As far as additional features, Low has only mentioned one:

I’m planning on adding Google Site Search to the Google Mini Plugin, hence the later date.

He also reports the add-ons he won’t be replacing, so be sure to check out his blog post for more information.

SPONSOR: ExpressionEngine Screencasts - Learn ExpressionEngine with easy-to-follow video tutorials.

Speakeasy is a new ExpressionEngine extension and plugin to help in the ever-tedious fight against spambots.

It enables your visitors to self-moderate their comments via email, integrating seamlessly with ExpressionEngine’s built-in commenting system to defeat spam bots, and relieve the burden of clicking on all those viagra links.

This sounds like another great extension from one of the best developers in the community.

SPONSOR: ExpressionEngine Screencasts - Learn ExpressionEngine with easy-to-follow video tutorials.

EECI2009 | Simon Collison from EECI2009 on Vimeo.

A big thanks to Whoooz! Webmedia for letting us re-post this video and for just being wonderful people.

SPONSOR: ExpressionEngine Screencasts - Learn ExpressionEngine with easy-to-follow video tutorials.

Make use of a “structural” weblog/channel that contains only one entry, where each custom field controls some aspect of the site. Then give your users easy access to these controls by linking directly to the entry from a link at the top of your control panel.

Our hats off to Ryan for another great article on Devot:ee, and also the recently launched events section: also well-done.

SPONSOR: ExpressionEngine Screencasts - Learn ExpressionEngine with easy-to-follow video tutorials.

Structure is a different way to build ExpressionEngine sites. It forgoes the current template_group/template setup and creates “static” and “listing” pages that are all editable through a tree sitemap view. Now, traditional page style content and multiple entry pages can live within the same area. Your clients & authors will rejoice.

Structure 2 costs $65 and is a major upgrade from the previous version. Huge congratulations to Travis and his team on getting this out.

We here at EE Insider know many of you use it, as it’s one of the more popular add-ons. But this commentator doesn’t quite yet understand it (having drank the template/template_group kool-aid). Please share how you use it in the comments!

SPONSOR: ExpressionEngine Screencasts - Learn ExpressionEngine with easy-to-follow video tutorials.

• Round-up the EE 2.0 Week coverage at EE Insider at the ExpressionEngine Blog.
• EllisLab is soliciting contributions of default avatars for EE 2.0.
• Brandon Kelly publishes his EE 2.0 add-on conversion roadmap.
• More than one person expresses concern over the availability of EE 2.0 add-ons.
• If you still want to build add-ons for EE 1.6.x, Erik Reagan wrote a tutorial that documents the process.

SPONSOR: ExpressionEngine Screencasts - Learn ExpressionEngine with easy-to-follow video tutorials.

Let’s start with a general question. Most readers of EE Insider know of CodeIgniter but not everyone may be aware what a PHP framework is, why it matters and how CodeIgniter fits in. Can you give a quick overview of what CodeIgniter is and why its been so popular among web developers?

No, let’s start with an apology. I know it was EE 2.0 week last week, but I was out at EECI, and then my wife and I took a week to tour around Holland - so sorry, hopefully it’s worth the wait.

To the question; my favourite (editor’s note: Canadian) way of describing CodeIgniter is “It helps when you want help, and gets the hell out of your way when you don’t”.

CodeIgniter is a toolkit for PHP developers. It’s high quality code that helps you do your tasks, whether complex or menial, quicker and more predictably. It also offers a level of abstraction to your code, meaning it is more flexible and can be re-used easier, and conventions (that can be broken) to make things faster for you to develop a web application.

We all know EE 2.0 is built on top of the CodeIgniter framework. Why was this done and how did it impact CodeIgniter itself? Will CodeIgniter continue being an open source framework?

Easy question first; yes, absolutely CodeIgniter will remain Open Source.

Why was EE built on CodeIgniter? There are a number of advantages for us here, and I’ll outline a few in a moment, but in my mind the real answer is that we wanted to practice what we preached. We are committed to making CodeIgniter a fantastic framework with a fantastic community around it, and we wanted to prove it by building our flagship product on it. If EE 2.0 built on CI is not enough to convince people that CodeIgniter is a more then capable framework, there is nothing that will convince them.

On a technical level, here are a few of the notable advantages: database abstraction, strong, well-tested security, and powerful proven code libraries. If you are an ExpressionEngine Addon developer, these are pretty significant.

Also (and I know I’ve mentioned it already) there’s the CodeIgniter community, where you’ll find some of the sharpest coding brains I’ve ever met. At EllisLab we’re really spoiled, between the two (ExpressionEngine and now CodeIgniter) groups, we’ve got something really special. Everyone is committed to quality, helping and sharing. Best of all, as ExpressionEngine gets better then CodeIgniter gets better, and vice-versa.

So on a superficial level, we’re likely to see an infusion of developers; and on a deeper level, we’ve got 2 communities with similar “personalities” and values coming together.  The possibilities for future development, Addons and extra functionalities is pretty cool. And as I once said , even if you are an EE developer who doesn’t do much coding; the nerds are excited, and you should be excited that the nerds are excited.

Can you name a few examples of CodeIgniter features that came out of implementing a feature in EE 2.0?

Oh boy, a lot. I’d say at somewhere around 75% of everything since 1.6 is directly attributable to EE development.

Now, before I continue, let’s be clear on something… asking me this question means that I’ll get into details that will have most of your readers rolling their eyes and moaning “BOOORIIIIIIIIIING” at their monitors. You’re setting me up to be the most boring interview ever aren’t you?

S’okay, I’m a nerd, let’s get into specifics.

The database stuff got a lot of attention. The entire database forge class that allows you to create, modify and delete tables and otherwise manipulate your database was added for ExpressionEngine 2. When I built it we didn’t know what to call it, so I suggested “DB Forge”, and Rick Ellis joked that we could only implement it if we called it “day-bay-for-jay”.

Active Record was also dramatically expanded to allow for all the complex SQL that ExpressionEngine used. For example where_in(), or_where_in() and the like. Also limiting on updates and deletes, and expanded functionalities like count_all_results(), and min, max, average and sum selection. These weren’t difficult queries to write manually, but we liked the idea of developers being able to pick Active Record and use it as much as possible. There are still some very complex queries that Active Record doesn’t handle well, and we’ve got some ideas for how to handle that for the purposes of database abstraction.

Oh yeah, and Active Record caching.

For the File Manager we needed some more information. Enter get_dir_file_info(), get_file_info(), get_mime_by_extension(), symbolic_permissions() and octal_permissions() to the File helper.

There were a bunch of general speed and security enhancements. The XSS protection is tighter, natively handles arrays, is more picky (ie: fewer false positives) and generally much snappier.

With EE 2.0 built on CodeIgniter, it seems that this will open up EE add-on development to an existing, vibrant community of developers. How will CodeIgniter impact add-on development for EE 2.0? Do I have to go back and relearn add-on development? Is it easier now that before?

Yeah, there are parts of Addon development that you’ll need to relearn, but you know, if you’re at a level where you’re writing Addons then nothing there will be confusing. Ultimately it’ll be much (much) nicer for you. Addons now have access to CodeIgniter resources and coding conventions. You’ve already posted some really informative articles about that topic, and I’d suggest people start there if they want to learn more.

Can you share any future additions to CodeIgniter that are in the works? Where do you see CodeIgniter 3-5 years from now?

Everything in CodeIgniter evolved out of a programming need. As I’m sure everyone knows, it is essentially an abstraction of the best parts of ExpressionEngine 1. So really, most of the new things added into CodeIgniter come from developer need, either our own need for our products, or the needs articulated (and often added) by the CodeIgniter community itself. CodeIgniter will continue to be driven by real-world needs and implications.

Thanks for the chance to share this with everyone. I just want to close by saying that if CodeIgniter sounds interesting to you, then get involved. CodeIgniter has changed the way I look at programming in the same way that ExpressionEngine changed the way I look at building websites.

SPONSOR: ExpressionEngine Screencasts - Learn ExpressionEngine with easy-to-follow video tutorials.

I wanted to take a moment today to acknowledge all of the hard working third party developers in our community, as well as draw attention to the growth spurt that we’ve seen in that area.  In the last 18 months, perhaps two years, a major shift began taking place in the third party developer community.

Well, for my one addon DJ, you’re welcome!

SPONSOR: ExpressionEngine Screencasts - Learn ExpressionEngine with easy-to-follow video tutorials.

Every week we feature the latest addons added to Devot:ee, the best EE repository in the world.

• WI Direct to Structure by Chad Crowell (Web Inception)
• Roadblock by Eli Van Zoeren
• ED Conditionals by Erskine Design (Glen Swinfield)
• ED Text by Erskine Design (Glen Swinfield)
• ED Imageresizer by Erskine Design (Glen Swinfield)
• DynPI by Anarchiel
• Image Info by Jack McDade (SmoothFunction)
• BN Guess Blog Name by Chris Newton (BarrettNewton.com)
• MX MCImageManager by Max Lazar (WiseUp Studio)
• Comment Moderation Nag by Derek Hogue (Amphibian Design)
• Custom CP Home Panels by Derek Hogue (Amphibian Design)

Thanks as always to Mr. Masuga for compiling this list.

SPONSOR: ExpressionEngine Screencasts - Learn ExpressionEngine with easy-to-follow video tutorials.