[DBTech] vBAnswers v2 (vB4)

[DragonByte Tech]

What is vBAnswers?
vBAnswers is a mod that's especially helpful if you run a tech support forum, or any other forum where your users pose questions to other members for them to answer.

It lets them quickly identify which posts have been marked as the solution to the issue, and also rewards users who post helpful posts via points, as well as trophies displayed next to their usernames.

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If you like this mod please hit the https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/external/2015/08/1.png button to the right ---->

Please remember to click the, https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/external/2015/08/2.png button to the right if you installed the mod ---->

What does 'Marking As Installed' do ?

* It helps you to stay on top of updates - members who have installed modifications will be notified by us whenever new updates are available.

* For security issues - vbulletin.org will contact all members who have installed a modification whenever a security issue is brought to their attention.

* Marking a modification as installed also helps us know how many people are using our work, giving us extra incentive to provide more features and new modifications.

We appreciate the support!
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Other addons available @ www.DragonByte-Tech.com/forum (http://www.dragonbyte-tech.com/forum)


Major Features
Quickly Post Problems: Two quick forms lets users easily post new problems to the correct forum.

Quick Solution Identification: Flagging a post as Solution lets other members quickly identify which post solves the problem.

Guest Delayed Submissions: Guests who try to post a new problem will be redirected to the registration form, and as soon as they have registered or logged in, their problem will be posted in the forum they chose - even if they come back hours or even days later.


Complete Feature List

Lite

Sidebar

Sidebar widget for posting new problems
Sidebar widget for listing problems
Sidebar widget for listing top problem solvers


Questions

Problem categories tied to specific forums
Form for posting new problems on Forum Display
Ability to flag posts as Solution, Best Answer or Good Answer


Community-Voted "Best Answers"

Users who did not ask the original question can vote on a single answer in the thread as the "Best Answer"
Users can un-vote their post of choice if they change their mind later
The community voted best answer will display a unique text


Landing Page

Displays the following blocks

Latest X Own Unanswered Questions
Latest X Own Answered Questions
Latest X Unanswered Questions
Latest X Answered Questions

Displays a form to quickly post new questions


Question List

Can be filtered by answered/unanswered
Can be filtered by own or globally asked/answered questions
Powers the blocks on the Landing Page


Solution Validation

Select usergroups can flag a solution as "Validated"
Displays underneath the Answer Type drop-down


vBActivity & Awards Integration

Points for Problems Posted
Points for Problems Solved
Points for Solutions Validated


General / Other

Reminders for users who have unresolved problems with at least 1 reply and has not received a reply for X days
Postbit stats for Problems Posted, Problems Solved, Best Answers Given, Good Answers Given
What's Going On stat block for total problems posted, total unresolved problems, best problem solver
Per-usergroup limits on how often problems can be posted



Pro

Private Questions

Admins can choose to enable a category to only have Private questions
Admins can choose to enable a category to have Private questions (User choice per question)
Private questions go in a special sub-forum that admins set up, with special permissions
Questions will only show up to starter, and staff


Statistics Exporting

Export a list of users that have participated in vBAnswers in some way
Enter a Start & End date to create a date range for the export

Both values are optional
Omitting start date means "from beginning until X"
Omitting end date means "from X until now"
Omitting both means "from beginning until now"



General / Other

Rotating trophies for most Solutions, Best Answers and Good Answers, recalculated every X days
Ability to export a list of everybody who has received at least 1 post flagged as the Solution, Best Answer or Good Answer with the info described


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This mod displays a copyright notification in the footer of the Forum Home, Forum Display and Show Thread pages, as well as all modification pages, which includes:
1 Link to DragonByte Technologies homepage
1 Link to Product Description page of this modification
1 Link to Tom's Hardware (Italy) homepage

Tom's Hardware (Italy) commissioned this mod, which is why the branding exists.

[tpearl5]

This looks pretty cool. Is there any kind of spam prevention around the sidebar form?

[DragonByte Tech]

Yeah, X problems posted per Y minutes, in the usergroup options :)


Fillip

[tpearl5]

Yeah, X problems posted per Y minutes, in the usergroup options :)


Fillip

So potentially a bot could spam the crap out of the form?

What happens if the user never registers? Where do the unposted threads go?

[DragonByte Tech]

No, they would be hit with the X problems per Y minutes post limit, plus bots would need to be explicitly coded to work with this particular form as it doesn't use the same form names as the regular vBulletin posting interface :)

If the user never register their post is not posted.


Fillip

[Morrus]

I like the "post a thread via a block/widget" functionality of this as a way to encourage visitors to start posting. I presume they post, and are then prompted to register?

Can this be used without the main "answers" functionality - literally just a sidebar block and CMS widget for a new thread with a dropdown to select the forum?

[DragonByte Tech]

Unfortunately not, no :(


Fillip

[cosan]

When i open a thread with form. Everything is ok.

But when i open thread with default thread button, i cant see Solution, Best Answer or Good Answer.

Members able to choose to open thread with default button.

[DragonByte Tech]

That's correct, opening threads with default thread button is not supported by this mod.

Fillip

[cosan]

That's correct, opening threads with default thread button is not supported by this mod.


Fillip

Do you have any solution?

[DragonByte Tech]

The only thing I can think of is to remove the new thread button via template edits.

Fillip

[Seerkan]

i installed, i gave permision to administrators, but i can´t see the sidebar.

[DragonByte Tech]

Have you also set up categories and forums?

Fillip

[Seerkan]

yes, but i dont see any sidebar

[DragonByte Tech]

Did you also deploy a sidebar block in the Forum Blocks Manager?

Fillip

[Seerkan]

Did you also deploy a sidebar block in the Forum Blocks Manager?


Fillip

UPS :eek: I dindt know this vb feature! thanks for answering.

OK, activated. Seems to work but, it seems that vbulletin only shows the sidebar in forumhome, so the vbanswer blocks only shown in forumhome too!!! (is it correct?)

So, Can i use Everywhere Sidebar 4 VB4 mod https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=233871&highlight=sidebar with vbanswer?

PD: we are interested in the paid version of vbanswer, but we would like to make sure everything goes right.

[DragonByte Tech]

I don't know if it will work with that mod, you can try it though :)


Fillip

[Seerkan]

it seems not to work... :(

i think you have a great mod, BUT as you have asociated with vb sidebar blocks, it is very limitated.

[Simon2323]

Installed in 4.2.0 - patch level 3 and get the following error in the admin control panel when i try to set up
Could not find phrase 'dbtech_vbanswers_invalid_action'

[DragonByte Tech]

Sounds like you may have uploaded the files in the wrong directories. Please drag and drop the contents of the upload folder to your forum folder.

Fillip

[vmg]

Installed in 4.2.0 - patch level 3 and get the following error in the admin control panel when i try to set up
Could not find phrase 'dbtech_vbanswers_invalid_action'

I get the same error. I uploaded the files as per the folder structure given in the upload folder. Please let us know how to correct this.

Also, I was wondering whether this mod will cause any Vbulletin performance problems on a forum with a lot of traffic, users and posts? Have you tested this on any large forum. Your thoughts on this would be appreciated.

[DragonByte Tech]

There's two possible reasons why that error could happen:
1. The /dbtech folder wasn't uploaded correctly
2. The /vbanswers.php file was uploaded to the AdminCP in place of the /admincp/vbanswers.php file or vice versa

We don't have access to a large forum to test it with, but we've had no reports of any detriment to performance :)


Fillip

[hqarrse]

I am getting the same error in the Manage Trophies menu. I have checked the uploads and reinstalled the mod.

I have my admin folder under a different name than admincp. This hasn't caused any problems with other mods, including your own, but I mention it in case it's related.

At the moment I am also unable to see the block, but it's early days so maybe I'm doing something dumb!

[hqarrse]

This actually works well with Everywhere Sidebar (Seerkan's post above) as ESB gives what I consider essential functionality - the ability to only show the question block in the area where you want questions, in my case my Recruiting forum - about how to join the Army. ESB would also allow you to show the block to certain user groups.

So far I have everything working except menu additions and the error in Manage Trophies that I mentioned.

Is the mod compatibile with the 4.2.1 Navbar?

[hqarrse]

Got the answers to these on Dragonbyte's support forum:

- Manage Trophies is a menu item from the paid version that is in the Lite version by mistake. The error is caused by a missing php file that you don't get with the Lite version.

- navigation plugins have not been implemented yet.

So neither is a real bug and therefore my install is working fine.

[m@hamad]

I get the same error. I uploaded the files as per the folder structure given in the upload folder. Please let us know how to correct this.

Also, I was wondering whether this mod will cause any Vbulletin performance problems on a forum with a lot of traffic, users and posts? Have you tested this on any large forum. Your thoughts on this would be appreciated.

confirmation, I got the same problem

The files have been uploaded correctly

+ The hack is not displayed in the Sidebar

Please update the hack and add features :)



Sorry if I did not talk properly, My English is not so good :(

[DragonByte Tech]

confirmation, I got the same problemIt's not a problem, please read the post above yours :)

+ The hack is not displayed in the SidebarPlease go to Forum Blocks and add the block to the sidebar :)


Fillip

[DragonByte Tech]

v1.0.4

Feature: Improved logging details for Control Panel actions
Change: A "Branding Free" AddOn is now available
Fix: Problem Solving stats no longer break the postbit layout in PMs / Announcements / User Notes

Fillip

[vmg]

In your instructions you say
"give your administrator account the "Can Administer vBAnswers"
permission" .

I checked my admin username and I don't see anywhere the option called
"Can Administer vBAnswers"
permission" .

Please let me know.
Tnanks

[vmg]

Please ignore my last question. I found that under User Group > Administrator Permission.

But I am still unable to make the forum block form visible. I added a block but it is not getting displayed.

Thanks

[DragonByte Tech]

For reference, this has been handled @ our site :)


Fillip

[kalilo81]

Thanks for this nice mod.
can we display the block outside the sidebar? under the navbar maybe?

[DragonByte Tech]

Unfortunately not, it's explicitly coded as a sidebar item :(


Fillip

[DragonByte Tech]

vBAnswers v1.0.4 Patch Level 1

Bugfixes

In certain scenarios, vBAnswers could fail to append its JavaScript code to the page footer
vBAnswers was not compatible with Threaded or Hybrid thread display modes
The "Top Problem Solver" statistic on forum home will now return the correct user



Fillip

[DragonByte Tech]

Update

Hotfix: PHP 5.4 Compatibility fixes


This does not guarantee the mod is error free on PHP 5.4, but it will take care of the reported errors. Thank you all for your reports :)



Fillip

[kamran_dotnet]

Warning: Only variables should be passed by reference in ..../dbtech/vbanswers/hooks/showthread_query.php on line 67

[kamran_dotnet]

and also becouse i changemy forum navidations,
can you give me the value to add manually navigation link?

[DragonByte Tech]

Which navigation link are you after, the tab or the Community menu?

Fillip

[kamran_dotnet]

Which navigation link are you after, the tab or the Community menu?


Fillip

anything to link the vbanswer page
i don't know wich urls available

but for now i disable the hack for error:
Warning: Only variables should be passed by reference in ..../dbtech/vbanswers/hooks/showthread_query.php on line 67

[franzes80]

Hello this plugin have problem on tapatalk. Inside tapatalk don't open thread.please fix thank you

[GigaSb]

When I allow guests to send problems it send them to register...
Some users don't want to register and their questions are in the database and is included in the
total statistics, how can we clean "temp" questions of unregistered users?

[DragonByte Tech]

You can delete entries from the dbtech_vbanswers_problem table where userid = 0 :)


Fillip

[DragonByte Tech]

vBAnswers v2.0.0

New Features Added

Landing Page

Displays the following blocks

Latest X Own Unanswered Questions
Latest X Own Answered Questions
Latest X Unanswered Questions
Latest X Answered Questions

Displays a form to quickly post new questions


Question List

Can be filtered by answered/unanswered
Can be filtered by own or globally asked/answered questions
Powers the blocks on the Landing Page


Solution Validation

Select usergroups can flag a solution as "Validated"
Displays underneath the Answer Type drop-down


vBActivity & Awards Integration

Points for Problems Posted
Points for Problems Solved
Points for Solutions Validated



Fillip

[ukhostz]

I have installed the mod onto a vanilla install with vbadvanced. It is throwing the errors detailed below when accessing vbanswers.php?action=list

Warning: array_unique() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in ..../dbtech/vbanswers/actions/main.php on line 533

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in ..../dbtech/vbanswers/includes/class_core.php on line 1287

the webserver is running php 5.4.24

[StonePilot]

It's giving me an error regarding vbactivity integration when posts are made?

Fatal error: Class 'VBACTIVITY' not found in ../forum/dbtech/vbanswers/includes/class_dm_problem.php on line 191

[migratoria]

I Confirm Vbanswers 2 creates problems with tapatalk app and forumrunner.

Once you have installed does not allow the display of the content of the topic
Is there a Fix?

[DragonByte Tech]

Since you've only downloaded v1.0.2, how can you know that v2 causes problems? We've had no reports of conflict with Tapatalk or FR in the latest version.

Fillip

[migratoria]

I have read the post of franzies. 22 Oct 2013, 05:40

Hello this plugin have problem on tapatalk. Inside tapatalk don't open thread.please fix thank you

I have searched on google a forum which contained vbanswers and i have confirmed the bug.
The error it s visible using a simple user account

[DragonByte Tech]

vBAnswers v2.0.0 Patch Level 1

Bug Fixes And Issue Fixes:

Fixed vBActivity Integration
Fixed an issue with the Reminder cut-off not working as intended



Fillip

[DragonByte Tech]

vBAnswers v2.0.0 Patch Level 2

Bug Fixes And Issue Fixes:

Fixed PHP Warning issues with the vBActivity integration



Fillip

[djvj]

I added all 3 blocks as sidebar widgets, yet none show up. What can I do to figure out what's wrong?

Only thing I have is the tab at the top for vbAnswers.

I only have the visible activity and recent posts blocks on forum home. When entering a section, no blocks are visible on the side.

I also activated the mod on a bunch of the forum sections, ones I made a couple of text question categories on.

I'm on vb 4.22

[djvj]

nm, figured it out, had to set the proper usergroup option.

[shahryar_neo]

vBAnswers v2.0.0 Patch Level 2

Bug Fixes And Issue Fixes:

Fixed PHP Warning issues with the vBActivity integration



Fillip

Thanks for developing this good module. I want to buy this product but something is unknown for me.

Your copyright links are follow or no-follow?

[DragonByte Tech]

Changed Features:

A fresh copy of the jQuery library is now only downloaded if one has not been downloaded previously. Requires updating of all other affected DBTech mods to take full effect.



Fillip

[Palidino76]

I'm not sure if the developer still gets on, but is there any way to make this work with normal threads created in the section the sidebar is designated for?
For example, if someone wanted to post a thread in the help section using the post editor for more advanced control options instead of using the sidebar and then having to edit their post after, the thread doesn't contain the functionality of this mod.

[DragonByte Tech]

I'm not sure if the developer still gets on, but is there any way to make this work with normal threads created in the section the sidebar is designated for?
For example, if someone wanted to post a thread in the help section using the post editor for more advanced control options instead of using the sidebar and then having to edit their post after, the thread doesn't contain the functionality of this mod.Unfortunately that's not possible, sorry :(


Fillip

[m7sen]

vb 3.8 Version ?

I have old product, can I importer it

thanks

[hazem_aliraqi]

if you have delete any thread created on vBAnswers its will not delete from vBAnswers page

and if we leave the title and message area as a blank space then we click submit button
the blank problem will be sent with unknown title (N/A) and unknown Forum (N/A)