Using plugins
Plugins enable your system administrator to add functionality to your Newscoop installation without having to write a large amount of code. They can also help you to make better use of the content already in your Newscoop publication.
Plugins are managed via their own sub-menu on the main Newscoop navigation menu. See the chapter Installing plugins for more details. Some plugins have a corresponding box in the sidebar of the Edit Article page, when the plugin is active. Currently, there are four plugins installed by default with Newscoop:
- Debate: When this plugin is active, a box in the sidebar of the Edit Article page enables you to attach a specific reader voting debate to a specific article. Clicking the Attach button opens a pop-up window in which you can select the debate that you require. You can also create a new debate there.
- Polls: Your readers can vote on a question; the question can be set dynamically and can be multilingual. The new Debate plugin offers more features, but Newscoop 3 publications may have stored existing reader votes using the Polls plugin. So the Polls plugin is provided in Newscoop 4 to make upgrading publications from Newscoop 3 simpler.
- reCAPTCHA: This plugin enables a CAPTCHA on your Newscoop publication's comment and registration forms, helping to deter spammers. To use this feature, you will need to obtain a reCAPTCHA key from http://www.google.com/recaptcha and enter it into the plugin's configuration page.
- SoundCloud: This plugin enables audio files, such as podcasts and radio programmes, to be hosted on the third-party SoundCloud service. You will need to register for a SoundCloud account on http://soundcloud.com/ in order to make use of this feature. When this plugin is active, a box in the sidebar of the Edit Article page enables you to attach a specific audio file to a specific article.
Other plugins available include:
- Interviews: Enables on-line interviews for your Newscoop publication; readers can see the latest questions and answers.
- Blogs: This plugin has been replaced by integrated blogging features in Newscoop 4 onwards.