I’d like to include a large amount of WP into my project…

  • Hi there!

    I’m writing a home-hosted open-source Cloud platform that has well above average functionality. Currently the platform must be installed alongside WordPress, as it relies on user accounts pulled from the WordPress database with wp_get_current_user() to create hashed user directories. I’d like to copy-pasta the livin’-crap out of WordPress so that I can reduce a dependency and also give users a simple drop-down for deciding if they want a standalone Cloud or a WordPress integrated one. I’d like to do it right though, and I’m coming to the official source (as far as I can tell) to get permission and guidance to supplying credit and adhering to WordPress licensing.

    The secondary benefit to reducing a dependency would be giving my AppLauncher the ability to harness the power of WordPress functions during development, although my platform only really need one function. How much attribution should I give to WordPress compared to how much code I copy? Right now my project is about 11,000 lines of code and as far as I can tell I only need to borrow heavily from wp_load.php and wp_login.php.

    Any advice is greatly appreciated. ??

    https://github.com/zelon88/HRCloud2

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
  • Moderator bcworkz

    (@bcworkz)

    There really isn’t an official “source” AFAIK, the .org version of WP is open source, community maintained. It’s highly decentralized. There is a WordPress Foundation that keeps everything going, but they’re not in any way involved with the actual code base.

    WordPress is GPL licensed, so you may use the code as allowed under those terms. I may not have it quite right, verify what I say, but GPL means you can copy and use the code as is or alter it, as long as it’s properly attributed and the package you release using the code is also GPL licensed and available free of charge, except for minor charges for things like duplication expenses. No permission is required. Read the actual license for clarification of details. Whatever it says is what applies. No one here will be able to officially provide further detail. Anything open to interpretation would probably go by whatever the general consensus is. When in doubt, remember the whole purpose of GPL, don’t be trying to twist interpretations around to something that was never intended. If you’re not a scheming douche, you should be fine ??

    wp_load.php basically brings in the entire WP code base by include or require. WP functionality is highly decentralized, for the most part it’s impractical to excerpt portions and have it be functional. Basically, you need the whole thing to do anything. My inclination if I were you would be to write my own code to manage users, using the WP implementation as inspiration and reference, but not as source code. Your code can be 100% compatible with the current user table without using WP code.

    That said, it will be useful to copy certain function declarations in their entirety, though beware, resolving dependencies can be deceptively complex. I’m thinking of the password hashing routine right now, though straight MD5 is currently compatible, but WP automatically upgrades any MD5 it finds to whatever it currently is using. I suggest keeping verbatim copying to a minimum will be your best strategy.

    Thread Starter HonestRepairAdmin

    (@honestrepairadmin)

    Thanks for the input!

    I’ll give an update on how I went about this.

    First, I downloaded the latest WP repo and renamed wp_config_sample to wp_config. I also got rid of the upper-most level of the stock directory structure. I then zipped this semi-configured WP directory and uploaded it to my repo.
    When a user installs HRCloud2, it checks for wp_load.php. If no wp_load exists the zip is extracted to the server’s root and the user is instructed how to configure WordPress.

    Moderator bcworkz

    (@bcworkz)

    Thanks for the update!

    A bit of a disclaimer first. Subsequent to my writing my previous reply I was conned into promoted to moderator. This does not give me any additional authority to speak about WP licensing issues. Mod status only gives me more ability to deal with spam and keep the forums orderly, I still have no authority to speak for the WordPress organization.

    What you’ve done sounds no different than what dozens of hosts do to promote easy installation of WP. May your setup continue to work well for you.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
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