I'll explain this briefly now, cos I'm about to go sleep. Also because it will be made very abundantly clear to you once you get to see the HTL with your own eyes, fully functional etc.

With the HTL, a Hack is not just some file edits and other things you have performed/changed on your vBulletin, but also an entry in a database table. This table holds ALL data relevant for the Hack (paired with another table that takes care of file and template modifications).

Adding Hacks (note: not installing them, but creating them yourself) is indeed done much like the Add Style page (or perhaps rather, the Add User page, as there's a lot of data on that page). In here, however, you don't specify what kind of Hack it is. That's done from the HTL's Install Routine system.

What basically happens when you install a Hack is this:

1) at first you get to choose: Real install, Test Run, Verbose Test Run, and (in case you're not running the install sequence from an already installed Hack) Import to Database.
Real Install will, evidently, really perform all actions and require you to make the file edits.
Test Run and Verbose Test Run will not make any changes whatsoever, but take you through the entire Install Routine for the Hack nonetheless. Verbose will give complete output to what will happen during each step of the installation, should you choose to perform a Real Install.
Import to Database means: insert this Hack's data into my database table(s), without making any changes whatsoever to my system. The benefit for that is that you can look into all the details of the Hack, before choosing to actually install it. You can do test runs of an Imported Hack (meaning: not install anything, but see what happens during install), you can delete Imported Hacks, and you can edit/alter them as your own if you feel you should (keep in mind the Author's copyright and wishes!).

2) if you choose a Real Install or (Verbose) Test Run, you will proceed to go through the various steps of the Install Routine. During each step, the HTL System will keep track of what step you have performed, and store that data in the database with your hack (just like how the vB installation/upgrade keeps track of what Step you are at). If you don't follow the Installation run (if it's a Real install) all the way to the very end, the Hack will appear in the Unfinished Installs section on the Manage Hacks page. From there, you can choose to continue where you left off.

If you choose to import a hack into your database, it will be imported with a certain 'status flag' being set in a way that tells the system that this Hack is not actually installed, but merely imported. Then it will show up in red for you, to tell you that it's an Imported hack.


Make things a bit clearer? Guess I wasn't very brief huh? Ahwell :)

scared the ++++ out of me Kura, briefly, thank god your last sentence calmed me down :)

Hehe, yeah... I couldn't quite keep that brief so I figured what the heck, at least I should be explanatory there...

Correct....

I can't wait to install this! This looks awesome! I think it will help alot of us that like to modify our boards and never keep track with what exactly is done!

alright, I got it now.... thanks for the answers Kura :)

ill definetily be using this one .... in fact, I think ill wait on installing any hacks and upgrading my board to vB3 until this is done

MGM out

Ok, here's one.

I'm planning on making a fully integrated site into vB. I want to know if it's possible to use the HTL on the site modifications as well?

Yup, you can use the HTL for your site as well, as long as it uses the same database and engine as vBulletin. The HTL works using your vB, and anything you create that connects to / integrates with your vBulletin, can be made using the HTL.

Seeing as how the HTL will most probably be released tomorrow night, I see no reason why not to, yeah. :)

And waiting with hacks for their HTL-versions is a very good idea, too. Away with all the nasty instructions.txt's and install.txt's and "add the contents of template_something.txt as a new template in your database", etc. etc. etc.!


By the way, thanks for all your questions so far, guys! :) The documentation is nearing completion! :D

Ok... I got a question

How hard is it to actually keep your board up to date with it? Like when I upgrade to a new version of vBulletin do you think it will not mess up much of the HTL?

Well here is another good one... how exactly will hack making be done with HTL (I already know a bit of how but not all the ins and outs)?

Thanks Kura!