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Workflow for Movable Type released

Movable Type - News - Workflow for Movable Type released

Anil | 02:28 PM

Workflow, a new plugin for Movable Type 3.1x, has just been released by David Raynes. While we don't usually feature new plugins as part of our news about the Movable Type platform, we thought it was worth pointing out because Workflow adds a powerful new area of functionality, and also marks a milestone for the growth of our plugin community.

First, the features: Workflow lets you limit control of publshing rights to certain authors in your Movable Type installation, allowing other people on the system to act as editors and review entries before they're published. Administrators can control who has rights to any of these levels of permissions. Plus, authors can transfer ownership of a post to other authors and they'll be notified by email when the transfer happens.

Workflow Screenshot

In addition to the features in this plugin, the ecosystem for Workflow is just as compelling. As David has noted on his blog, the Workflow plugin is being offered with a paid commercial license. Though there have been DropCash campaigns to raise money for plugins in the past, and other plugin developers are charging for their plugins as well, it's exciting to see some of these efforts evolve from being projects to becoming products.

Just as exciting, David's announced a plugin architecture for the Workflow plugin, complete with a plugin contest. The full details of the contest haven't been released yet, but seeing David go from being a Plugin contest winner to hosting his own plugin contest in a little over half a year reflects just how much the opportunities around weblogs have grown.

If you can get past the mind-bending idea of plugins having their own plugins, it really shows how plugin developers have taken a place next to strategy consultants, content mavens, and implementation experts in benefitting from the rise of Movable Type as a platform for professionals.

We'll be following up on these ideas on the Professional network site in the weeks to come, to help developers working with plugins, whether you're trying to make a living with your work, just help raise your profile as a consultant, or if you want to make free plugins just to make working with Movable Type more efficient and enjoyable.

June 12, 2005 at 02:07 AM in Blogging & feeds | Permalink | TrackBack (25) | Top of page | Blog Home