1 or 0. If 1 rules won't be compiled
}For example Show Your Creation would be:
{
"id":"58",
"position":"1",
"title":"Show Your Creation",
"last_updated":"2012-08-23 17:47",
"hidden":"0"
}Deployment process does the following:
- Combine all the individual rules into 1
- Build the contents using the headings to decide where everything goes
- Parse markdown into HTML
Rule View Field ID: field_16
All rule changes are manually outputted into the page like:
<div id="rules">
<div id="rule_{time}">Summary of rule changed</div>
</div>Then they are collected into an array based on time; each one is compared against the last rule viewed time, if it's greater than then it's hidden.
If a user hasn't ever viewed the rules before then a simple summary is displayed
- Update the live version of the site to match the repository version
- Run "{app_url}/compile/{key}"
- Copy the output
- Add the output to the group flash menu (in position #1)
- THAT'S IT! (hopefully)
- improved styling of the rules
- sectional rules having their own page to reference to
- glossary?
- security? maybe like, fake encryption on the URL string? but this is open source so that's like something dumb...
- "change log"? Directory of changes since last visit
<!--
citricsquid's magical -- and terrible system for showing rule updates
forgive me for my sins
-->
<style>
#citric_rules_box{
padding:10px;
}
#citric_rules_box p{
padding:5px 0;
}
#citric_rules_box h3{
margin-bottom:5px;
}
#citric_updated_rules_list li{
list-style-type:square;
margin-left:15px;
}
#citric_updated_rules_list > li{
display:none;
}
</style>
<div id="citric_rules_box" style="display:none;">
<div id="citric_rules_new_user" style="display:none;">
<h3>Welcome to minecraftforum.net {name}</h3>
<p>
Please make sure to read through our rules before posting. If you
have any questions or concerns you can contact a member of the staff
<a href="#">here</a>. This message will be hidden after you read the
rules. When new rules are added or previous rules updated this
message will return.
</p>
<ul class="topic_buttons" style="margin-left:-10px; margin-top:20px;">
<li style="float:left;"><a href="http://rules.mcf.li/changes/0/{member_id}/secure:" title="View Full Rules">View Rules</a></li>
</ul>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
</div>
<div id="citric_rules_updated" style="display:none;">
<h3>Minecraftforum.net rules have been updated</h3>
<p>Summaries of each change since you last reviewed our rules are as follows:</p>
<!-- updates here -->
<ul id="citric_updated_rules_list">
<li id="1345956772" style="display:none;">Profanity is no longer allowed in any capacity (2012-08-26)</li>
<li id="1345956779" style="display:none;">Support threads must contain a debug output (2012-08-24)</li>
</ul>
<p>
Please spend a couple of minutes reviewing our updated rules.
</p>
<ul class="topic_buttons" style="margin-left:-10px; margin-top:10px;">
<li style="float:left;"><a href="http://rules.mcf.li/changes/{field_16}/{member_id}/secure:{field_17}" title="View Full Rules">View Updated Rules</a></li>
</ul>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
var last_rule_view = parseInt("{field_16}");
if(isNaN(last_rule_view)) {
jQuery('#citric_rules_new_user').show();
jQuery('#citric_rules_box').show();
} else {
jQuery('#citric_updated_rules_list').children().each(function(){
if(jQuery(this).attr("id") > last_rule_view) {
jQuery(this).show();
jQuery('#citric_rules_updated').show();
jQuery('#citric_rules_box').show();
}
});
}
</script>
if you want to run this for whatever reason it needs:
- redis
- php-redis https://github.com/nicolasff/phpredis
- php5
- php5-curl