.gitignore

@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-config/config.json
-config/about_page.htmlbody
-
-# nano
-.swp

README.md

@@ -4,49 +4,104 @@ This is the source code for the ThreadR Forum Engine, rewritten in Go. ThreadR i
 
 ## Project Overview
 
-ThreadR was originally started as a school project in 2019 with the aim of creating a hybrid between a forum and a social media platform. It was built with PHP and (back then still) MySQL.
+Originally started as a school project in 2019 with the aim of creating a hybrid between a forum and a social media platform, ThreadR was temporarily abandoned after school ended. Revived in 2020, the project shifted focus to become a fully functional, portable, and open-source forum engine under the Apache 2.0 license.
-After we finished school, it was temporarily abandoned. An attempt was made to revive it in 2020, open-sourcing the code and making some things configurable, but not much else happened.
-Here we are now, with a full rewrite in Go started in 2025.
 
-## Project Setup
+### Current Goals
+- [ ] Bring ThreadR back online (see issue #2)
+- [ ] Go FOSS by making the source code publicly available (see issue #5)
+- [ ] Ensure portability for easy setup of personal instances
+- [ ] Implement core forum features (sign-up, board creation, threads, messages, profiles)
 
-This is for development only. Currently, ThreadR is not ready for production use.
+### Future Features
+- Anonymous posting with unique per-thread identifiers for registered users
+- Thread subscription and notifications for new messages (opt-out available)
+- "Split thread here" functionality for focused discussions
+- Automatic loading of new messages in threads (opt-out in settings)
+- Question threads with an "accept answer" feature
+- Nuanced like/dislike system (limited functionality, inspired by StackExchange)
+
+**Note:** ThreadR is now technically host-independent with configurable settings, though it remains a work in progress (WIP).
+
+## Installation
+
+ThreadR is in early development, and setup is currently manual. Automated setup scripts will be added in the future.
 
 ### Prerequisites
-
+This guide assumes you are on a UNIX-like system with the following installed:
-- UNIX-like OS
+- Apache with PHP (may work with other web servers)
-- Go (golang)
+- MySQL or MariaDB
-- Mariadb
+- Python 3
+- Bash
 
 ### Setup Steps
+1. Clone this repository into a directory accessible by your web server but outside any web root.
+2. Create a MySQL/MariaDB database with the tables listed below.
+3. Add a dedicated MySQL/MariaDB user for ThreadR and grant usage privileges for the tables.
+4. Symlink the `build/` directory to your desired web root location (ThreadR does not support direct web root linking).
+5. Adjust configuration files in the `config/` directory to match your setup.
+6. Run `./deployment-script.sh` to apply the configuration.
+7. Optionally, symlink `build/redirect_home.html` to redirect specific locations to ThreadR.
 
-1. Create a mariadb user and database for ThreadR (the names can be changed):
+### Database Schema
-```sql
+- **boards**
-CREATE USER threadr IDENTIFIED BY 'super secure password';
+  - `id` (int, primary key, auto increment)
-CREATE DATABASE `threadr`;
+  - `name` (varchar)
-GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON `threadr`.* TO 'threadr';
+  - `user_friendly_name` (varchar)
-```
+  - `private` (boolean or tinyint(1))
-2. Create a config file: In the `config` subdirectory, `cp config.json.sample config.json` and edit it to suit your needs.
+  - `public_visible` (boolean or tinyint(1))
-3. Create an about page: Also in the `config` subdirectory, `cp about_page.htmlbody.sample about_page.htmlbody` and edit it to suit your needs.
+- **posts**
+  - `id` (int, primary key, auto increment)
+  - `board_id` (int)
+  - `user_id` (int)
+  - `post_time` (timestamp, default current_timestamp())
+  - `edit_time` (timestamp, nullable, default null, on update current_timestamp())
+  - `content` (text, nullable, default null)
+  - `attachment_hash` (bigint(20), nullable, default null)
+  - `attachment_name` (varchar, nullable, default null)
+  - `title` (varchar)
+  - `reply_to` (int, default -1)
+- **profiles** (usage TBD)
+  - `id` (smallint, primary key, index)
+  - `email` (varchar, index, likely unique)
+  - `display_name` (varchar)
+  - `status` (varchar)
+  - `about` (long varchar)
+  - `website` (varchar)
+- **users**
+  - `id` (smallint, primary key)
+  - `name` (varchar, index, likely unique)
+  - `authentication_string` (varchar(128))
+  - `authentication_salt` (varchar)
+  - `authentication_algorithm` (varchar)
+  - `time_created` (timestamp, default current_timestamp())
+  - `time_altered` (timestamp, default current_timestamp(), on update current_timestamp())
+  - `verified` (boolean or tinyint(1), default 0)
 
 ## Running the Application
-
+To start the ThreadR server, run the following command after configuration:
-After configuration, run the following command once to initialize the DB:
 ```
-go run main.go --initialize
+go run ./main.go
-```
-To start the ThreadR server, run this:
-```
-go run main.go
 ```
 The server will start on port 8080 by default.
 
-## Contributing
+## Project Structure
+- **src/**: Core ThreadR source files
+- **build/**: Placeholder for deployment, contains a working instance after running the deployment script
+- **config/**: Configuration files for specific ThreadR instances
+- **macros/**: Files for use with the variable grabbler script
+- **static/**: Static assets (CSS, images) for the web interface
+- **templates/**: HTML templates for rendering pages
+- **handlers/**: HTTP request handlers for various routes
+- **models/**: Database models and interaction logic
+- **deployment_script.sh**: Script for code variable replacement and deployment tasks
+- **variable_grabbler.py**: Custom macro processor for configuration
+- **LICENSE.md**: Apache 2.0 license details
+- **NOTICE**: Copyright notice in plain text
 
-We welcome contributions! Please join our Discord server to get in touch: [discord.gg/r3w3zSkEUE](https://discord.gg/r3w3zSkEUE).
+## Contributing
+We welcome contributions! Please discuss ideas or issues in the GitHub issues section or join our Discord server for real-time communication: [discord.gg/r3w3zSkEUE](https://discord.gg/r3w3zSkEUE).
 
 ## License
-
 ThreadR is licensed under the Apache 2.0 License. See [LICENSE.md](./LICENSE.md) for details.
 
-**Authors:** BodgeMaster, Jocadbz
+**Authors:** BodgeMaster, Jocadbz

config/about.template

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+<p>
+  Hello there! This is the official ThreadR instance provided by the ThreadR development team.
+</p>
+<h2>
+  What is ThreadR?
+</h2>
+<p>
+  ThreadR is a free and open-source forum engine. That means you can download
+  it and host an instance of ThreadR on your own web server to run your own forum.
+</p>
+<p>
+  The project originated as a school project in 2019 with the goal of building
+  a forum. When we finished school, the project was abandoned and eventually taken down.
+  A year later, we decided to revive it and started working on it again. Now that school
+  is over and we don&apos;t necessarily have a a reason to run our own forum anymore,
+  we shifted the project goal to building a FOSS forum engine.
+</p>
+<h2>
+  Who are we?
+</h2>
+<p>
+  We are a small group of (hobby) developers working on ThreadR in our free time.
+  To get in touch, ... uhh ... There will be a way once ThreadR is fully functional.
+  For now, you can find us on Discord: <a href="https://discord.gg/r3w3zSkEUE"> discord.gg/r3w3zSkEUE </a>
+</p>

config/about_page.htmlbody.sample

@@ -1,31 +0,0 @@
-<main>
-  <header>
-    <h2>About ThreadR</h2>
-  </header>
-  <section>
-    <p>
-      This is a ThreadR development instance. Beep beep. Boop boop.
-    </p>
-    <p>
-      If you see this message in a production environment (aka. a Forum that is actually being used), kindly tell the admin that they forgot to change the about page. :)
-    </p>
-    <h2>
-      What is ThreadR?
-    </h2>
-    <p>
-      ThreadR is a free and open-source forum engine. That means you can download
-      it and host an instance of ThreadR on your own web server to run your own forum.
-      It originated in 2019 as a school project and has died twice since.
-      Currently, the project is being rewritten in Go with (hopefully) less ugly hacks.
-    </p>
-    <h2>
-      Who dis?
-    </h2>
-    <p>
-      Depends.<br />
-      If this site is hosted on a LostCave domain, then it&apos;s probably us, the developers.
-      For now, you can find us on Discord: <a href="https://discord.gg/r3w3zSkEUE">discord.gg/r3w3zSkEUE</a><br />
-      If it isn&apos;t on a LostCave domain, then this site belongs to some lazy admin who forgot to change the about page.
-    </p>
-  </section>
-</main>

handlers/about.go

@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ func AboutHandler(app *App) http.HandlerFunc {
         loggedIn := session.Values["user_id"] != nil
         cookie, _ := r.Cookie("threadr_cookie_banner")
 
-        aboutContent, err := ioutil.ReadFile("config/about_page.htmlbody")
+        aboutContent, err := ioutil.ReadFile("config/about.template")
         if err != nil {
-            log.Printf("Error reading about_page.htmlbody: %v", err)
+            log.Printf("Error reading about.template: %v", err)
             http.Error(w, "Internal Server Error", http.StatusInternalServerError)
             return
         }
@@ -43,4 +43,4 @@ func AboutHandler(app *App) http.HandlerFunc {
             return
         }
     }
-}
+}

templates/pages/about.html

@@ -7,8 +7,15 @@
 </head>
 <body>
     {{template "navbar" .}}
-    {{.AboutContent}}
+    <main>
+        <header>
+            <h2>About ThreadR</h2>
+        </header>
+        <section>
+            {{.AboutContent}}
+        </section>
+    </main>
     {{template "cookie_banner" .}}
 </body>
 </html>
-{{end}}
+{{end}}