Thread

I plan to create a web journal (not using ExpressionEngine) and am going to be including a forum on my site.  Part of the forum will be used for discussion of my blog entries (every blog entry will have a link at the bottom to a forum topic about that entry).  The rest of the forum will just be for general discussions among my visitors.

I am on the fence about whether to use PunBB and or ExpressionEngine for my forum software.  Could anyone give me advice on which is better all-around (I understand answers may be biased in favor of EE)?

I want something with straightforward CSS styling so I can tightly integrate the look of the forum with the look of my RW site.  For example, I’m looking to have all the user control/registration/login links in a sidebar and not at the top of the page.

I also want the software to be lightweight and simple.  I want there to be no spam.  In terms of the number of features, I both punbb (with extensions) and EE seem to be adequate.

What are the relative pros and cons of each vis a vis the other??

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me!

Welcome to the ExpressionEngine forums, Michael K.

In order to use the ExpressionEngine forums, you need to have a Personal or Commercial version of EE. Is there a reason you wouldn’t be using EE for your web journal?

Making modifications to forum themes is doable, but it will take time to accomplish your goals.

Do you have a link we can see for your existing site?

Hmmm, that seems like a strange rule.  I am a potential customer who is considering using a major component of ExpressionEngine software and you cannot advise me on its relative merits vs. another piece of popular forum software?

My website is not yet coded.  I am settled on a program called Rapidweaver because I know the ins and outs of it well, and it is very easy for me to use.  I work for a company that will be using ExpressionEngine, and I have learned a lot about it.  I have lots of respect for your software, but for my purposes I don’t need to use the full CMS.  I am not using ExpressionEngine for a number of reasons, mainly that I do not wish to use web-based software for my small web journal, and I don’t want to pay the $$$.  I am settled on using Rapidweaver.

However, I am trying to decide on which forum software to use and am considering EE.  If the ExpressionEngine forums are not the place to get advice about this, then I apologize.

I’m sure it will take time to accomplish my goals.  The question I have is whether or not those goals would be more smoothly accomplished using ExpressionEngine forum software or PunBB.  If anyone has information that would be helpful, please let me know.  And if it would be useful for me to explain more details about my technical skills or plans for the site then I’d be happy to do that.

Thanks…

Hi, Michael,

I saw your email but will answer here since this thread is already going.  You can use Rapidweaver with ExpressionEngine by saving the templates as text files.

The Discussion Forum module is only usable with the full version of ExpressionEngine as you’ll need the Membership Module.

If you use ExpressionEngine for your journal, then it is a very simple template setup to use the forums for discussion on your journal posts.  By using a different system, you’re really creating quite a lot more work for yourself.  Moreover, by starting with ExpressionEngine for your journal, you open up a lot of potential future flexibility and power.

Now, we tend to avoid comparing different packages because even the “same” feature may behave differently and so that they’re different for your own project.  It is much better for you to try both packages, compare their feature-set and how they work for you against your own goals, and choose the software that you feel is best for your project.

Thanks for your quick reply Lisa.

I have a couple more questions.  Could you expand on what exactly it means to use Rapidweaver with EE by saving the templates as text files?

Also, what kind of setup are you referring to in terms of using the forum for blog posts?  Why would it create a lot more work to use PunBB and Rapidweaver, for example, if I just put a link at the bottom of every journal entry that sends users to the relevant forum topic?

I guess I’m a little intrigued by the idea of using ExpressionEngine to insure any future plans for expansion.  But the truth is, the site is going to be really simple.  Just a “background” section, the journal, and the forum.  Rapidweaver is so easy to use and easy to style using CSS that it would take a LOT of convincing to get me to go all out and move to ExpressionEngine.

I guess the fact that one needs the full membership for the forum module to work is a deal-breaker, unless I’m convinced to abandon Rapidweaver.

Thanks again for your help.

Hi, Michael,

I meant that ExpressionEngine can automatically relate an entry to a forum post, so that saves you quite a bit of work by using the two together.  Or you can manually create links….

Rapidweaver, as I understand it, is essentially a design tool to help you design a site; ExpressionEngine is a content management system designed to help you structure and store data.  These two complement each other very nicely, as you can use Rapidweaver to create the design, and a dynamic, database-driven system to manage your data. 

And yes, you need the membership system for a forum, any forum you have will include some forum of registration.  The difference with ExpressionEngine is you get an incredibly powerful Content Management System as well as a forum, which will give you a great deal of power if you ever decide to expand your site.

I’d like to give my point of view cuase I’ve had similar issues. I understand how hard it is to move from a platform/app when you are used to it. You know all about it and are comfortable with it. It’s normal that you would want to keep Rapidweaver and use it together with another script. But sometimes.. you gotta think what’s best. What will give you the best results more efficiently. ExpressionEngine is far more powerful than Rapidweaver. It’s a full-pledged CMS and putting it together with the Forum Module will save you A LOT of work. For starters.. you have integrated membership. You have the possibility of having the same header and footer for both without having to edit them separately for each part. You have hundreds of useful features that will make your site a lot better.

Like I said before.. it’s very hard to move from a comfortable place and try something new. But in this case I think the time and effort you will take to get comfortable with EE is very well worth it. I’m in that same process right now and I know I won’t regret it.