ClassicPress Version 2.2 is Out!

We’re delighted to announce the release of ClassicPress version 2.2. This is a feature enhancement and maintenance release with many exciting new features.

Media Library

Many of the new features provide major enhancements to the media library. It is, for example, now possible to Quick Edit and Bulk Edit media file attachments on the Media Library List page, just as is already possible with any post or page.

New columns have also been added to the Media List View, so that it is now possible to see where each media file is used on the site. In addition to the “Uploaded to” column that we inherited from WordPress, we have now added a column that shows on which posts or pages the file is being used as a featured image, and a further column to show where it is being used within the body of the post or page.

Media Settings

Another new feature enables the uploading of media files by media category instead of by year (added in version 2.1) or the other two options inherited from WordPress. This can be chosen by going to Settings -> Media page, choosing the appropriate radio button in answer to the question “How do you want your uploads organized?” and then hitting Save Changes. Naturally, this feature requires that you have already created at least one media category, which can be done by going to Media -> Media Category.

If you choose the option to upload by media category, a dropdown will then appear on the Media Library List, Grid, and Add New pages so that you can choose which category you would like the new file added to. Please remember to select the appropriate category before performing the upload!

There’s also another new setting on the Settings -> Media page. This one asks you to choose whether you want to enable attachment pages. If your site is essentially a forum for displaying uploaded files, like a photographer’s site showing off photographs, you will probably want to keep this box checked. (It’s the default setting because that was what WordPress always did in the past.) For most sites, though, it’s better to uncheck this box. Again, don’t forget to hit Save Changes after you make a new choice!

Object Relationships Table

For a long time, people have been complaining that, apart from posts and categories (or tags), WordPress provides no easy method of relating things to each other. That’s no longer an issue in ClassicPress. We now ship with two new database tables, object_relationships and object_relationshipmeta.

These make it possible to relate any object in ClassicPress to any other object. All that’s needed are the object types of the two items and the ID of at least one of them. The relevant functions are contained in the file ~/wp-includes/object-relationships.php

In fact, ClassicPress core already makes use of this table. It is how we record where media files are used in posts and pages.

Security Enhancements

Another significant new feature is that passwords are now hashed (i.e. one-way encrypted) with the bcrypt algorithm by default. This is far stronger than the algorithm previously used, but we have also provided an option to enhance security even further through the use of a plugin that will add a pepper before hashing takes place. (This is in addition to the salt that’s already used.) There will be a blog post on how to use this plugin in the next week or two.

Deprecations

Several libraries have been deprecated in version 2.2, but don’t worry! Deprecation notices are only ever shown to administrators, and your site will continue to work even if such notices appear.

A deprecation notice serves as an early warning that the library may be removed from ClassisPress when we get to version 3.0. So it gives you plenty of time to update to more modern technology. We’ll be publishing further posts on here in the next few weeks, explaining how to do that.

So Much More!

This summary only scratches the surface of all the improvements and upgrades in ClassicPress version 2.2! A full list can be found on the ClassicPress forums.

Contributors

In no particular order the following people have contributed to this ClassicPress release:
xxsimoxx
KTS915
mattyrob
EliteStarServices
tradesouthwest