1What FoxPlug reads from Featurebase
These are the exact things it reads, and nothing else.
| What | The details it takes |
|---|---|
| Posts on your board | post id, title (first 160 characters), upvote count, status and the time it last changed; up to 3 pages of 100 posts |
| The status of each post | from the post status type and name: completed, complete, done or shipped become done; canceled or closed become closed; a name containing 'progress' becomes in progress; containing 'plan' becomes planned; anything else is open |
| What is stored from the read | up to 30 requests as id, title, votes and status, how many matched something you shipped, and the time of the read; no voter name or email |
| Your own recent updates, for matching | titles of the updates FoxPlug already holds from your other tools in the last 30 days (up to 80), compared word by word with open request titles |
2Moments it finds, and what each becomes
A moment is one thing that happened in Featurebase worth a second look. Each one is scored, then it becomes a post, a changelog entry, a thing to fix or an idea to email, or it is skipped.
A post whose status is completed (or done, shipped) in the last 60 days with at least 1 upvote
The moment is titled like this: Shipped what 22 people asked for: Single sign-on
You move the 'Single sign-on' post to Completed on your Featurebase board; it has 22 upvotes. At the next Check for what's new FoxPlug writes the moment 'Shipped what 22 people asked for: Single sign-on' and the brain shows it as a say card.
Two or more completed posts in the same stretch
The moment is titled like this: Shipped 2 things users asked for (30 people voted)
You complete 'Single sign-on' (22) and 'API keys' (8). FoxPlug adds one total moment, 'Single sign-on (22); API keys (8). Counted from Featurebase.' next to the two single ones.
A post still open with at least 2 upvotes whose words match something you shipped in the last 30 days
The moment is titled like this: Looks like you shipped what 5 people asked for: Dark mode
The post 'Dark mode' is still open with 5 upvotes and an update from your other tools in the last 30 days is called 'Shipped dark mode'. FoxPlug writes a 'Looks like' moment asking you to check it matches and mark it complete in Featurebase.
3How the brain uses it
The rules below are the ones that apply to Featurebase. The same rules, with worked examples, are on the brain page.
- A request marked complete in Featurebase in the last 60 days with at least one vote becomes a say line: shipped, N people asked for it. Two or more in the same stretch also give one total line. How the brain decides
- An open request with at least 2 votes whose words match something you shipped in the last 30 days becomes a 'looks like you shipped it' say line; matching is by words, so check it before you post. How the brain decides
- FoxPlug keeps titles and counts, not who asked, so it cannot email the people who voted; telling them is yours to do in the tool. How the brain decides
4Set up Featurebase in a few steps
Access: API key, pasted by you. What to give it: API key (FoxPlug only reads).
- In Featurebase, open Settings and find the API section (Featurebase's help centre shows where).
- Make an API key and name it FoxPlug. Keep it private; FoxPlug only reads and never writes.
- Paste it into the Featurebase box in FoxPlug.
- Press Check for what's new.
5Limits worth knowing
Where it stops, so nothing surprises you.
- Reads at most 3 pages of 100 posts, newest as the API returns them, and stops early when a page has under 100 rows.
- A completed post becomes a 'Shipped what people asked for' moment only if it changed status in the last 60 days and has at least 1 upvote.
- Title matching to what you shipped is by words: 1 or 2 word requests need all of them; longer ones need at least 2 words and half of them.
- At most 3 'Looks like you shipped it' moments per read, each needing at least 2 upvotes.
- The reader accepts several possible field names for votes and dates because the API docs were behind a login when it was written.
6What it never reads
Read only means read only, and the list below is what the code leaves alone.
- Voter names or emails
- Anything that writes to Featurebase: it never changes a post status or comments
7How Featurebase differs from the tools next to it
Near-identical to Canny. Featurebase: GET do.featurebase.app/v2/posts with the key in an X-API-Key header, up to 3 pages of 100 posts of any status; votes from upvotes; status from the post status type and name; the reader is written to tolerate field-name variations. Canny: POST with the key in the body, two list calls (newest 50 complete, top 100 open by score), votes from score. Both end in the same moments and the same match against what you shipped.
8Questions
Does FoxPlug change my Featurebase posts or message the people who upvoted?
No. It reads post titles, upvotes and statuses with your API key and keeps no voter name or email. It cannot write to voters; you tell them yourself in Featurebase.
How does FoxPlug connect to Featurebase?
You paste an API key from the API section of your Featurebase settings into the Featurebase box. FoxPlug only reads with it.
When does it read my board?
Only when you press Check for what's new. Nothing is fetched on a timer for your project.
Has the Featurebase connection been tested against a real account?
No. It is marked code-path-only: the code path exists and its offline checks pass, but no real Featurebase account of ours has exercised it.
FoxPlug reads this tool only when you press Check for what's new, and only to read. Plans and limits are on the pricing page. Questions: support.