Possible to mash these 2 wp plugins together?

without looking at the plugins in detail (just about to go to bed sorry) you might be able to use the Custom Field option shown in the dropdown and simply find out which meta field the approvals are stored in? that is a start anyway, depends how the approvals are stored I guess...

i'd say no need for the columns plugin for this, just the approvals one...
add this to a PHP file and put it in /wp-content/my-plugins/

// add the column
function add_approvals_column( $columns ) {
return array_merge( $columns, array( 'approvals' => 'Approvals' ) );
}
add_filter( 'manage_posts_columns' , 'add_approvals_column' );

// add the metabox to the column
function display_posts_approvals( $column, $post_id ) {
if ($column == 'approvals') {
// for no crash if approvals plugin deactivated
if (function_exists('mait_display_post_meta_box')) {
// retrieve the post object based on ID
$post = get_post($post_id);
// insert the approvals metabox for post
mait_display_post_meta_box($post);
// hide the save/submit button in the metabox?
// hacky but this button is really for the edit screen
echo "<style>#mait_save_button {display:none;}</style>";
}
}
}
add_action( 'manage_posts_custom_column' , 'display_posts_approvals', 10, 2 );

// must add the js to the edit.php list screen too...
add_action( 'load-edit.php', 'mait_insertjs' );

...that should do it, I haven't tested it but hopefully saves fine via ajax..?

sorry there was a typo there damnit, you need to create the /wp-content/mu-plugins/ directory, (must-use plugins) as any php file there auto-loaded by wordpress with no questions asked.

(the downside is if there is a typo in the code it could break the site so be prepared to debug.) note: the code quoted is not the same as original, make sure it hasn't gone screwy.

either that or put it in it's own plugin directory eg. /wp-content/plugins/approvals-column/
but if you do it that way you need to give the file a valid plugin header and activate it.

so the reason it's not working yet is basically:

1. the metabox has a single CSS id value, columns need multiple so probably classes.
2. this is needed because the javascript launching the ajax needs to know which post is referenced, which can be determined from what is clicked...

replacement metabox function with class ids base on post
-> modified ajax.js javascript -> unmodified ajax call

may have another play with it tomorrow, but yeah that's what needs to happen.

alrighty... try this for the mu-plugins php file:

// add the column to the post list screen
function add_approvals_column( $columns ) {
return array_merge( $columns, array( 'approvals' => 'Approvals' ) );
}
add_filter( 'manage_posts_columns' , 'add_approvals_column' );

// add alternative js to the edit.php list screen...
add_action( 'load-edit.php', 'mait_insert_column_js' );
function mait_insert_column_js() {
global $current_user;
$muplugins = WP_CONTENT_URL.'/mu-plugins/';
wp_enqueue_script( 'mait_columns_ajax_js_handle', $muplugins.'approvals-column-ajax.js', array('jquery'), '', true );
$protocol = isset( $_SERVER['HTTPS'] ) ? 'https://' : 'http://';
$params = array(
'ajaxurl' => admin_url( 'admin-ajax.php', $protocol ),
'userid' => $current_user->ID
);
wp_localize_script( 'mait_columns_ajax_js_handle', 'mait_params', $params );
}

// add the metabox to the column
function display_posts_approvals( $column, $post_id ) {
if ($column == 'approvals') {
// for no crash if approvals plugin deactivated
if (function_exists('mait_display_post_meta_box')) {
// retrieve the post object based on ID
$post = get_post($post_id);
// insert the column approvals metabox
mait_display_column_meta_box($post);
}
}
}
add_action( 'manage_posts_custom_column' , 'display_posts_approvals', 10, 2 );

// custom column metabox output
function mait_display_column_meta_box($post) {

global $current_user;
$mait_nonce = wp_create_nonce( 'mait_nonce' );
$approval_users = get_post_meta( $post->ID, 'mait_approval_user', false );
$approval_status = get_post_meta( $post->ID, 'mait_approval_status', true );
$options = get_option( 'mait_options' );
$min = $options['min'];

// add the post ID to the box
echo '<div class="mait_approval_box" id="mait'.$post->ID.'">';

$published = $approval_status == $min || $post->post_status == 'publish';
$progress = $published ? 100 : ( $approval_status / $min ) * 100 + 1;
if ($post->post_status == 'publish') {$min = $approval_status;}

echo '<span class="mait_header mait'.$post->ID.'">Approvals</span>';
echo ' ( <span class="mait_approval_number mait'.$post->ID.'">'.$approval_status.'</span> / '.$min.' )';
echo '<div class="mait_progress_bar mait'.$post->ID.'" title="Click to toggle the approval list">';
echo '<div style="width: '.$progress.'%;" class="mait_progress mait'.$post->ID.'">';
if ( $published ) {echo 'Published';}
echo '</div></div><div class="mait_approval_list mait'.$post->ID.'">';
if (empty($approval_users)) {echo 'No one approved this post yet.';}
else {echo mait_list_approval_users($approval_users);}
echo '</div></div>';

echo '<div class="mait_approval_buttons mait'.$post->ID.'">';
if (!$published) {
if (in_array($current_user->ID, $approval_users)) {
echo '<div class="mait_remove_approval submitbox mait_options_bar mait'.$post->ID.'" id="mait'.$post->ID.'">';
echo '<a class="submitdelete" href="'.$mait_nonce.'">Remove your approval</a></div>';
}
else {
echo '<div class="mait_approve mait_options_bar mait'.$post->ID.'" id="mait'.$post->ID.'"><strong>';
echo '<a href="'.$mait_nonce.'" class="button-primary">Approve</a></strong></div>';
}
}
echo '</div>';
}

then save this as approvals-column-ajax.js in mu-plugins folder:

(function($){

// use class instead of ID
$('.mait_progress_bar').hover(
function(){
$(this).css({'opacity': '0.5', 'cursor':'pointer'});
},
function(){
$(this).css({'opacity': '1', 'cursor':'default'});
}
);

// use subclass instead of ID
$('.mait_progress_bar').click(
function(){
$(this).find('.mait_approval_list').toggle();
}
);

// removed postid data from here
var data_approve = {
action: 'mait_approve_post',
userid: mait_params.userid,

};
var data_remove = {
action: 'mait_remove_approval',
userid: mait_params.userid
};

// callback functions
function mait_remove_approval(){
data_remove['nonce'] = $(this).find('a').attr('href');
// set the post id based on the id of the element clicked
var thispostid = $(this).attr('id').replace('mait','');
data_remove['postid'] = thispostid;
// use post id class from here on instead of single element ID
$('.mait_options_bar.mait'+thispostid).html('');

$.post( mait_params.ajaxurl, data_remove, function(response){
var status = $(response).find('mait_remove_approval').attr('id' );

if ( status == 1 ){
var data = $(response).find('response_data').text();
var status = $(response).find('status').text();
var approvals = $(response).find('approvals').text();

$('.mait_approval_number.mait'+thispostid).text(ap provals);
$('.mait_approval_list.mait'+thispostid).html(data );
$('.mait_options_bar.mait'+thispostid).replaceWith ('<div class="mait_approve mait_options_bar mait'+thispostid+'" id="mait'+thispostid+'"><strong><a href="'+data_remove['nonce']+'" class="button-primary">Approve</a></strong>');
$('.mait_progress.mait'+thispostid).css('width',st atus+'%');
$('.mait_approve.mait'+thispostid).click( mait_approve );
}
});
return false;
}

function mait_approve(){
data_approve['nonce'] = $(this).find('a').attr('href');
// set the post id based on the id of the element clicked
var thispostid = $(this).attr('id').replace('mait','');
data_approve['postid'] = thispostid;
// use post id class from here on instead of single element ID
$('.mait_options_bar.mait'+thispostid).html('');

$.post( mait_params.ajaxurl, data_approve, function(response){
var status = $(response).find('mait_approve_post').attr('id');

if ( status == 1 ){
var data = $(response).find('response_data').text();
var status = $(response).find('status').text();
var approvals = $(response).find('approvals').text();

$('.mait_approval_number.mait'+thispostid).text(ap provals);
$('.mait_approval_list.mait'+thispostid).html(data );
$('.mait_progress.mait'+thispostid).css('width',st atus+'%');

if ( status == 100 ){
$('#mait_progress.mait'+thispostid).text('Publishe d');
}
else{
$('.mait_options_bar.mait'+thispostid).replaceWith ('<div class="mait_remove_approval submitbox mait_options_bar mait'+thispostid+'" id="mait'+thispostid+'"><a class="submitdelete" href="'+data_approve['nonce']+'">Remove your approval</a></div>');
$('.mait_remove_approval').click( mait_remove_approval );
}
}
});
return false;
}

// add these callback functions to the button/link
$('.mait_approve').click( mait_approve );
$('.mait_remove_approval').click( mait_remove_approval );

})(jQuery)

Wow. You folks are brave to co-write/edit WordPress plugins in a forum without proper formatting ... and possibly on a live site... that's brave.