A modernized distribution of Invision Power Board 1.3, fully patched for PHP 8.4 and MariaDB compatibility. This project preserves the classic, lightweight «pre-bloat» UI of the early 2000s while ensuring it runs securely and efficiently on modern server stacks.

Key Features

• PHP 8.4 Ready: Comprehensive patches for legacy code to eliminate deprecated function errors and syntax issues.
• MySQLi Implementation: Replaced the legacy mysql driver with mysqli for modern database connectivity.
• MariaDB Support: Optimized for MariaDB and MySQL 8+ environments using utf8mb4 encoding by default.
• Slim Installer: A streamlined sm_install.php that handles environment checks, mysqli configuration, and admin setup.
• Performance Focused: Maintained the original lightweight footprint with native CSS and minimal JavaScript dependencies.

Modern Enhancements

• IBF Portal 4.0: Fully integrated portal system to transform your forum into a community hub.
• TinyMCE Integration: Replaced the legacy posting interface with a modernized TinyMCE editor for a better rich-text experience.
• HTML Purifier: Integrated a modernized standalone security engine to protect against XSS and fix broken HTML tags.
• Security Patches: Fixed legacy issues with search result insertions and anti-spam image generation.
• OP (Original Poster) Identification: Implemented a specialized «Author» badge in the topic view (postbit).
• Real-time User Presence: Integrated a dynamic Online/Offline status indicator for every user profile in the forum view.
• Lofi Version 2.0: Completely overhauled the legacy text-only lofiversion with quick reply and login.
• Forum Icon Customization: Developed a modular system to override standard folder icons with custom GIFs assigned via the Admin CP.
• Reputation System: Added community rating engine, that allows users to vote on each other's profiles and leave comments explaining their feedback.
• Advanced Topic Ratings: Replaced the legacy star-based system with a streamlined, AJAX-ready voting engine integrated directly into the first post for increased user engagement.
• Warn Users by %: Increase or decrease user warning lavel.
• PHP -> HTML Converter: Converter of php links to html links. For search robots, catalogs, and better indexing of your forum.
• Awards System: Allows you to add, delete, and edit awards for users from the admin panel.
• Favorites System: Enhanced user bookmarking. Manage your favorite topics.

Installation

1. Upload: Upload the repository files to your web directory.
2. Configure: Run sm_install.php in your browser.
3. Security: Once the conf_global.php is generated, delete sm_install.php and database.sql from your server immediately.

UI/UX Philosophy

This project stays true to the «classic» aesthetic. We prioritize the original Invision Power Board 1.3 layout over «modern» social-media-style interfaces, ensuring the board remains fast, familiar, and highly customizable.

 GitHub: https://github.com/madromas/IPB-1.3-PHP8-Modernized

Developed & Maintained for the Modern Web.