# Crucial features for v1.0? **URL:** \ **Category:** Instance Admins\ **Created:** [December 17, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229 "2018-12-17T00:08:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matt](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/matt/32/2760_2.png) [@matt](https://discuss.write.as/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/1 "2018-12-17T00:08:22Z")
Now that WriteFreely has been out for a while – and as we approach the January launch of v1.0 – I’d like to ask everyone using / administering their own site so far: - What features are glaringly missing? (Especially from [our roadmap](https://phabricator.write.as/tag/write_freely/).) - What’s the most time-consuming part of _maintaining_ your instance? - What was the most painful part about _installing_ your instance? Your answers will be an enormous help for deciding what makes it into v1.0. Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![pandyBird](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/pandybird/32/70_2.png) [@pandyBird](https://discuss.write.as/u/pandyBird)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 6:14am UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/2 "2018-12-17T06:14:23Z")
Installing my instance: 1. The bug where underscores are allowed in user names, but don’t work in many URLs. 2. Similar problem, but with mixed case usernames. 3. How do I actually go about adding a new user with closed registration? 4. How do I add smtp servers for outgoing emails? ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/matt/32/2760_2.png) [@matt](https://discuss.write.as/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 3:13pm UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/3 "2018-12-17T15:13:03Z")
Thanks for the feedback! To answer: > [@pandyBird](#): > > 1. How do I actually go about adding a new user with closed registration? Today the only way is to open registration, let the person sign up, then close it again – so a better way is definitely important. For this, we’re thinking of creating a way to [generate invite links](https://phabricator.write.as/T556), similar to how Mastodon does it. Would that work for you? Would you want some way to manually add a new user as an admin, as well? > [@pandyBird](#): > > 1. How do I add smtp servers for outgoing emails? There’s no actual email functionality built-in right now, but once we have features like automated password resetting, you’ll be able to hook up Mailgun or another provider for this. ---
**Author:** ![pandyBird](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/pandybird/32/70_2.png) [@pandyBird](https://discuss.write.as/u/pandyBird)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 4:53pm UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/4 "2018-12-17T16:53:25Z")
Generating invite links sounds lovely! Also a command line tool for adding and removing users much similar to create-admin ---
**Author:** ![Xanthec](https://discuss.write.as/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/x/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Xanthec](https://discuss.write.as/u/Xanthec)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 10:33pm UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/5 "2018-12-28T22:33:21Z")
Hello One feature I miss is the ability to class posts in categories, and browse them to see only posts from one category. I guess this can be achieved with tags (more powerful), but we need a way to display all available tags from a blog to the visitor, because he can’t guess them. ---
**Author:** ![carbontwelve](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/carbontwelve/32/83_2.png) [@carbontwelve](https://discuss.write.as/u/carbontwelve)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 10:11pm UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/6 "2019-01-04T22:11:56Z")
I recently installed an instance of WriteFreely [here](https://wordsmith.social) and having tinkered with it all day I would say _the_ most glaring missing features are the following: - **Image uploads** : you already have this (T550) on your project board as a “Far future” item, however I think its something that could be added incrementally. For example you could have it so that if a user pastes an image into the editor it gets uploaded and included as markdown, like what happens with GitHub issues. - **Custom blog avatar** : you also have this (T546) on your project board as a “wishlist” item. I’d say that this should have a greater priority than _image uploads_ although you could reuse some of the same backend routes for the actual file uploading functionality. When a post is federated it is indistinguishable from all the other posts that come from write.as/WriteFreely due to them all having the same avatar displayed on Mastodon/Pleroma/etc. It’s important that each blog can be distinguished from one-another. - **Password resetting** : again you have this (T508) on your project board as a “Far future” item. I’m honestly surprised that WriteFreely doesn’t already ship with this included out of the box! - **Global link to account settings** : currently if I am in the write view I have to click the icon in the top left to go to `/me/c` before being able to click account settings in the dropdown under my username - this is quite clunky and I would expect to be able to access that from the drop down in the write view - **Global link to admin** : same as above - **Admin -\> Page management** : Currently from the `/admin` route we can edit the About page and the privacy page. Personally i’d rather pages be something that can can be added/removed at leisure so you ship with about and privacy included but we can add additional pages if we choose to and select which `templates/*.tmpl` they use. This would provide a nice level of customisation and allow instance operators to create static pages. - **Application monitor endpoint** : You may already do this and I have yet to discover it but it would be nice if the metrics in the Admin Dashboard under the title _Application monitor_ were available via an API endpoint secured with an API key so metrics could be monitored and graphed over time. ---
**Author:** ![Aris](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/aris/32/58_2.png) [@Aris](https://discuss.write.as/u/Aris)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 11:37pm UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/7 "2019-01-04T23:37:55Z")
My wish list 1. Automatically setup Let’s encrypt certificate 2. Markdown extended… 3. User management 4. Invite users 5. Import content from Tumblr ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/matt/32/2760_2.png) [@matt](https://discuss.write.as/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2019, 1:27am UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/8 "2019-01-05T01:27:10Z")
---
**Author:** ![lhl](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/lhl/32/103_2.png) [@lhl](https://discuss.write.as/u/lhl)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2019, 11:18pm UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/9 "2019-01-07T23:18:14Z")
For myself my instance will be mostly for my own attention. But would like to try and integrate my Pixelfed account and my Mastodon account together with WriteFreely. My Mastodon account cannot access the data from WriteFreely - I get a 503 error…? It may be because I am still running the WF instance under an IP rather than a dedicated domain…? I don’t know. PixelFed cant locate my fediverse address for WF…? Maybe I need to know more about how these all work together. So. Integration in a Fediverse sense is important. My personal focus is analog photography, so any future image based abilities probably useful. ---
**Author:** ![staticpixel](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/staticpixel/32/97_2.png) [@staticpixel](https://discuss.write.as/u/staticpixel)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2019, 9:51am UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/10 "2019-01-09T09:51:19Z")
Having recently tinkered with both single & multiple instance of the blog in development environment on my localserver, I would like to point out a few things 1. As @carbontwelve said, the ability to easily add & delete custom pages is a major requirement. Not everyone can go to great lengths to tinker everything from start to finish. Apart from that I also agree to the Password resetting, Global link to admin & account settings. 2. I would also like a little more subtle tweaks in the customization page like the ability to set background, text, heading & link colours and also change fonts. Not through CSS but through the customization tab in account/admin settings. Also, the ability to change the width of main container can be a good addition since, I feel that in desktop there is too much blankspace on either side & I would like to increase the width a little more. 3. Ability to add social media links to the header so that more engagement can be driven. I know this is a privacy focused blog so but adding these options gives people the choice. Those who want it can use it. If not anything else, just Twitter & Instagram would do fine for now. 4. Enable mardown in the description section of the blog. That way, people can have more in less through the ability to add links. 5. As pointed out by @Xanthec people who are blogging for commercial purposes might seriously need tags to manage their posts. This will be a good addition. ---
**Author:** ![pixtolero](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/pixtolero/32/62_2.png) [@pixtolero](https://discuss.write.as/u/pixtolero)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2019, 2:40pm UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/11 "2019-01-13T14:40:51Z")
For me, a comment system with fediverse support (like Plume does) ---
**Author:** ![Aris](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/aris/32/58_2.png) [@Aris](https://discuss.write.as/u/Aris)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2019, 5:27pm UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/12 "2019-01-13T17:27:29Z")
And a real and correct support for federation (ActivityPub). It’s actualy brocken ---
**Author:** ![lhl](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/lhl/32/103_2.png) [@lhl](https://discuss.write.as/u/lhl)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 8:05pm UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/13 "2019-02-06T20:05:25Z")
When in Blog View mode and logged-in. A Log-Out link in the menu would be useful. ---
**Author:** ![lhl](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/lhl/32/103_2.png) [@lhl](https://discuss.write.as/u/lhl)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 8:08pm UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/14 "2019-02-06T20:08:08Z")
Some way of adding Social Media img/text links in the header and/or footer area. **addendum:** In addition to the above _‘Social-Media links’_, Which I think is quite important for folks to be able to show. Under **Customisation** - - Rather than have to use a separate Static page for say an **‘About Me’** section the ability to have both that and a **‘Short & Long Description’** setting. - **Avatar** integration and/or ability to upload a _custom_ avatar. - Although I am quite happy with basic **Markdown** , I think you’re right in trying to offer a WYSIWYG editor or a ‘split editor’ like the one I am using here to write this post 🙂 - For admins, it is easy to share a post/entry via their own Social Media channels or through Federation etc. For **Readers** maybe an easy way to be able to share a post other than _copy/paste_ of the web address… - Although I said elsewhere about not making it a CMS 😉 Some kind of choice between One/Two column layout with a **‘Tag Cloud’** , **‘Date based’** or **‘Category’** navigation AKA HUGO 😄 So as blogs grow readers are not forced to click back through _‘Older’_ articles. I know there is a mix here of what could be implemented in the **Core** and what could be implemented through a **Plugin** structure. At the end of the day, if folks want to load up their pages with endless additional infrastructure that is up to them. For me a few carefully chosen and essential additions to the product at its base, a philosophy that works to keep it that way is important. From my own world experiences I know how important it is to keep in mind your OWN reasons for beginning a project and not let others take over and in doing so lose the **raison d’etre** ---
**Author:** ![Aris](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/aris/32/58_2.png) [@Aris](https://discuss.write.as/u/Aris)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 7:30am UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/15 "2019-02-26T07:30:12Z")
As I use Write.as on a regular basis, one thing is really missing for me is a minimal **search function** for my posts/blog. Something minimal like _Lunarjs_ to run searches on the client-side… Or an integration with _Algolia_ community solution… [https://lunrjs.com/](https://lunrjs.com/) > **[Site search with unparalleled speed and relevance](https://www.algolia.com/solutions/site-search/)** > > Features like autocomplete, typo tolerance, synonyms management, filters and facets, query suggestions and many more, with state-of-the-art speed and relevance. ---
**Author:** ![bugbuster](https://discuss.write.as/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@bugbuster](https://discuss.write.as/u/bugbuster)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 3:54pm UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/16 "2019-02-26T15:54:26Z")
I’d like to second the need for a **search function** feature that Aris made. Even for a minimalist blogging platform, I consider this a core need with perhaps a medium-level priority. Specifically, my thoughts on this are: A search keyword input box for an individual blog. This is regardless whether the blog is public or private. I don’t see searching through all one’s blogs as having the same importance, though if that can be easily done without adverse system resources implications, it would also be a helpful feature. If possible, simple AND, OR, ANDNOT logic for the keyword searches. What I’m doing now is exporting my blogs, and then searching with a simple php program to do this search client-side. But then, whenever I make changes, a new export needs to be made. It would be nice to have the search feature built-in. ---
**Author:** ![bix](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/bix/32/272_2.png) [@bix](https://discuss.write.as/u/bix)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 1:09am UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/18 "2019-05-28T01:09:12Z")
I know this is a v1.0 “crucial” thread, but I have a hard time in my brain ranking things. I’m going to give my general list of wants and try my best to give some sense of priorities for me. Some of these are going to prompt “well, yeah, we’re doing that”, but I’ll leave them on my list anyway. - **Date stamps on posts.** I’ve already said this elsewhere. This is high-priority for me, personally. (Tack onto this one the user’s local timezone thing, so I don’t keep thinking my own posts are coming from my future.) - **Navigation between and amongst posts.** There should at least be previous/next links on every post. (Eventually a date archive somewhere, and search.) Honestly, I’d be okay with just the previous/next links in the near-term, and then readers can find other stuff via hashtags for the time being. - **Site-wide “branding” customizations.** Mostly, for my purposes, fonts and colors. I want to use the color and font scheme I’m already using on the announcement page. This might even include an admin setting for what default serif, sans-serif, and fixed-width fonts are used for the blogs themselves. - **Option to limit user customizations.** One of the things I actually liked about Medium was how _little_ a user could do other than write. If I can’t _disallow_ user customizations entirely (which is fine), I’d like to be able to restrict or minimize the options available. When a reader visits my instance, I want them to know from looking at it. - **More consistent navigation.** I admit that I myself sometimes get confused as to what clicking the upper left corner of the site is going to do, as it seems to change depending on where I am? (This also could just be me in the midst of “I’m on a new site what’s happening” syndrome.) - **User setting for landing page default.** While I get the design/UI choice behind starting on the editor, I find this a confusing approach to navigating the site. I actually _want_ a proper front page that I can find even if I’m logged in. I’d be fine with this being a user setting for what they want as their start: the main site page or the editor. **ETA:** I just noticed that on WriteFreely sites, while the blog index page, at the bottom, links to the site’s main page, blog posts themselves do not, and only link all the way back to WriteFreely. That doesn’t help discoverability when a reader comes to a blog post. ---
**Author:** ![kxra](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/kxra/32/958_2.png) [@kxra](https://discuss.write.as/u/kxra)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 9:43pm UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/19 "2021-02-26T21:43:01Z")
> [@Aris](#): > > As I use Write.as on a regular basis, one thing is really missing for me is a minimal **search function** for my posts/blog. Something minimal like _Lunarjs_ to run searches on the client-side… Or an integration with _Algolia_ community solution… > > [https://lunrjs.com/](https://lunrjs.com/) Something statically typed for that sweet sweet safety, like the super fast [GitHub - meilisearch/meilisearch: A lightning-fast search engine API bringing AI-powered hybrid search to your sites and applications.](https://github.com/meilisearch/MeiliSearch) might be better 😁 ---
**Author:** ![orgonesystems](https://discuss.write.as/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@orgonesystems](https://discuss.write.as/u/orgonesystems)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 3:41am UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/20 "2022-11-23T03:41:56Z")
i too would _really_ love a search feature. Especially for blogs with a lot of posts. I currently have 2,000 posts on mine and no way for people to find things by keyword. the tags:footag isn’t quite enough anymore. ---
**Author:** ![kxra](https://discuss.write.as/user_avatar/discuss.write.as/kxra/32/958_2.png) [@kxra](https://discuss.write.as/u/kxra)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2023, 3:17am UTC](https://discuss.write.as/t/crucial-features-for-v1-0/229/21 "2023-03-21T03:17:51Z")
I’m most excited for [templating for fancier/professional themes](https://discuss.write.as/t/themes-not-many-theme-creators-missing-abandoned-write-as/2592/13) necessary for [larger publications](https://discuss.write.as/t/interested-in-building-a-larger-publication-on-write-as/503/15). > [@Themes: Not many? Theme Creators Missing/Abandoned Write.as?](https://discuss.write.as/t/themes-not-many-theme-creators-missing-abandoned-write-as/2592/13): > > Hey @matthill! In addition to letting our current constraints guide your creativity (definitely something to be said about that!), I wanted to add that we do plan to add support for templates and modifying HTML in the future. This is part of a new initiative to make Write.as more flexible and useful – the templating system upgrade @kxra mentioned earlier in the thread ([development tracked here](https://phabricator.write.as/T821)). We’ll keep everyone updated as we make progress there in the coming months, but I’ll be especially i… as well as from the Roadmap: - [Imports from Ghost/Wordpress](https://phabricator.write.as/T245) - [Image uploading](https://phabricator.write.as/T550) - [Embedding Snap.as galleries](https://phabricator.write.as/T618) - [User management](https://phabricator.write.as/T553)