The Hack Tracking Log - now's the time for all your questions! Come here and ask!
 

The Hack Tracking Log is almost done!

All that is holding back its release now are two non-code related issue. And with one of them, you people can help! In fact, in a way you will even have to help, and you automatically will! Because, you see, the next step that will bring the release of the HTL closer is finishing the Documentation. And for this documentation, I need you guys' help.

"How can we be of help?"

By doing exactly that!

What is necessary is for you all to write your questions about the HTL in here. If you're one of the lucky private beta testers, then you're free to ask questions like "how can I do this?" or "I tried to do so-and-so but I can't seem to get it to work, what am I doing wrong?"
If you're not a private beta tester, you can ask even the most simple questions like: "what IS the Hack Tracking Log?" and "what can I do with it?" etc.

Anything -anything- related to the Hack Tracking Log is good. The more diverse your questions are, the better.

If all goes well, the HTL Gold release will be this weekend for real.

So let's have it, people! :)

Additionally, keep in mind that this thread will be used later on for new How to questions and the like, once the HTL has been released. So it's a good idea to keep an eye on this thread even after the HTL releases!

Statement: I have already applied a number of hacks to my vB3 RC2 board (/me, vBindex RC3, and a couple of others).

Questions:
1. Will I be able to easily (or not so easily) insert these to the HTL ?
2. Will the HTL manage to detect hacks already installed (if so, w00t) ?
3. Will the HTL be able to say "these changes have been made to the default, please create a new 'hack' entry, and assign these changes to their appropraite hacks" (more likely than 2 above) ?

PS. Great job - a much-needed addon :)

Answers:

1) you can manually recreate them into the HTL. As long as you have the file- and template edits, and any further hack data, you can quite easily input that data into the HTL. However, keep in mind the chance that the Hack author might be releasing his hack as an HTL-compatible hack, and his .htl installer might contain more data than yours (which is likely - think about the automated phrases and templates and settings processes);
2) The HTL can't detect whether any hacks are installed. To do so, it would have had to do a very intricate diff-check routine, which is just not worth the processing power (nor effort to write). It also cannot possibly detect what database changes you've made on your DB compared to a stock vB3 install.
3) uhm.. not sure if I get you entirely, but from what I think you mean, then no. It can do some rudimentary version checking for Hack version and vB version, and before installation starts it will do that for you so that you'll be aware of that. But that's more or less the extent of it...

:)

here's one: what IS the hack tracking log :p

lol, jk. hmm..... does the hack tracking log literally TRACK changes made or do we do that ourselves. Also, what exactly does it automate?? I know that it automates the phrases and templates, but does it change templates that already exist (such as adding a small change to the postbit template) or do we do all those manually as well?

MGM out

I'm really looking forward to this :)

1. Will the HTL automatically edit template, php files etc.
2. Will the HTL have a Hack rollback facility
3. ... and will it be automatic :)

The HTL does not actually perform any 'tracing' or 'tracking' tasks on your software - this is not only because it's much more complicated to make and perform and utilize, but also because many people may not want it (privacy, plus the majority prefers to do some things manually)

Any file- and template edits will have to be performed manually, but that's the only thing (in general - a hack may require you to make a new usergroup, for instance, but then, the hackmaker can automate that as well...)

What it automates:
the Install routine is 75% automatic, in that it automatically inserts the Hack phrases, templates and settings, as well as automatically runs queries and Custom PHP code for hacks (if they need that).
Additionally, the HTL automatically generates menu items for Hacks that have them (in the Admin CP, that is!), and on top of that it also automatically creates Template Groups for Hacks that come with many templates.
You can even specify for each single hack whether it should have the Menu links and/or Template groups to be automatically generated, though in the case of the menu links, if you don't let them be generated, you will not see them unless you edit admincp/index.php (but WHY would you do that when it's automated? :))



@ sowen:

The HTL does not do automatic file- and template edits. A bit of research showed that the vast majority of hackers here does not like automated file/template edits. Manual edits were highly preferred, and so the HTL will let you (force you) to do file- and template modifications by hand. It does, however, make things easier for you - any File / template edit will be surrounded by Hack Identifier Lines, so that you can easily spot code that belongs to a Hack, when you read through files/templates that are modified. Also, the HTL makes a very simple, standard, clear distinction for modifications:

Add ABOVE
Add BELOW
REPLACE with

Instructions on what to do and where, are less likely to be confusing, this way.

And no, there is no Hack Rollback - this would be a lot of work to implement/create, and it's generally much easier to do yourself anyway :)

have any authors of popular hacks said they would use it?

And I am assuming that I won't ++++ up like vBhacker did with the (back)slashes

Also, when you have initiated the installation of a hack, will there be a status checked that (just guessing here) changes the color of the hack that is listed to green (installed) instead of red (not installed) or yellow (installation aborted) or something like that (it would own :))

Yup, several hackers (popular ones) have already said to only release Hack Tracking Log hacks for vB3. Additionally, many also have said that they would probably convert their existing (released) hacks to HTL-hacks once it's out. And chances are good that they will discontinue their non-HTL version after that (mainly cos it's SO MUCH EASIER to make hacks with the HTL).

Yup, it won't f**k up with backslashes, nor newlines. The .htl files are (to be) treated as binary files, which ensures full safety against newlines being treated differently across unix/windows/mac.

All hacks will appear on the Hack Management page in one of the three methods listed below:

- Normal hack that is installed (white link, unless you have a deviating CSS theme for your AdminCP)
- Imported Only (not installed, but put in the HTL on your database for reviewing/analyzing, useful if you want to see what it does during install, first (RED links);
- UNINSTALLED HACKS section, separate from the other hacks. Also lists at what step during Installation you stopped / got disconnected / closed your browser / quit. Allows you to pick up where you left off. :)

I don't understand how exactly the HTL KNOWS whether a hack is a "normal," imported," or "uninstalled" hack. Is it like a page where we can "add" hacks just like we can add styles and input all the info ourselves, and then we can select whether it is a normal hack or an imported hack? and then if we ever uninstall it, click on uninstall in that same page?? something like that at all?

and what's the difference between Normal hacks and Imported Hacks? My guess is that normal hacks are those that are done with a .htl file, but then whats an imported hack???

MGM out

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!

It's not hard at all. The feature "List all Modifications" that comes with the Hack Tracking Log will show you exactly all file- and template edits required for all of your installed Hacks. When you upgrade your vBulletin, you can open the page in a new tab (or window) and then simply overwrite all your files with the new vB files and work off the list to re-apply every file edit. It works much easier than trying to upgrade and then re-apply hacks the way everyone used to do with vB 2.x (those that chose to upgrade at all, anyway).

Hack making is mostly just doing what you would usually do, except instead of putting your file- and template modifications in a text file or a custom install script, you enter them in handy dandy form fields that make things so much easier. Same with queries.

More details on creating hacks is in the documentation, so just some patience for that ;)

Im going to state right now that this sounds wonderful and that when it is out i will be adding all my current vb3 custom/private mods into it. I will also be adding all my public vb3 hacks and releasing them in that format.

/me wonders just how long it will take me to add all my private changes :-/

Im exctied about the HTL ;)

I have been playing with a beta version for a couple of days to build the install files for the VB Trader ....

ITS MAGNIFICENT .... and i have decided that all of my hacks will use the HTL

Great job Kura :)

I got only one thing to say...


w00t!

We need to get vb.org itself to push the hack installer. I think we should push for 100% of hacks to use this format.

Feel free to make a public poll a week or so after the HTL is released.

I doubt you can get vB.org to enforce using the HTL, but I'm fairly sure that they will endorse it actively - they already said that they would recommend it officially, so.. :)

ok, since i don't write hacks, let me see if i got this right, because i am not entirely sure i understand.. but like the sounds of it all even if i don't know what it may or may not mean to general board admins..

so if i have my vb3 boards set up, install HTL, then install the hacks that come out using the HTL method, HTL will keep up with all of the hacks i've installed, the file edits associted with the installed hacks, as well as templates, template modifications, new tables in the database, tables that are modified, phrases (which i don't entirely understand either) that the installed hacks use, and code specifically associated with the installed hacks.. as well as the abilty to upgrade your boards as new vb releases are done by allowing you to basically compare files with the necessary code changes that need to be made?

also, will it keep up with style modifications.. let's say i modify my style, install an upgrade version of vb3, it rewrites the style.. will i be able to compare my old style with the new stlye to be able to make the satisfactory changes that will help me revert to what my existing look was/what i want it to be?

if even the majority of this is true, then i am completely interested..

and since i have been trying to learn the vbulletin design to start my own hacks, i am assuming from what i have read, that the HTL will output what changes i have made, as well as an installer that one could use to install via the HTL, should i choose to release any of my own hacks.. is that also roughly correct?

Well my review hack will defintly use this when I release it!

Pretty much ALL of that is correct, yes. :)

The HTL does not automatically track your style modifications, HOWEVER, if you make your style modifications normally, which means NOT modifying the MASTER STYLE, then any vB upgrade will not delete your style. It will leave your customized templates intact, and you can see if they have been updated in the new version of vB that you upgraded to by using the Find Updated Templates tool (this is part of vB3 itself).

So you can revert back to your customized look using vB3 itself already. Additionally, what you can do with the HTL is just keep track of all template modifications you make for your style, as if they are for a 'hack'. Then, the HTL has complete records of EVERY change you make, and after a vB-upgrade you can easily list all of them again.

thanks for the explanation.. that sounds very good.. almost the equiv of a version control/tracking system.. i have actually thought about something like that, but it's too ambitious a project for a n00b like me.. thanks kura.. looking forward to the release.. which i think you said may be tonight.. hope it is.. wanna get all the stuff i need dl'ed to prepare for for an upgrade and rollout next weekend..

THE HACK TRACKING LOG HAS BEEN RELEASED:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=60735