Very Upset :(

[yumyumcat]

I've been installing your hacks and everytime I do this, my default skin turns into a nitemare and now after the marquee install, NONE of my skins are are working, but two.

I have no idea why this is happening, but if I ask for help on an installation, I never get any. I am constantly waiting for help, but no one replies unless I PM someone.

I'm very unsatisified and I suppose that since I don't know how to code or I'm not one of your peers, am I not a worthwile individual in your eyes to be assisted?

I have an administrator that understands PHP and these things very well, but he's in school now and I'm without any help. I guess that's my own problem too, but I thought I was supposed to get technical help when I purchased vBulletin?

Heck, I don't even know if I'm posting this in the proper area.

[Daniel]

You only get technical help for unhacked boards, from vBulletin Support (http://vbulletin.com). This is a vBulletin resource, and nothing here is supported by the vBulletin Support staff. It's up to the author of the hack whether he supports his/her hack or not; that's if he ticked the "Supported" box. If he didn't, then some times others will help you out. If no one helps you out, then I suppose your stuck and you either have someone else figure it out, learn how to figure it out yourself, or remove the hack.

[Mr Chad]

If you dont know what your doing... Then you should not add/edit anything without your board admin that knows the basics of the code.

[yumyumcat]

You only get technical help for unhacked boards, from vBulletin Support (http://vbulletin.com). This is a vBulletin resource, and nothing here is supported by the vBulletin Support staff. It's up to the author of the hack whether he supports his/her hack or not; that's if he ticked the "Supported" box. If he didn't, then some times others will help you out. If no one helps you out, then I suppose your stuck and you either have someone else figure it out, learn how to figure it out yourself, or remove the hack. Thanks, that helped a lot. I did install the mood collection with no problem and one other skin without any problems to my default skin.

I find most if not all of these hacks really easy to read and install, but it's after I install them, that's when I have the problem.

I know I'm very articulate when I read and install these hacks.

How come some of them install correctly and don't affect my default skin, while the others did?

If you dont know what your doing... Then you should not add/edit anything without your board admin that knows the basics of the code. While I appreciate your thoughts and advise, there are some that don't know anything like myself and don't have any problems ~ so, I'm basically concerned as to why these incidents occur some of the time, but not all of the time.

BTW ~ after I tried to install another skin and things went awry, my administrator told me that there must be a bug in vBulletin ~ could this be possible?

[Guest190829]

Thanks, that helped a lot. I did install the mood collection with no problem and one other skin without any problems to my default skin.

I find most if not all of these hacks really easy to read and install, but it's after I install them, that's when I have the problem.

I know I'm very articulate when I read and install these hacks.

How come some of them install correctly and don't affect my default skin, while the others did?

While I appreciate your thoughts and advise, there are some that don't know anything like myself and don't have any problems ~ so, I'm basically concerned as to why these incidents occur some of the time, but not all of the time.

BTW ~ after I tried to install another skin and things went awry, my administrator told me that there must be a bug in vBulletin ~ could this be possible?

No, it's very rare that your problems are due to a bug in vbulletin. Your problems can be due to a number of reasons:

1.) Your installing the hacks you are having trouble with incorrectly. This isn't uncommon, and can happen just by making a single mistake on a template edit.

2.) The hack has something wrong with it. If you look at the hack thread and see people reporting the same problems you are having, then this is probably the case. If the author is actively supporting the hack, then he/she will fix the bug when the time comes.

3.) Itmay be your skin that you have installed on your board. If you skin has enough customizations to it, installing some hacks may be difficult with certain template edits.

Also, as stated already, vBulletin has no connection to Third party hacks provided here. If you experience any problems with the hack it's up to the hack author (Only if he is supporting the hack) to help you. If the author chooses not to support a hack, then it's up to you to find the solution to your problem or someone else may be able to help you in the hack thread.

[Tony G]

I suggest you look through the tutorial and how to forums to get some better ideas of installing hacks and why things might go wrong.

[Roms]

I suggest taking the time to learn instead of blaming Vb..... Verify, Verify, Verify. It's like when you buy a new car and decide to add a new feature... Should I, shouldn't I...? You get excited and add it yourself and mess it up... who's fault is that? Well my dear it's yours I'm sorry to say if you mess up somethnig that was working correctly and proven to work as listed then download it again and In-install.... no one to blame but yourself... ;)

[yumyumcat]

I suggest taking the time to learn instead of blaming Vb..... Verify, Verify, Verify. It's like when you buy a new car and decide to add a new feature... Should I, shouldn't I...? You get excited and add it yourself and mess it up... who's fault is that? Well my dear it's yours I'm sorry to say if you mess up somethnig that was working correctly and proven to work as listed then download it again and In-install.... no one to blame but yourself... ;) First of all, I don't act like some crazed fool that I should pee all over myself and get excited over a hack ~ okay?
I think you just got excited just to post something cruel and useless ~ these other people have given me plenty of good advise and to read your drivel is worthless.

3.) Itmay be your skin that you have installed on your board. If you skin has enough customizations to it, installing some hacks may be difficult with certain template edits. Ya know, this particular default skin (now it's not my default anymore) almost always gets messed up when I upload a product.

I'm surprised that it didn't mess anything up when I installed the moods or the other skin, but it sure did when I tried to upload a different skin and the marquee ~ Good point.

[Freesteyelz]

I don't know about anyone else but I sometimes get excited over a hack. :classic:

Anyway, the point of it all is that customizing vB is definitely a learning curve. It can be adventurous, enjoyous, frustrating and relaxing all bundled in one. In the end, however, it should leave you feeling positive. :)

[cayote]

I'm still a newbie at this too yumy, but I'm learning pretty quickly (helps to have a background in html and other computer stuff). I found early on that most problems with hacks occur not due to VB but more likely due to any styles you have installed. A lot of styles change various templates that get changed again when you add a hack and this leads to problems. One way to go about it is to compare templates in the styles where the hack 'worked' with templates on the styles that don't work and see what the differences are. If you can't figure out what to change, then post here looking for help. Most folks here are more than happy to help and you'll only get a few of the nasty buggers who for whatever reason (makes them feel superior?) have to make a negative reply to every post they see (especially those of us new guys who occasionally ask what to 'them' is a stupid question).

Good luck with your site.

[Roms]

I don't know about anyone else but I sometimes get excited over a hack. :classic:

Anyway, the point of it all is that customizing vB is definitely a learning curve. It can be adventurous, enjoyous, frustrating and relaxing all bundled in one. In the end, however, it should leave you feeling positive. :)

Well said, I know a lot and I still get excited about a new hack. :)

[cayote]

Infantry, why so hostile? Yumy didn't blame VB she(he?) said:

BTW ~ after I tried to install another skin and things went awry, my administrator told me that there must be a bug in vBulletin ~ could this be possible?

:in fact not blaming VB, just asking if it was possible.

I'm not starting a flame, this is my last word on it. I just dislike how folks get all upset when someone new comes around asking a question. The only smack talk in this thread is what you posted yourself (and now mine :cool: )

Ciao

[Roms]

"why so hostile?" (I've been in debate, is this a tactic? Good luck... LOL) This is me, like it or not. Nothing "hostile" about it... Don't try to make my comments into more than they are. ;) People don't like to hear the truth.

^ chatbum already said it but: If you don't know what you're doing then don't try to do it... AND if you do decide to do it after the fact, don't go blaming others for your mistake..... ;) Not jumping on anyone just saying don't go blaming others if you are the one that did the messing up...

[Talisman]

^ if you don't know what you're doing then don't try to do it... AND if you do decide to do it after the fact, don't go blaming others for your mistake..... ;) Not jumping on anyone just saying don't go blaming others if you are the one that did the messing up...

@ Infantrymen:

I've read these posts, Infantrymen, and yumyumcat isn't blaming anyone. What she's doing is voicing her complaint that no one will help her after a simple install causes problems she didn't or couldn't anticipate beforehand. This is not the only new(ish) member who has found out -- the hard way -- that (like the rest of us) she really is on her own if she attempts even a simple modification to customize her board.

This person is obviously frustrated..... to the point that she came here to post about it.... and being so new to vBulletin in the first place, she's understandably confused about what support there is (or isn't) and where it comes from.

My question to you is... exactly how does it help this person (or any other newer members here) for you to tell her off by saying it's her own darned fault for trying something new? Not only do you offer her no helpful advice, whatsoever, but the outright unfriendliness you've shown is appalling.

I've been installing your hacks and everytime I do this, my default skin turns into a nitemare and now after the marquee install, NONE of my skins are are working, but two.

@ yumyumcat:

First of all, what skin are you using as your default skin? Did you download it from here..? somewhere else..? is it an adaptation you or your admin have modified yourselves?

Most hacks really don't mess around with the skins we use - except when it comes to content changes needed on the templates. And for those hacks, the author will typically provide the necessary step-by-step html code changes you need to make yourself for the DEFAULT templates you get with your initial install of vBulletin. (This means that if you're using some other skin as your default, there may be a lot of differences between those templates and the original vB versions and those code changes you get from the hack author won't work as well.)

Those of us who wish to use multiple skins AND install various vB hacks do our best to simplify code changes by setting the default vB skin as the default skin for the board, which functions as the PARENT skin. Then, all other skins we want would be installed as a CHILD skin beneath that default.

When you install a hack, make needed template changes to the default template set - only. Then take a look at how the hack displays using other skins. Jot down any glitches you see before going back to the ACP because you'll need to track those down to make adjustments.

Pay attention to the color-coding system in use for the templates (in the ACP). If the template name is shown in white, nothing has changed. If it's yellow, all the code details are determined/applied by the default (parent) skin. You don't need to change anything there, either. You only have to modify templates in child skins when they show up with red names. Those are the templates that were customized for that skin.

To figure out where to begin, you can compare the code contained in whichever template you're working on between the default version of the template and the new skin's version of the same template. By finding out what was changed for the skin, you then know where the problems are that need to be fixed.

[Roms]

I have no idea why this is happening, but if I ask for help on an installation, I never get any. I am constantly waiting for help, but no one replies unless I PM someone.

I'm very unsatisified and I suppose that since I don't know how to code or I'm not one of your peers, am I not a worthwile individual in your eyes to be assisted?

Yep, you're right.It's our fault for not being more understanding when these kinds of people don't give anyone a chance in the first place. You're right, I'll move on. Thank you, better you get spit in your face before you've even tried to help than me. :)

Have a lovely night. :)

[yumyumcat]

One way to go about it is to compare templates in the styles where the hack 'worked' with templates on the styles that don't work and see what the differences are. If you can't figure out what to change, then post here looking for help. Most folks here are more than happy to help and you'll only get a few of the nasty buggers who for whatever reason (makes them feel superior?) have to make a negative reply to every post they see (especially those of us new guys who occasionally ask what to 'them' is a stupid question).
Thanks so much for posting that. Ya know hon, you just helped me in quite a bit because if I install a hack to one, it installs it to all of them ~ I thought this was what was supposed to happen, but maybe I'm wrong too~ So sorry guys, I didn't come here to blame vBulletin. I am quite frustrtated and I do thank you Talisman for you kind post.

This person is obviously frustrated..... to the point that she came here to post about it.... and being so new to vBulletin in the first place, she's understandably confused about what support there is (or isn't) and where it comes from. Yes, very confused and frustrated for sure and isn't it horrible that I had to start such a Thread that caused problems; this wasn't my intention at all.

@ yumyumcat:

First of all, what skin are you using as your default skin? Did you download it from here..? somewhere else..? is it an adaptation you or your admin have modified yourselves?
Talisman, the skin I was using was quite a difficult skin to install. My administrator made a lot of mods to it since there needed to be more selections to the menu~ it is called SKILLS CLUB and yes, I did download it from here.

Those of us who wish to use multiple skins AND install various vB hacks do our best to simplify code changes by setting the default vB skin as the default skin for the board, which functions as the PARENT skin. Then, all other skins we want would be installed as a CHILD skin beneath that defaultWould the parent skin be the one that the hacks get installed to and then once the hack is installed, it's automatically performed to the child skins? My administrator never mentioned anything about the order of skins etc ~ I can see that I truly had no business messing around, but he told me to "go for it" ~ He seemed to think I wouldn't run into any problems I suppose.
When you install a hack, make needed template changes to the default template set - only. Then take a look at how the hack displays using other skins. Jot down any glitches you see before going back to the ACP because you'll need to track those down to make adjustments. I see that this is where the problem is ~ the default skin has too many modifications and most likely causing these issues.

Thanks so much, sorry to be off in such a rush, I would like to post more regarding this; so I will be back ~

Happy Easter to all ~

BTW ~ I am very sorry if there's any ill will ~ I do apologize.

[lyassinel]

yeah

[Paul M]

yeahInteresting first post ...... :confused:

[Michael Morris]

My strongest recommendation to anyone wanting to experiment with hacks / templates is to create a mirror of your boards - that way if it breaks you haven't caused the users of the board any grief.

The most painless way to do this is as follows:

1) Start by downloading XAMPP
http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html

2) Install it on your local computer. The XAMPP pages provide thorough instructions for this.

3)Once it's up set a password to your xampp pages this way outside users can't see your mirror boards. Go to http://localhost/security/xamppsecurity.php to do this (if that url doesn't work xampp isn't running on your computer).

4) Copy all your /forums directory to the /htdocs directory of your xampp installation.

5) Close your forums

6) Log in on your server and type

cd ~

hit enter then type

mysqlhotcopy --user=root --password=YourPasswordGoesHere databaseName ./

7) Open your forums back up

8) Download the directory created by this to your local machine.
Depending on your forum size this could take awhile. If the forum is large consider creating a zip file first.

9) Copy the forum over to the /mysql/data directory of my xampp installation. Make sure that you only copy the directory containing the files of your database - there will be 3 files per table in your db all contained in one directory. That containing directory is what you copy to the /data directory of mysql. Don't MOVE files - COPY them - if you mess your mirror up while experimenting you'll simply repeat this move to restore the mirror.

10) Go to http://localhost/phpmyadmin and create the user name and password your forums use to access the database - this will be in the forums config.php file. Just go ahead and give this user global priveledges - you don't need to fine tune it on the test board (though if you know how it doesn't hurt).

11) Go to http://localhost/forums and you should be able to log in. If you run into cookie problems you may need to move tools.php from the do_not_upload directory of your forums' install package into the admincp directory of the mirror.

And that's the basics of mirror creation. It's tricky, but it's worth the effort.

[yumyumcat]

Thank you so much for your input Michael ~ I'll try to creat this mirror as you suggested.

I happened to check back at my site today and apparantly my administrator has fixed the skins ~

I emailed him regarding the issue, but he didn't explain what could've happened.

[Tacama]

Just.. be patient.

I don't have even a month as a Webmaster on my forum and I've installed some hacks, plugs and templates succesfully. Af first I didn't even knew how to place a header.

I must say I'm a lawyer and a few years ago I didn't even had an idea on how a forum worked at all. What I'm trying to say is that I'm still a rookie and I've been learning step by step. Let me say you made the best choice with v.bulletin, just be patient with yourself. Not all rookies get to the probowl on their first season right?

Just keep trying and try to post your questions when you download a hack/plug before installing them.

Good Luck ;)

[Paul M]

Set up a test forum (you are allowed to by your licence) and mess about with it, use it to learn without fear of breaking the live forum. Make sure you have a backup of it - so you can restore it if you completely screw it up.

[yumyumcat]

Set up a test forum (you are allowed to by your licence) and mess about with it, use it to learn without fear of breaking the live forum. Make sure you have a backup of it - so you can restore it if you completely screw it up.
Paul, I would like to get some of these questions answered first before I do that, but I will take both yours and Michael's advise.

Tacama ~ thank you very much for your input, I am very happy with vBulletin, but I was unaware of some obvious issues that I'm very cognizant of now ~ I wish you continued success with your Board ;)

I am very anxious to hear what some of the coders have to say about the questions I'm listing (one of which I asked already) and I hope that someone (even Infantryman) will address. It seems that you are all extremely knowledgeable and I thank you in advance for your time~

I do have some working knowledge of HTML, CSS, but PHP is a whole different ballgame with me ~ I, for some reason have PHP BLOCK ~ lol ~

I haven't had the chance to put up the mirror site, but then again, I would really like to see if someone could please take a look at these questions. I hate to bug anyone, but it'll help make things more clear to me.

Would the parent skin be the one that the hacks get installed to and then once the hack is installed, it's automatically performed to the child skins? My administrator never mentioned anything about the order of skins etc ~ I can see that I truly had no business messing around, but he told me to "go for it" ~ He seemed to think I wouldn't run into any problems I suppose.

When I install a skin, I notice that I have to designate a number by it, but I don't understand what that means ~ most of them have the number "1" next to it.

When I install a hack, do I install it to the default forum first? I haven't been doing that (which is Skills Club) cause it always has problems after I install something. *Note* all except for the two products I installed; which were Moods (great hack) and Firaun Skin"

Should I just delete Skill Club? It's such a pretty skin, I hate to lose it, but it's a troublemaker I suppose :(


Thanks ~
yum

[soniceffect]

HEHEHEHE ... sorry but this thread is hilarious LOL

OK ... now I posted my drivel ... here`s my opinion...

I started out like most, not having the slightest clue about php (or even what it was for that matter) and had very little knowledge of HTML .... I`m now building my knowledge, whether right or wrong through breaking my forums ..... Ya can see this as a bad thing, but to be honest if you spend the time to look at fix the problems for yourself, then you`ll learn from it.

OK OK, so now for the bits I`m likely to get back from that comment:-

I know nothing about it - Nope ... neither did I, but it gives one helluva piece of satisfaction when you manage to sort stuff out for yourself... Most of the time it`s simply a case of looking at the default template and the differences between your own.... Just for example all the dropdown menu`s on my forum use a <dd> tag not even seen in the original skin, and it`s only a slight change from what the hack authors post, but it don`t half cock up the skin if I do it wrong LOL

Dont know where to start? - As I`m sure will have been said to you many times in life ... start at the begining and work your way to the end :) ... Look first at the template edits you`ve made yourself, then look for templates named the same as your hack that have been added by the product/plugin.



If all else fails ------ I ain`t got hours to spend on helping to run another board (I already run 3), but if you want a hand in fixing the few problems you have, and if your willing to give the access then pm me an account and I`ll have a look for you by all means....

PS:- This doesn`t mean you shouldn`t take a look for yourself sometime :)

[Freesteyelz]

Wow. I run on pure adrenaline alone. :classic:



Would the parent skin be the one that the hacks get installed to and then once the hack is installed, it's automatically performed to the child skins? My administrator never mentioned anything about the order of skins etc ~ I can see that I truly had no business messing around, but he told me to "go for it" ~ He seemed to think I wouldn't run into any problems I suppose.
When I install a skin, I notice that I have to designate a number by it, but I don't understand what that means ~ most of them have the number "1" next to it.
When I install a hack, do I install it to the default forum first? I haven't been doing that (which is Skills Club) cause it always has problems after I install something. *Note* all except for the two products I installed; which were Moods (great hack) and Firaun Skin"
Should I just delete Skill Club? It's such a pretty skin, I hate to lose it, but it's a troublemaker I suppose :(If you're planning to tinker with the live forum I would first create a Parent Style and call it something like "Test1". All of your experiments can be made to that Style only. That way you can always go back to the current or Default Style (in vB Options or individual forum settings) if you're not satisfied on the changes or run into problems. Now to your questions:

1. I do know that there is an inheritance factor with Parent to Child Styles but since I've only been creating Parent Styles I can't answer your question with confidence.

2. I think the numbers are there only for order preferences.

3. If you're testing out a hack I suggest doing it on your testing Style (e.g., Test1 Style). To minimize potential problems, install the hacks on an un-modified Style. For example, if your "Test1" Style is for style changes only then create a "Test2" Style for testing hacks.

So to answer your question directly concerning whether to trial the hacks on the Skill Club Style, I wouldn't. Already it has been given you problems so that Style is not a good testing platform.

4. If you like the Skill Club skin and so do your members, keep it. Just keep in mind that you may need to modify the hack steps to make it work, however. Because I've changed my templates around quite a bit - I'm not using the Header ($header) template - there are times when I need to adjust the hack steps to make it work.

*When you see an instruction that says "Find", always take it as find that OR something similar to that code. A lot of template troubleshooting has to do with being able to find the right code bit.

I hope this helps. :)

[Brad]

1. I do know that there is an inheritance factor with Parent to Child Styles but since I've only been creating Parent Styles I can't answer your question with confidence.

Child styles inherit template edits from parent styles, this comes in handy when you have one design with multiple color schemes. Although it can also be used for things like swapping header/foot info, as long as most of the templates between the parent and child styles are the same, it's the way to go about doing things.

For example say we have a few styles in the admin cp, listed like so:

- Parent style
|
| - Child style
|
| - Second Child style

If the parent style in this example has customized header, footer, and postbit templates. Both child styles would inherit these changes by default, such templates are listed in the color orange (IIRC) in the template manager.

Why is this useful? Well once you start using a bunch of styles, it gets real old having to edit each style every time you add a minor modification. If you use child styles, most of the time you will only have to edit one template (in the parent style). Unless it's customized further in child styles of course.

[Freesteyelz]

Thanks, Brad. :) I was curious right after I posted my message so I read through the vB manual. Now I just need to do some trialing.

I'm currently running 4 Parent Styles because for each one there are unique edits, from the Header to Footer to CSS. So at least for my site I'll keep it as is. For my other projects I can definitely see the advantages of doing Parent to Child Styles so the information helps. I have a few ideas that I would like to try. :)

[Brad]

Thanks, Brad. :) I was curious right after I posted my message so I read through the vB manual. Now I just need to do some trialing.

I'm currently running 4 Parent Styles because for each one there are unique edits, from the Header to Footer to CSS. So at least for my site I'll keep it as is. For my other projects I can definitely see the advantages of doing Parent to Child Styles so the information helps. I have a few ideas that I would like to try. :)
Child styles can have their own css, so if that is all that is holding you back it may be worth it to you. CSS additions are rare with most modifications anyway, unless I do something radical I rarely have to change the css. :)

[Erwin]

Was this due to a hack on this site - if so should this be posted in the support thread?

[chiaa]

I only understand what I am doing just a bit. But I do know:

1. How to revert back to the default.

2. Know how to copy the hacked coded template to wordpad when adding additional hacked code (this way I do not lose the working hacked code when adding another feature. ie start from scratch).

Because of this, I have learned tons and tons in only five days of setting up my board.

[Freesteyelz]

Child styles can have their own css, so if that is all that is holding you back it may be worth it to you. CSS additions are rare with most modifications anyway, unless I do something radical I rarely have to change the css. :)

Yeah...That definitely would have been easier. My HomePage and Forum, while integrated, are not identical so when I created them I didn't think about using Child Styles. On second thought, I'll go back and run some experiments. :D