The following is an excerpt from the Google Maps API FAQ page:

25,000 map loads per day is a pretty high number. We don’t think this news from Google will have an impact our customers, but we want to be sure. Tell us, do you think the new Google Map API limits will affect your ClassiPress or JobRoller site? Are you getting in excess of 25,000 map loads per day?

Recently a vulnerability was discovered within the script that allows hackers to upload and execute arbitrary PHP code within your TimThumb cache directory. It can potentially hijack your website and bring down your WordPress site.

This vulnerability exists in ClassiPress versions 2.9.3 or higher (the majority of our customers) so it’s highly recommended to upgrade immediately. The author has provided a fix and we quickly rolled out a patch to address this. The latest version of ClassiPress (v3.1.4 or higher) is no longer vulnerable.

Who does this affect?

Any customer using ClassiPress version 3.0 or higher. We introduced TimThumb in ClassiPress 3.0 to replace a different image resizing script. It is basically there to support legacy ads (2.9.3 or earlier) so the majority of you don’t even need it.

How can we fix it?

The easiest way is to just upgrade to 3.1.4. If you don’t want to upgrade and you purchased 3.0 or higher, then at the very least, delete /classipress/includes/timthumb.php and empty the /classipress/includes/cache/ folder (delete all files in there). If you don’t see a cache folder you can skip that step.

Customers who purchased 2.9.3 or earlier

You likely have legacy ads which require TimThumb to work correctly. Upgrading to 3.1.4 is ideal but if you don’t want to upgrade, then at the very least, upgrade your /classipress/includes/timthumb.php to the latest version and empty the /classipress/includes/cache/ folder (delete all files in there). If you don’t see a cache folder you can skip that step.

1. Login to your WordPress back-end
2. Go to appearance => editor and find “timthumb.php”
3. Replace the entire code with the updated TimThumb

How can I get the fix?

It can be downloaded from your customer dashboard. You can either apply the patch or install the full theme again. The release notes go into detail as to what is included in the update.

What else was done?

In addition to fixing the TimThumb security vulnerability, we have done an overall security sweep and tightened things up. This update makes ClassiPress the most secure release we’ve done to-date.

Important

Delete any old versions of ClassiPress you may have sitting on your web server. They are susceptible to being exploited even though they may not be your active theme. You should only have the latest version on your site.

1. Login to your WordPress back-end
2. Go to appearance => themes
3. Delete any old versions of ClassiPress. Make sure not to delete your active version.

We’re sorry for the inconvenience but please make sure to upgrade ASAP to avoid your site from being hacked.

Fixes

• fixed issue on theme-comments template where $ was accidentally added to a function
• fixed issue where spaces in refine search didn’t work correctly
• fixed error in refine search when selecting a city caused an implode error

Changes

• none

Files Modified

style.css		Modified
includes/appthemes-functions.php	Modified
includes/admin/admin-values.php	Modified
includes/theme-enqueue.php	Modified
includes/theme-refine.php	Modified
includes/theme-facebook.php	Modified
includes/theme-comments.php	Modified
changelog.txt	Modified

Upgrade Information

To download v3.1.1, visit AppThemes and login to your customer account. Existing customers can download the patch or the full version.

We are making sure that we are prepared to immediately tackle any problems that may come up in the next few days. Yumiko and her team are prepped to handle any extra activity in the forums and the developers are ready to attack any bugs.

What to Expect in the Coming Days

We will be taking the next few days to resolve any possible bugs or other problems that get reported. Expect a bug fix update, if necessary, within 10-12 days. We are also planning to release a minor update (3.1.1) in approximately 4-5 weeks.

So What’s New?

• Facebook sign-in & account creation module
• Custom ads admin write panel to better manage your customers ads
• Completely customizable category advanced search with a built-in location radius filter
• Custom membership pricing packages
• Upgraded Google maps with geo-mapping for precision accuracy

So What Do I Do Next?

• Log into your customer account, download and install a copy of ClassiPress 3.1 RC1
• Read our tutorials on membership packs, activating advanced search and activating Facebook login
• Take some time to test thoroughly to see if you notice any problems with your install
• If you do encounter any issues, please go to the customer support forums to report the problem
  • Please search the forums first to see if anyone else has already started a thread regarding that issue
  • If no thread has been started, please begin a new one

Thanks

We would like to thank the beta testers again for helping us solidify this initial release of CP 3.1. Your assistance has been invaluable. We would also like to thank everyone for their patience in waiting for this release. With the incredible new personnel we have on staff and the great customers that support us, we believe that this release is just the beginning of promising new phase for ClassiPress.

We have a limited number of spaces available, so a selection process will take place in order for us to gather the most suitable team of testers for this release.

Since it is important for us to ensure that the beta testers have the relevant amount of experience using ClassiPress, testing spots will be limited to existing AppThemes customers already using this theme.

Being a beta tester actually requires a lot of work on your part, so before signing up, please make sure you are ready for the commitment. You will need to dedicate several hours of your time (over a two-week period) to help flush out any bugs before 3.1 is ready for a GA release.

We’re looking for beta testers who are able to understand how WordPress and ClassiPress should work, and how to identify potential bugs. We will need you to document each step you took, what page you were on, and the bug behavior. During the bug ticketing process, it’s important to stay focused on the task of checking for bugs, as opposed to making feature requests.

Most importantly, this should not be seen as an opportunity to get an early copy of 3.1, as there may be bugs, therefore we do not recommend testing to be carried out on a live production site.

So, if you’re up for the challenge, and you’re interested in being a part of this process which will benefit the AppThemes community, then please apply to become a beta tester using the following link:

Apply Now!
Applications have now closed.

Once the beta program is ready to begin, we will communicate with all selected testers and confirm the process further.

There was a total of 31 tickets fixed ranging from minor bugs (that were supposed to be part of ClassiPress 3.1 but moved up into this release) to issues created by the WordPress 3.1 update. A break down of tickets can be found below.

Fixes:

• fixed hierarchy breadcrumb issue where not all parent categories showed up
• fixed tooltip and image upload javascript related issues on the edit ad page
• fixed problem where empty search with a category selected resulted in incorrect results
• fixed all the classes that were labled ad-[classname] and changed the prefix to post-[classname] to avoid Ad Blocker Plus issues
• fixed single ad page contact form which no longer allows you to send messages by just filling out the captcha equation
• fixed custom email headers that caused gmail to send the email as an attachment
• fixed pagination arrows on the homepage that were not working correctly
• fixed warning that was displayed when turning on “Hide Empty Child Categories”
• fixed css spacing issue for multiple blog categories displayed
• fixed dashboard stats plotting graph in IE
• fixed colorbox so it is compatible with WordPress 3.1
• fixed IE6/7 javascript issue making it possible to edit drop-down fields from those browsers
• fixed tinyMCE so it is compatible with WordPress 3.1. Also fixed validation issues including the issue with chrome and tinyMCE
• fixed edit ad page to properly update new custom posts type tags
• fixed tinyMCE validation error message locations
• fixed styles for edit ad page where image meta data was not floating correctly in IE
• fixed radio button issue both with the edit ad page and with the “None” selected issue
• fixed clock and folder icons so the bottoms aren’t cutoff in IE

Changes:

• added option to remove the “No Categories” text from the categories lists
• added jQuery validation to the comments fields on both single ads and blog posts
• added new cron job viewer tab under “System Info” admin page

How Can I Get This Version?

Existing customers can login to their customer account and download the latest version.

How Do I Upgrade?

If you haven’t made any changes to the theme files then the easiest method is to just do a complete upgrade (download the full 3.0.5.4 version). Then follow the “How to Upgrade Versions” guide. If you’ve made modifications to the core theme files, then we recommend installing the patch version instead. Then follow the “Installing a Patch” guide.

Questions?

Anything related to support should be posted in the ClassiPress support forum where our dedicated support team can assist you.

What Files Have Changed?

Many of our customers have done customizations to the core theme files and want to know exactly which files have been added, modified, and removed. In addition to providing the latest full version download, we also include a patch release. This will be a much smaller download and only include the files that have changed since the previous release.

So instead of having to read through the change log and figure out what files have been modified, you can just download the patch and sftp the files directly into your existing ClassiPress theme folder. You’ll still want to deactivate and then reactivate your theme so everything gets updated correctly but this will improve your upgrading experience.

Make sure to read the “Installing a Patch” guide if you decide to go this route.

Here’s the list of all files affected in the 3.0.5.4 release (from v3.0.5.3).

includes/js/colorbox/colorbox.css	Modified
taxonomy-ad_cat.php	Modified
tpl-add-new.php	Modified
classipress-no-admin.po	Modified
classipress-no-admin.pot	Modified
classipress.po	Modified
classipress.pot	Modified
comments.php	Modified
functions.php	Modified
includes/admin/admin-enqueue.php	Modified
includes/admin/admin-options.php	Modified
includes/admin/admin-scripts.js	Modified
includes/admin/admin-style.css	Modified
includes/admin/admin-values.php	Modified
includes/admin/install-script.php	Modified
includes/appthemes-functions.php	Modified
includes/forms/step-functions.php	Modified
includes/forms/step1.php	Modified
includes/forms/step2.php	Modified
includes/gateways/admin-gateway-values.php	Modified
tpl-edit-item.php	Modified
includes/js/colorbox/jquery.colorbox-min.js	Modified
README-FIRST.txt	Modified
includes/js/theme-scripts.js	Modified
changelog.txt	Modified
includes/theme-emails.php	Modified
includes/theme-enqueue.php	Modified
includes/theme-functions.php	Modified
includes/theme-widgets.php	Modified
index.php	Modified
loop-ad.php	Modified
search.php	Modified
sidebar-page.php	Modified
sidebar.php	Modified
single-ad_listing.php	Modified
style.css	Modified
styles/master-rtl.css	Modified
includes/js/excanvas.min.js	Added
includes/theme-depricated.php	Added

Enjoy!

Not anymore. Here’s a simple tutorial on how to easily change the default placeholder image without using any editing software.

This is the default image that comes with ClassiPress. It looks fine but not for everyone.

The typical "no image available" placeholder image when an ad is submitted without any images.

This is the new default image after I wave my magic wand.

The new "no image available" placeholder image when an ad is submitted without any images.

Ok, so I went a little extreme with the pink and text but I wanted to show you how easy it is. That took me less than a minute to create. Now it’s your turn.

1. Go to Dynamic Dummy Image Generator
2. Enter 151×106 in the size box.
3. Enter a background color hex (generate one from here)
4. Enter a foreground color hex (what the text color will be)
5. Select “jpg” from the “Format” drop-down
6. Enter the image text you want
7. Right click on your new image and “Save Image As”
8. Save it on your desktop as “no-thumb.jpg”
9. FTP into your website so we can upload the new image
10. Navigate to /wp-content/themes/classipress/images/
11. Rename your existing “no-thumb.jpg” in case you want to ever use it again (optional step)
12. Put your new “no-thumb.jpg” image from your desktop into the images folder
13. Visit an ad on your site that doesn’t have any images
14. It should now be replaced with your new image!

Here’s a couple screen shots of what my examples looked like.

Here are the settings I used for the pink example

And behold, the color picker and color hex I used.

Once you choose the color you want, copy the hex value and paste it into the other box

See how simple that was? Did you like this tutorial? Let us know below! We will continue to write tutorials like this if they are useful for our customers.

This patch included over 60 tickets ranging from bug fixes and a few minor enhancements. The most noteworthy change has to do with child themes. 3.0.3 takes full advantage of child theme capability including pluggable ClassiPress functions. No need to modify the core functions and risk losing your changes when it’s time to upgrade. You can override certain functions with your own modified version instead. Seth will be writing a tutorial on how to do this soon.

In addition, this sets the stage for an aftermarket of ClassiPress child themes built and contributed by our community. The door is now open for all you developers and we look forward to seeing your child-themes. An official AppThemes Marketplace will be announced later this year.

To see all the changes and which files were affected, take a look at the changelog.txt which is included in the 3.0.3 download. Make sure to read the 3.0.3 upgrade instructions if you are upgrading from 3.0.2. For a high-level of fixes, check out our previous blog post.

The only design change was on the single ad page. Many of you provided us with feedback on this so we listened and added a nice image container box and centered the main image. Here is the before design.

3.0.2 image box styling (or lack thereof)

And here is the new image container design included in 3.0.3. The “no image” placeholder image is also centered which looks much better than before.

3.0.3 image box styling

This release is Seth’s first official contribution to ClassiPress and AppThemes. He spent many long nights working to get it done so we should all thank him! Next on our roadmap is version 3.1 which will include several new features. Launch date is targeted for September or October.

Here’s what your drop-down lists should look like currently before the change we are about to make:

Drop-down menu before css change

Here’s what your drop-down lists should look like after we make the change:

Drop-down menu after css change

See how the parent categories now stick out and better display the hierarchies? Below you will find the steps you need to take to make this change. Some of you can skip step #1 if you’re already using a custom.css file on your site.

1. Navigate to your /styles/ directory and rename custom-sample.css to custom.css
2. Open custom.css in your favorite code editor
3. Enter the style code below and save
4. Upload the file to your web site

option.level-0 {
font-weight: bold;
}

All this does is tell your site to bold any level-0 (parent categories) within your drop-down lists.

That’s it. You might need to flush your browser’s cache (Shift + reload in Windows) and/or clear any WordPress caching plugin you are using before the change will show up.

Anyhow, the reason for this post was to provide a handy bit of mySQL code when migrating your ClassiPress site to another domain.

While going through the demo site migration process, we had to change a bunch of legacy meta_values which have the image urls hardcoded in them so the thumbnail and ad images weren’t showing up. Instead of manually having to go through hundreds of records, it made more sense to write a custom sql query to handle the same change in a matter of seconds.

I wanted to share this just in case any of you plan on migrating one of your web sites to a different domain. Keep in mind, this sql query would only be necessary if you were previously using version 2.9.3 or earlier since 3.0+ doesn’t rely on the “images” meta field.

So you’ll need to login to your mySQL admin and go to your SQL tab. There you’ll want to paste in the following code (replace the oldsite.com and newsite.com of course first). You might even want to do a test run on one record first just to be safe.

UPDATE wp_postmeta
SET meta_value = replace(meta_value, 'oldsite.com', 'newsite.com')
WHERE meta_key = 'images'

After you run this query, all your oldsite.com’s will be replaced with your newsite.com’s!