Featured Topics from Forums in Article
Overview and User Guide for the Cotonti Plugin
1. Purpose of the Plugin and the Problem It Solves
The Featured Topics from Forums in Item of Article plugin is designed to create a solid, managed link between content items of the Page module (articles) and forum topics of the Forums module in Cotonti CMS.
Its key task is to allow an editor or administrator to manually attach selected forum topics to a specific article and display them on the article page as a separate information block.
The plugin does not handle automatic selection, recommendation algorithms, relevance, or analytics.
It implements conscious editorial linking: article → selected forum topics.
This is an editorial tool, not a recommendation engine.
2. Architectural Model and Operating Principle
2.1. Data Relationship Type
The plugin implements a one-to-many relationship:
- One article
- Several attached forum topics
The link is stored in a separate database table and does not interfere with the structure of Cotonti's standard tables.
Each link contains:
- article ID,
- forum topic ID,
- display order of the topic in the list.
Duplicate links between the same article and topic are impossible at the database level.
2.2. Data Isolation and Security
- When an article is deleted, all associated records are automatically removed.
- When an article is updated, the list of links is completely rebuilt.
- The plugin does not modify the data of forum topics or articles.
- Validation is performed at the level of:
- topic existence,
- topic state (only active topics),
- user permissions.
3. Requirements and Compatibility
The plugin strictly depends on the standard Cotonti modules:
Additionally:
- Works with the Attacher plugin if it is active.
- Uses the Select2 interface through Cotonti system resources.
- Compatible with Cotonti 0.9.26 and PHP 8.4+.
Without the Page or Forums modules, the plugin will not work.
4. User Roles and Access Control
4.1. Administrator
The administrator has full control:
- can attach any forum topics to any article;
- sees all topics in the AJAX search;
- is not restricted by topic authorship.
4.2. Regular User (Article Author)
Strict restrictions apply to regular users:
- the search displays only topics created by that user;
- cannot attach another user's topic;
- cannot bypass the restriction by manually manipulating data.
Thus, the plugin respects Cotonti's authorship model.
5. Article Edit Interface
5.1. Embedding into the Edit Form
The plugin adds a separate logical block to the article edit form:
- the block title is set by the language file;
- the block is displayed only if the user has write permissions;
- the number of rows strictly matches the plugin configuration.
Each row represents one potential recommended forum topic.
5.2. Selecting Forum Topics
Selection uses AJAX search:
- search starts after entering at least two characters;
- uses an asynchronous request;
- results are sorted by topic update date;
- the number of results is limited by settings.
Selection is made through a visual selector without direct ID input.
The interface does not allow manual value substitution without interfering with the HTML.
5.3. Limiting the Number of Topics
The maximum number of attachable topics:
- is set in the plugin configuration;
- is strictly enforced during saving;
- exceeding it is physically impossible.
The order of topics is determined by the order of rows in the edit form.
6. Data Saving and Processing
6.1. Saving Mechanism
When saving an article:
- All existing links are deleted.
- Received data is validated.
- Checks are performed for:
- topic existence;
- its active state;
- absence of duplicates.
- Data is saved with sequential order.
6.2. Error Protection
The plugin automatically ignores:
- empty values,
- duplicates,
- non-existent topics,
- topics in inactive state.
7. Display on the Article Page
7.1. Display Conditions
The recommended topics block is displayed only if:
- the plugin is active;
- the article has attached topics;
- the topics are active.
If conditions are not met, the template is not loaded at all, avoiding unnecessary load.
7.2. Information Displayed per Topic
For each topic, the following are displayed:
- topic title;
- brief description or preview;
- forum category;
- number of messages;
- number of views;
- name of the last author;
- last update date;
- image (if available).
All data is taken directly from the forum topics table.
7.3. Image Handling
The image logic is strictly defined:
- uses the first image from the first post of the topic;
- if Attacher is active, the attached file is taken;
- if no image exists, a placeholder from the settings is used;
- the placeholder path is set by the administrator.
The plugin does not generate images or modify files.
8. Text and Description Processing
The topic description is formed according to the following priority:
- Topic description field.
- Preview of the first post.
The text:
- is stripped of HTML;
- is converted to plain text;
- is truncated strictly according to the character limit from the settings.
No automatic generation or addition of text is performed.
9. Multilingual Support
The plugin does not implement its own multilingualism, but:
- correctly uses the Cotonti forum structure;
- displays the category name in the current site language;
- if no translation is available, shows the category code.
Thus, it is fully compatible with the multilingual forum structure.
10. Practical Use Scenarios
10.1. Articles + Discussions
Classic scenario:
- article as the main material;
- attached topics – discussion, questions, additions.
10.2. Documentation and Support
- article – instruction or manual;
- forum topics – user questions, bug reports.
10.3. Educational Projects
- article – lesson or lecture;
- topics – discussion of assignments and solutions.
10.4. Commercial and Content Projects
- article – product review;
- topics – reviews, questions, usage experience.
11. Limitations and Scope of Responsibility
The plugin does not:
- automatically select topics;
- analyze relevance;
- sort by popularity;
- perform SEO optimization;
- cache data.
It does exactly what is explicitly built into its logic:
Links articles with selected forum topics and displays them.
12. Final Assessment
Featured Topics from Forums in Article is:
- a clear editorial tool;
- transparent logic without hidden mechanisms;
- strict access control;
- proper integration with Cotonti.
The plugin is ideal for projects where the forum and articles are a unified content system, not separate modules.
This is not a "smart" plugin.
It is a controlled, predictable, and professional tool.
`page.edit.tpl`
```
<!-- IF {PHP|cot_plugin_active('featuredtopicspage')} -->
<!-- IF {PHP|cot_auth('plug', 'featuredtopicspage', 'W')} -->
{FEATURED_FR_TOPIC_PAGE_EDIT_TOPIC}
<!-- ENDIF -->
<!-- ENDIF -->
<hr>
```
`page.tpl`
```
<!-- IF {PHP|cot_plugin_active('featuredtopicspage')} AND {FEATURED_FR_TOPIC_PAGE_TOPICS_TRUE} -->
{FEATURED_FR_TOPIC_PAGE_TOPICS}
<!-- ENDIF -->
```
Permanent link to the up-to-date source code repository on GitHub.
Русский 
