Geeklog Plugins: Current Status and Development Priorities

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Geeklog Plugins: Current Status and Development Priorities

I reviewed the main plugins available for Geeklog, including the public repositories from the Geeklog-Plugins organization and the plugins historically distributed with Geeklog.

The objective was to identify:

• what each plugin does;
• whether it is still known or useful;
• its latest known version;
• its declared Geeklog and PHP compatibility;
• the level of modernization required;
• its development priority for Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.1–8.3.

Main findings

The Geeklog ecosystem already covers many important needs:

• content management;
• forums and user interaction;
• media galleries;
• file downloads;
• calendars;
• SEO;
• spam protection;
• analytics;
• newsletters;
• multilingual sites;
• social sharing;
• video management.

The main issue is not the lack of features. It is the age and maintenance status of many plugins.

Several plugins were last updated before PHP 8 became widely used. Even when a plugin is listed as compatible with PHP 8.0, this does not guarantee compatibility with PHP 8.1 or PHP 8.3.

Each plugin therefore needs to be tested with:

• Geeklog 2.2.2;
• PHP 8.1 and PHP 8.3;
• E_ALL error reporting;
• modern security requirements;
• responsive themes;
• multisite configurations;
• UTF-8 and utf8mb4.

Highest development priorities

The following plugins appear to provide the greatest value to the Geeklog community.

Critical

• Spam-X
• Static Pages
• XML Sitemap
• Menu
• Forum
• Media Gallery

These plugins cover essential security, publishing, navigation, SEO, community and media-management features.

High priority

• Autotags
• Ban
• Calendar
• Cookie Consent
• Downloads
• GUS
• Hreflang
• IndexNow
• Maintenance Mode
• Messenger
• Newsletter
• Open Graph Protocol
• reCAPTCHA
• SocialShare
• Tag
• Videos

These plugins support modern publishing, privacy, engagement, analytics and content discovery.

Medium priority

• Amazon Links
• Classifieds
• Contact
• FAQ
• Language Selection
• Links
• Manual Digest
• Maps
• Polls
• Quiz
• Search Rank
• Ticket

These plugins remain useful, but they address more specific use cases.

Plugins that should probably be retired or replaced

Some plugins rely on obsolete technologies or external services that have changed significantly:

• Flashfader;
• jQuery plugin;
• Twitter;
• Twitter Block;
• the archived reCAPTCHA repository.

Bad Behavior 2 may also be less relevant when modern hosting protection, ModSecurity or a web application firewall is already available.

Duplicate or overlapping plugins

Before investing development time, the community should decide which plugin should become the preferred solution when several projects cover similar needs.

Examples include:

• FAQ and FAQ Manager;
• Downloads and Filemgmt;
• Documents and Mediatheque;
• Menu and GLMenu;
• Analytics and GUS;
• Media Gallery and other media-library plugins.

Maintaining one strong implementation may be more useful than maintaining several incomplete alternatives.

Recommended development process

A common validation standard should be applied to every plugin:

1. Support Geeklog 2.2.2.
2. Support PHP 8.1 and PHP 8.3.
3. Remain independent from any specific theme.
4. Validate permissions and CSRF protection.
5. Support UTF-8 and utf8mb4.
6. Work correctly in multisite installations.
7. Use responsive and accessible templates.
8. Produce no warnings or deprecated messages under E_ALL.
9. Include installation, upgrade and uninstall tests.
10. Provide tagged releases, a changelog and a compatibility matrix.

Suggested roadmap

Phase 1: platform stability

• Spam-X
• Static Pages
• XML Sitemap
• Menu
• Forum
• Media Gallery

Phase 2: modern publishing and SEO

• Open Graph Protocol
• Hreflang
• IndexNow
• SocialShare
• Tag
• Downloads

Phase 3: community and engagement

• Messenger
• Newsletter
• Calendar
• FAQ
• Videos
• GUS

Phase 4: specialist plugins

• Classifieds
• Maps
• Quiz
• Ticket
• Contact
• Manual Digest

Community feedback

This inventory is intended as a starting point.

Feedback would be useful on the following questions:

• Which plugins are still actively used?
• Which plugins currently work with Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.1 or PHP 8.3?
• Which plugins should receive priority?
• Which projects should be merged, replaced or retired?
• Are there maintained plugins missing from this inventory?
• Who would be interested in testing or contributing?

The goal is to build a clearer, maintainable and documented plugin ecosystem around Geeklog 2.2.2.

Geeklog Plugin Inventory

This document summarizes the main Geeklog plugins identified in the community, the public repositories of the Geeklog-Plugins organization, and the plugins historically distributed with Geeklog.

Priority levels

• Critical: essential for security, publishing, navigation, SEO, community features, or platform stability.
• High: strong value for modern Geeklog websites.
• Medium: useful for specific types of websites.
• Low: limited audience, overlapping functionality, or reduced relevance.
• Retire: obsolete technology or service; replacement is recommended.

Compatibility information must be treated cautiously. A plugin reported as compatible with PHP 8.0 is not automatically compatible with PHP 8.1 or PHP 8.3. Every plugin should be tested with Geeklog 2.2.2, PHP 8.1 and PHP 8.3, E_ALL, UTF-8/utf8mb4, multisite configurations, and theme-independent templates.

Plugin summary

Plugin	Main purpose	Latest known version	Known compatibility	Development priority	Update required
Amazon Links	Adds contextual Amazon affiliate links to Geeklog content.	Unverified	Modern compatibility must be verified.	Medium	Publish a tagged release, add regional stores, disclosures, link validation and documentation.
Analytics	Adds analytics tracking or site statistics.	Unverified	Exact implementation not identified.	Medium	Identify the plugin, remove Universal Analytics dependencies and add consent-aware tracking.
Autotags	Lets administrators create custom Geeklog autotags.	1.1.3	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	High	Test PHP 8.1/8.3, secure executable tags and modernize the administration interface.
Bad Behavior 2	Blocks suspicious bots and abusive HTTP clients.	Unverified	Modern compatibility unverified.	Low	Prefer server-level protection or a WAF; audit proxies, IPv6 and logging if retained.
Ban	Blocks users, IP addresses or email addresses.	2.0.4	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	High	Add PHP 8.3 tests, IPv6/CIDR support, expiry rules and audit logs.
Calendar	Provides event calendars, submissions, locations and permissions.	1.1.9	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	High	Improve recurrence, time zones, iCalendar support and responsive templates.
Captcha	Protects forms and comments from bots.	Unverified	Legacy compatibility unverified.	Low	Prefer the maintained reCAPTCHA plugin or a provider-independent anti-bot layer.
Classifieds	Publishes categorized classified advertisements.	Unverified	Compatibility unverified.	Medium	Modernize for PHP 8, image handling, moderation, expiry dates and responsive output.
Comment Feeds	Produces RSS or Atom feeds for comments.	Unverified	Compatibility unverified.	Low	Validate demand, privacy, feed output and content sanitization.
Contact	Creates contact forms or contact directories.	Unverified	Compatibility unverified.	Medium	Add CSRF protection, spam controls, rate limits, consent and secure mail handling.
Cookie Consent	Displays and manages cookie consent.	Unverified	Exact implementation not identified.	High	Add consent categories, prior blocking, withdrawal, multilingual content and auditability.
Crowdfunding	Manages fundraising campaigns and contributions.	Unverified	Compatibility unverified.	Low	Requires a complete payment, security and legal review.
Dokuwiki	Integrates DokuWiki with Geeklog.	1.9.0	Reported incompatible with PHP 8.0.	Low	Major rewrite for current DokuWiki APIs, PHP 8.3 and Geeklog authentication.
Documents	Manages documents or downloadable publications.	Unverified	Exact implementation not identified.	Medium	Compare with Downloads and Filemgmt before investing.
Domains	Manages multiple domains or domain-based content/configuration.	Unverified	Exact implementation not identified.	Medium	Audit multisite conflicts and enforce strict host validation.
Downloads	Provides categorized file downloads and submissions.	1.2.3.1	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	High	Add PHP 8.3 tests, MIME validation, secure storage, checksums and upload protections.
FAQ	Publishes frequently asked questions by category.	1.2.0.2	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	Medium	Add structured data, accessibility, ordering and PHP 8.3 tests.
FAQ Manager	Alternative FAQ management plugin.	0.9.2	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	Low	Decide whether FAQ or FAQ Manager should become the preferred solution.
Filemgmt	Provides advanced file management and approval workflows.	Unverified	Compatibility unverified.	Medium	Compare with Downloads and consider a migration path instead of maintaining both.
Flashfader	Displays Flash-based image slideshows.	Unverified	Obsolete in modern browsers.	Retire	Replace completely with accessible HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
Flickr	Displays Flickr images, albums or feeds.	Unverified	Compatibility unverified.	Low	Update Flickr API integration, OAuth, caching and responsive image handling.
Forum	Provides categories, topics, replies and moderation.	2.9.4	Reported incompatible with Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0.	Critical	Major modernization, security audit, responsive templates, notifications and migration tests.
GLMenu	Legacy navigation and menu manager.	Unverified	Compatibility unverified.	Low	Migrate to Menu or a modern shared navigation system.
GUS	Records visitors, page views, referrals and usage statistics.	1.7.6.2	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	High	Add privacy controls, retention rules, bot filtering and PHP 8.3 tests.
Hello	Demonstration plugin for Geeklog developers.	Unverified	Legacy example.	Medium	Regenerate it with the current Plugin Toolkit and Geeklog 2.2.2 standards.
Hreflang	Adds multilingual and regional alternate URL metadata.	Project-specific	Intended for Geeklog 2.2.2; validation required.	High	Validate canonical links, reciprocal hreflang, sitemaps and multisite behavior.
IndexNow	Submits updated URLs to IndexNow-compatible search engines.	Unverified	Modern target; formal matrix not published.	High	Add tagged releases, queues, retry handling, secure key management and plugin hooks.
jQuery	Supplies jQuery to older plugins and themes.	Unverified	Legacy utility.	Retire	Remove the dependency where possible and avoid distributing an outdated jQuery version.
Language Selection	Lets users select the site language.	1.1.1	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	Medium	Add locale validation, persistent selection, accessibility and hreflang coordination.
Links	Provides a categorized web directory.	2.1.8	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	Medium	Add broken-link checks, metadata improvements, spam protection and responsive cards.
Maintenance Mode	Temporarily blocks public access while administrators work.	Unverified	Modern target; formal matrix not published.	High	Add HTTP 503, retry headers, allowlists, tagged releases and multisite-safe configuration.
Manual Digest	Lets administrators manually generate or send email digests.	Unverified	Compatibility unverified.	Medium	Modernize email templates, previews, queues, recipient selection, logs and unsubscribe handling.
Maps	Displays maps, markers and location-based content.	Unverified	Modern compatibility unverified.	Medium	Replace old map APIs, add provider abstraction, privacy controls and PHP 8.3 support.
Media Gallery	Manages media albums, images and thumbnails.	1.7.2.5	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	Critical	Add PHP 8.3 validation, WebP/AVIF, metadata security, upload handling and responsive output.
Mediatheque	Manages a media or document library.	Unverified	Exact implementation not identified.	Low	Clarify its difference from Media Gallery, Documents, Downloads and Filemgmt.
Menu	Creates configurable navigation menus.	1.2.8.1	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	Critical	Add accessible nested navigation, responsive output, caching and theme-independent templates.
Messenger	Provides private user-to-user messaging.	1.9.6	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	High	Add abuse controls, quotas, notifications, privacy tools and responsive conversations.
Monitor	Monitors site activity or system events.	Unverified	Compatibility unverified.	Low	Inspect the code and avoid duplicating server monitoring or Geeklog logs.
Multi	Adds multisite, multilingual or multi-domain behavior.	Unverified	Exact implementation not identified.	Low	Inspect carefully for conflicts with current multisite configurations.
Net Tools	Provides network-related utilities.	2.1.4	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	Low	Remove obsolete services, add timeouts, validate input and prevent SSRF.
Newsletter	Manages subscribers, campaigns and email delivery.	Unverified	Compatibility unverified.	High	Add consent, unsubscribe, queues, bounce handling, privacy controls and delivery logs.
OGP	Adds Open Graph metadata for social platforms.	1.2.2	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	High	Add PHP 8.3 tests, Twitter Cards, fallback images and plugin content hooks.
PayPal	Adds payments, donations or transactions through PayPal.	Unverified	Legacy compatibility unverified.	Low	Rewrite for current PayPal APIs, webhooks, signature validation and transaction logging.
Polls	Creates polls and voting results.	2.2.1	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	Medium	Improve accessibility, abuse protection, charts and responsive templates.
Quiz	Creates quizzes, questions and scores.	Unverified	Compatibility unverified.	Medium	Modernize for PHP 8, question types, grading, CSRF protection and import/export.
reCAPTCHA	Protects forms with Google reCAPTCHA.	1.2.4	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	High	Test PHP 8.3, add alternative providers, privacy options and graceful failure.
Search Rank	Records and ranks site search terms.	1.2.2	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	Medium	Add privacy filtering, bot exclusion, retention controls and improved reports.
SocialShare	Adds privacy-friendly social sharing controls.	Project-specific	Intended for modern Geeklog; validation required.	High	Avoid third-party trackers, add native sharing and support plugin-generated content.
Spam-X	Provides modular anti-spam filtering.	1.3.6	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	Critical	Add PHP 8.3 tests, URL normalization, IPv6 support, rate limits and false-positive controls.
Sphere	Exact function not reliably identified.	Unverified	Compatibility unverified.	Low	Inspect the source before assigning development work.
Static Pages	Creates standalone pages with permissions and optional PHP.	1.7.3	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	Critical	Review PHP execution security, add revisions, SEO metadata and PHP 8.3 validation.
Tag	Adds user-defined tags to stories and static pages.	Unverified	Modern compatibility unverified.	High	Add PHP 8.3 support, clean URLs, tag merging, search integration and permissions.
Theatre	Manages shows, screenings or cultural programs.	Unverified	Exact implementation not identified.	Low	Define the real use case before development.
Theme Editor	Edits theme files from Geeklog administration.	Unverified	Compatibility unverified.	Low	Prefer Git and local development; restrict files, permissions and backups if retained.
Ticket	Provides support ticket or request tracking.	Unverified	Compatibility unverified.	Medium	Add workflows, notifications, attachments, audit trails, permissions and spam controls.
Twitter	Publishes content to Twitter/X or integrates account activity.	Unverified	Likely incompatible with current X APIs.	Retire	Replace with a generic social publishing or webhook system only if needed.
Twitter Block	Displays an X/Twitter timeline in a block.	Unverified	Legacy widgets and APIs are likely obsolete.	Retire	Replace with a simple external link or an officially supported embed.
Videos	Provides YouTube discovery, catalogue, playback, ratings and recommendations.	0.17.1 development	Targeted to Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.1+; PHP 8.3 validation required.	High	Complete testing, quota handling, privacy review, documentation and a stable release roadmap.
vThemes	Lets users or contexts switch Geeklog themes.	Unverified	Modern compatibility unverified.	Low	Check whether Geeklog and modern themes already cover the use case.
XML Sitemap	Generates XML sitemaps for Geeklog content.	2.0.3	Geeklog 2.2.2 and PHP 8.0 reported.	Critical	Add PHP 8.3 tests, sitemap indexes, accurate lastmod, plugin hooks and hreflang support.