The myPHP Guestbook V. 4.10.9 is a quick and easy to manage guestbook. PHP 7.4 or higher (tested up to PHP 8.3) with MySQLi support and a MySQL database 5.x or 8.0 are required for operation.
The guestbook entries on the one hand and the form for new inputs on the other hand are placed on two separate pages, which are either integrated into a page with the layout of your website project via an embedded inline frame or, if you know a little about the handling of the corresponding source code, you can insert it into two prepared pages of your project.
The administration of the guestbook and entries is carried out in the separately accessible, password/access-protected Admin Control Panel with 2-factor authentication if desired. Of course, after the initial installation a corresponding configuration is already available, so that the guestbook will be displayed without any further changes/editing, as it is shown on the demo page here.
The myPHP Guestbook V. 4.10.9 offers the following main features:
- Data protection: No personal data is automatically collected by the script, except for those entered by the user himself in the guestbook.
myPHP Guestbook can be set up in the Admin Area in such a way that the script neither sets any cookies on the visitor's computer nor processes (records and/or saves) any IPs. - In this case, however, not all functions of the guestbook are available.
If cookies and/or the processing of IPs are necessary, depending on the functionality selected, the privacy of the user is also protected:
If necessary, only technically necessary session cookies without any personal data are set on the visitor's computer. The cookie, that is set when the search or quote function is enabled, contains only a session ID. If the individual language selection is activated by the visitor, it is possible that the setting of a cookie for a changed language must be expressly agreed by the visitor.
As far as IPs are processed, this is usually not done in plain text, but only anonymously in abbreviated form and additionally as a one-way hash algorithm. These character strings are not traceable. Only in the case of entries identified as spam, the IP is secured in plain text for a limited period of time, which serves to protect legitimate interests.
- Conversion of the database connection to MySQLi; future-proof for PHP of today and tomorrow.
- Responsive web design: HTML source code and CSS of the script have been rewritten in such a way that the guestbook is also displayed in an optimized way on mobile devices by automatically adapting the layout and content to the respective browser window width.
- Protection against spambots without captcha by a spam filter, which checks the most different typical features of spam entries and automatically discards identified messages; for this purpose, you can enter "spam words" in a list yourself as an Admin, after which the program searches through the text and, if necessary, prevents publication when saving a guest message. Or you can determine the number of links a guest may place in his guestbook entry (can be switched on or off).
- Optional photo upload function with which a guest can upload graphics files in JPG or PNG format quickly and easily from their own computer to a folder of the guestbook script and display them in their contribution (can be switched on or off). For security reasons, newly uploaded photos will be replaced by a placeholder until they are checked and activated by the Admin.
- The number of photo uploads per post can be freely selected and set by the Admin between 1 and 10.
- Quote function: The guest can quote an existing guestbook entry quickly and easily by clicking on it, for a comfortable answer or discussion (can be switched on or off).
- Star rating function (can be switched on and off). If this function is activated, the guest can rate a guestbook entry with a click between 1 and 5 stars, comparable e. g. to Amazon's article rating. The stars are then displayed in the guestbook entry. The text for what is to be evaluated can be defined by the Admin almost arbitrarily. If desired, the average value of all submitted ratings can be displayed by clicking on the stars in the guestbook entry.
- With version 4.10.0, a search function has been added that allows users to search for entries in the guestbook, e.g. by user name, date of entries or content of text contributions as well as Admin comments. (can be switched off and on)
- The guest can also indicate his or her origin (place and/or country) in his or her contribution (can be switched on or off).
- Multilanguage: Language selection for the guestbook centrally in the Admin Control Panel or, if desired, individually by the guest himself: German - English - French - Dutch - Italian - Polish - Portuguese - Swedish - Slovak - Czech.
- Single entries can be linked and called up separately. (optional)
- Insert your own homepage banner and/or a freely editable greeting text. After the installation, two examples are preinstalled, which can be edited in the Admin Panel at will.
- The guest can now add a "Subject" or a heading to his posting (can be switched on or off). The name of the input field for the "Subject"-entry can freely be modified in the Admin Panel.
- Ability to set the entry of an e-mail address of the contributor as a required field (can be switched on or off)..
- Ability to hide entered e-mail addresses so that they are not shown on the public guestbook page (can be switched on or off).
- In order to make it more difficult for automatic e-mail grabbers to retrieve (published) e-mail addresses, e-mail addresses entered in the corresponding entry field of the guestbook are not displayed in plain text; on the visible page, only a corresponding e-mail icon is displayed, in the source code of the page an ASCII coding is used for display.
- All input fields in the form for the entry of guestbook messages, with the exception of those for the name and the guest's contribution, can be shown or hidden separately in the Admin Area with one click each. If only one of the adjacent input fields is deactivated, the remaining field automatically extend over the entire width of the form to obtain an uniform appearance.
- The guest can be offered the possibility of deciding for his or her entry whether he or she wants to be informed automatically by e-mail about an answer to his or her entry (can be switched on and off).
- The guest can format his or her contribution by using BBCodes; the BBCodes can be inserted by simply clicking on the corresponding graphic button at the cursor position in the text or before or after the text position marked with the mouse (can be switched on or off).
- The guest who has written an entry in the guestbook and entered his or her e-mail address will automatically receive a "thank you e-mail" (can be switched on or off); the text of this e-mail can be written individually in the Admin Control Panel.
- Links to other websites can only be inserted into a post from v. 4.3.1 onwards if BBCodes are activated and even then only by using a newly created input mask that delivers the required code. Without this code, the user will be issued with a warning message and the storage of the contribution will be prevented. This alone will prevent more than 3/4 of all spam entries in advance, as spambots have nothing else in mind but to distribute links and are not programmed to use separate input masks. The miserable rest of spam bots, which overcomes this hurdle, fails because of the spam filter.
- The guest can insert Emojis in his or her contribution by simply clicking where the cursor is in the text field and not always stubbornly at the end of the entry (can be switched on or off).
- Preview-function: The guest can preview his or her post as often as he or she wishes before saving it.
- Ability to set the minimum and maximum total length of a guestbook entry (can be switched on or off). If this option is activated in the Admin Area, the writer will be dynamically shown how many characters he can enter. If the post exceeds the Admin's upper limit, you will see how much has to be shortened. The contribution length is checked with a combination of JS and PHP; JS to increase usability, PHP to increase security.
- The tendency of some jokers to "decorate" their guestbook entry with pointless repetitions of characters (e. g. a dozen question or exclamation marks or similar) or to inflate it by just as pointless repetitions of line breaks in a page-filling manner was blocked by setting an automatic upper limit to three repetitions. (only for guest entries, not within Admin comments).
- Badwords filter - As an Admin you enter unwanted expressions of strength or unlawful/obscone/racist terms in a list, which are then automatically replaced by the program with asterisks (***).
- Template management and ...
- ... CSS style management to create completely new individual designs for each homepage.
- A total of thirteen ready-made new and valid Templates including CS-Styles, which represent the guestbook visually different in each case, are installed and can be freely selected or changed according to the individual taste; the different views/representations can be tried out here on the demo page of the guestbook.
- The desired font (Arial, Times New Roman etc.), font size and font colors including individual colors for links (normal and hover state) can be set in the Admin Panel with a few clicks without having to change the CSS.
- The links to the entry form on the page with the guestbook entries can be designed with one click either as text link or as HTML-button or even completely hidden ("Blog mode").
- E-mail to the Admin and up to three additional e-mail addresses if necessary in case of new entry in the guestbook with the possibility of a "1-Click"activation or "1-Click"deactivation of the entry, e.g. even in the absence of the Administrator via a smartphone via a web link in the notification e-mail; - if necessary, uploaded photos can also be activated by clicking on the link in the e-mail. A previous login to the Admin Area is not required; (can be turned on or off).
- The guestbook can also be operated as a blog, travel diary or similar without the possibility of external entries.
- Backup of the guestbook entries and the data of any photo uploads with automatic e-mail transmission of the zipped Backup files to the Admin.
- On the entry and Backup administration pages in the Admin Area, a warning message will now be issued, if no Backup of guestbook entries has been created or the last Backup is older than the last entry in the guestbook.
- Recovery of guestbook entries and database entries of photo uploads directly from a zipped Backup.
- Guestbook statistics (can be switched on or off). From the date of the program installation or the restart of the statistics collection, visitors and page views are recorded and counted up. In addition, the last 15 days are recorded and displayed individually. The database is automatically cleaned from older entries.
- Simple, script-controlled installation or just an update of the database with receipt of all existing guestbook entries (update from version 3.0.0 or higher).
- Browse function: In the Admin Area, you set the number of guestbook entries to be displayed on a page yourself; if there are more entries in the guestbook than are to be displayed on a page after this, additional pages are automatically created between which you can browse back and forth.
- The program checks the correct syntax of an e-mail address and/or homepage entered by the guest during a new entry in the guestbook.
- So-called "Anti Flood Protection": After the entry in the guestbook, the visitor is prevented from further entries for a (adjustable) period of time, e. g. 5 or 10 minutes, in order to complicate or prevent automated mass entries.
- The program locks HTML code in entries (can be switched on or off)..
- Editing of entries by the Admin.
- If desired, add admin comments to guestbook entries; if required, photos can also be added to such Admin comments.
- The complete guestbook can be temporarily deactivated by clicking through the Admin.
- Possibility to moderate guestbook entries; this means that entries have to be activated by the Admin before they are displayed (can be switched on or off).
- Ability to set the maximum word length. This function has been fundamentally reworked with v. 4.5.6, so that the Admin can now enter realistic maximum lengths of uninterrupted strings (e. g. 30-40 pieces), after which the program automatically inserts a blank character and thus allows a line break without destroying URLs and similar long strings at the same time.
- If the guestbook is operated in an access-protected member area, the spam protection and the need to release newly uploaded pictures can be deactivated by the Admin.
- ...and much more.
Minimum Requirements for operating myPHP Guestbook 4.10.9:
- Apache Server
- MySQL 5.x or 8.0
- PHP 7.4 or higher (also tested up to PHP 8.3)
- Activated MySQLi support
Additional prerequisite requirements for using to allow use of the photo upload function (optional):
- file_uploads = On
- GD Support
Not a prerequisite for using the "myPHP Guestbook", but recommended for security reasons when activating the photo upload function:
- The use of own ".htaccess" files permitted by the provider
'myPHP Guestbook v. 2.0.5' Copyright © 2003 - 2006 Claudio Pose
'myPHP Guestbook v. 2.0.5' was an open source project of Networkarea.ch
'myPHP Guestbook v. 3.2.1' Copyright © 2011 - 2014 Christian Thomas,
www.hostonline.de/
'myPHP Guestbook v. 4.10.9' Copyright © 2014 - 2024 Wolfgang Leverberg,
https://www.php-guestbook.de/
'myPHP Guestbook' is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
'myPHP Guestbook' is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.