How to remove HTML tags from thread preview (good for HTML-enabled forums especially)

[Gary King]

Don't you just hate it when thread previews show HTMl tags even though browsers don't interprete those tags in popup menus? Well then this hack is just right for you! ;)

This hack will remove all HTML tags such as <b>, <i>, <strong> and even closing tags like </b>, </i>, and </strong> so that they don't show up in the thread preview. It's genius they say! :p

Anyways here we go:

open up forumdisplay.php and find eval('$threadbit .= "' . fetch_template('threadbit') . '";');
Above, add

$thread[preview] = eregi_replace('(")','',strip_tags(unhtmlspecialchars($thread[preview]))); // solution #2


If the above code doesn't show some thread previews properly, try the one below:


$thread[preview] = eregi_replace('(&[a-z]+;|&lt;[a-zA-Z]+&gt;[a-zA-Z]+&lt;/[a-zA-Z]+&gt;)','',strip_tags($thread[preview]));




All done :)

[Andreas]

Nice, but why not just


$thread[preview] = strip_tags($thread[preview]);


?

[Gary King]

Fixed :) (You needed unhtmlspecialchars()) first.

[Andreas]

Hmm ... now this code might produce invalid XHTML (thinking of quotes and ampersand).

[Gary King]

*testing* :) I'll post back with a full solution when I have one, should take a few minutes only heh :D

[Andreas]

$thread[preview] = htmlspecialchars(strip_tags(unhtmlspecialchars($th read[preview])));


might do the trick ;)

[Gary King]

Foolproof solution attached ;)

[CarlitoBrigante]

Foolproof solution attached ;)
Great it work! Should be enabled by default in next vb builds, can't someone contact the development staff?

[Gary King]

You could submit it as a bug and link to this thread if you want :p

[CarlitoBrigante]

You could submit it as a bug and link to this thread if you want :p
Will do!

[gmarik]

What is this about, can't get the idaea...

[cybermomcafe]

Is there any way to make this stop what is happening in the attached image...

What I was doing was using a replacement variable, {ebaylist} or {paypaldonate} for example to insert a preformatted paypal cart form or ebay listing into a post...

I don't care so much about the mouseover thread preview, just the "> that shows up by the thread title...

Thanks in advance!

Here's a link to the forum with the post I'm talking about... http://www.cybermomcafe.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=3

[Gary King]

Is there any way to make this stop what is happening in the attached image...

What I was doing was using a replacement variable, {ebaylist} or {paypaldonate} for example to insert a preformatted paypal cart form or ebay listing into a post...

I don't care so much about the mouseover thread preview, just the "> that shows up by the thread title...

Thanks in advance!

Here's a link to the forum with the post I'm talking about... http://www.cybermomcafe.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=3
I copied the code used in your post, and now there is nothing in the thread preview for me (which is a good thing, since you'd rather have nothing than broken stuff.)

Did you use the first replacement code I suggested in my instructions?

[cybermomcafe]

Yeah, I tried both of them...

If I put the code straight into the post (enabling HTML on the forum, which I am trying to avoid) it doesn't add the "> above the thread title, but if I do it as a replacement variable it does...?

I turned on guest posting in that forum also... ;)

I spose I could just turn on HTML LOL

I was using {ebaylisting} to be replaced with:

<script language="JavaScript" src="http://lapi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?EKServer&ai=avm%7dz%7em.%26%28%26&bdrcolor=FFCC00&cid=0&endcolor=FF0000&endtime=y&fntcolor=000000&fs=0&hdrcolor=FFFFCC&img=y&num=25&numbid=y&popup=n&prvd=0&query=baby+clothing&siteid=0&sort=MetaEndSort&sortby=endtime&sortdir=asc&srchdesc=n&tlecolor=FFCE63&track=&width=570"></script>

Thanks for taking a look!

[Intex]

Nice work Gary_King. I've installed and it works apart from one thing. I have another hack that replaces <br> with <br />. How would I also exclude <br /> as well?

[Gary King]

Nice work Gary_King. I've installed and it works apart from one thing. I have another hack that replaces <br> with <br />. How would I also exclude <br /> as well?
You should remove that other hack, then, then see what the results are.

[Intex]

That particular hack is pretty important to me and needs to stay. I want to use this hack as well, so if there is a way to specifically exclude <br /> that would be great, otherwise I'll have to remove this one- which I don't really want to do.