Integration with vBulletin - vHoist : Garage / Car Showroom [Archive]

footose

01-04-2009, 10:00 PM

About:

vHoist is a new Virtual Garage plugin that allows your users to share the rides with the rest of your forum!

Our plugin fully integrates into your forum software providing seamless integration without the limits of other plugins with similar features, such as extra SQL querys added to your site.

vHoist Has:

- Multiple Garages for each user

- No Added SQL Query's

- Users Cars listed under their post info

- Full seamless integration into your forum

- Users can share their garages over multiple websites without the need to modify their profiles for each site.

- Anyone that "parks" their car on your website, will provide a backlink to your site for every other site they are on.

- Unlimited Pictures and Rides

- Many new features coming weekly! Facebook plugin, phpbb plugin both in development.

- Will be supporting MOTORCYCLES, ATV's, Boats and much much more!

Sites that are already using vHoist.com:

http://www.GenerationDub.com
http://psaclub.net/forums.php

Install Instructions

1) Download the zip file.

2) Upload vHoist.php into the root directory of your website.

3) Install the product "product_vhoist.xml" (Allow overwrite if you're upgrading) into vBulletin.
[ Plugins & Products ] -> [ Manage Products ] -> Add/Import Product.

4) Visit www.vHoist.com and Register an account. *COMPLETELY FREE*

5) Once logged in, click "Downloads", and redownload the zip file to enable the administration panel. REFRESH this page after download.

6) Add your website to vHoist.com by using the "Site Adminstrator" menu to the left, located under your Member Garage.
* Your site will not be added to vHoist.com until you upload vHoist.php and correctly add your URL to our database.

7) Save the information and Paste the passkey Generated by vHoist.com into your vBulletin vHoist settings.

[ vBulletin Options ] -> [ vBulletin Options ] -> [ vHoist Settings ] -> Website Passkey

8) Adjust your settings in vBulletin for vHoist accordingly.

After you are finished the above, visit your newly installed vHoist on your website. You will see a message saying that you do not currently have any cars parked on your site. Click on "Add / Edit vHoist" and then park your car on your site!

FAQ:

How does the benefit my site?

- There is no "Overhead" added to your site like other plugins, such as vbGarage, because everything takes place on vHoist.com

- Backlinks, an important SEO feature, come from vHoist.com to your site. For example, if one member parks his / her car on multiple websites, you will automatically be back linked from potentially thousands of sites. It's already happening.. http://forums.generationdub.com/vHoist.php?do=view&gid=100390 - This is a VERY important feature and benefit to your site.

- Your users now only have to "Update" their ride on one site, and it propogates to all other sites they have parked too. Now if they have "forgotten" that they came to forum before but parked their ride there, it will be bumped up to the top of the list when they have an update.

- If someone comments from your forum, the user will receive an email saying that someone commented from your forum, and potentially giving you another user to come back to your site! Again, ANOTHER backlink is added on the comment. Here is an example:

http://forums.generationdub.com/vHoist.php?do=view&gid=100000

Here's what a users garage looks like parked on 2 seperate sites!

Site 1 - http://forums.generationdub.com/vHoist.php?do=view&gid=100000

Site 2 - http://psaclub.net/vHoist.php?do=view&gid=100000

Do you get our users information?

We save the UserID, UserName and Email address of users that "Park" a car on your website, so that the user display information will properly show up on your site. This is strictly because users will occasionally have multiple usernames across many forums. Since vHoist.com allows a user to "park" their ride on your site, we need to display their username for your site properly.

For more FAQ's like this, visit: http://www.vhoist.com/FAQ.aspx

Time to install: < 5 Minutes
Template Edits: 0
File Uploads: 1
Products: 1

Has been tested on:

3.6.7
3.6.8
3.7.1
3.8.0

Believed to work on ALL versions from 3.6.0 to 3.8.0, but would like confirmation from users currently using those sites.

product / vhoist.php files - [1.0.0.1]
- Fixed Search not working
- Removed Sponsor Program
- Allowed importing for 3.5.7
- Disabled "member ride" listed under user's name until I can figure out the "slow down" issue
- problem with quotes in user names
- moved related rides to the left instead of right

product / vhoist.php files - [1.0.0.2]
- Added "Random Image" table - show 1 through 10 random garages by your users
- Created a new way to add vHoist to your forum, so you can use a selection box to pick where it goes
- Added "Latest Image" table - show 1 through 10 last edited garages by your users
- Added more extensive options menu
- Added Quick Links Menu
- Fixed "Enable / Disable" Option
- Removed "Members Rides" option under user names until futher testing

product / vhoist.php files - [1.0.0.3]
- Added sorting on title bar of search
- Added some vHoist website functionality
- View users rides from www.vhoist.com/ride/XXXXXX/ where XXX is the ride number.
- Fixed bug for not being able to remove ride

product / vhoist.php files - [1.0.0.4]
- Added User Profiles tab
- Removed this from "beta" since it's been functioning on sites for a few months now
- Added some vHoist website functionality - analytics to be added in next release
- View users profile from www.vhoist.com/id/username/ where XXX is the username on vHoist.com

Known Issues for this release:

- None reported

Other:

This is currently a working public BETA. I will be supporting this daily (well, mostly nightly EST) in this thread and via any problems submitted by email using the contact form on the site, http://www.vhoist.com

*Attention vbGarage Users*

We have been working diligantly on a conversion tool to transfer your current vBGarage users into vHoist.com. The converter is currently in Alpha testing and is not publicly avalible yet.

It is recommend that smaller sites that are using vBGarage start off with a fresh new vHoist account, however, we understand that content is hard to come by and we are working fast to bring this converter to you! If this is stopping you from installing vHoist.com, then please use our contact forum to let us know you are waiting!

....

Cheers :) .... and .... here goes nothing... this is my first publicly released mod, so if I did this wrong, please forgive me!

Lizard King

01-05-2009, 06:17 AM

- Backlinks, one of the most important "SEO" features, come from vHoist.com to your site. For example, if one member parks his / her car on multiple websites, you will automatically be back linked from potentially thousands of sites. It's already happening.. http://forums.generationdub.com/vHoi...iew&gid=100390 - This is a VERY important feature and benefit to your site.

This defination is actually not correct. By adding the same content to multiple sites you are creating duplicate content of your original content which eventually hurts the sites. Thats why your theory on backlinks is not correct and you should correct it.

Yes backlinks are somehow important but duplicate content penalties are way more important then backlinks.

footose

01-05-2009, 06:39 AM

I changed it as per your recommendation! Thank you.

I have considered this "Duplicate Content" issue when regarding search indexing and haven't came up with a "total solution" yet, but have considered the following:

Since we are dealing with CAR names and Vehicle manufatures, these pages aren't going to rank high anyway because of information redundency already out there.

I've basically concluded that "1998 Volkswagen Golf" (or whatever year make model..) is likely not going to rank on your site regardless of what plugin you use, since most car sites are "replicating" those keywords anyway.

A prime example would be something like this:

http://www.digital-car.co.uk/forum/vbgarage.php?do=view&id=49

1988 Volkswagen Jetta GTI 16v.

Even if you type this directly into google, it is not ranked at all, because it's too common and already considered duplicate. Therefore, this is a common problem regardless of what type of SEO you are using with current "Garage" type plugins, thus not really effecting us. Thats why I've considered these "Backlinks" very "Important".

I was thinking about tracking the User Agent searching the site, and redirecting them to a central vHoist page which would index as the page vHoist.com, but still provide a backlink to the site that is hosting the plugin. Since SEO is kind of an "opinion" based field , unless of course you work for Google, MS or Yahoo, then I haven't attacked this head on yet.

dismas

01-05-2009, 06:41 AM

Excuse me for saying so but I have some concerns about security.

So, vHoist never has knowledge of the user's password on my forum? Is there any way that something added to a garage could adversely affect my site?

footose

01-05-2009, 06:58 AM

This plugin will never download the users password, or ANYTHING else from your database. In fact, there is actually no communication from your database to ours what so ever. All info is sent via passkeys and ? codes. I save the Username and UserID so that it displays properly on your forum, otherwise, all other user info is entered by the user into vHoist.com

I have integrated a "password check" that I may use later down the road in the vHoist.php file in order to confirm an identy of a user, incase there is a situation that will ever require that. I figured Secuirty might be an issue for some and it's on my list to add.

The password check is in the .php file and is on line 72. Feel free to erase it if you want, it currently does nothing and will likely be an added secuirty check in the future that will be optional.

If you don't like the plugin, you can uninstall it and there are absolutely no database changes or effects. Erase the vHoist.php file if you feel the need.

Haltech

01-05-2009, 07:00 AM

footose

01-05-2009, 07:05 AM

So just a quick rundown on how this works..Database wise.

Each site is assigned a "Passkey". When viewing your site, the passkey will be passed to vHoist to say the user has visited your site. Their username and userid will be entered into vhoist, along with the site they are visiting, which now gives them access to "park" their ride on your site. This where there could be a "confirm identy" option, and I have already thought ahead for this part, thus adding the login-check.

I plan on adding the ability for Site Admin's to Add / Delete / Ban users, but again.. still adding these features as the software itself is Beta. The good news about this type of Beta is that you wont' lose your DB when upgrading! :)

footose

01-05-2009, 07:07 AM

I gave it a whirl.. thing i dont like is your ad sponsor... Im very strict on advertising and only allow my vendors to advertise on my forum, not adsense or anything else. We will see if my users decide to go for it.

Thanks for giving it a shot! You're forum looks highly modified, so I'm curious how you are going to determine where the forumid and catid are going to go.

I haven't decided weather or not the "ad sponsor" will stay, as it has been one of the compliants so far to the software. That being said, I do have hosting and development costs to pay for. If it becomes are huge complaint, I will attempt to figure something else out.

Besides charging forums for say a "usage fee" or a "no advertising" fee, I'm not sure where to go on this part ..... yet.

footose

01-05-2009, 07:28 AM

I'm headed to bed since its 4:30am EST here and I work at 8:30 AM EST .. lol .. so I'll try to field any questions or problems tomorrow.

Cheers.

Haltech

01-05-2009, 08:07 AM

Thanks for giving it a shot! You're forum looks highly modified, so I'm curious how you are going to determine where the forumid and catid are going to go.

I haven't decided weather or not the "ad sponsor" will stay, as it has been one of the compliants so far to the software. That being said, I do have hosting and development costs to pay for. If it becomes are huge complaint, I will attempt to figure something else out.

Besides charging forums for say a "usage fee" or a "no advertising" fee, I'm not sure where to go on this part ..... yet.

i added it under my main Speed Forum index. My community is quite picky, so i dont know how many of them are willing to sign up on another forum to list their cars. We will see.. i have quite an active forum with at least 130 on at once through any 18 hr period.

dismas

01-05-2009, 09:02 AM

That being said, I do have hosting and development costs to pay for. If it becomes are huge complaint, I will attempt to figure something else out.

While I realize that, I also can see where some admins would be upset by advertising. If they have vendors that advertise with them, they may see this as stealing the vendors revenue. Perhaps a branding free sort of option is necessary.

I do hope you get these issues worked out and such. I'd hate to unveil this for my users only to find out that you have to close up shop in 6 months and that leaves me, and all the other admins, scrambling for a different solution. This is the reason why I haven't gone with vBgarage. It hasn't been updated, as far as I know, and I don't know when it will stop working with vB. Probably when vB4 comes out.

Speaking of which, what about updates to vB? I don't mean for you to look into a crystal ball as to how vB4 will work but if you could give us some idea of what you have planned as far as those who update to vB4 vs those who hold on to the vB3 series a while longer, I'd appreciate it. As it is, I haven't updated one of my forums past 3.6 because some of the mods that we use are essential but have not been updated to work with 3.7.

Finally, I want vHoist to work. I want you to keep vHoist up and going for a long time to come. And I've been looking for something like this. But I obviously still have my reservations.

Oh, and I'll be needing a version for snowmobiles, ATVs and dirt bikes. :D

TimberFloorAu

01-05-2009, 09:21 AM

Excuse me , why does it load in one site, then take you to another site ??????

footose

01-05-2009, 01:08 PM

While I realize that, I also can see where some admins would be upset by advertising. If they have vendors that advertise with them, they may see this as stealing the vendors revenue. Perhaps a branding free sort of option is necessary.

This very well could be an option in the future if it comes down to it. Right now, I tried to supply the most non-obtrusive way to handle this type of advertising. I know it's kind of a pain and could compromise some advertising issues. I plan to revisit the whole advertising scheme at some point.

I do hope you get these issues worked out and such. I'd hate to unveil this for my users only to find out that you have to close up shop in 6 months and that leaves me, and all the other admins, scrambling for a different solution. This is the reason why I haven't gone with vBgarage. It hasn't been updated, as far as I know, and I don't know when it will stop working with vB. Probably when vB4 comes out.

I've had similar reservations regarding vBgarage, which is actually how this whole idea came about in the first place. I started to modify vbGarage heavily, to the point where it was no longer vbgarage. I had several requests from users asking for the plugin and I started coding it as such. I came to realize that the need for this type of plugin was really larger then I expected and didn't want to get into the situation where I stopped supporting it and left my users "hanging".

I can't sit here and tell you that I can guarantee to offer 6 months, 1 years, 5 years or X years of support on this product, because no one can offer that on a free plugin.

That being said, take this into consideration.

I have been running http://www.GenerationDub.com for the last 7 years. (starting as GenerationIV.com (http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.generationiv.com)) It's never made me any serious money, not enough to quit my job, not enough to buy a car. I usually operate at a loss. People always ask me why I do it, and I say "For the community". Granted, the costs of running a sub 250,000 Pageview site is less then that of running vHoist which could potentially enter the millions, however, until one of these sites can provide me an income I still need to work my hardest at my day job. I'm already typing this from my office and I should be getting back to work! I will support vHoist for as long as people will use it, and in the absolute least fashion, I will keep it for as long as www.GenerationDub.com is active, which I would never get rid of as it's my baby :)

I also don't want to give away my entire "business plan" on http://www.vHoist.com, but there is potential to bring this to the next level, where vHoist will have enough users to not only be a plugin site, but also a stand alone site. I'm hoping to eventually take on the other "big" car hosting websites, and then offer this plugin WITHOUT advertising to the people that started supporting it from the get-go.

Speaking of which, what about updates to vB? I don't mean for you to look into a crystal ball as to how vB4 will work but if you could give us some idea of what you have planned as far as those who update to vB4 vs those who hold on to the vB3 series a while longer, I'd appreciate it. As it is, I haven't updated one of my forums past 3.6 because some of the mods that we use are essential but have not been updated to work with 3.7.

I have coded this in such a way that I can support multiple versions of sites, not just vBulletin. One of the "good" things about this plugin is that it doesn't actually modify any part of your site. As long as there is a way to access userid's and usernames [and really, we only need those because I figured people wouldn't want "Fred" from your site displaying as "Fred123" that they registered on vHoist.com], and a way to display information on the site using templates, then I don't see a problem with me coding in the future for vb4, or any other version. If you know anything about coding, take a look at the php file and see that there isn't much "front end" coding that is taking place.

I decided to code it for vbulletin, because this is what I use for my website. I understand that phpbb users would probably be more accepting towards the advertising because of the nature of "free software" - but again - I wanted it for my own site mostly. I'm trying to keep the ad's as unobtrusive as possible.

Finally, I want vHoist to work. I want you to keep vHoist up and going for a long time to come. And I've been looking for something like this. But I obviously still have my reservations.

Oh, and I'll be needing a version for snowmobiles, ATVs and dirt bikes.

I want it to work too :) I've actually spent 6 - 9 months developing this, and over a year in the idea phase (original concept and coding of a stand alone plugin included in that time frame).

I hope I answered most of your questions properly. If you have any more, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them. As for the ATV's, Snowmobiles and Bikes... this really isn't a problem since the way I designed it, any "object" can really be added. That being said, my current knowledge of these things is very limited, so I started with what I know best... Cars. Specifically Volkswagen's, and moved on from there. I'd be more then happy to start adding makes and models for these types of vehicles as well, but I would need to compile a list somewhere so that I can support it properly.

Excuse me , why does it load in one site, then take you to another site ??????

Hey there, sorry I may have not explained the plugin fully enough and I apologize, sometimes I get 'excited' and maybe babel on about certain features that don't really explain the software fully.

Basically vHoist is a "cloud" application; where the data is stored on a separate server away from your own. The idea process behind this can be found in the brief description above or on http://www.vhoist.com/faq.aspx . I've tried to "limit" how much this actually makes a user log into vHoist.com so that the entire site looks like it is being pulled from your site, however, there are limitations to this for things such as 'commenting' and 'rating' - as the user needs to be logged into vHoist.com to take advantage of those 2 features.

The great thing about cookies and sessions though, is that once the user is logged into vHoist, the rating and comment systems will never ask your user to "leave" your site, and will work all in union.

Rckcrwlr

01-05-2009, 01:42 PM

Is there any way to have custom info gathered??? I want to use something like this for RC Vehicles so most of the categories are irrelevant to the hobby.

Nice program though...

footose

01-05-2009, 01:48 PM

^^ The plan is to add the ability to make "custom fields" so you can modify and add whatever you want. It's too early at this point to make this a priority feature as there are other issues that still need to be delt with for the cars and such...

I can add you to my mailing list for anything regarding the nature of customization to keep you up to date, if you fire me a PM with your email address.

Rckcrwlr

01-05-2009, 01:52 PM

PM sent...

Haltech

01-05-2009, 04:46 PM

i dont know what happened, but i had to disable the hack. It began to slow my server down when clicking on threads.

footose

01-05-2009, 05:49 PM

^ Strange. Not sure how it would effect anything, but good to know. I haven't seen any slowdown on my forums, but it seems you might be running a larger forum then I (http://www.generationdub.com).

You can disable the "member ride" plug in, which is the only thing that would effect clicking on threads, otherwise there is no interactivity between this plug in and threads themselves.

footose

01-05-2009, 06:19 PM

I believe I have determined a possible cause for the slow down. I will be fixing it later tonight and using a different approach to displaying people's vehicles.

bornoffire

01-05-2009, 08:06 PM

I cant seem to get it to work. How do i make a category for it? Could it be the skin that's preventing it to show?

footose

01-05-2009, 08:10 PM

Fire me a link to your site, in a PM if oyu dont want it public and I will take a look for you.

There is kind of a "specific" way to setup the categories get to vHoist to display the images on the forum, because I'm overriding the way the forum is populated.

That being said, if you can't get it to work, you can add a "Link" forum to your actual forum and point it towards vHoist.php on your site, you just won't have the live updates when someone updates their ride right on the main part of your forum.

ForumID doesn't really matter, as long as it's *NOT* a forumID that is already in use.

CategoryID will determine where vHoist falls on your forum.

For people using forums that ONLY have sub categories, then you may have a problem posting it directly on the main site and I will have to look for an alternative solution besides adding the link manually.

footose

01-05-2009, 08:13 PM

Oh and.. if anyone has suggestions or comments..keep in mind this is still in Beta, and I'm sure there are tons of things that you guys have thought of, that I haven't... so post them all up, good or bad.

bornoffire

01-05-2009, 08:15 PM

Ok i got it to display but have 2 issues now. Where do I find a list of Forum ID's so I can place it in the proper one. Also I added 2 cars on vHoist but it still says "There are no vehicles parked here yet." when i click on the category on my forum.

bornoffire

01-05-2009, 08:22 PM

Well found out why the cars weren't showing

".....does not have any images and will not show up until you upload some. " I'll add some pics later. But where are the list of forum id's?

footose

01-05-2009, 08:46 PM

You can get them by just "hovering" of your forum and picking up the f=XXXXX where XXXXX is the forum / category id.

For example, this forum is located in this category:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=227

Therefore the "Category ID" is 227

The forum itself is here

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=228

Therefore the forum ID is 228

So if I wanted to make this appear under category 227, i would set categoryID to 227 and forumid to like 999

bornoffire

01-05-2009, 09:19 PM

I use Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO so I think that prevents me from see that. Any other way?

footose

01-05-2009, 10:12 PM

Sure, inside of your vBulletin admin

Forums & Moderators -> Forum Manager

THen do the same sort of "highlighting" technquie.

militarytuners

01-06-2009, 01:59 AM

Keeps telling my that my version of vHoist is out dated. I follow the instructions again and get the same thing.

footose

01-06-2009, 02:06 AM

It is likely that you missed the step regarding using the passkey from vHoist.com

militarytuners

01-06-2009, 02:12 AM

It is likely that you missed the step regarding using the passkey from vHoist.com

Possibly since I never got one

footose

01-06-2009, 02:13 AM

OH, if it says your version number is wrong, it could also mean the file wasn't uploaded to your site properly, or your site name isn't resolving properly.

Are you using a relay for your site? http://relay.militarytuners.com:3280/ ?

That points to http://www.militarytuners.com/vbulletin/, which you may have to use. I haven't accounted for a relayed site, but I don't know the details about how yours is setup.

Send me a PM and we will figure it out :)

footose

01-06-2009, 02:25 AM

The way to check if your vHoist.php is correctly uploaded to your site, is to use the following:

http://www.hostname.com/forumname/vHoist.php?do=version

this will request the version and just print it out in your browser as standard text, that way you can confirm the file can be accesses properly by vHoist.com

footose

01-06-2009, 02:36 AM

Since people have been asking.. I've confirmed that this works properly on 3.5.7 as long as you remove the phrase:

executionorder="5"

from line 60, 43 and 33 from the product_vhoist.xml from version 1.0.0.0

militarytuners

01-06-2009, 02:36 AM

PM Sent

footose

01-06-2009, 03:01 AM

Looks like it is, Unfortunately, a limitation of your server because it's setup through a relay. I know you mentioned you were looking for a new sever, but as I said on MSN, I'll attempt to solve the issue via programming and I will add it to the "bug list" .. it just seems your server has really really tight security on what can be displayed from other sites.

DrivinMissDaisy

01-06-2009, 05:29 AM

For some reason this is really slowing down my forum. Some threads I cannot open when this mod is active. Once I disable it, I have no problems. I wonder why.

footose

01-06-2009, 11:00 AM

Seems like it has to do with the plugin "member display"

If you could disable that and let me know if the slowdown continues, that would really help me out!

footose

01-06-2009, 12:13 PM

I've decided to perminantely remove the "Sponsorship Program" on this product for the top 50 websites that sign up and stay signed up, which will help me to develop this product further.

Also, if you plan on installing this product today , v1.0.0.0 seems to have a bug that slows down larger sites. I believe it is due to too many http requests to my server.

The resolution is to disable the "member ride" plugin, in the vHoist product.

Plugins & Products -> Plugins -> Product : vHoist -> Disable "Member Ride" plugin.

I will have an update for 1.0.0.1 tonight, and also remove the ad's later today.

Haltech

01-06-2009, 01:50 PM

ill keep a look out for the new version and give it a whirl. Thanks

Audax666

01-06-2009, 09:12 PM

footose

01-06-2009, 11:55 PM

Is it possible to use vhoist for completely different things or just for cars?
I think of showing your pets, hometheater euipment or other collector's stuff.
If it is possible it would be a great thing

I've coded it to do this, but just started to release it for vehicles first, soon, very soon. Once most of us get the bugs worked out here it shoudl be good to go for anything really. I've had multiple requests for lots of different things.

footose

01-07-2009, 12:29 AM

Check release notes for what has been changed in 1.0.0.1.

Make sure you "overwrite" your current product, or you will have to re-enter your website passkey.

As I said, there will be no sponsor program for the first 50 sites that sign up and help me, perminately.

footose

01-07-2009, 12:55 AM

I noticed that a few sites that have signed up have "private" forums unless users are registered.

I'm going to add the feature right now so you can mark "vHoist" as private until registered, because I figured it will be a request...

footose

01-07-2009, 04:29 PM

Started to add Motorcycles, but the list is pretty exhaustive, so if you install and want a specific category added then let me know here or use the "Not Listed" feature and type in what you want added and I will do that for ya.

DrivinMissDaisy

01-07-2009, 05:26 PM

I installed the update and seems to be working just fine. Also I am using 3.7.4 PL1

billt928

01-08-2009, 12:04 PM

Will need some model numbers IN THE PULLDOWNS to make my members happy, They all have Mercedes SLK's

SLK200, SLK230, SLK32 AMG, SLK280, SLK300, SLK350, SLK55 AMG

WWW.SLKWORLD.COM

footose

01-08-2009, 01:16 PM

ill add them right now.

billt928

01-08-2009, 03:45 PM

ill add them right now.

Thanks, you missed the G at the end of AMG on the SLK55

footose

01-08-2009, 05:09 PM

fixed..

freni32

01-08-2009, 10:18 PM

I added this to my site and as soon as I uploaded pictures on their site to add to my site, my forums shutdown completly! I am using vbulletin 3.7, as soon as I disabled this from my forums and deleted the product from manage products my forums begin to work....guess it doesnt work on vbulletin 3.7 version... ?

footose

01-09-2009, 01:19 AM

freni32

01-09-2009, 12:18 PM

Hmm! Strange,

I'm running 3.7.1 (http://forums.generationdub.com/vHoist.php), and these sites are running these versions.

3.5.7 (http://www.guelphracing.com/cgi/forum/GRforums/upload/vHoist.php)
3.6.8 (http://psaclub.net/vHoist.php)
3.7.1 (http://forums.generationdub.com/vHoist.php)
3.8.0 (http://www.slkworld.com/vHoist.php)

I'm guessing it's something directly related to your forum. If you give me the URL, I can probably debug it :) Also, upload vHoist.php (it shouldn't effect the rest of your site), that will give me a better idea of whats going on.

Don't want to upload it, shuts down my forums. I think it has something to do with the options on selecting the category ID, if I select a category ID 1 it puts it in my forums & the top and works fine, however as soon as I go to the site and upload pictures of my car my entire forum shuts down?

However if I put say category ID 500 that doesnt exist it doesnt show up on my forums at all and my forum runs fine...but you still cant see the category on where to go to the garage at?
Site is: http://www.Radar-Detector-Reviews.Net

footose

01-09-2009, 02:23 PM

If you upload vHoist.php, it shouldn't effect your site as long as you turn off ALL of the plugin's that are associated with the install (there are three of them)..., that way I can diagnose what's happening. I'll download 3.7.0 tonight and do some testing to make sure.

In the short term, what you can actually do is just make a "link forum" and link it to vHoist.php. You won't see pictuers on the main forum, but it acts the same.

Add me to MSN (if you have it) .. maybe you can help me :) hscanlancom ( A2t) hotmail.com

nazguluk

01-10-2009, 12:46 PM

Can you add the following;

smart

Roadster Coupé, Roadster, Crossblade, City Coupé, City Cabriolet, fortwo, fortwo Cabriolet

And could you advise how many sites have signed up, i.e. will smartmaniacs be in the 50 without advertising?

footose

01-10-2009, 01:58 PM

I've added the above, and yes you're fine, as long as you are continuily running vHoist plugin throughout the beta period so that I can debug the system properly. This is the whole reason I'm kind of getting rid of the advertising. You help me, I help you sorta deal :) But if you just installed to get the "space" and you aren't actively using the plugin (i check) then... ..meh.. ill remember that :P lol

nazguluk

01-10-2009, 05:29 PM

I have removed it for a couple of days, we're updating styles and integration. I tried to add a vehicle as a test and the pictures would not upload, so the vehicle was not available in the garage? If you can help with that then I'll drop it back in :)

We're an active forum with 000's of members and a high loyalty rate, so looking forward to using this in anger! :)

nazguluk

01-10-2009, 07:27 PM

OK, it's back on the test system now, and working - kind of.

Still having issues with uploading images, but one I uploaded earlier has finally appeared?

footose

01-10-2009, 08:34 PM

Some of the image problems were my fault, some permissions on my server changed and messed some things up. It should be good now, so check it out. (images wise)

If it doesn't work (still), let me know exactly what you are uploading, or send the file itself to my email, admin (a.t) vhoist.com and I will try to determine whats wrong!

Thanks for checking out! If your dev forum is online, link me in a PM as well and I can check it out!

I've actually designed a "new way" that will fix the styling problems and give this more options so that it doesn't effect anything major on peoples sites.. since i really only accounted for the default syling, i didn't realize how many people had totally modded forums.

footose

01-12-2009, 01:23 PM

bump..still working on some new features.

nazguluk

01-13-2009, 11:41 AM

You have PM :)

nazguluk

01-13-2009, 12:05 PM

The vBAdvanced integration screws up the vHoist page, I've left it broken for now so you can see the bad calls ;)

footose

01-14-2009, 04:02 AM

product / vhoist.php files - [1.0.0.2]
- Added "Random Image" table - show 1 through 10 random garages by your users (as per request)
- Created a new way to add vHoist to your forum, so you can use a selection box to pick where it goes
- Added "Latest Image" table - show 1 through 10 last edited garages by your users (as per request)
- Added more extensive options menu
- Added Quick Links Menu
- Fixed "Enable / Disable" Option
- Minor bug fixed labeling as 1.0.0.2a

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/attachment.php?attachmentid=92614&d=1231912735

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/attachment.php?attachmentid=92615&d=1231912832

nazguluk: thanks, I will check it out immidately - Please try the latest version and let me know if that helps (it likely won't..but worth a shot!)

:)

flup

01-19-2009, 02:20 PM

Leo Brazil

01-19-2009, 02:34 PM

Hmm, I thought this was THE modification I was looking for, however I do not like the idea of having my users to send and signup at another site and manage the content over there. This would be the best modification for my website if it was all localy available.. too bad :( I'll give it a go anyways, but I guess I'll stick with vBGarage and expand that mod to my needs.

I've been watching this thread since the beginning and unfortunatelly I have to agree with you, it's a great mod though.

nazguluk

01-19-2009, 03:58 PM

Is there a way that the user could be automatically registered and an email containing password sent on first use?

footose

01-20-2009, 01:45 AM

Is there a way that the user could be automatically registered and an email containing password sent on first use?

Yes, its possible for me to add the user automatically.. basically "pre-register" if that is something you would like, I think it would be fairly simple to impliment.

I understand the concerns of users / owners not wanting to work with this type of mod because of the Registration process but there are several advantages of doing it this way.

User Standpoint:
1) If you are on more then one forum with this vHoist app, then you can "park" your car there and no need to update

2) I'll be releasing a "CarDomain" type website within the next week, where the user can customize their profile at vHoist.com, so that not only do they have a personal page on vHoist.com, but also still park their cars on your website also

Admin Advantages
1) Share backlinks with hundreds of other forums

2) No overhead from your forum

---

Also, I have been working with several other forums and taking their suggestions into consideration! I'm constantly adding features to the site, so keep checking back :)

I think adding a user automatically is a great idea, but one of the reasons I didn't do it this way, is a lot of forums do not require valid email authentication, which makes it difficult (and a lot of extra work) if people are using invalid email addresses and wish to access their vHoist account.. also.. it could be an issue if users are using seperate email addresses for other forums.. it could potentially register the user several times under different mail addresses,w hcih would defeat the purpose of the mod.

I will come up with a plan though - "Auto Register with your information from www.site.com" or something. Good idea :thumbup:

footose

01-20-2009, 02:26 AM

Oh, there has been an report of using vBadvanced CMPS v3.1.0 with PHP 5 and this mod ..

I believe the solution is located here: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=125302 - People using PHP 5 can potentially fix this problem by editing [path]/includes/vba_cmps_include_template.php and [path]/includes/vba_cmps_include_top.php and casting the array_merge line as (array).

I can't replicate the problem on my server (vb 3.8.0 and vbAdvanced) , so I'm working with SmartManiacs.co.uk to rectify the issue since they are the ones that reported it. This could take a few days to fix (if possible to fix) because of our time difference, so stay tuned if you are also expereincing this issue.

wikked

01-20-2009, 10:33 AM

Hmm, I thought this was THE modification I was looking for, however I do not like the idea of having my users to send and signup at another site and manage the content over there. This would be the best modification for my website if it was all localy available.. too bad :( I'll give it a go anyways, but I guess I'll stick with vBGarage and expand that mod to my needs.

Afraid i agree with you there. I thought this was also THE solution but im not happy with it being "offsite"

On another note...any ideas how i can restrict certain usergroups from using the garage as its a paid member feature but with no admin on everyone is creating garages??

Any help gratefully received :D

footose

01-20-2009, 01:52 PM

If you create a new category for vHoist, and use the settings options to put it under that category / forum, it should take all of the permissions settings from that category or forum you assign it to be above.

flup

01-20-2009, 11:11 PM

I unfortunatly uninstalled vHoist, as I said, it was a great mod and it definitly looked awesome. But I decided to spend $35 on the CND Garage modification and spend some time in customizing that one to my needs. Although I appreciate you work in vHoist, the concept is simple and good!

However, making all the actions on my own website would be the sollution.

Why don't you work with code that sends http-post/get requests to vHoist.com from the users website. You still get to have full control on your side and the data will be still stored on your website. On the other side, everyone who installs this mod wil have the ability to let the users stay on their site. You eventually can send an e-mail to the user who added a car telling them about the functions vHoist can offer and perhaps some links of other forums or something.

footose

01-22-2009, 12:46 AM

^^ Hey man, no problems vHoist isn't the solution for everyone (yet :) )

I'm working hard to get everything into vHoist that everyone wants, particularly "customizability" (is that a word? lol!)

Thanks for trying it out, and if in 3, 6 or 12 months down the road you want to give it another whirl, let me know and I'll give you a hand personally!

Cheers!

Harry.

footose

01-28-2009, 01:03 AM

product / vhoist.php files - [1.0.0.3]
- Added sorting on title bar of search
- Added some vHoist website functionality
- View users rides from www.vhoist.com/ride/XXXXXX/ where XXX is the ride number. ie http://www.vhoist.com/ride/100000/
- Fixed bug for not being able to remove ride

footose

01-29-2009, 01:01 PM

I'm going to be away from friday till monday for superbowl.. so if anyone has ANY problems, there is a contact phone number in the members area of vHoist.com, just give me a ring if anything serious comes up.

Cheers

Big_J

01-29-2009, 02:59 PM

I tried it for a few minutes, then uninstalled. I think people who value their member base will not like sending them through another site. Its not for me, but good luck with it. It looks nice and was pretty much what I wanted, but just uncomfortable with the way it works.

Thanks

footose

02-02-2009, 11:00 PM

^^ Cheers, thanks for the feedback.

Like I said, it's not for everyone. The overall goal is to have this central database, not to "take users away" - but to bring more users to you, and the end result will be a large community of car / motorcycle pictures and information that can be shared across multiple communities!

Take care.

NOTE TO THE PEOPLE WHO INSTALLED THIS WEEKEND:

Sorry about the versioning issue. I forgot to change something in my configuration and the 2a file was being downloaded instead of the 1.0.0.3.

Please update if you downloaded this weekend.

nazguluk

02-03-2009, 12:28 PM

Still not had chance to update, had a few member issues to deal with!

Anyway - will be trying the latest out over the next couple of days :)

concepts

02-05-2009, 09:04 PM

This MOD is great and has sooo much potential, I look forward to seeing it evolve! installed and looking forward to my sites launch to see how the member will use it..

one thing.
I would like to see the Username and photo linked to the members VB profile on the comments
also my username does not link back to my VB profile either.
makes it difficult when someone leaves a comment and
a block on the VB profile that shows if the member has a Vhoist & link

I will be more than happy to assist with donations to help upgrade and continue this amazing project.. I see great potential with it.

footose

02-10-2009, 05:22 AM

^^ Concepts: Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I will link that to their VB Profile no problem. I am working on customizing the template feature so that you guys can do whatever you want with the information, that way you don't have to relay on my "pre-built" templates if you don't want too. I think this will be another week or so before releaseing that.

In the mean time, I plan to release an XML format document so that forum admins' that have some coding knowledge will beable to shape / form vHoist any which way they want.

The other recommendations are great, and I will continue to work on it...

I have updated a few minor things tonight with vHoist, but most of the updates are server side.

Server Side Update: - Feb 10th, 2009
- Bug fix on uploading odd-sized images
- Search bug fix
- Changed size of odd-sized images on forums to a 100x100 size
- Added extra Description for "Alt" in images
- Released main vHoist.com website

I also released the "main" site of vHoist, to further assure that vHoist.com is here to stay, and that I'll be offering as much support as possible.

http://www.vHoist.com

I'm still attempting to fix a minor big with vbadvanced, but only one site has reported the error, so if you do have an error, let me know ASAP.

FOR PEOPLE THAT WANT THIS PLUGIN for other purposes other then cars

I have been working on this also, and plan to do a release soon. The people that have requested this have been added to a mailer and you will be kept up to date on new events.

Cheers, and if anyone has comments or suggestions.. good or bad..please post them here.

Harry.

footose

02-11-2009, 01:02 PM

Whoops, forgot to upload the style sheets last night and it was effecting things... in case anyone was looking :)

jonbaker

02-11-2009, 04:23 PM

where would i go to suggest items for vhoist?

i would like to see an area for 1/4 mile time slips and dyno information.

thank you.

footose

02-12-2009, 04:30 PM

^^ Sounds like a good idea to me. I was thinking about adding that, but wasn't sure how I would beable to make people 'prove' their times. Maybe upload time slips? I'm not sure yet..but i can easily add it and I think its a good idea. Ill see about adding it in the next release.

jonbaker

02-14-2009, 09:28 PM

sweet. yeah i have added the 1/4 info as profile fields to our forums.. it is kinda an honor system. but would like to see here. then i can eliminate it off our forums and "force" people to use your site/mod to compair.

and the Dyno sheets are usually posted..

suodraxah

02-16-2009, 02:27 AM

So I have to redirect users away from my site? And then they have to register with your site?

jonbaker

02-16-2009, 02:36 AM

i thought that at first as well. however, my club is more for coming together with other groups out there. and this mod will allow my members to share their photos and details to other forums that also have this mod installed.

it will bring more traffic to my site in the long run. plus, this site also lists my site on their home page. i think this is great and free advertisement. in the long run, can only be good for everyone.

footose

02-17-2009, 03:46 PM

So I have to redirect users away from my site? And then they have to register with your site?

Just once for the "registration" - of if the users have an account already, all they have ot do is "park" their car on your site.

it will bring more traffic to my site in the long run. plus, this site also lists my site on their home page. i think this is great and free advertisement. in the long run, can only be good for everyone.

Exactly part of plan! Here's an example of back linking:

I come to your site, and I "park" my car there. At the MINIMUM, we now have established that my car is linked to your site, and is linked to vHoist.com - which means, for every user that signs up on your site, you get 1 back link from our site to your site. This is a bare minimum.

Now the significance of this increases exponentially as more sites begin to use vHoist.com and more users have profiles.

Check out my personal ride here - http://www.vhoist.com/ride/100000/

My car is "parked" on 11 websites, as well as on vHoist.com. Now lets say I come to your site and "park" my car there, because I'm a member and I like it.

Now your site is back linked on the above 11 "parking lots" that I'm parked in, as well as vHoist.com. That's 12 backlink's just from someone parking their car on your site on websites that are likely related to yours. You likely didn't even know some of these sites existed, and now your website is clearly stated there.

I only released vHoist.com to the public on January 1st, and on my car club website, we are already seeing an increase in traffic from back linked sites. Obviously you can't guarantee rankings from Google, and anyone that will tell you otherwise is just looking to rip you off.. but as even the most basic SEO analysis will tell you, backlinks will only help you rather then hurt you.

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/external/2009/02/56.jpg

Multiple this by the amount of users you share on your site, and you can start to see the potential of this system. Hundreds of back links to your site, all being indexed by google.

On top of all of this, we link your site directly on vHoist.com main page after you park a certain amount of cars there (its small for now..2+ parks gets you on there).

We just need to get past the old "I want everything on my server" frame of mind. The benefits of this system are huge.

1) Your users will have a central database for updating their ride
2) Backlinks to your site increase everytime someone parks in your "parking lot"
3) This service is free, and will always be free
4) There is no extra overhead on your site
5) Fully supported plugin, and I usually answer emails within an hour or so

I'm offering a service and a plug in for your site for free, in exchange for having your users register on vHoist.com. Luckily, the user also gets a public profile on vHoist.com, so there is no reason for them not to sign up if they want to "show off their ride" - I'm also a car enthusiast and I run my own Forum, so I have a typical idea of what people will "go for" and what they won't go for - which is why this is programmed the way it is.

I know the biggest concern is that there isn't anything stored on your DB so you don't have "full control" over the data. However, this is no different then say linking your CarDomain profile to your website, except now you , as an administrator, are reaping benefits that you otherwise wouldn't get by a person just linking their cardomain profile in their Signature.

Here's something cool.

Goto Google and type in "vHoist" - we have only been open for a month and a half, and all of the sites that have vHoist installed are already ranking on Google for just the search term "vHoist" in the first 2 to 5 pages. Just by installing vHoist and having a few cars parked there, sites have already increased in traffic just because of people interested in seeing vHoist in action.

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/external/2009/02/57.jpg

footose

02-24-2009, 02:04 AM

product / vhoist.php files - [1.0.0.4]
- Added Garage list in User Profile tab
- Removed this from "beta" since it's been functioning on sites for a few months now
- Added some vHoist website functionality - analytics to be added in next release
- View users profile from www.vhoist.com/id/username/ where XXX is the username on vHoist.com

Install / Upgrade:

Same as usual goes...

If you are upgrading, you can download the above file. Drop vHoist.php into your forum directory, and install the product. Select "Overwrite" to not lose your current settings

If you are installing for the first time, you need to visit http://www.vHoist.com and use the Download tab after registering. Follow the instructions there.

footose

02-26-2009, 03:34 AM

Small addition tonight:

When user add's a comment on your forum and isn't logged into vHoist, once they log in the comment is added and automatically the user is sent back to your site... was requested a few times.

No need to update if you have 1.0.0.4 since this was all a serverside operation on my end, but just thought i'd mention it :)

over 1000 users registered on vHoist now :) Probably 1 or 2 of them are on your site!

footose

02-26-2009, 07:00 PM

Minor issue with 1.0.0.4. I didn't update the version number so people were getting install errors saying you had version 1.0.0.3. This should solve any issue relating this.

I will be removing the "version check" from the main site later tonight, and just upload a manual version check button.

357Magnum

02-27-2009, 02:03 AM

Is there anyway to change the title of the Forum to say Motorcycle? lol

357Magnum

02-27-2009, 03:05 AM

alright I installed it and everything seems to be working properly for the most part.

http://www.devil-riders.com/vb/index.php

The only thing that is not, is the making vHoist a forum..it totally jacks my entire style up.

Also, is there anyway you can make a setting to disable the random image view and the info bar?? Dunno if I will disable it or not but it would be nice to have the option; as I already have it displaying random album images.

footose

02-27-2009, 04:47 AM

^^ You should beable to disable all of the vhoist options in the main vbulletin settings

Vbulletin Optiosn -> vBuletin Options -> vHoist.

Just disable whatever you don't want to be displayed. If something is not working, let me know ASAP.

I hear ya about the jacked styles. On some custom boards it happens. I'm still working on the ability for you guys to customize the styles, which will be out soon ( i know i promised but i haven't had time recently ).. but soon.

Pm me personally and ill drop you my email / phone number and walk you through any problems!

cheers.

357Magnum

02-27-2009, 04:55 AM

Oh ok, missed that! Most of the other mods just have a "Do not display" option in the drop down menu instead of a separate yes or no thing.

Also, do you have an email or something for categories/makes/models if they are not in there? One of my members already noticed there isn't a Suzuki Hayabusa/GSXR1300 option. lol

And, is there anyway to make my site only display users Motorcycles? I would really rather not have a bunch of car pics at the top of my MC site :)

Sorry for all the questions/requests. Just really like what you have going here! and if it all works out how I am hoping, it should help us out tremendously.

357Magnum

02-27-2009, 04:57 AM

oh and one last thing. Anyway to make the user automatically park their bike to the site them came from to register?? I noticed one of my guys registered but forgot to Park it so its not showing up on our site.

footose

02-27-2009, 03:45 PM

Oh ok, missed that! Most of the other mods just have a "Do not display" option in the drop down menu instead of a separate yes or no thing.

:) Sorry, I'm new to the whole vbulletin aspect of this, so I didnt' know what the "standard" was. I'm glad you figured it out though.

Also, do you have an email or something for categories/makes/models if they are not in there? One of my members already noticed there isn't a Suzuki Hayabusa/GSXR1300 option. lol

Yup, if you select "not listed" a box will pop up that you can request whatever you need to be added. I usually add them right away, on the weekend its usually a few hours, and I always respond with an email to the user saying their make / model has been added. I just purchased a blackberry and designed an interface that will let me add them right away, so next week it should be only a few minutes to add whatever someone requests. I usually add the entire lineup from the manufacture (particularly for cars), but sometimes it's difficult for bikes because there are so many. i have been leaving it on a request basis as of now.

And, is there anyway to make my site only display users Motorcycles? I would really rather not have a bunch of car pics at the top of my MC site

This has been requested and is on my 'features list' - it's pretty high priority, so you will see it added shortly.

Anyway to make the user automatically park their bike to the site them came from to register?? I noticed one of my guys registered but forgot to Park it so its not showing up on our site.

I will add this for the next release for you.

Sorry for all the questions/requests. Just really like what you have going here! and if it all works out how I am hoping, it should help us out tremendously.

No problem, keep all the questions / comments coming! That's the only way i can improve it :) Cheers.

FRANKTHETANK 2

02-28-2009, 05:04 PM

I'm sorry but no matter what I do I can't get the passkey. I know I'm doing it right but the passkey just won't work for me.

357Magnum

02-28-2009, 09:49 PM

dunno why it started doing this all of a sudden

http://www.devil-riders.com/vb/vHoist.php

didnt change anything on my end. just thought id let you know..

and frank...I dunno what to tell u man. make sure it is in your vb folder? not the "website root" like the directions say. and when you do get a passcode to come up DONT hit save again or itll give you a new one and the one you just copied wont work anymore lol

footose

03-01-2009, 10:43 PM

Sorry about the late reply, I was away for the weekend.

I believe the error is because one of the user names on your site is throughing an error. I'm fixing it right now.

FRANK: Is your forum marked as private? Do you have to login in order to view pages?

If so, set it up so that it is not private, get the passkey and then mark it as private again. This is usually why people have problems getting the key.

footose

03-01-2009, 11:09 PM

Magnum: you should be all good to go now. Again, sorry about that. Has never happened before.

FRANKTHETANK 2

03-02-2009, 06:25 PM

The site I'm doing it on isn't on my profile. It's a local site for car clubs. I haven't released it yet and I really don't want to. But my username on vbhoist is soulweaver and my email is hannekenj@yahoo.com. Maybe you can look into it from there.

357Magnum

03-03-2009, 04:13 AM

No worries.

So more thoughts/concerns for ya.

I am kind of worried about something that is so integrated into my site but I have absolutely zero control over other than turning it off and on. For instance, someone posts a pic that is aginst our rules, there is nothing I can do about it. Another local forum signs up and spams their image all over. People have photos in general that are against what I would like on the site.. Like I want just bikes. No people, no funny pics, just bikes..and people riding them is fine also i guess. But right now I got people that don't know how to follow the BIKES ONLY rule and there is not a thing I can do about it.

So i dunno if that makes sense but i hope so lol

FRANKTHETANK 2

03-03-2009, 08:18 AM

Is there any way to change the vHoist that shows up in the quick links or as the page title. I want it to say Garage. Any ideas?

footose

03-03-2009, 01:57 PM

357Magnum: All valid concerns. I will add this to my list of features and allow you to select, remove, edit or otherwise "control" what is being shown on your forum. It could be a few days or more before you see it online, but keep back in this thread to see updates.

Frank: Another feature that I have been working on: Customization. All of the "Variables" such as names and texts will be able to be modified. If you are in an absolute hurry to edit this stuff, you can use a REPLACE feature in PHP and edit the strings before they are parsed on your forum.

footose

03-03-2009, 01:59 PM

Also, you should now beable to generate a passkey without vHoist.php being uploaded to your site, but this was a failsafe to make sure you had it installed properly. Now it may be harder for me to determine any problems with your site.. but it should make it possible to generate a passkey.

FRANKTHETANK 2

03-03-2009, 06:14 PM

I will give you some time. I don't like how I can't edit the picture and I see it as a way for you to get members to sign up for your site. But you have a great idea and you should keep it going. I run a car club in St.Louis/Jefferson County Missouri and your mod is the only one that I know of so I will be using it.

But can I suggest a few features

Let us get rid of all the vHoist words on our forum. People are already sent to your site when they want to add vehicles

In admin cp you should make it to were we can report an image to you if we would like it removed.

Make an option to enable the link in quick links and Nav bar so we can have it on both

You should also let us adjust the size of the tables on forum home. Some of us used fixed skins and on my board it makes my skin expand to the whole screen.

FRANKTHETANK 2

03-03-2009, 06:15 PM

footose

03-04-2009, 03:20 AM

Great idea's! I will add them to my ever growing "list" of features, and prioritize what needs to be done first!

Keep checking back.

Here are a few great sites taking advantage of all of the latest vHoist features:

http://ibtohq.com (http://ibtohq.com/forum/vHoist.php)

http://www.devil-riders.com/ (http://www.devil-riders.com/vb/vHoist.php)

http://www.smartmaniacs.co.uk (http://www.smartmaniacs.co.uk/forums/vHoist.php)

Among many more!

KTP

03-04-2009, 05:13 PM

i really dont like the sound of users having to register at another site to use this feature (i assume thats how it works) i'm pretty sure my users wont like that either.
i think i'll test it out anyway and see how it goes.

sounds like a good feature, just the way it works is whats unsettling me.

KTP

03-04-2009, 06:14 PM

i tried to upload pictures of my road car and because the models not listed it wouldnt let me.
you should have an email saying to add Fabia vRS but given you have skoda listed but no models, can you add:

Fabia
Octavia
Felicia
Superb
Roomster

as skoda models.

footose

03-04-2009, 06:50 PM

I saw you started adding some cars, looks great.

If you are adding a car and it is not listed... select "Not Listed" and then enter the car you want. I usually add them within the hour.

I have added all of the above Skoda models.

footose

03-04-2009, 06:51 PM

oh and...

I've created (for the next release) an "auto register" function with will allow your users to automatically register on the site using their info from your forum. All they will have to do is set a password. It won't be out until the next release tho.

KTP

03-04-2009, 06:57 PM

so far so good, it seems to be going down well with my users at the moment :D

cheers dude.

footose

03-04-2009, 07:15 PM

awesome.

if you have any problems, comments or suggestions just hit them up in this thread *OR* fire me an email, admin (A/T/) vhoist.com. I do my best to answer everyone personally.

KTP

03-04-2009, 09:23 PM

i'm really impressed with this feature so far and support has been both prompt and very helpful.

:D

FRANKTHETANK 2

03-06-2009, 01:36 AM

Yes, I didn't like the idea of my members registering some were else but it doesn't seem that bad. My site isn't open to public yet but I have put out a small poll on the st.louis streets and it seems that people wouldn't mind

footose

03-06-2009, 12:59 PM

Awesome!

If there are any problems, let me know!

KTP already found a few bugs that no one else has found so there will be an update shortly. He's a really nice guy.

User's seem to accept it because they also get a profile on vHoist which will 'show off' their cars, kind of like "CarDomain". So it's a frontal attack on both ends :)

kNeeLy

03-09-2009, 05:48 PM

i've used vhoist now for a few weeks...and have like 3-4 members from my site with their cars parked on my site.

This is a simple and great mod. I havnt had any issues with it at all.

I'll update in a few weeks ..

admin of www.tunemytoyota.com

footose

03-10-2009, 07:16 PM

Thanks for updating us kNeeLy!

The more comments you post on other vHoist members rides, the more backlinks you should get to your profile, which in turn will head back to your site! This is the idea anyway..

let me know if i can help you in any other way..

cheers.

Harry

FRANKTHETANK 2

03-11-2009, 04:21 AM

when are you gonna update this mod. I'm very interested in installing the new updates

nazguluk

03-12-2009, 11:46 PM

Harry, it's all working great over at smartManiacs.co.uk/forums - loads of cars in the garage :D

footose

03-15-2009, 04:54 PM

footose

03-16-2009, 12:25 AM

Some one reported the following error:

Warning: file_get_contents() [function.file-get-contents]: URL file-access is disabled in the server configuration in [path]/vHoist.php on line 67

Warning: file_get_contents(http://www.vHoist.com/vb_GarageListForURL.aspx?vbuid=0&vbun=Unregistered&vbe=&pk=) [function.file-get-contents]: failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in [path]/vHoist.php on line 67

The fix is as follows:

Open your php.ini file on your server and add:

allow_url_fopen = On

OR if you can override... add this to the top of your vHoist.php file

ini_set('allow_url_fopen', 'on');

FRANKTHETANK 2

03-17-2009, 07:17 PM

Great stuff Rich, glad it's working out! Lots of "Smart" on the site now too :)

FRANK: No news on the update yet, it will be shortly though, been busy at my real job, but you should go ahead and install, and the upgrade install should be seamless.

I already have it installed and working but just waiting for us to have more control of this on our sites.

kNeeLy

03-21-2009, 02:54 PM

3-21-2009

Update:

Still no problems at all...I dont know if its a co-winky-dink or not...but we have seen ALOT more traffic resulting in 1-2 new members a day.

We now have 8-9 rides on our vHoist!!

Nice Mod!!

rzotz

03-25-2009, 03:27 PM

How to add the cars to your posts next to your name like in this picture?

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/attachment.php?attachmentid=91753&d=1231137614

I do not see a way to get this to work like it was shown in the thread. Thanks.

rzotz

03-25-2009, 03:42 PM

I also found a bug. When you go to rate the car, in the user profile, it changes the link like below:

http://www.zsport.org/forumvHoist.php?do=view&gid=100880

When it should be

http://www.zsport.org/forum/vHoist.php?do=view&gid=100880

It removes the slash for some reason. Any ideas how to fix?

jonbaker

03-31-2009, 01:00 AM

1/4 mile and dyno please ;-)

footose

04-01-2009, 08:38 PM

adding 1/4 mile and dyno!

rzotz: i think i fixed the bug for you, however, it looks like you uninstalled it.

footose

04-01-2009, 08:40 PM

How to add the cars to your posts next to your name like in this picture?

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/attac...3&d=1231137614

I do not see a way to get this to work like it was shown in the thread. Thanks.

Unfortunately people were complaining that this was actually slowing their site, so I removed this feature for now. I may put it back in but make it optional.

footose

04-01-2009, 08:41 PM

And guys, sorry for the delay. Was doing a launch at work of a new site for the last 2 weeks, but I'm able to answer questions fairly quickly again! Now that vHoist is expanding as far as it is, the questions / comments come in directly to my blackberry if you use the contact form on http://www.vhoist.com and i will respond much much quicker there.

militarytuners

04-04-2009, 01:48 PM

This works out great on our forums

footose

04-23-2009, 12:57 AM

Hey Guys, sorry I haven't been around.

ANyway.

I've updated a few things (server side) no need to install / upgrade your plugin on your end:

ADDED:
Horsepower / Track rankings
Better Comment Management

CACHING of pages <-- THis is major on both ends, it will display on your forums faster now!

NEXT RELEASE

- I have been promsing the ability to "modify" templates so you can get more customization. This IS coming soon! Just another major step forward.
- Banning / Removing users from your site
- Limiting what cars / bikes (makes, models) are on your site
- Site Statistics - Check how many people are backlinking to your site
- Facebook plugin
- phpBB plugin

also, I want to also thank all the sites that have signed up and are still using http://www.vHoist.com. As each day passes, it keeps getting better and better!

We shall see what the future brings!

Cheers

Any questions, just ask.

CSS59

04-23-2009, 11:43 PM

I can't wait to convert my vbgarage! Do you have an ETA yet?

footose

04-24-2009, 01:57 AM

^^ I actually stopped work on the Converter since no one offered to help test it out. If you are willing, then I am able to help you out.

Send me a PM and ill send you my messenger and we can work together!

sleepyboy2004

04-28-2009, 03:06 PM

Will this work on 3.8??? anyone?

footose

04-28-2009, 04:55 PM

3.8 is supported fully.

angkor408

04-28-2009, 10:59 PM

Look Good. Can't wait to install.

kNeeLy

05-13-2009, 04:54 PM

Update : 5.13.2009

Still no problems at all. Been running vhoist for months now with 11 cars parked on my site. (ALL the corollas on vhoist dot com..lol.)

lets see...maybe sum things I personally would like to see.

hmm...

nuthin...so far so good....keep up the great werk!!!

p.s. I like the added features...h.p., 1/4 mile ect.

chrisbeau

05-13-2009, 09:42 PM

3.7.2 working fine....BUT when sharing it with another site, when a car is edited then saved it places a duplicate of that car.

Also the forum setion it creates where can the name be edited ??

vHoist - Car Pictures and Photos
Member information and images about their vehicle(s)

footose

06-16-2009, 12:03 PM

sorry about the down time today, the site will be back up in a few hours.

ajmboy

06-16-2009, 09:24 PM

sorry about the down time today, the site will be back up in a few hours.

This plug in caused me an issue where I got a php error on my index.php. If I go to the plugin page currently, it says vhoist.com, the domain name has expired... and it messed up my page. To get my site back up, I needed to remove the plug in.

I tried e-mailing you at ...@vhoist.com but the e-mails bounce back. I'm using 3.8.2

Did you get hacked? Is there a security issue here? Why would it affect my index.php page?

If I enable to plug in, my main forum page spits out the error below:

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected '<' in /home/auto/public_html/index.php(597) : eval()'d code on line 75

It's currently disabled. What's a good e-mail to reach you?

footose

06-17-2009, 01:10 PM

admin ( at ) vhoist (dot) com

or

harry ( at ) generationdub (dot) com

These will both go straight to my blackberry.

...

I'd like to start off by apologizing for the downtime we had yesterday. I'm just dropping by all vHoist sites today to make sure everything is working. All administrators will receive an email from me later today regarding the situation.

For the technically minded:

One of our DNS servers failed early morning Monday and caused us to get a new server. Unfortunately this had the adverse side effect of changing our DNS IP Address and "parking" our Domain name. I immediately changed the DNS, but as some of you are aware, it can take up to 48 hrs to propagate across the entire internet, which caused you to see the errors that you have been seeing. Yes, a nightmare for me. Our entire vHoist site was down only for a matter of 30 minutes, however, because of the 24 to 48 (sometimes even 72) hour delay on DNS Propagation (http://webhosting.devshed.com/c/a/Web-Hosting-Articles/What-is-DNS-propagation-and-why-does-it-take-so-long/) it has really affected us for the last 2 days.

For everyone else:

One of our computers died and there may still be a few issues lingering from yesterday. If you can visit vHoist.com from your home PC, but can't see your car parked on your favorite forum, its because your forum's computer hasn't got the "house warming" invitation yet and probably won't know our new address until the end of the day! Hopefully everyone has our new address by the end of the day and we can all have a nice BBQ together poolside :D

...

This was completely unexpected, and *knock on wood* has been solved permanently.

As I said in the past, vHoist is a free plugin and thus does not generate any income, but I try to fully support it as any other company would a paid product. Since I'm a "one man show" - some items take a little longer than usual.

This is our first (and hopefully last) downtime since our release date of January 1st, 2009, making us have a 99.4% uptime which I consider fairly decent. vHoist itself was technically not even down, but our DNS provider was.

I will be releasing a new vHoist update soon that will include a "check" for activity so that the plugin does NOT mess up your site when our site is down. This is something I have been working on for a while.

ALSO, on the good news side of things, I will be releasing the following in the next 2 weeks:

- Auto Registration for users coming from forums
- "Templates" for different types of vehicles (ATV's, Cars, Trucks, Bikes..)
ie: A bike does not have "interior" mods, thus does not need the car template
- Adding Boats and Bicycles
- Checking for vHoist connectivity (so your site doesn't get error messages)
- PHPBB Plugin
- Facebook addon

Please stay updated via This Thread (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=200737&page=10&highlight=vhoist) or of course.. on http://www.vHoist.com

Again, I apologize for the inconvenience and hopefully this has not tainted anyone's opinion of vHoist as we have never had this happen to us before.

Harry Scanlan
http://www.vHoist.com