vbPortal/vBulletin/phpauction Integration
 

Requirements: This is a combined integration. You MUST have vbPortal installed as well as vBulletin. If you do not have both- STOP and do not install.

This hack refers to the GPL version of phpauction. If you have any other version - STOP. You can get it at http://www.phpauction.org/

phpauction doesn't look a whole lot like vBulletin. You can see that for yourself at http://www.phpauction.org/gpldemo/. This demo should give you an idea of what I started with so you can compare it with the end results.

What this does is make phpauction look like the rest of your site. User styles are applied to phpauction.

What is does NOT do. It does not merge the user databases. Thats my next project.

I will include screenshort of the same page using different styles to explain further. See screen shots in subsequent posts.

If you want to see this hack in action live, visit http://www.fasherman.com/forums.

Log in as vbTestUser, passwd v8ullet1n. That way, you can change themes and then watch the auction software change appearance too.

Step 1: Backup your vBulletin database.

****Steps 2 and 3 apply only if you have your phpauction info in a separate database. If you installed the tables into your vBulletin database, skip to step 5.****

Step 2: Using phpMyAdmin, backup your phpauction database. Save it as a file.
Step 3: Use the file from step 2 to add your phpauction tables and data to your vBulletin database.
4. Edit includes/passwd.inc.php beneat your phpauction directory to change the database name to your vbulletin database.

(When you are comfortable all is working right, you can drop the original phpauction database. Thats your call as to when.)

Step 5: Replace header.php and footer.php in your phpauction directory with the files in the attached zip file. This version of phpauction is distributed under GPL, so we can include the entire file.

IF you installed the "phpauction info on forumhome hack (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...threadid=43182) you must change the database info for your vBulletin database. Same advice if you want to install this hack.

First screen shot with default style:

Screenshot with a different style applied:

With yet another style applied:

Final screenshot. You get the idea at this point. phpauction now not only looks like your site, but customized down to the individual user.

I will be working on merging the databases. The first problem to tackle is that vBulletin and phpauction use different encryption keys.

At any rate, the database merge will build on this hack. Enjoy.

Some information I should have added...

vBulletin will keep track of where users are in your phpauction. It only gets gooned up in one area, index.php of the auction. If you change that to default.php and configure your webserver to recognize that as an index page, then you will be able to hack online.php to show where users are and what they are doing in your auctions, whether it is selling an item, bidding or examining a item.

When I have more time, I'll try to add the online.php updates. I haven't even done this on my site yet but I can see the "unknown location" in the online list so I know it's possible.

no use for me at all..

I've been thinking on setting up an auction on my site for a long time, but I really don't want to use vBP, but nice work anyway :)

DOH! :eek:

Silly me. I had to add a check for guests...

The zip file has been updated. Anyone who stopped by as a guest and got a database error, please feel free to stop by again.