The new Obfuscator stack replaces the older TouchBase stack. Beyond the name change, Obfuscator has the following changes:
Obfuscate practically any link type; beyond just email addresses, telephone numbers and Skype handles.
Compatibility with newer versions of PHP.
Toggle obfuscation of link labels (button text) on and off with ease.
Generate the code for obfuscated links that can be used elsewhere in your website; including paragraphs, footers, banners, sidebars and even entirely separate websites.
More button styles and theme / framework support. Plus an ability to append or prepend button icons.
Optional custom link attributes for more advanced configurations.
Refreshed user interface. Complete with options like viewing sample links directly within RapidWeaver.
As its name suggests, Obfuscator converts email addresses and other contact details into encoded, obfuscated links. Normal 'human' visitors to a website see no difference in how an obfuscated link looks or behaves. However for spam bots and other nasties, they typically just see gibberish code! Therefore Obfuscator can potentially be a powerful asset in helping reduce the amount of automated spam and other unsolicited communications getting to you via website links. Particularly if you have an aversion to using CAPTCHA or other more intrusive anti-spam measures.
Yes, some free tools already exist online that can do obfuscated links. However most of these only support email links. Some use Javascript to obfuscate links or leave tell-tale things behind like 'mailto' or 'tel' in addresses, which can leave links more susceptible to being found. Whereas Obfuscator obfuscates the whole link with server-side PHP.
Until 1st April 2023, I'm providing Obfuscator as a free upgrade for all my customers of TouchBase. Most customers have already been contacted by email this morning with a download link. Although some emails have bounced and other people had opted out of email updates. So if you have not received your copy yet, just drop me a message via the Stacks4Stacks website with your receipt attached, and we'll sort you out with a copy of this new stack.
Obfuscator has very-much been shaped into this highly-capable stack, thanks in part to valuable feedback received from actual users. My hope is that this entirely new stack fulfills all your obfuscation needs in RapidWeaver.
