Announcement Legacy Featured Systems are being replaced by Implementing Featured Content Handlers.

[Bob]

With that said, the XenAddons Board of Directors (ME) has already made a decision, at some point (as soon as possible) I will be migrating to the new Featured Content handler (in the same way XFRM has).

I've delayed this long enough!

Just a friendly heads up, I've started the transition to Implementing Featured Content Handlers in all of my Addons (both public and client addons). There will be some legacy feature loss as XF's Featured Content Handler does not have features like Auto Featuring Content. This transition is no different than the decision to transition to Core XF Custom Field System. Quite a bit of feature loss (Filtering, Filter Links, Search all lost), however, in the end, it was (and still is) the right thing to do.

I will be removing the legacy Featured System (php files, functions, options, templates, phrases etc) in all addons, which unfortunately includes things like Auto Feature functionality of the current internal feature system. XFRM did the same exact thing (completely removed its legacy Featured Resources functionality and implemented Feature Content Handler in its place).

Existing Featured Content gets migrated into the new Featured Content System during the upgrade process, so no featured content will be lost during the transition process.

Hopefully XenForo will enhance their Feature Content Handler to include Auto Feature functionality at some point. Maybe Xon will develop a "Featured Content Essentials" addon that includes auto featuring

As for timeline, I am not dropping everything for this, it will be done one addon at a time and will be included in a maintenance release (or XF 2.4 version of the addon).

It IS what it IS. Not the first time this has happened and won't be the last as I doubt XF Developers are done adding new Content Type Handlers anytime soon.