SCode is an anti-spam plugin that generates a CAPTCHA (or security image) that commenters must enter whilst commenting, this verifies that the comment was made by a human being and not using a spambot. CAPTCHAs are used on several other websites including Paypal and Google. CAPTCHAs have several advantages and disadvantages which have been discussed here.
SCode is free for personal users, however, a donation of $ is greatly appreciated. Commercial users are encouraged to support this plugin by donating at least $
You must have:
You will need to contact your host for #2 and #3.
To download SCode, select the download format you would like, .zip files are good for Windows servers while .tar.gz files are good for Unix/Mac servers.
Extract the distribution and preserve the directories. The directories that have been extracted correspond to the directories in your Movable Type installation. Upload these directories to your Movable Type installation such that file structure looks like so:
MT_DIR/
|__ plugins/
| \__ SCode/
| |__ SCode.pl
| |__ mt-scode.cgi
| \__ lib/
| |__ SCode.pm
|
|__ php/
| \__ plugins/
| |__ function.MTSCodeInsert.php
| |__ function.MTSecurityCode.php
| |__ function.MTSecurityImage.php
If the plugin was successfully installed, you should see something similar to this on the Plugins listing under System Overview.
Click the Show Settings link to display settings you must set for SCode before use and you will see the following settings:
Temp Directory - set an absolute path to a temporary directory. The codes used by SCode will be stored in this directory hence it is preferable that this isn't a public directory (i.e. someone cannot access it by typing in a URL into a web browser). This directory must also be writeable by Movable Type (you will need to chmod this 755 or 777 depending on your server.)
Length - set the length of the codes generated by SCode (for example 6 generates a code 6 characters long e.g. ABCDEF)
Max Temp Files - this value controls the maximum number of codes generated by SCode. Once SCode hits the limit, it simply cycles through the existing codes.
Action - choose the action you would like taken if an incorrect code is entered by a commenter.
First you will need to add the SCode fields into your comment form. To do this add <MTSCodeInsert> in all your comment forms (typically these are in the Individual Entry Archive, Comment Listing and Comment Preview templates). <MTSCodeInsert> automatically generates all SCode fields. However, if you would like more flexibility, you can use the following code instead of <MTSCodeInsert>:
<label for="scode">Security Code:</label><br />
<input type="hidden" id="code" name="code" value="<$MTSecurityCode$>" />
<img border="0" src="<$MTCGIPath$><$MTSecurityImage$>?code=<$MTSecurityCode$>"><br />
<input id="scode" name="scode" />
The best place to add the tag is right after the comment form's textarea as shown below::
<p id="comments-open-text">
<label for="comment-text">Comments: <MTIfAllowCommentHTML>(you may use HTML tags for style)</MTIfAllowCommentHTML></label>
<textarea id="comment-text" name="text" rows="10" cols="30"></textarea>
</p>
Next you will need to enable SCode checking on the blog. To do so, click Settings on the left hand menu and then click the Plugins tab. Click Show Settings for SCode and check the box that appears
Finally, if you are using static publishing, rebuild the templates that you've updated.
SCode is free for personal users, however, a donation of $ is greatly appreciated. Commercial users are encouraged to support this plugin by donating at least $
For support, visit the forums
SCode is free for personal users, however, a donation of at least $ is greatly appreciated.
If you have a problem installing or using SCode, visit our forums
You can download, install and try a fully functional version of SCode for a 30-day evaluation period. If, after this period, you wish to continue using the plugin, you are expected to purchase a commercial license for $. Purchasing a commerial license entitles you to priority support via The Helpdesk.
You can download, install and try a fully functional version of SCode for a 30-day evaluation period. If, after this period, you wish to continue using the plugin, you are expected to purchase an enterprise license for $. Purchasing an enterprise license entitles you to priority support via The Helpdesk.