Overview

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The Newsmast Foundation offers a white labelled app service, based on our best-in-class Mastodon client.

We partner with communities to deploy the app according to their needs.

Is Patchwork for me?

The app offers a smooth user experience and enables users to make the most of Patchwork’s features.

Our partners

We have supported several communities in getting their own apps up and running, including existing Mastodon servers.

We also run Channel.org - a service building social media solutions, including apps, for news publishers, campaign groups, place-based communities and academic institutions.

Installation guide

This installation guide is for communities that control their own Mastodon server and are in the process of deploying a white-label app with the support of The Newsmast Foundation.

In order to enable The Newsmast Foundation's apps to work, you need to install the following plug-ins in your Mastodon instance as required to deliver the associated features in the app. This is an essential step to deliver these features to your users. The version of the app you install needs to be matched to these Gems, to ensure that the app works as expected.

This setup assumes that you have installed Mastodon from source.

• Accounts
  A Ruby on Rails plugin that adds custom account management, push notifications, and authentication overrides to Mastodon instance.

• Content filters
  A Ruby on Rails plugin that filters Mastodon timelines by defined keywords and hashtags.

• Conversations
  A Ruby on Rails plugin that extends Mastodon conversations with custom API endpoints and mobile app functionality.

• Posts
  A Ruby on Rails plugin that enhances Mastodon’s posting features with customizable character limits, draft management, quote posts, and automatic ALT text generation.

1. Connect to your Mastodon instance's server, access the installation files and locate the Gemfile. Add the ruby gems below to the Gemfile:

gem "accounts", git: "https://github.com/patchwork-hub/accounts/"
gem "content_filters", git: "https://github.com/patchwork-hub/content_filters"
gem "conversations", git: "https://github.com/patchwork-hub/conversations"
gem "posts", git: "https://github.com/patchwork-hub/posts"

2. Run the bundle command to install the gems:

$ bundle install

3. Run migration command:

$ bundle exec rails db:migrate

4. Run the gem setup command for the necessary setup:

bundle exec rake content_filters:install

6. Add below environment keys to your Mastodon instance:

AUTO_FOLLOW_ENABLED=false
ALT_TEXT_ENABLED=false
BOOST_POST_ENABLED=false

5. After that, restart your application to load the gems.