ComicPress Manager

ComicPress Manager ties in with the ComicPress theme to make managing your WordPress-hosted Webcomic easy and fast.

Author:John Bintz, Philip M. Hofer (Frumph) (profile at wordpress.org)
WordPress version required:2.9.1
WordPress version tested:3.1.4
Plugin version:1.4.9.10
Added to WordPress repository:16-05-2008
Last updated:18-02-2011
Warning! This plugin has not been updated in over 2 years. It may no longer be maintained or supported and may have compatibility issues when used with more recent versions of WordPress.
Rating, %:87
Rated by:20
Plugin URI:http://comicpress.org/forum/
Total downloads:65 751
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The ComicPress Manager plugin works in conjunction with an installation of ComicPress, the Webcomic theme for WordPress. ComicPress Manager is intended to reduce the amount of work required to administer a site running ComicPress.

ComicPress Manager allows you to:

  • Upload individual comic files or a Zip archive of comic files directly into your comics folder and generate posts for each comic as it's uploaded with the correct go-live date and time
    • To save a trip to the Edit Post page, you can use the Visual Editor right in ComicPress Manager to add styled text content to your post.
    • Using this method ensures that the post has the correct date and time as it's being created, reducing mistakes in posting.
    • You can also upload a single file that does not specify a date in the filename, and enter in the post date on the upload page.
    • You can also replace a single existing file with any other file, preserving the original file's name after upload
    • If you're using a different date naming convention, you can convert the old convention to the currently defined date naming convention
    • To keep nosy readers from snooping around, you can obfuscate filenames, either by adding random characters to the end, or by replacing the title in the filename with random characters.
    • Images are thoroughly checked while being uploaded and fixed when possible
  • Create comic posts straight from the Edit Post screen
    • Upload files, set comic metadata such as hovertext and transcripts, see if thumbnails exist, and set Storyline categories for a post right in Edit Post
    • If Edit Post File Intergration is enabled, automatically rename and delete comic files when post dates are changed or when posts are deleted
    • See comic post information right in the Edit Posts list
  • Use a stripped-down version of the Comic uploader straight from the Dashboard (QuomicPress)
  • Manage complex, infinitely-nested Storyline structures for your comic
    • Storyline segments are Categories, so all WordPress category functions work as expected
  • Bulk Edit the information on comics in your site
    • With a look and feel similar to Bulk Actions in Edit Posts, you can edit comic data, regenerate thumbnails, and delete multiple comics and posts in one operation
  • Upload thumbnails directly to the archive and RSS folders
  • Get a sanity check on your installation
    • ComicPress Manager will check to see if:
    • Your comics, archive, and RSS folders exist
    • Your comics, archive, and RSS folders are writable by the Webserver (if you're generating thumbnails)
    • You have enough categories defined to use ComicPress
    • You have defined a valid blog category (and comic category for ComicPress 2.5)
    • You're using a ComicPress-derived theme
      • NOTE: This check is done by examining the name of the theme as defined in style.css. If you want this non-fatal check to succeed, leave the term "ComicPress" in the theme title.
    • You have comics in your comics folder (if there aren't any, it could be a sign of other problems)
    • You can also disable these checks once you know your configuration is correct, to improve performance
  • Create any missing posts for comics that have been uploaded to your comics folder
    • If you're migrating from another Webcomic hosting solution, or if you prefer to directly transfer your comics into your comics folder, then you can generate posts for all comics that don't already have posts.
  • Bulk Change the post dates and comic filenames for any comic you've uploaded
    • You can use this advanced feature to shift a large number of comics forward or backwards in time.
  • Manage multiple comics running on one WordPress installation by using directories named after category slugs (work in progress)
  • Modify your comicpress-config.php file from ComicPress Manager.
    • If you're using a comicpress-config.php file, and the permissions are set correctly, you can modify the settings directly from ComicPress manager. If your permissions are not correct, the config file that ComicPress Manager would have written will be shown so that you can copy and paste it into your comicpress-config.php file.
    • Manage your ComicPress Manager configuration directly from the CPM interface, instead of modifying comicpress_manager_config.php
    • If your config goes awry, you can also restore from a backup config.

For those upgrading from the 1.3 line, note that the Delete and Generate Thumbnails pages have been merged into Bulk Edit and into the Edit Post File Integration option. You can now delete comic files and posts in single operations through either method, and you can regenerate thumbnails on the Bulk Edit page.

Additionally, on your Dashboard, you'll see the latest stories from the ComicPress site, so you can keep up on updates, upgrades, and other news to make your Webcomics publishing using WordPress + ComicPress easier and more fun.

You can also change what is viewed in the left sidebar as you're working in ComicPress Manager. You can see:

  • The classic ComicPress Manager sidebar and help boxes.
  • The current, last, and upcoming comics to be published on your site, with thumbnails to ensure the right comic is going live.
  • No Sidebar, which speeds up page load times

ComicPress Manager is built for WordPress 2.5.1 & above and ComicPress 2.1, 2.5, and 2.7, but using ComicPress 2.7 is strongly recommended. ComicPress Manager works on PHP 4, but using PHP 5 is strongly recommended.

Before you begin working with ComicPress Manager, and especially while the software is still in development, it is recommended that you make regular backups of your WordPress database and comics folder.

If you're having problems while upgrading, be sure to delete your existing comicpress_manager directory from your plugins folder.