Pligg Vs Drigg A Comparison By Free Software Magazine
Pligg vs Drigg is a question thats commonly asked in social news circles, Tony Mobily the creator for the Drigg for Drupal project yesterday wrote and article titled “How do Drigg and Pligg compare?“. If you haven’t read Tony’s article already and you are thinking of starting or already own a social news site it’s worth a look and raises some great points although we do disagree with one of them, sort of…
Overall Tony got things spot on in his article when comparing pligg to drigg on core elements of both systems, there were a few things i have to playfully disagree with though.
Theming
- Drigg: Uses Drupal’s PHPTemplate. A theme is made up of 4 basic files (plus CSS) which will be always completely independent from the program’s logic.
- Pligg: Has its own templating system, with a huge “but!”. Templates hold amazing amounts of logic. The code sometimes will change its logic according to the theme (!). Security fixes often require changing the templates.
Theming for Pligg and Social Web CMS isn’t as hard as has been made out in the past, tony is correct about logic there is a lot of it although most is Smarty Template Engine (TemplateLite) Calls. Editing a pligg or Social CMS template however also only requires 4 template files plus the CSS file virtually the same as Drigg. Both Pligg and Drigg use theme engines with PHPTemplate being Drupals and Smarty Template Engine (TemplateLite) being pliggs, if your brand new to creating templates for either system both will prove just as challenging to learn.
Pligg / Social Web CMS FIles Needed To Edit Template
- pligg.tpl – This is like the index container page.
- header.tpl- sites header content.
- footer.tpl – sites footer content.
- link_summary.tpl - submitted story link box layout with title, description, vote, etc.
- main.css – css for whole site.
Tony also mentions in his article a few things about pliggs forum support and censorship behavior of late with deleting forum threads etc, again all are valid points about pliggs overall attitude and behavior. We also noticed the standard Pligg Fanboi comment on Tony’s article that we have seen popping up on so many articles here at Social CMS Buzz.
Visit: Drigg
Visit: Social Web CMS
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yankidank 
Thanks for sharing the theme. 
Live-You.com (http://www.live-you.com): This is the portal for your research, your work, your free-time. Live-you has got it all! Social network, ...
One thing that i dont like about Duggplazza is it displays component/duggplazza in url, and most of users are uncomfortable ...
It seems I am having the same problem as everyone else, this method removes the backslash (/index.html) from the end ...
Hi to all,
I visit Drupal-Drigg project, but what I see is a lot of spam, and no other release, from ...
I wish there was something like rockettheme for WP. these are unmatched. 
Thanks Guys. Nice Collection. I must try for myportal. 
Hi,
Thank you for linking to me. I think we’ll have to agree do disagree here! Please let me explain why I have some doubts… although they might not be justified.
Taking Pligg’s yget — only the files you mentioned:
[root@sys113 yget]# wc -l pligg.tpl header.tpl footer.tpl link_summary.tpl
85 pligg.tpl
139 header.tpl
9 footer.tpl
240 link_summary.tpl
473 total
[root@sys113 yget]#
(that’s 473 lines in total)
Taking drigg’s stock theme, the “important” files:
wc node-drigg.tpl.php block.tpl.php box.tpl.php page.tpl.php
87 281 2675 node-drigg.tpl.php
8 32 304 block.tpl.php
8 22 179 box.tpl.php
121 350 3625 page.tpl.php
224 685 6783 total
(That’s 224 lines in total)
How, when you create a template, do you prefer this:
HTML Snippet Messed Up
Or this:
HTML Snippet Messed Up
OK, I admit they can look as bad as each other. But most people know a bit of PHP and Drigg does is call standard Drigg and Drupal calls…
BUT!
My point, is that in the end a Drigg theme, including _everything_, is:
IMPORTANT ONES:
./page.tpl.php
./node-drigg.tpl.php
./comment.tpl.php
./block.tpl.php
./style.css
HARDLY TOUCHED:
./box.tpl.php
./node.tpl.php
./node-forum.tpl.php
./template.php
IMAGES:
./favicon.ico
./img
./img/block_menu_leaf.gif
./img/header_submitbtn.gif
./img/block_scorebg_upcoming.gif
./img/block_scorebg_published.gif
./img/whovoted_down.gif
./img/header_categoriesbg.gif
./img/block_menu_expanded.gif
./img/whovoted_up.gif
./img/block_feedicon.gif
./img/header_searchbtn.gif
./img/header_titlebg.gif
./img/header_logo.gif
./img/block_menu_collapsed.gif
./img/header_loginbtn.gif
CSS:
./css
./css/misc.css
./css/blocks.css
./css/print.css
./css/base.css
./css/nodes.css
In Pligg it’s a very different picture:
MAIN ONES:
./pligg.tpl
./header.tpl
./footer.tpl
./link_summary.tpl
./main.css
“OTHER” ONES:
./sidebar_comments_wrapper.tpl
./footer.tpl
./sidebar_stories.tpl
./submit_errors.tpl
./sidebar_stories_wrapper.tpl
./live_js.tpl
./upcoming_center.tpl
./comment_show.tpl
./tag_cloud_center.tpl
./login_center.tpl
./template_details.php
./topusers_center.tpl
./submit_step_1.tpl
./live_comments_center.tpl
./profile_center.tpl
./sidebar.tpl
./story_center.tpl
./link_summary.tpl
./css
./css/iehfix.htc
./css/iepngfix.htc
./css/star_rating
./css/star_rating/alt_star.gif
./css/star_rating/star.css
./css/ie6.css
./css/main.css
./blank.tpl
./editlink_edit_center.tpl
./submit_step_3.tpl
./live_center.tpl
./settemplate_center.tpl
./submit_step_2.tpl
./live_published_center.tpl
./index_center.tpl
./comment_form.tpl
./live_unpublished_center.tpl
./topusers_data.tpl
./sidebar_comments.tpl
./recommend_small.tpl
./header.tpl
./register_step_1.tpl
./pligg.tpl
./validation.tpl
./submit_extra_fields.tpl
./user_center.tpl
./register_center.tpl
./edit_comment_center.tpl
./sidebar_modules
./sidebar_modules/sidebar_stories.tpl
./sidebar_modules/wrapper.tpl
./sidebar_modules/sidebar_stories_u.tpl
./sidebar_modules/login.tpl
./sidebar_modules/tags.tpl
./sidebar_modules/about_box.tpl
./sidebar_modules/sidebar_comments.tpl
./sidebar_modules/wrapper2.tpl
./sidebar_modules/categories.tpl
./images
./images/user_delete.png
./images/bg-r.png
./images/formula_delete.png
./images/manage_backup.png
./images/yahoomyweb.png
./images/story_tab2.png
./images/body_bg.gif
./images/feed_add.png
./images/backup_remove.png
./images/add.gif
./images/comment_yellow.gif
./images/friends2.png
./images/user_add.png
./images/user_comments.png
./images/cart.png
./images/content_wrap_e_bg.gif
./images/user_killspam.png
./images/template_edit.png
./images/friends.png
./images/19de38d03fe7db3b5a64386eb392320b.gif
./images/feed_go.png
./images/vote-l.png
./images/save_link.png
./images/user_search.png
./images/blank.gif
./images/nav-l.png
./images/feed_delete.png
./images/nav-r.png
./images/formula_enable.png
./images/nav.png
./images/backup_db.png
./images/expand.png
./images/vote.png
./images/headbar.png
./images/comment.png
./images/tabrB2.png
./images/exp_down.png
./images/manage_lang.png
./images/digg.png
./images/story_tab.png
./images/backup_avatars.png
./images/paypal.gif
./images/exp_on.png
./images/feed_bullet.png
./images/manage_cat.png
./images/featurebox_h.png
./images/formula_add.png
./images/manage_mods.png
./images/user_disable.png
./images/green_check.gif
./images/rss.gif
./images/content_wrap_bg.gif
./images/backup_files.png
./images/manage_rss.png
./images/formula_disable.png
./images/formula_edit.png
./images/pligg.png
./images/user_links.png
./images/featurebox_bg.png
./images/news_manage.png
./images/user_message.png
./images/user_edit.png
./images/navbar.png
./images/page.gif
./images/icon-stumbleupon.gif
./images/manage_formulas.png
./images/new_cat.png
./images/delicious.png
./images/email.png
./images/help.png
./images/user_reset.png
./images/bg.png
./images/tableftB.png
./images/bg-l.png
./images/manage_config.png
./images/more.png
./images/error.png
./images/reddit.gif
./images/simpy.png
./images/manage_user.png
./images/vote_count.png
./images/tablB2.png
./images/tabrightB.png
./search_center.tpl
AND THE MODULES’ ONES:
modules/embed_videos/templates/link_summary_pre_story_content.tpl
modules/admin_language/templates/admin_language_main.tpl
modules/admin_language/templates/admin_language_admin_link.tpl
modules/admin_language/templates/admin_language_admin_main_link.tpl
modules/admin_formulas/templates/admin_formulas_admin_main_link.tpl
modules/admin_formulas/templates/admin_formulas_admin_link.tpl
modules/admin_formulas/templates/blank.tpl
modules/admin_formulas/templates/admin_formulas_main.tpl
modules/agree_to_terms/templates/show_agree.tpl
modules/thickbox/templates/pligg_pre_title.tpl
modules/captcha/captchas/reCaptcha/captcha_configure.tpl
modules/captcha/captchas/reCaptcha/captcha.tpl
modules/captcha/captchas/WhiteHat/captcha_configure.tpl
modules/captcha/captchas/WhiteHat/captcha.tpl
modules/captcha/captchas/math/captcha_configure.tpl
modules/captcha/captchas/math/captcha.tpl
modules/captcha/captchas/default/captcha_configure.tpl
modules/captcha/captchas/default/captcha.tpl
modules/captcha/templates/captcha_admin_main_link.tpl
modules/captcha/templates/captcha_configure.tpl
modules/captcha/templates/show_register_captcha.tpl
modules/captcha/templates/captcha_home.tpl
modules/sidebar_stats/templates/sidebar_stats.tpl
modules/random_story/templates/random_story.tpl
modules/version_check/templates/version_check_above_center.tpl
modules/send_announcement/templates/sendannouncement_admin_main_link.tpl
modules/send_announcement/templates/sendannouncement.tpl
modules/users_extra_fields/templates/admin_user_show_center_fields.tpl
modules/users_extra_fields/templates/admin_user_edit_center_fields.tpl
modules/users_extra_fields/templates/profile_center_fields.tpl
modules/akismet/templates/manageSpam.tpl
modules/akismet/templates/akismet_admin_main_link.tpl
modules/akismet/templates/spam_link_in_menu.tpl
modules/akismet/templates/manageKey.tpl
modules/akismet/templates/manageSettings.tpl
modules/akismet/templates/main.tpl
modules/lightbox/templates/lightbox_footer.tpl
modules/lightbox/templates/pligg_pre_title.tpl
modules/ajaxcontact/templates/ajaxcontact.tpl
modules/image_upload/templates/submission_form_addition.tpl
modules/share_revenue/templates/admin_modules_top.tpl
modules/share_revenue/templates/show_ads.tpl
modules/template_management/templates/template_management_admin_link.tpl
modules/template_management/templates/template_management_admin_main_link.tpl
modules/template_management/templates/template_management_viewonline.tpl
modules/template_management/templates/template_management_main.tpl
modules/template_management/templates/blank.tpl
modules/template_management/templates/template_details.tpl
modules/page_statistics/templates/page_statistics.tpl
modules/ypn_share/templates/admin_modules_top.tpl
modules/ypn_share/templates/show_ads.tpl
modules/simple_messaging/templates/error.tpl
modules/simple_messaging/templates/inbox_link_in_menu.tpl
modules/simple_messaging/templates/inbox.tpl
modules/simple_messaging/templates/show_message.tpl
modules/simple_messaging/templates/compose.tpl
modules/submit_antispam/templates/submit_error.tpl
modules/submit_antispam/templates/submit_info.tpl
modules/admin_totals/templates/admin_totals_admin_main_link.tpl
modules/admin_totals/templates/admin_totals_admin_link.tpl
modules/admin_totals/templates/blank.tpl
modules/admin_totals/templates/admin_totals_main.tpl
modules/rss_import/templates/rss_import_admin_main_link.tpl
modules/rss_import/templates/admin_rss_center.tpl
modules/rss_import/templates/admin_rss_center2.tpl
modules/rss_import/templates/import_fields_center.tpl
modules/rss_import/templates/rss_import_admin_link.tpl
All this reside in Pligg’s main directory, which makes it very hard to upgrade without losing bits and pieces, whereas Drigg systems have the theme in a separate directory to the Drupal install.
Also, in Drigg you never, ever need to change your theme after an upgrade. However, I have seen in Pligg’s SVN that some new features were implemented… *in* the theme (!). (This was back in August 2007…)
I am making these points because I have *used* Pligg for more than 6 months, and found that we had modified several tpl files around — I had become so good at juggling “diff -r” commands, that I thought I’d get a call from Cirque du Soleil!
Again, I am biased. But I need some really convincing argument to be convinced that Pligg’s templating system isn’t very broken!
Bye,
Merc.