Welcome headers - Improve community registration rates [Archive]

View Full Version : Welcome headers - Improve community registration rates

Pages : [1] 2 3 4 5

Ted S

10-28-2005, 10:00 PM

vBulletin 3.6 users click here for the 3.6 compatible version of this plugin. (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=119572)

The out of the box vBulletin style does not have a robust method of informing users about their current activity status or user level. As a result, guests entering on a page other than the homepage (which is most often the case) have no idea what a forum is about or that they may need to register. Additionally, there are no visible status indicators, making it confusing for unconfirmed, unapproved or new members to know what to do or where to begin.

To help solve these problems, the welcome headers plugin creates a 5-part set of conditionals to better introduce members to your community while pushing them to register, activate or post. The default templates are just that, default ? I highly encourage you to tweak the language and functions to meet the needs of your actual community environment.

Modifications/ Instructions:
Template edits: 2
Plugins: 1 (adds 1 template and several settings)

This template hack should take under 5 minutes to implement and customize.

What?s new in 4.1.0
The 4.1.0 version of this system is a complete rewrite from earlier versions. All of the original functionality still exists; however, the system has been improved to make it much more modular. With the new version, you can now turn on/off individual welcome header messages, configure the content and change other settings all from your ACP Options panel. Additionally, a 5th welcome header has been added for global announcements. With the exception of one small phrase change, this upgrade is seamless to upgrade.

Upgrade Instructions:
Full upgrade instructions can be found in the attached zip file. However, to avoid confusion anyone upgrading from the 4.0.x version of this plugin to 4.1.x should do the following:

1 ? Upload the new version of the plugin file based on your version of vBulletin (3.5 or 3.6). Be sure to set the override option to ?yes?.
2 ? Go to your phrase manager and search for the phrase ?first_visit_message?, copy any customizations you have made to this phrase into the phrase ?welcome_guest?.
3 ? Go to your vBulletin options, select the ?Welcome Header System? group and configure the options as desired.

Customizing the content / messages
To customize which messages appear or what they say, go to vBulletin options, select the ?Welcome Header System? group and configure the options as desired. Each phase can be modified by adding translation text.

Details on how it all works:
Step One: Turning lurkers into Members
For most websites, upwards of 50% of traffic (or more) comes through search engines or deep links to threads, profiles and categories. Out of the box, vBulletin only displays a welcome message on the forum-homepage, meaning someone who enters through any other page does not have the benefit of seeing an explanation of the site or welcome message. The guest welcome header is used to explain the purpose of your site, sell users on the benefits of joining the community and push them to proactively register.

Step Two: Making Users Confirm their Account
Many vBulletin sites require email confirmation prior to being able to post or access an account. However, activation emails are often misdirected to spam folders, ignored or simply deleted, leaving unconfirmed users with little access rights and no explanation as to what is wrong with their account. The unconfirmed welcome header is used to inform unconfirmed members of their account status and to direct them to automatically resend their activation email, or to contact the webmaster for support.

Step Three: Get non-posting users to post
Another chronic problem faced by many forums is insuring users post after registering. Many new visitors register in order to access certain features with the intent of posting, but never do so. The never posted welcome header is used to encourage users to post for their first time and should ideally be linked directly to an introductions or new member forum to help users "break the ice".

Step Four: Getting inactive users to become more active
Many members start out as lurkers, register, post once or twice and then go back to being lurkers. Often time these members are not actively thinking about participating in topics or are still shy about interacting. The inactivity welcome header reminds members to make a post after a predetermined amount of time as specified by the forum administrator.

Step Five: General Announcements
Unfortunately the standard announcements are often overlooked or never even seen by members who use the "new posts feature". As a result, urgent notices may be missed by users causing problems and high volumes of support requests. The global announcement welcome header creates a message shown to all members who do not fall into the other welcome header groups (guest, unconfirmed, never posted, inactive). Whether it be a scheduled outage/ upgrade, an important request or the need to display an advertisement in a prominent spot, global announcements allow an administrator to effectively and quickly display messages in a way that is certain to be read.

The results:
At first glance this system may seem a bit superfluous, however, the numbers rarely lie, nor does the feedback. Since posting this plugin in October, it has risen to over 1700 confirmed installations and is now one of the top 5 vBulletin plugins. On ScubaBoard.Com, the site the system was originally tested on, posting rates have increased by over 100%; new user registration rates by over 60%; user activity by 50% and the welcome/ intro & greets forum has exploded over 400%. If you browse through the pages of this thread you will find even more real life testimonials and experiences from the thousands of people using the system.

But enough about why -- give it a shot yourself and let me know how your results turn out.

vBulletin 3.6 users click here for the 3.6 compatible version of this plugin. (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=119572)

jugo

10-29-2005, 02:17 AM

hey...are you pdating the attachm,ent..i was about to download it.
was going to do the template edits by hand from my old board.
thanks...hope you get it back up soon.

GrendelKhan{TSU

10-29-2005, 02:26 AM

This is perfect... and exactly what is needed. this should be DEFAULT with vbulletin.

I come from the old SEO school of site maintenance/design... so things like welcome headers on everypage is habit...and been a constant source of agony in vbulletin.

the conversion of lurking/inactive members with simple message nudges is simply beautiful.

a big CHEERS to you!!!

(now if there was only a file to download to install. ;) :p)

<<< /me is ready to click install :)

Ted S

10-29-2005, 02:37 AM

Sorry about that; I was updating the files a bit but the attachment is now back.

rb290

10-29-2005, 02:56 AM

uh what is this, or supposed to look like

Wired1

10-29-2005, 03:08 AM

Good point, no attached picture :)

Ted S

10-29-2005, 03:41 AM

Screenshots are now attached, thanks for the reminder!

chader144

10-29-2005, 03:44 AM

plugin by chance? I know its not a hard modification by hand but I just like the plugin system.

piXelatedEmpire

10-29-2005, 03:57 AM

wow, this is indeed a great mod! Many thanks for this :D

Ted S

10-29-2005, 05:32 AM

plugin by chance? I know its not a hard modification by hand but I just like the plugin system.

I'll take another look at the plugin system but thus far I have been unable to figure out how to modify an existing template as that's the bulk of this hack. Adding new ones is simple enough.

GrendelKhan{TSU

10-29-2005, 09:50 AM

one more question before I install......

I do really reallyreallyreallyreally hope you have phrases set for this?
I run a multi-language board. :/

<< fingers crossed :)

Wachtmeister

10-29-2005, 10:02 AM

one more question before I install......

I do really reallyreallyreallyreally hope you have phrases set for this?
I run a multi-language board. :/

<< fingers crossed :)

Yes, he has.

Nice hack. Installed!

COBRAws

10-29-2005, 11:08 AM

Yes, he has.

Nice hack. Installed!

great hack, great hacker.

Most of hackers forget to use phrases, and dont realise that A LOT of vBulletin's run under other languages. (Y)

DjTaz

10-29-2005, 11:13 AM

Im wondering if this is available on VB version 3.0.x - its something id love on my boards , but i dont plan to upgrade to 3.5 for a while yet as the hacks i have on my boards havent all been ported yet :(

Snake

10-29-2005, 11:53 AM

Ah man that is just SWEET! This hack deserves a special title "Hack of the World"

Thank you very much!! :) Now with this hack, it really helps!

paulomt1

10-29-2005, 02:47 PM

The problem is after install this modification the html code isn't a Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional

Sooner95

10-29-2005, 05:34 PM

Nice hack. installed, now we'll see how it does.. Thanks

mfizzel

10-29-2005, 06:14 PM

Fantastic job Ted S...I was going to add a few customer header greetz myself and just come across this...I'll be trying it out.

rb290

10-29-2005, 07:34 PM

When I edit the header template and put the code at the bottom it says:
vBulletin Message
The following error occurred when attempting to evaluate this template:

Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_ENCAPSED_AND_WHITESPACE, expecting T_STRING or T_VARIABLE or T_NUM_STRING in /home/thug/public_html/includes/adminfunctions_template.php(3519) : eval()'d code on line 34

This is likely caused by a malformed conditional statement. It is highly recommended that you fix this error before continuing, but you may continue as-is if you wish.

cheech4487

10-29-2005, 08:06 PM

I get the same thing as well. Had to ditch the install.

rb290

10-29-2005, 08:14 PM

nevermind I got it!

rb290

10-29-2005, 08:17 PM

cheech4487 - in the beginning of the header code, their is:

<if condition="$show['guest']">

<if condition="$show['guest']">

their should only be one

cheech4487

10-29-2005, 08:36 PM

I'll try that thanx man. :)

cheech4487

10-29-2005, 08:50 PM

Actuall I'm sorry I was wrong. I get the error when I remove the lines from the forumhome & try to save it. And I doing something wrong there?

jugo

10-29-2005, 09:25 PM

I have turned this into a Product.

The only manual part is this:

Select the FORUMHOME template and scroll about 20 lines until you find the code <IF condition="$show['guest']">. Remove this line and everything below it until you reach </IF>. This will remove your current and default welcome headers making room for your enhanced headers, save the template.

And editing the Phrases...Everything else works..... I hope this helps some...let me know if there is anything wrong. :surprised:

Ted S

10-29-2005, 10:10 PM

I've updated the main thread to use the product plugin that Jugo so nicely developed. XHTML compliance issues have been resolved, phrases have been updated and the duplicate <if> statement has been removed. Thanks again Jugo for turning this into a plugin!

jugo

10-29-2005, 10:12 PM

NyCwill

10-30-2005, 12:54 AM

its not working for me..
I did everything, it said but nothing is showing my guest bar is not there no more

Ted S

10-30-2005, 02:18 AM

Are you using othe plugins? Check to see that this one is showing up when you view your product manager?

cheech4487

10-30-2005, 02:34 AM

Nothing showin up for me neither.

NyCwill

10-30-2005, 02:37 AM

Are you using othe plugins? Check to see that this one is showing up when you view your product manager?

yea its showing up in my product manager i follow the instruction even triple check it i did everything correctly

chader144

10-30-2005, 04:01 AM

Thank you for the plugin update Jugo... and thank you again Ted S

PixelFx

10-30-2005, 06:27 AM

Very Cool System, I moded the layout a tad, to fit my site, but also feel this should be something that is stock versions of vb, hoping this will get my 8000+ lurkers to post more :P

Ted S

10-30-2005, 07:21 AM

Very Cool System, I moded the layout a tad, to fit my site, but also feel this should be something that is stock versions of vb, hoping this will get my 8000+ lurkers to post more :P

That is the idea... Let me know how it goes!

GoNz00

10-30-2005, 09:22 AM

sounds like a top hack, cant wait till the bugs are ironed out :)

going to hold off installing until its a tad more refined ;)

ggiersdorf

10-30-2005, 09:57 AM

Dont work, plugin is installed and shows up but nothing on template page..

Modified NAV also

Snake

10-30-2005, 11:03 AM

Wohoo thanks for the update! :)

domaino

10-30-2005, 11:13 AM

hey just like to add that their is nothing working for me either. I removed the code from forumhome and installed the pluging, but my welcome message just dissapears. Any ideas?

domaino

10-30-2005, 02:16 PM

Installed it manually, cannot get this method to work.

P.Jackson

10-30-2005, 02:51 PM

blank for me aswell :(

P.Jackson

10-30-2005, 03:10 PM

ok seems it doesnt show on Firefox only shows on IE any ideas for a fix?

foreverdarkness

10-30-2005, 03:27 PM

hey just like to add that their is nothing working for me either. I removed the code from forumhome and installed the pluging, but my welcome message just dissapears. Any ideas?

I am having this same problem. I hope there is a fix for this soon.

vau7

10-30-2005, 03:38 PM

Hmmm, the normal welcomemessage is working, but the one for unfirmed and the others arent shown!

Ive installed first "by hand" and now with the product in the hope to fix this.

dreck

10-30-2005, 03:54 PM

Yep, I just install this & nothing is showing up. Everything is active in Product/plugin manager.

* dreck installs & wait for a fix!

Thanks, dreck

Snake

10-30-2005, 04:26 PM

Oh I'm getting the same problem. Any solution to that?

Man1c M0g

10-30-2005, 05:03 PM

Oh I'm getting the same problem. Any solution to that?

Same problem here. It works if its manually installed, but doesn't seem to show at all if done by the product manager.

Romeos Tune

10-30-2005, 05:04 PM

Same here...... Nothing....

lexx27

10-30-2005, 05:12 PM

same here!!!

Romeos Tune

10-30-2005, 05:18 PM

Does anyone have the steps for manually adding the templates?

vau7

10-30-2005, 05:21 PM

manually there was no displaying too for me.

Ted S

10-30-2005, 07:41 PM

Here is the actual code which you can add yourself if so desired (rather than use the plugin).

At the end of your header template add:

<if condition="THIS_SCRIPT != 'register' AND THIS_SCRIPT != 'login'">
<if condition="$show['guest']">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1" colspan="6">
<phrase 1="faq.php?$session[sessionurl]" 2="register.php?$session[sessionurl]">$vbphrase[first_visit_message]</phrase>
$vbphrase[welcome_ads]
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

<else />

<if condition="is_member_of($bbuserinfo, 3)">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1" colspan="6">
$vbphrase[welcome_unconfirmed]
$vbphrase[welcome_ads]
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

<else />

<if condition="$bbuserinfo[posts]<1">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1" colspan="6">
<phrase 1="$bbuserinfo[username]">$vbphrase[welcome_neverposted]</phrase>
$vbphrase[welcome_ads]
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

<else />

<if condition="$headerstime - 1209600 > $bbuserinfo[lastpost]">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1" colspan="6">
<phrase 1="$bbuserinfo[username]">$vbphrase[welcome_postmoreoften]</phrase>
$vbphrase[welcome_ads]
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

</if>
</if>
</if>
</if>
</if>

Then added 3 global phrases as follows:

welcome_unconfirmed
Your account has not been confirmed and is not yet active! To become a registered user on this forum (required for posting or accessing special features) you will need to verify your email address by clicking a special link sent to you in our original welcome email. If you have lost this email, or it never arrived, please go <a href="./register.php?do=requestemail">here</a> to request another activation email be sent to you. If you suspect your email address is set wrong, go <a href="./sendmessage.php">here</a> and fill the form out so an administrator can fix your account. Also please be sure to disable any spam filters you may have for our website, so that this and all future messages can reach you.

welcome_neverposted
Hello {1},<br />Our records indicate that you have never posted to our site before! Why not make your first post today by saying hello to our community in our Introductions forum. <br /><br /> Why not start with your first post today and become an active part {2} forums now!

welcome_postmoreoften
Hello {1} it appears that you have not posted on our forums in several weeks, why not take a few moments to ask a question, help provide a solution or just engage in a conversation with another member in any one of our forums?

I also recommend you udpate the standard welcome phrase first_visit_message to something along the lines of:
<SPAN class=smallfont>Welcome to Welcome to the <strong>{3}</strong> forums. <br /><br />You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions, articles and access our other FREE features. By joining our <strong>free</strong> community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload your own photos and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, <a href="{2}"><strong>join our community today</strong></a>! <br /><br />If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact <a href="/sendmessage.php">contact support</a>.

My appologies for all of the problems. This hack has been working successfuly on many sites for almost a year, unfortunately the plugin has some hiccups but I'm sure those can be resolved shortly.

vau7

10-30-2005, 07:46 PM

You wrote something about a little Plugin to do to get the unconfirmed message to work in your first .txt

What about that?

I tried to get it with the first version to work but only the first_welcome was shown up. Same as now with this plugin.

Romeos Tune

10-30-2005, 08:02 PM

ThankYou very much Ted! :) Got it and it's working great. I should have installed this way back when..... Awesome Job!

Ted S

10-30-2005, 09:31 PM

I've rebuilt the product plugin and it now seems to be functioning properly on my test system. Unfortunately you will now need to modify an additional template to use this hack as a plugin. At the very end of of your header template add the code $welcomeheaders.

Again my apologies for all the confusion. Those of you who are using this with manual code rather than the plugin will not need to upgrade.

jugo

10-30-2005, 09:38 PM

For those of you that it's not working...in your FORUMHOME template...do you have

$header

in the template?

Ted S

10-30-2005, 09:41 PM

As an FYI, I changed from using the code $header to using $welcomeheaders and placing it in the header template.

dreck

10-30-2005, 09:48 PM

For those of you that it's not working...in your FORUMHOME template...do you have

$header

in the template?Yep!
$stylevar[htmldoctype]
<html dir="$stylevar[textdirection]" lang="$stylevar[languagecode]">
<head>

<meta http-equiv="Pragma" content="no-cache" />
<meta http-equiv="Expires" content="-1" />
<meta http-equiv="Cache-Control" content="no-cache" />

<title><phrase 1="$vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase[x_powered_by_vbulletin]</phrase></title>
$headinclude
$dfh_announcement_headercode
</head>
<body>
$dfh_announcement_popup
$header
$navbar
I will try the new way & let ya know.

Thanks, dreck

dreck

10-30-2005, 10:04 PM

Works great with welcome_hdr_4_0_2.zip

I cant seem to find the code to remove the "Place your ad code (i.e. adsense) here."

Which template can I find this?

Thanks, dreck

Ted S

10-30-2005, 10:26 PM

In the template welcome_headers remove $vbphrase[welcome_ads] from all 4 places where it shows.

vau7

10-31-2005, 03:30 AM

works fine as a clockwork.

sitka

10-31-2005, 04:46 AM

says [ARG:3 UNDEFINED] so that means {3} isn't working

also says <b>contact <a href="sendmessage.php">contact support</a></b>

Oblivion Knight

10-31-2005, 05:31 AM

Does this run any queries when displaying a welcome header?

Logician's similar "DFHA" system runs 2, I may just find myself switching to this one. :D

dreck

10-31-2005, 02:13 PM

In the template welcome_headers remove $vbphrase[welcome_ads] from all 4 places where it shows.OK, thanks!

Great work.

JoeWho

10-31-2005, 02:18 PM

Ted S,

Installed: Works great, I like it!

QUESTION:
What is $vbphrase[welcome_ads] ... I can see it puts an ad in but how does it work or what is needed to make use if it?

THANKS!

EasyTarget

10-31-2005, 03:54 PM

Ted, thanks a ton. and yes, I agree, this should be something that comes stock.

NyCwill

10-31-2005, 04:05 PM

thank you this works perfectly

jugo

10-31-2005, 04:06 PM

Does this run any queries when displaying a welcome header?

Logician's similar "DFHA" system runs 2, I may just find myself switching to this one. :D

This is strictly template modifications. No queries are run.

I had one suggestion ted.

Would it be better to just use templates in stead for the ads instead pf phrases. Since the ads would be mostly template based anyway like html code or such.

GrendelKhan{TSU

10-31-2005, 05:30 PM

this soooo should be default with vbulletin.

GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!

* GrendelKhan{TSU happily clicks install!! :D :D

GrendelKhan{TSU

10-31-2005, 05:34 PM

1. uh....can't find the phrases. :/
(admincp > language and phrases> search phrases > eg: "first_visit_message" >> "No Phrases Matched Your Query" )

can you tell me where they are located?

EDIT: nm found em. :D

----------------------------------

so different quiestion:

--how does one make bbcodes enabled for the messages? or is that not possible?
--how do you get rid of the ". Place your ad code (i.e. adsense) here." line that appears at the end of the welcome message?

tanyeri24

10-31-2005, 06:52 PM

ALERT ALERT ALERT

After installed this product showing on top of the admincp page and sometimes on forum (!!) this error line:
Warnung: array_merge() [function.array-merge]: Argument #1 is not an array in /includes/functions.php(1047) : eval()'d code (Zeile 3)

how can I fıx that please hurry that's showing bad :tired: :surprised:

99SIVTEC

10-31-2005, 06:54 PM

I get the same message on all three of my forums I have tested on. When you reload the admincp it shows a blank page with the error message.

Snake

10-31-2005, 06:56 PM

Be sure you're running on 3.5 Gold. ;)

tanyeri24

10-31-2005, 07:01 PM

Be sure you're running on 3.5 Gold. ;)
S U R E :squareeyed:

99SIVTEC

10-31-2005, 07:02 PM

Every forum I have is 3.5 gold. I'm not a noob at installing hacks either. It's the plugin itself even with it disabled I get the message. It goes away as soon as you uninstall it.

99SIVTEC

10-31-2005, 07:03 PM

I tried it on two boards with other plugins and one fresh 3.5 forum wioth no other plugins. Same error on all three.

tanyeri24

10-31-2005, 08:00 PM

MY ADMIN PANEL IS CRASHED BECAUSE THIS PRODUCT PLEAS DON'T INSTALL IT!! I CANNOT LOGIN TO MY ADMINCP GETTING THIS ERROR:
Warnung: array_merge() [function.array-merge]: Argument #1 is not an array in /includes/functions.php(1047) : eval()'d code (Zeile 3)

AND ONLY THIS ERROR.

Reduced to normal font size. It's really not necessary to shout out that loud. Andreas

99SIVTEC

10-31-2005, 08:55 PM

Same here^^^ The plugin is doing something it shouldn't

vau7

10-31-2005, 09:02 PM

No Problem for me. I think it s a kind of collaboration with some other plugins of you both.

List your Plugins and look which are the same.

99SIVTEC

10-31-2005, 09:26 PM

I already stated that one forum is a fresh install with no plugins

99SIVTEC

10-31-2005, 09:27 PM

it also displays the array merge problem on user profile pages

Ted S

11-01-2005, 12:03 AM

Does this run any queries when displaying a welcome header?

No queries, just a few new phrases, and a few conditionals. All the other info is pulled from the "normal" vb calls to the user account and forum settings.

Ted S

11-01-2005, 12:06 AM

I already stated that one forum is a fresh install with no plugins

I'm not sure what to tell you, I've got this running on several sites without incident. I am of course taking a look as to why this could be happening but so far nothing seems to be standing out.

As an example you can see that http://www.scubaboard.com/member.php?u=1 is working properly. Same plugin, slightly altered phrases but that's all.

To disable plugins in the event of a failure see http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148082&highlight=disable_hooks

Ted S

11-01-2005, 12:09 AM

<plugins>
<plugin active="1">
<title><![CDATA[Inactivity Timer [Optional]]]></title>
<hookname>global_start</hookname>
<phpcode><![CDATA[$headerstime = time();]]></phpcode>
</plugin>
<plugin active="1">
<title><![CDATA[Welcome Headers [Alteration]]]></title>
<hookname>parse_templates</hookname>
<phpcode><![CDATA[
eval('$welcomeheaders = "' . fetch_template('welcome_headers') . '";');
]]></phpcode>
</plugin>
<plugin active="1">
<title><![CDATA[Welcome Headers [Template Cache]]]></title>
<hookname>fetch_userinfo</hookname>
<phpcode><![CDATA[
global $globaltemplates;
$globaltemplates = array_merge($globaltemplates, array('forumhome_welcomeheaders'));
]]></phpcode>
</plugin>
</plugins>

That's the extent of the actual php code, as you can see all we do is define a variable, open a template and cache a template. If anyone seens anything wrong please let me know.

Ted S

11-01-2005, 12:30 AM

This is strictly template modifications. No queries are run.

I had one suggestion ted.

Would it be better to just use templates in stead for the ads instead pf phrases. Since the ads would be mostly template based anyway like html code or such.

I've removed the ad phrase entirely. I figure if anyone wants an ad they can put it in the actual phrases or the template just as easily.

GrendelKhan{TSU

11-01-2005, 03:21 AM

I've removed the ad phrase entirely. I figure if anyone wants an ad they can put it in the actual phrases or the template just as easily.

how do we remove it in the meantime? (untill you get to the update?)

Ted S

11-01-2005, 03:29 AM

It is in the update already, but, since this is the only change you can just modify the template welcomeheaders and remove all 4 instances of $vbphrase[welcome_ads].

Blind Guardian

11-01-2005, 04:54 AM

I modified this a little so it shows a message under the navigation bar, rather than the header, but it's a good idea. Thank you.

Oblivion Knight

11-01-2005, 05:34 AM

No queries, just a few new phrases, and a few conditionals. All the other info is pulled from the "normal" vb calls to the user account and forum settings.Thank you for the quick reply.

I've made the switch to your modification and I'm most impressed! Thank you for sharing this with us, your instructions are also very clear so kudos to you! :)

tanyeri24

11-01-2005, 12:04 PM

Bad that I cannot use this mod because it's really nice........

Ted S

11-01-2005, 01:51 PM

Bad that I cannot use this mod because it's really nice........

I've got a few other vb sites that I will be upgrading tonight to test this on further. In the mean time, could you please PM me with some basics about your forum such as what, if any hacks/ plugins you are running now, what os you are using and how you use the datastore file for caching? Thanks.

99SIVTEC

11-01-2005, 01:56 PM

It works fine on my boards when I use the code manually inserting <if condition="THIS_SCRIPT != 'register' AND THIS_SCRIPT != 'login'">
<if condition="$show['guest']">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1" colspan="6">
<phrase 1="faq.php?$session[sessionurl]" 2="register.php?$session[sessionurl]">$vbphrase[first_visit_message]</phrase>
$vbphrase[welcome_ads]
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

<else />

<if condition="is_member_of($bbuserinfo, 3)">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1" colspan="6">
$vbphrase[welcome_unconfirmed]
$vbphrase[welcome_ads]
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

<else />

<if condition="$bbuserinfo[posts]<1">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1" colspan="6">
<phrase 1="$bbuserinfo[username]">$vbphrase[welcome_neverposted]</phrase>
$vbphrase[welcome_ads]
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

<else />

<if condition="$headerstime - 1209600 > $bbuserinfo[lastpost]">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1" colspan="6">
<phrase 1="$bbuserinfo[username]">$vbphrase[welcome_postmoreoften]</phrase>
$vbphrase[welcome_ads]
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

</if>
</if>
</if>
</if>
</if>

into the header template, but using the plugin kills all of my sites.

caliman

11-01-2005, 01:59 PM

Ted this installed without any probs for me just now.

However I did your original version for 3.0.7 before I upgrade to 3.5 and although I still had to do the first step of removing the stock guest welcome on the FORUMHOME template, I noticed that my welcome phrases that I modified from your original version were not overwritten by the new ones. Not sure if this helps, but I thought you should know. I was actually relieved they were not, so perhaps you were thinking it was better to leave them.

Anyway, this is still one of my favorite mods and anyone that had problems before should check out the latest version as of the 30th as I noticed it said he fixed some header issues.

99SIVTEC

11-01-2005, 03:12 PM

Found the code that causes the problem for some people. It's the cache portion of the xml. I'm not sure why it causes problems, but I found two ways to fix it for now.

find the code below in vbwelcome_headers.xml and change the plugin active="1" to a 0 like below, or disable the Welcome Headers [Template Cache] plugin in your plugin manager.

<plugin active="0">
<title><![CDATA[Welcome Headers [Template Cache]]]></title>
<hookname>fetch_userinfo</hookname>
<phpcode><![CDATA[
global $globaltemplates;
$globaltemplates = array_merge($globaltemplates, array('welcome_headers'));
]]></phpcode>
</plugin>

dfdems

11-01-2005, 05:25 PM

I didnt have any problems with it in Firefow but when I veiwed it in IE I had to messages, one above and below the nav bar. Any clue why or a fix?

PET

11-01-2005, 09:08 PM

99SIVTEC

11-01-2005, 09:23 PM

Check my temporary fix above

Same problem here...i also installed this new update 4.0.3 !

dan35

11-01-2005, 09:46 PM

4.0.3 works great!

Thanks! Clicked install ;)

Ted S

11-02-2005, 01:38 AM

Thanks Dan!

caliman, the hack doesn't overwrite the phrases which is a good thing, a very good thing!

99SIVTEC, thanks for discovering that. I'll try to duplicate this on a new board and move that portion of the plugin elsewhere.

GrendelKhan{TSU

11-02-2005, 05:05 AM

Q: what do we need to edit in order to control the FONT SIZE of the messages?

I tried a few things but nothing seems to work.
<<< n00b. :(

Snake

11-02-2005, 06:56 AM

Just add the FONT tag in all the phrases.

ie: <font size="XX">something goes here</font>

GrendelKhan{TSU

11-02-2005, 09:06 AM

Just add the FONT tag in all the phrases.

ie: <font size="XX">something goes here</font>

the phrases or the actual text?

I know how add it to just the text (of the messages), but I didn't know if there was a more slick or controlled method. and it doesn't seem to work all the time (like there is some CSS somewhere or span tag somewhere controlling it)

if you do mean phrases...(as in vbphrases) then I don't know where to do that. :/

lawahdy

11-02-2005, 09:12 AM

GrendelKhan{TSU

11-02-2005, 11:19 AM

hey there ted..

excellent work.. i love it..

install.

but i have one quesiton .. how can i change where the welcome note appears..

if you see the attachement, notice the red line... i want it to be placed there..

appreciate the advice.

my guess on that is just to make sure $welcomeheader appears below the $navbar.

(in your forumhome template or header template depending your skin)

idwf

11-02-2005, 03:12 PM

my guess on that is just to make sure $welcomeheader appears below the $navbar.

(in your forumhome template or header template depending your skin)

I've JUST installed a fresh VB 3.5.0 on my localhost and made sure all databases etc were working correctly. This was the first mod I tried and got the error

Warnung: array_merge() [function.array-merge]: Argument #1 is not an array in /includes/functions.php(1047) : eval()'d code (Zeile 3)

This means that the version currently up for download does not work. I've taken down all the fixes and will give them a try tonight. I hope it works, because this is a top hack....

I'll report back soon.

-Dave

sitka

11-02-2005, 08:48 PM

i still get two when i try to place $welcomeheaders somewhere else besides the header

removed from header
put in forumhome

there two of them. arg

Found the code that causes the problem for some people. It's the cache portion of the xml. I'm not sure why it causes problems, but I found two ways to fix it for now.

find the code below in vbwelcome_headers.xml and change the plugin active="1" to a 0 like below, or disable the Welcome Headers [Template Cache] plugin in your plugin manager.

<plugin active="0">
<title><![CDATA[Welcome Headers [Template Cache]]]></title>
<hookname>fetch_userinfo</hookname>
<phpcode><![CDATA[
global $globaltemplates;
$globaltemplates = array_merge($globaltemplates, array('welcome_headers'));
]]></phpcode>
</plugin>

HumourForum.com

11-02-2005, 09:16 PM

I seem to be having the duplicate problem as well:
http://www.humourforum.com/index2.php

Ted S

11-03-2005, 01:14 AM

HumourForum,
I see the welcome headers just below your navbar template properly. You also appear to have another welcome message below your shoutbox which, after viewing your source, is a part of your FORUMHOME template and needs to be removed as per the instructions.

Ted S

11-03-2005, 01:16 AM

This means that the version currently up for download does not work. I've taken down all the fixes and will give them a try tonight. I hope it works, because this is a top hack....

It works fine for dozens of people... clearly it is not working for you but the question is why.

Ted S

11-03-2005, 01:17 AM

i still get two when i try to place $welcomeheaders somewhere else besides the header

removed from header
put in forumhome

there two of them. arg

I'm only seeing one on your forum, at the very top where it should go?

Ted S

11-03-2005, 01:18 AM

the phrases or the actual text?

You can add css styles (<span style="....">) to either the phrase or the template, it makes no differance except in how you plan to update it.

pirotess

11-03-2005, 03:31 AM

Im locked out of my admincp as well now after installing the plugin.

HumourForum.com

11-03-2005, 06:24 AM

Thanks Ted for your help in removing the duplicate welcome message - it is greatly appreciated. I had simply not edited all the code of it out properly. Now when the plugin is enabled it locks me out of my admincp. By adding the following code to the end of config.php (before all the slashes) it will disable all plugins and let you back in the includes/admincp but obviously the welcome headers will no longer work:
define('DISABLE_HOOKS', true);

How can this be fixed? Thanks!

HumourForum.com

11-03-2005, 06:28 AM

Also read the following as it seems that you might have to use another solution to disable the plugins depending on your forum:
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148082&highlight=disable_hooks

Cedric_FP

11-04-2005, 06:08 AM

Wow, nice stuff. Thanks.

idwf

11-04-2005, 08:41 AM

done and working on 3.5.1. Nice work! Great stuff!

nitro

11-04-2005, 09:18 AM

lawahdy

11-04-2005, 11:48 AM

okay .. quick question

what if i want this to show on all the site.

which templete do i need to modify and where do i have to add the $welcomeheaders?

Hanif

11-04-2005, 08:31 PM

Ted S

11-05-2005, 02:17 AM

okay .. quick question

what if i want this to show on all the site.

which templete do i need to modify and where do i have to add the $welcomeheaders?

It already is setup to showup on all pages. The $welcomeheaders variable goes in the header template.

Ted S

11-05-2005, 02:18 AM

Manually I've added the html minus the ad phrase, and added the four phrases, I get for guests/not logged in the message [arg: 3 undefined] by the Welcome to in the headers. Any idea what {3} is refering to or what else do I need to add ?
The rest of the welcome header looks fine.

It sounds like you are not using the latest template code which sets the third phrase. You can either remove {3} from your phrase or update the code.

Ted S

11-05-2005, 02:18 AM

How folks how do I get ried of the line that says:

"Welcome to the Muslim Professionals UK Community forums.

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions, articles and access our other FREE features...

Place your ad code (i.e. adsense) here.

It belongs to the Phrase: $vbphrase[first_visit_message]

Anyone???

Ta,

Hanif

This is no longer a part of this hack, upgrade and it will go away. Alternatively you can remove the phrase from the template welcome_headers (it appears four times).

Hanif

11-05-2005, 08:55 AM

Hi Ted,

You've mentioned Upgrade??? Do you mean upgrade to 3.5.1???

As I'm already running that???

I must say I do like this hack.

And rather than talk about two subjects in one thread I hope we(all) can have a
a discussion round the social engineering of building a community.

Speak soon my friend,

Hanif

Ted S

11-05-2005, 04:54 PM

No, I mean you need to upgrade the hack to the latest version which does not have the ads phrase.

HumourForum.com

11-05-2005, 05:41 PM

I have the latest version of the plugin installed and I even tried re-installing it but I still get:
"Welcome to the [ARG:3 UNDEFINED] forums. " (for guests).
Please explain how to fix this - thanks.
I have managed to get the hack to work without the plugin as it was causing the "Admin CP Lockout" problem.

Ted S

11-05-2005, 10:56 PM

It still appears that the template is not getting the phrases it needs. If you look at the code for the first welcome header you should have:

<phrase 1="faq.php?$session[sessionurl]" 2="register.php?$session[sessionurl]" 3="$vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase[first_visit_message]</phrase>

{3} is suppose to set to you4 forum title. If it is not you can simply remove {3} from the phrase first_visit_message and insert the name of your website instead.

Duncan

11-06-2005, 12:52 AM

Hi,

I installed everything but no welcome header comes up: http://www.HabboDiscussion.com

Ted S

11-06-2005, 03:11 AM

Have you added the variable $welcomeheadrs to your header template? Is the plugin system enabled?

Holidazed

11-06-2005, 04:06 AM

When I uploaded the xml product, I get an error at the top of the any of thr "Plugin Sytem" menu areas in the acp that says:

---------------------------------
Warning: array_merge() [function.array-merge]: Argument #1 is not an array in /includes/functions.php(1051) : eval()'d code on line 9
---------------------------------

It seems though, when I goto the "Plugin Manager" and uncheck the "Hook Location : "Welcome Headers [Alteration]" under the "parse_templates" section, the error goes away.

Ideas?

Ted S

11-06-2005, 06:44 AM

bitg,
What other hacks, plugins, extensions are you running.

The code for Welcome Headers [Alteration] is as follows:

eval('$welcomeheaders = "' . fetch_template('welcome_headers') . '";');

This is causing problems on some installs but not others. To date I am unable to locate the source of the issue -- new installs, upgrades, they all function for me. The only thing I can assume is that some specific plugin, php version or something else that I don't have on my sites is causing a conflict.

caliman

11-06-2005, 01:29 PM

Ted you are getting a work out on this.
I agree - you should get a plugin/hack list from everybody having problems with this.
Mine works so you can scratch off TopxStats.

Vierie

11-06-2005, 03:36 PM

I got a strange problem. I installed this hack and it seems to work fine. Only, somehow my css code doesn't seem to be displayed right anymore. I got some background images in my thead and my tcat and on two of my styles none of them are loading, in on style only thead is still loading. Any idea what could be the cause of that and how I can resolve that?

WNxWakko

11-06-2005, 04:15 PM

This is a really sweet mod.

I do have one question.

What about for forums that have the approval option. In my forum they have to wait till an admin approves the account. Does this support that part?

Duncan

11-06-2005, 04:16 PM

NVM -- Found it

prat

11-06-2005, 05:12 PM

Is there an easy way to set a custom background colour for the cell like you have in your demo screenshots? There seems to be a CSS somewhere overriding my changes.

prat

11-06-2005, 06:46 PM

Answered my own question. For anyone else looking to do it (change the cell colour of the welcome header), simply follow these steps.

1. Open Style Manager -> All Style Options -> Additional CSS Definitions

add to the bottom:

.welcomeheader
{
background-color: #FFFFCC;
color: #000000;
}

Replace #FFFFCC with whatever color code you want the cell to be.

2. Open your welcome_headers template. Find <td class="alt1">. Change to <td class="welcomeheader">

Ted S

11-06-2005, 09:37 PM

Ted you are getting a work out on this.

Some people have reported this on clean boards which would indicate that something other than plugin conflicts are causing it. I am continuing to look into the issue but given that I can't duplicate it on any sort of system it's very hard to solve.

If someone with a demo/test forum who is having problems wants to give me access that would help a lot...

Ted S

11-06-2005, 09:45 PM

What about for forums that have the approval option. In my forum they have to wait till an admin approves the account. Does this support that part?

Not by default but you could easily add this... just open up the welcome_headers template, and find:

<if condition="$bbuserinfo[posts]<1">

Above this add:

<if condition="is_member_of($bbuserinfo, 4)">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1">
<phrase 1="$vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase[welcome_notapproved]</phrase>
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

<else />

At the very end of the template, add </if>.

Then create a new GLOBAL phrase named welcome_notapproved with whatever text you want to show to the user. Let me know if you have any problems...

WNxWakko

11-06-2005, 10:49 PM

works perfectly, thank you very much. This is a very sweet mod.

WNxWakko

11-06-2005, 11:53 PM

I notice you have {1} to signify the username, however it pulls my forum name??? I tried changing it to $username, but all that does it show exactly that $username on the forum.

Any ideas here?

Ted S

11-06-2005, 11:54 PM

WNxWakko, which welcome header is this happening to?

WNxWakko

11-07-2005, 12:30 AM

Looks like the one you gave me to add and the one that says you have never posted before. Seems the others are working fine.

Ted S

11-07-2005, 12:31 AM

Thanks to some assistance from Boofo and Paul M I have updated the hack. Hopefully this resolves the current issues some people are having (if it does or does not, please let me know).

WNxWakko

11-07-2005, 01:03 AM

in the unconfirmed the {1} still brings up the forum name.

Ted S

11-07-2005, 01:07 AM

There are no variables in the unconfirmed phrase at all...

Your account has not been confirmed and is not yet active! To become a registered user on this forum (required for posting or accessing special features) you will need to verify your email address by clicking a special link sent to you in our original welcome email. If you have lost this email, or it never arrived, please go <a href="./register.php?do=requestemail">here</a> to request another activation email be sent to you. If you suspect your email address is set wrong, go <a href="./sendmessage.php">here</a> and fill the form out so an administrator can fix your account. Also please be sure to disable any spam filters you may have for our website, so that this and all future messages can reach you.

To change a phrase to use the user's name you will need to edit the template welcome_headers like such: <phrase 1="$bbuserinfo[username]">$vbphrase[welcome_xxxxx]</phrase>.

memoriess

11-07-2005, 01:17 AM

Great mod! Thank you! :)

WNxWakko

11-07-2005, 01:22 AM

yup that did the trick thanks

Robbed

11-07-2005, 05:27 AM

If I don't want the 14 days without a post message can I just removed this code and the phrase?

<if condition="$headerstime - 1209600 > $bbuserinfo[lastpost]">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1">
<phrase 1="$bbuserinfo[username]" 2="$vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase[welcome_postmoreoften]</phrase>
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

Ted S

11-08-2005, 12:33 AM

Robbed,
Yes you can, but be sure to remove one of the </if> statements at the end and the extra <else /> statement that will be left.

HumourForum.com

11-08-2005, 07:49 AM

The new version fixes the Admin CP bug - thanks Ted!

sensimilla

11-08-2005, 08:06 AM

great hack :) thanks mate !

Robbed

11-08-2005, 12:09 PM

Robbed,
Yes you can, but be sure to remove one of the </if> statements at the end and the extra <else /> statement that will be left.

Thanks, nice hack.

b6gm6n

11-08-2005, 02:52 PM

very cool, very usefull thankyou!

-b6

silurius

11-08-2005, 05:18 PM

Fantastic hack, and great documentation. Thank you.

Robbed

11-08-2005, 09:51 PM

Milez

11-08-2005, 10:15 PM

EXCELLENT hack Ted S. Installed perfectly. Is it not possible to edit the phrases within the admin without having to reimport the package every time?

Ted S

11-09-2005, 02:33 AM

EXCELLENT hack Ted S. Installed perfectly. Is it not possible to edit the phrases within the admin without having to reimport the package every time?

But of course, just go to your ACP, click on phrase manager and search for any of the following phrases (by phrase name, not contents):

first_visit_message - The phrase guests see.
welcome_unconfirmed - The phrase unconfirmed users see.
welcome_neverposted - The phrase for users with no posts.
welcome_postmoreoften - The phrase for people who haven't posted in a while.

Ted S

11-09-2005, 02:36 AM

When a user is in (COPPA) Users Awaiting Moderation, they get the message about making their 1st post. They can't until they are approved.

I would like to add another message if they are in this group that an admin will be approving the registration please be patient.

How would I go about doing that.

Simple enough! Just open up the welcome_headers template, and find:

<if condition="$bbuserinfo[posts]<1">

Above this add:

<if condition="is_member_of($bbuserinfo, 4)">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1">
<phrase 1="$vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase[welcome_coppa]</phrase>
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

<else />

At the very end of the template, add </if>.

Then create a new GLOBAL phrase named welcome_coppa with whatever text you want to show to the user. Let me know if you have any problems...

Neutral Singh

11-09-2005, 02:49 AM

I have been using this hack/plugin from day one and i must say it works quite amazingly... a must have plugin for any forum, any time, any where. One of the most useful hacks ever, i would say. THANKS!

Ted S

11-09-2005, 03:18 AM

Wow, I'm glad to hear you like it so much Neutral Singh!

TJFweb

11-09-2005, 04:27 AM

Nice hack. I installed it :)

Milez

11-09-2005, 05:57 AM

But of course, just go to your ACP, click on phrase manager and search for any of the following phrases (by phrase name, not contents).

True but you cannot edit the phrase entry directly but rather the translation of that phrase. I have been just manually editing the database to change it.

No biggie really! I can see this hack working wonders on my board in only 24 hours.

PET

11-09-2005, 07:43 AM

admin0

11-09-2005, 08:37 PM

Installed and working great!

Robbed

11-09-2005, 11:32 PM

Simple enough! Just open up the welcome_headers template, and find:

<if condition="$bbuserinfo[posts]<1">

Above this add:

<if condition="is_member_of($bbuserinfo, 4)">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1">
<phrase 1="$vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase[welcome_coppa]</phrase>
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

<else />

At the very end of the template, add </if>.

Then create a new GLOBAL phrase named welcome_coppa with whatever text you want to show to the user. Let me know if you have any problems...

Thanks man, I will give it a try tonight. It should stop all the pm and emails on why they can't post yet etc.

Also alot of new members are already posting to the welcome thread, that I included in the no post phrase.

Good Hack.

C_P

11-10-2005, 01:01 AM

Ah man that is just SWEET! This hack deserves a special title "Hack of the World"

Thank you very much!! :) Now with this hack, it really helps!
I must agree. This is a fantastic modification and nice addition to the forum system.
This is one of those modifications you wonder why is not in the base product.
Great job with this one Ted! :up:

Ted S

11-10-2005, 01:48 AM

This is one of those modifications you wonder why is not in the base product.

I first released this mod (I really shouldn't call it a hack, it's not) about a year ago during version 3.0.3. When 3.5 was being developed I simply assumed this was something they would include with the base product, perhaps not exactly like this but in some capacity. Oh well.

HC.

11-10-2005, 01:52 AM

I will be installing this soon I REALLY LIKE THE IDEA and vB should look into adding it to there base software that is for sure
just my .02 cents without installing yet
I will install this later tonight

HC.

11-10-2005, 01:59 AM

quick question
Step Two: Making Users Confirm their Account
what if X user entered a fake email thinking that they would get more rights to the site is there away for X user to change his email and have a new activtion sent to him?

Step Three: Get non-posting users to post AND Step Four: Getting inactive users to become more active
Is there a conditional that says after X # of days that there user acount will be deleted?
Hope this makes since
step 3 and 4 would be great to have for boards that post true number of active members

Robbed

11-10-2005, 02:24 AM

Thanks Ted_S, added your COPA code to the xml file...works great.

Ted S

11-10-2005, 02:34 AM

quick question
Step Two: Making Users Confirm their Account
what if X user entered a fake email thinking that they would get more rights to the site is there away for X user to change his email and have a new activtion sent to him?

They could go to their profile and update it, but they often don't. However, just telling people they are unconfirmed and giving them a link to (a) resend the confirmation email and (b) contact support for assistance is a huge boost. There will always be people who do not confirm for a host of reasons and there are always those who enter information incorrectly. By telling them why they can't post and what exactly they need to do to fix the problem, you can confirm as many as are willing to confirm. It's when they don't know that what's wrong that you lose the ones who actually intend to be on the site.

Is there a conditional that says after X # of days that there user acount will be deleted?

Nope but there is nothing stopping you from adding one using the code I gave as a starting place. My welcome headers are only meant to be the beginning... customizing them to match your needs and your community is where the real funds begin.

For your coding use: 86400 seconds is a day, 604800 is a week and 2678400 is a month.

dieselpowered

11-10-2005, 04:43 AM

Robbed

11-10-2005, 02:31 PM

Ummm this is odd, I am putting the following code in the COPPA addition that you mentioned in your previous post. I am using it in the new phrase (welcome_coppa)

Hello {1},<br />

However, it is not showing the correct name of the member??

Any thoughts?

**edit**

I fixed it :)

If anyone else has this problem,

Replace
<phrase 1="$vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase[welcome_coppa]</phrase>

<phrase 1="$bbuserinfo[username]" 2="$vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase[welcome_coppa]</phrase>

silurius

11-10-2005, 09:00 PM

What are the big differences between this and the Dynamic Announcements hack (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=97073)?

divided_by_fear

11-11-2005, 01:28 AM

question how can i make thisvalid XHTML cause it only has one error and its on

Line 434, column 7: end tag for "table" which is not finished

Most likely, You nested tags and closed them in the wrong order. For example <p><em>...</p> is not acceptable, as <em> must be closed before <p>. Acceptable nesting is: <p><em>...</em></p>

Another possibility is that you used an element which requires a child element that you did not include. Hence the parent element is "not finished", not complete. For instance, <head> generally requires a <title>, lists (ul, ol, dl) require list items (li, or dt, dd), and so on.

divided_by_fear

11-11-2005, 01:42 AM

i know it aint my site cause when i remove it its valid but its just that one error... i can send you a pm and give you the link so you can see...

Ted S

11-11-2005, 01:52 AM

Please send me a link and let me know which header this is happening with (guest, unconfirmed, never posted, etc...).

GamerzWorld

11-11-2005, 05:58 AM

Glad to see you ported into a hack :) Saves me having to keep updating from the phrase/template change with adminzone instructions

divided_by_fear

11-11-2005, 02:40 PM

i sent you a pm ted with a direct link... but im thinking it would have to be on guest...

admin0

11-11-2005, 05:17 PM

I installed and is working fine.
How do I edit the messages to display ?

Snake

11-11-2005, 05:21 PM

Edit the phrases.

TundraSoul

11-11-2005, 11:06 PM

This is a great product plug-in Thanks!

zappsan

11-11-2005, 11:54 PM

I just installed it.
Let's see how it will work out.

Thanks for the nice hack :)

vcampos

11-12-2005, 03:50 AM

Installed! Works like a champ. Good job! Ted S.

Ben?

11-12-2005, 04:14 PM

Hey,
I have a question to the variables that are used in the phrases.
Where these are filled?

Is it possible to fill own variables so that I am able to use a variable to be replaced with a hyperlink to a special forum?

Besides .. great hack. *installed*

Regards, Ben.

BradE

11-12-2005, 04:17 PM

Installed and working great. This is a great hack Ted, thanks. I hope the vB team sees this hack, it should be default in vBulletin!

Snake

11-12-2005, 04:27 PM

It is already. You can alter the text via the Phrase Manager.

King Kovifor

11-12-2005, 10:53 PM

I'm Getting this DB Error:

Database error in vBulletin 3.5.1:

Invalid SQL:
select count(*) as newposts from post where dateline >= 08:02 PM, 11-12-2005 and visible = 1;

MySQL Error : You have an error in your SQL syntax. Check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ':02 PM, 11-12-2005 and visible = 1' at line 1
Error Number: 1064

sportsoutlaw

11-13-2005, 08:55 PM

Thanks Ted! After reading about this for quite a while at TAZ, there is finally a way to add this that is simple enough to even me to do it.

INSTALLED!

RWDF1

11-14-2005, 04:17 AM

just installed, looks so much better than the vB default welcome message.

Thanks

good2laugh

11-14-2005, 06:29 AM

This is perfect... and exactly what is needed. this should be DEFAULT with vbulletin.

I come from the old SEO school of site maintenance/design... so things like welcome headers on everypage is habit...and been a constant source of agony in vbulletin.

the conversion of lurking/inactive members with simple message nudges is simply beautiful.

Agreed, great addition. 2500 members.. 162 active lol, lets see if this helps ;)
Thanks
Installed.

bplinson

11-14-2005, 07:08 AM

Install and working great. My intro section is filling up with new posts!!

divided_by_fear

11-14-2005, 04:30 PM

Ted S any word on how to make it xhtml compliant? i sent you a pm with the info...

Ted S

11-14-2005, 07:29 PM

I'll get back to you tonight...

biggjoe

11-14-2005, 11:24 PM

Ted, this hack kick-ass!

Extremely useful and simple to install! Also I added the 'coppa' phrase per your instructions a few pages back. I've already customized the hell out of the phrases and again a big 'thank you' for this excellent hack!

QUESTION:

Can you please list out the exact steps needed in order to add this new phrase? I'm still learning vB.

Thanks!

Joe

Originally Posted by Ted S
You need to change the <phrase ...> tag around. Add 2="$bbuserinfo[username]" then you can call that variable with {2} or such.

Ted S

11-15-2005, 01:13 AM

biggjoe - Here's the updated COPPA code (note the change in the phrase tag)

<if condition="is_member_of($bbuserinfo, 4)">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1">
<phrase 1="$vboptions[bbtitle]" 2="$bbuserinfo[username]" >$vbphrase[welcome_coppa]</phrase>
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

<else />

Ted S

11-15-2005, 01:14 AM

I'm Getting this DB Error:

This hack does not include any queries? :confused:

iamboard

11-15-2005, 07:06 PM

I noticed this wording in your default welcome message...

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact support. I also get a cannot find page error message in my browser when I click on contact support. I did notice that it is looking for the sendmessage_php in my root and my forum is in another directory. Is this the problem and how would I change this?

Thanks for this add-on. I look forward to trying it.

I answered this...just went into the phrase manager and added my forum subdirectory.

divided_by_fear

11-15-2005, 07:55 PM

yeah i just seen that too lol where did you fix that at?

Ted S

11-15-2005, 08:14 PM

iamboard - Thanks for pointing that out, I will update the phrase later tonight.

As far as changing this, just edit the phrase, changing the link from /sendmessage.php to sendmessage.php (no trailing slash).

divided_by_fear - I'm still looking into your xhtml validation and will have something for you shortly.

sportsoutlaw

11-15-2005, 09:00 PM

Is there a way to use the vbpopup hack along with this hack? i am currently using this one and it looks like they are not compatible.

Ted S

11-15-2005, 10:30 PM

Please provide a url for the vbpopup hack so I can check it out.

divided_by_fear

11-16-2005, 12:06 AM

ted thank you also where would i fix that contact part at? where it shows double?

Ted S

11-16-2005, 01:49 AM

ted thank you also where would i fix that contact part at? where it shows double?

Which issue was this?

sportsoutlaw

11-16-2005, 10:46 AM

Please provide a url for the vbpopup hack so I can check it out.

vBpopup (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=100714)

The situation I run into is it uses a template mod in forumhome in the area of the text that is removed for this hack.

Given the choice of the two though, I would rather have this welcome header hack installed as it offers more to the forum and after having it installed for a couple days, it seems to already be giving positive results.

nasser71

11-16-2005, 11:01 AM

nice
thanks

divided_by_fear

11-16-2005, 12:02 PM

ted this right here.....If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact support.

dreamer81

11-16-2005, 01:28 PM

really awsome plugin!!!!!!!!!
i just HAD to install this

BrandiDup

11-16-2005, 03:31 PM

awesome hack! This is one of the best hacks I have installed!

admin0

11-16-2005, 03:57 PM

Edit the phrases.

sorry .. but where are the phrases :)

lovinthevtec

11-16-2005, 05:58 PM

nice, worked perfectly

Snake

11-16-2005, 06:28 PM

Search for the phrase using Phrase Manager via the admincp. Ain't that difficult.

Ted S

11-17-2005, 12:31 AM

divided_by_fear - Update to the latest version or edit the phrase.

To edit phrases to go your ACP --> Phrase manager --> Search Phrases

The phrases for this hack are:
first_visit_message
welcome_unconfirmed
welcome_neverposted
welcome_postmoreoften

Be sure to search by title, not content!

yayvb

11-17-2005, 02:01 AM

I love this - I am so glad I just saw the name of this hack on the 'hack of the month' survey on the front page. I can see how this will help soooo much. It's ALMOST like splash pages, but custom to attract the new users. :speechless:

divided_by_fear

11-17-2005, 02:08 AM

thank you will install it in a bit just downloading a movie right now lol ill let you know how it goes...

funinthesun

11-17-2005, 09:11 AM

*Installed* Thank you :)

Zacarias

11-17-2005, 10:07 AM

It can only help! Installed!

MrNase

11-17-2005, 11:59 AM

Translated, installed and modified - Thanks!

Hopefully this will help my forums to grow ;)

2fast4ya

11-17-2005, 06:11 PM

hi, i installed this and it came up twice for some reason... once in the original spot, and again on the new one... how do i remove the original spot? www.chowcow.com i have a custom style, so maybe that had something to do with it. please help

2fast4ya

11-17-2005, 06:20 PM

^ when ur logged in as guest i mean

divided_by_fear

11-17-2005, 08:08 PM

same thing still ted same error... another thing after being logged in i dont see it no more is that suppose to happen?

biggjoe

11-18-2005, 12:48 AM

Hey Ted!

Thanks again for all of your help! I updated the 'coppa' aspect of the 'welcome header phrase' and it all worked PERFECTLY.

Hey, do you think it might be worth it to officially add this 'coppa phrase' to the the latest build of this hack, since a few people have asked for it? Just a thought.

Anyway, thanks again amigo!

J.

biggjoe - Here's the updated COPPA code (note the change in the phrase tag)

<if condition="is_member_of($bbuserinfo, 4)">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1">
<phrase 1="$vboptions[bbtitle]" 2="$bbuserinfo[username]" >$vbphrase[welcome_coppa]</phrase>
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

<else />

Ted S

11-18-2005, 01:34 AM

art99

11-18-2005, 09:43 AM

If you use one of the STEEL styles (Steel red, Steel green, Steel purple...), posted in the "vB3.5 Styles" forum, you need to do an additional modification in order to make this mod to work.
These styles use two nav bars, one above and one below the Login "boxes". The visitor will see two "Welcome" messages, one above the top nav bar and one below it.
Follow Ted S' directions first, and then go to the navbar template, scroll page down about 1/5, find and delete the following code:
---------------------------------
</if>
<if condition="THIS_SCRIPT == 'index' AND $show['guest']">

<div class="navbar" style="margin-bottom:5pt;margin-top:5px;font-size:8pt">
Welcome to $vboptions[bbtitle]. $threadinfo[title] $vboptions[keywords]<br />
<phrase 1="faq.php$session[sessionurl_q]" 2="register.php$session[sessionurl_q]">$vbphrase[first_visit_message]</phrase></div>


<else />
---------------------------------

I am not a coder, and I did this by trial and error. Ted or some of you coders, may want to look into this to make sure I didn't take out more than I should, LOL.

2fast4ya

11-18-2005, 07:47 PM

^ that worked. thank you for atleast looking at my page and reading my post all the way through.

teamgofast

11-18-2005, 11:55 PM

great addition to my site, clicks install!!

swa

11-19-2005, 03:22 PM

awesome plugin! got it working here http://www.dellusers.com/forum

testpig

11-20-2005, 07:32 AM

biggjoe,
I'll probably add it to the next version.

2fast4ya,
You need to modify your forumhome template as explained in the hack instructions (basically you ened to remove the original welcome message).

Hi Ted.
Installed perfectly into vB 3.5.1 (with multiple plugins, a gallery, and anything else I thought would be purdy to bolt onto the board)

VERY nice work :)

King Kovifor

11-20-2005, 04:33 PM

Ted S

11-21-2005, 12:49 AM

King Kovifor,
As I said before, this hack does not use any queries thus it can not cause an error with one unless you have changed something else.

Alien

11-21-2005, 05:04 AM

I get the same invalid html issue so i temporarily have this turned off..

http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hemi6pack.com%2Fforum%2 F

Using site above as an example (check first error on that page involving table issue, other errors are unrelated to this hack). This bug even slows down the page loading for those who login and logout every day.. When they login there is a lengthy pause at times, and sometimes they timeout altogether until they refresh a couple of times or try a few more times. This does not occur on firefox just internet explorer. It is 100% linked to this modification.

The actual html LOOKS fine on your end, so I can't figure out how to fix it and it's driving me bonkers. Any idea? Does it hate so many if statements or something?

Alien

11-21-2005, 05:08 AM

It might be that you have to move the actual code to BELOW the "Are you sure you want to log out" code right beneath it? Maybe that would allow it to validate?

Alien

11-21-2005, 05:14 AM

Hmm, I gave it a try and placed it in the navbar under the logout script code.. No luck. Also placed it at the BOTTOM of the navbar completely. No luck either.

/me commits harikari.

divided_by_fear

11-21-2005, 09:18 AM

yeah this gives one html complaint issues...

b6gm6n

11-21-2005, 10:53 AM

King Kovifor

11-21-2005, 09:27 PM

Ted, I have another welcome panel by it, could that be the problem?

Alien

11-21-2005, 10:43 PM

why dont you just re-write the tags in this hack to be XHTML valid and not HTML... your problem doesn't sound like this mod...i use it on a large board with no problems

-b6

I've already tried that for a few hours using every possible method I could think of, the code *looks* fine. I did the best I could (it's the only error I get on my board after squashing any and all xhtml bugs on my forumhome).

What is your large board? I'd like to test it to see if I get the login pause issues? This hack is the source of the problems. Just commenting out $welcomeheaders removes the issue. The html looks valid, but it might not like the layout of the if statements or something...

testpig

11-22-2005, 03:15 AM

King Kovifor,
As I said before, this hack does not use any queries thus it can not cause an error with one unless you have changed something else.

Hi Ted.

My install seemed straightforward, and I only carried out the instructions as per the readme file.

I am now getting the attached database error. I've had 18 occurences since installing the plugin aprox 48 hrs ago. Any thoughts?

Database error in vBulletin :

mysql_connect():
/home/webadmin/hemi6pack.com/html/forum/includes/class_core.php on line 273

MySQL Error :
Error Number :
Date : Monday, November 21st 2005 @ 04:24:59 PM
Script : http://www.hemi6pack.com/forum/images_pb/editor/images_pb/statusicon/images_pb/buttons/lastpost.gif
Referrer :
IP Address : 61.88.251.47
Username :
Classname : vb_database

Ted S

11-22-2005, 03:51 AM

testpig

11-22-2005, 07:11 AM

snappy,
This plugin does not add any queries so I am uncertain as to what could cause this. More important the error you pasted does not contain an actual sql error thus I can't really delve into it. Is there any specific sql error listed in any of the messages?

Line 273 of class_core refers to a line dealing with database connections which is certainly not anything we touch in welcome headers.

Hi Ted.

I'm at a loss mate. Followed instructions to the letter (and it seemed to work fine) so I dont know. I cut the error message straight into the post (from the email).

If I find out more info I'll let you know. Everything seems to work fine, but when I get home from work I download more messages! Wether its a coincidence, or the plugin.....I'm not sure. Maybe someone with more knowledge will understand what this message is relating to.

testpig

11-22-2005, 07:14 AM

Added info...the link listed is to my vB Portal. It copies its style /headers into a seperate file, so "maybe" its causing the problem?

Anyone else running this hack with a portal?

Darat

11-22-2005, 02:59 PM

Great Mod - thanks for making it available and supporting it.

Quick question - how do I alter the period before it tells you "You've not posted for a a while"?

jdebler

11-22-2005, 04:09 PM

This is GREAT plugin, and well needed. We have HUGE problems with people e-mailing us for support when they haven't verified their account. This is going to make things MUCH easier for us.

I had no problems installing and running it, my board is NOT modified except for this plugin.

Thank you VERY much for making this Ted. Make sure you get credit for it in the next VBulletin build. :D

Ted S

11-23-2005, 01:23 AM

Quick question - how do I alter the period before it tells you "You've not posted for a a while"?

In the template welcome_headers change 1209600 to the number of seconds you want to wait before showing the message.

86400 is one day, that should get you started.

Ted S

11-23-2005, 01:24 AM

Thank you VERY much for making this Ted. Make sure you get credit for it in the next VBulletin build.

This has been out for over a year in one form or another so I'm not too sure it will make it into the next update but here's to hoping (it's not like the code is particular complex or anything).

ShadMan

11-23-2005, 01:25 AM

Works like a charm! Thanks!!

tommykjensen

11-23-2005, 03:21 PM

Suggestion:

How about adding a fifth message that are shown if the user is a member of a certain usergroup?

I have just added a lot of users in a special usergroup because emails to them bounced. So I want to display a message advising them to update the email in their profile. Of course I can just edit the template and add it but it would be nice if this hack had this option too.

richard4339

11-23-2005, 04:44 PM

See, where it says "Welcome, $username," I've love to have more stats there, such as...

Posts: [posts]
Rank: [Admin, Mod, Member]

etc...

Anyway of tieing that in with this?

jdebler

11-23-2005, 04:47 PM

Of course I can just edit the template and add it but it would be nice if this hack had this option too.

I was thinking about this myself. Would it be as simple as adding the following to the welcome_headers template?

<if condition="is_member_of($bbuserinfo, USER GROUP ID)">

<br />
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<td class="alt1">
<phrase 1="$vboptions">$vbphrase[[b]newly_created_phrase]</phrase>
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>

<else />

richard4339

11-23-2005, 06:32 PM

Kinda what I was getting at as well. Does anyone know if the Welcome message that goes next to the breadcrumbs is stored in a template?

Ted S

11-23-2005, 11:47 PM

Richard - You can easily add those statistics, simply modify the welcome_headers template and/or the phrase you want the message to apply to.

Phrases are called like this: <phrase 1="$bbuserinfo[username]" 2="$vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase[welcome_postmoreoften]</phrase>

To add another variable such as the post count, you would just assign it a value, in this case 3="$bbuserinfo[posts]"

Giving you <phrase 1="$bbuserinfo[username]" 2="$vboptions[bbtitle]" 3="$bbuserinfo[posts]">$vbphrase[welcome_postmoreoften]</phrase>

You can then add it to the phrase with the variable declaration {3}