Programmers are a breed unto their own. Pains me to admit I am one, but it gives me purpose. Every now and then I lend a small part of my brain to my hands, which dutifully tap out something resembling software; usually PHP / HTML / Javascript / CSS or some other script-based language such as awk.
I’m also a Textpattern geek. In case you’ve not heard of it, it’s an awesome open-source Content Publishing System for making web sites that are easy to manage and maintain. I’ve written a truckload of sites using it and have contributed a fair few free plugins — under the pseudonym “Bloke” — to the uber-friendly community too. As you’d expect, my TXP code’s often random in nature, since randomimity is the spice of creation.
If you like my code and it makes your site better, feel free to show your appreciation with something from my Amazon wish list or donate to the Stef Dawson community coding pot by following the Donate button below to PayPal. Thanks!
ied_plugin_composer
v0.83 | download | compressed | help | forum
An update to the amazing ied_plugin_composer plugin from Yura Linnyk. Now uses the standard plugin template (plus some neat CSS mods by net-carver), supports Textiled help, Library + Admin only plugins, compressed plugins, minimal rollback/restore and a few other niceties. If you want to create a plugin for Textpattern, this is the tool for you.
smd_calendar
v0.42b | download | compressed | help | forum
A complete calendar and event manager for Textpattern. Each event can be scheduled, repeated, omitted, or cancelled and you can specify national holidays too. A suite of tags (including a conditional tag) allow you to build simple or complex date and event-based web sites. No need for any new tables or paraphernalia in TXP because each event you wish to display on your calendar is a standard Textpattern article, so you can use standard tags to output event details. It's calendarific.
smd_each
v0.12 | download | compressed | help | forum
Allows you to iterate over variables and process each one with a Textpattern form. Very useful for processing user input from an HTML form or simply looping over variables in the TXP core.
smd_fuzzy_find
v0.21 | download | compressed | help | forum
Offer TXP site visitors alternative results for search terms they supplied and mis-spelled or didn't quite type correctly. Not perfect, but pretty reasonable fuzzy logic that usually has a good stab at working out what you meant to type. Fuzz-tastic.
smd_gallery
v0.51 | download | compressed | help | forum
The grand-daddy of Textpattern gallery plugins. There's very little this one can't do: it's a lightbox, no wait, it's a slideshow, no... a fancy image zoomer. Yep, the gallery plugin that allows you to roll your own. Requires javascript knowledge to get the best from it, but once mastered it's hard to put down.
smd_horizon
v0.1 | download | compressed | help | forum
The Textpattern universe is usually limited to traversing visible, posted articles. Not any more. See what is coming over the horizon with this plugin. Tease your audience with any info (even images) from future articles or take a different course of action when you reach the end of a series of articles. The plugin is an enhancement for the tags: link_to_next/prev and if_first/last tag suite.
smd_if
v0.8 | download | compressed | help | forum
Generic conditional logic for doing if this AND that in Textpattern. Compare article id, image, category, section, custom field, url variables, server variables, txp:variables, php variables, files, links, pretty much anything you can get your grubby mitts on. Use operators like begins with, ends with, contains, in, equals, not equal, greater than, etc and compare your fields to any other fields, or fixed text. It's condition-mungous.
smd_lib
v0.36 | download | compressed | help
A library of common functions that glue together various smd_ plugins.
smd_multi_choice
v0.1 | download | compressed | help | forum
A select... case construct for TXP that allows you to compare one variable against a series of values, taking a different action against each match. A default action takes care of the case when none of your options match the input, and you can perform multiple tests for the same action or 'fall through' to subsequent tests. Switch-a-rooga.
smd_pagicle
v0.2 | download | compressed | help | forum
Automatically split long articles into bite-size hunks which visitors can navigate between using a stylable pager. Split by text, regular expression or on particular tags. The whole article is loaded in one go; the various pages are simply hidden from view via jQuery magic. It's page-chompingly handy.
smd_parent
v0.1 | download | compressed | help | forum
Grabs the parent category from any given child in the TXP category tree. With large hierarchies you are not restricted to grabbing the 'root' element but can go any number of levels up the tree to find the category info.
smd_pullquote
v0.1a | download | compressed | help | forum
On magazine and e-zine sites, sound bites and pullquotes are all the rage. The idea is to pull out a bit of the body text and style it in a side bar or breakout box to give visitors a flavour of what the article is about. This plugin does just that by allowing you to mark up your Textpattern articles such that quotes are automatically pulled out. Options are available to omit words to make the quote snappier and to pick random quotes from the entire article.
smd_query
v0.21 | download | compressed | help | forum
If you ever hanker over raw SQL access to the TXP database but just can't face embedding PHP code in your pages, this plugin is the go-between. Throw some SQL at the plugin and iterate over the returned rows to make lists, tables, whatever. Joins and complex gubbins like that are all supported if you need them. Querylicious.
smd_random_banner
v0.41 | download | compressed | help | forum
As its name suggests this one selects random images or banner adverts. With a host of options for including or excluding banners using various article-based criteria, your pages will never be boring again. It also supports banners such as Flash or movie files, and even audio!
smd_random_text
v0.11 | download | compressed | help | forum
Put a little spice on your page with some random text. Not totally random like 'Vegetable delight munch' (though you may choose so), it merely selects one or more items randomly from a list. That list may be made from a variety of sources in the Textpattern install: a user-defined list, a database column, a file, a TXP variable, a TXP field or a URL variable. Static pages are so last week.
smd_remote_file
v0.43 | download | compressed | help | forum
Allows you to handle remote files (such as those you host on file sharing sites like fileden) via the Textpattern Files tab. Very useful if you don't have the bandwidth to offer large videos and mp3s on your own server.
smd_short_url
v0.11 | download | compressed | help | forum
Automatically offer visitors the option of using site.com/ID as a shortcut for your real article titles. Optionally generate the canonical link tag for search engines to find and index. It's canonicaisical.
smd_slimbox
v0.33 | download | compressed | help | forum
This beastie is based on Christophe Beyl's lightweight lightbox clone and is the precursor to the smd_gallery plugin. It rips images by category or ID out of the TXP database, using all manner of nefarious logic to allow lists of images to be created. These are then thumbnailed and put into navigable pages ready for Slimbox/Litebox/Thickbox etc to take over and display them in their full glory.
smd_style
v0.2 | download | compressed | help | forum
Unsheath the full cromulence of your Textpattern stylesheets and present more than one to the world, optionally parsing TXP tags inside the stylesheet itself. Then allow your visitors to switch between them willy-nilly until their eyes glaze over, while a cookie tracks their favourite theme and optimizes the load order to suit their viewing experience. It's switcheraneous.
smd_where_used
v0.19 | download | compressed | help | forum
Keeping the admin side tidy can be a bit of a chore, especially when revisiting sites and updating them. To help keep on top of things, use this plugin to search for things you are not sure are still in use. If there are no references to that item in the Textpattern database you can delete it and keep your admin side less cluttered. Bliss.
Experimental software
If you’re feeling brave, or fancy trying something new, you can test out some of my beta code. It can be found on the plugin beta page.
Legacy software
If, for some inexplicable reason, you need an old version of a plugin, it can probably be found on the plugin archive page.
