[Logician]

Pre-Installation & Post-Installation FAQs:

Webtemplate Pre-Installation FAQ:

1) I still didn't understand what webtemplate is. Can you clarify more?

Webtemplate is a HTML (or php) page. It is different than your other HTML pages in that you can create them in your vbulletin admin cp and you can integrate them with your vbulletin like applying them vb permissions, styles etc.

2) Uh! This hack looks too complicated! I'm a newbie; can I use it?

This hack has powerful features. But it does not mean you have to learn and use all the features. If you are a newbie, you can be pretty happy with its primary feature: Administering your webpages in your vb admin cp and apply vb permissions on them. For this you need no knowledge on anything. Simple copy / paste HTML code of your page, give it a name, enter user/usergroup ID who are banned from this page, click save and you have a webtemplate ready and published automatically. You'll also find a "How to Create your First WebTemplate" document in the ZIP file.

3) Is installation/uninstallation easy?

Yes, can't be easier. Webtemplates is NOT an hack so you don't need to modify any vbulletin files to install webtemplates.

4) Is Webtemplates a portal system?

Umm, no, not exactly! I would define a portal system as a content management system for especially targeting your site home page. I didn't hear a portal which does not replace your site home page. Webtemplates has similiar features like a portal, however it is not designed to replace your site home page. Webtemplates are your "other" site pages but site home.

5) For what can I use this hack?

You can use it to create pages that needs to inherit your vb skin and permissions. For instance you can design pages like "About Us", "Donations" etc.

6) Can I use other portal/vbulletin integrated home page hacks (eg. vbadvanced) with webtemplates?

Yes you can. Webtemplates neither substite/replace any of them, nor touch them.

7) Can I use a webtemplate as my site home page?

It is not designed to act as a site home page. I don't use it as my site home page in my site either. However since the prior version, some hack users always insisted to use this hack as their site home page and they managed to do it too. Basically you can do it in 2 ways:
a) you can create a file named index.php and use this line in it:
<?php include ("http://www.yourdomain.com/forum/view.php?pg=your_template"); ?>
When you upload this file in your site home directory, your site home page will be a webtemplate.

b)You can edit your .htaccess file and make a redirection so that whenever your main page (=index.htm or index.html) is called, server opens your webtemplate. A sample redirection line is that:

Redirect /index.html http://www.yoururl.com/forum/view.php?pg=your_template

Please search keywords ".htaccess+redirect" in google for more info about .htaccess redirection

Although both methods are safe and effective, I neither encourage, nor support site main page webtemplates as the system is not designed this way in the first place.

8) Does it work in all 3.7.x? What about 3.6.x?

Yes, I would say. It is tested with 3.7.0, 3.7.1, 3.7.2 and it should work new coming vb versions until 4.x shows up. For older vb versions (3.6.x, 3.5.x, 3.0.x, 2.x) please relevant hack threads in my profile. The version in this thread is for vb 3.7.x only.


9) How is the hack performance? Does it affect server load? Does it have a lot of queries?

Webtemplates is coded to perform "very well" even under heavy load. A webtemplate has an average of 12-18 queries per page. How many queries you have, depends on which features you enabled for that webtemplate and how many webqueries you use in it.

However always bear in mind that webtemplates, vbulletin itself, or any other dynamic PHP pages which make connection to MYSQL database can never be as "performance friendly" as static HTML pages. Static HTML pages is not dynamic (so does not change according to different conditions etc.) but much less server intensive. So especially in heavy loaded servers and for heavy traffic pages, you may want to use default static .html pages especially if you are not after having a dynamic content in them.

But if you are ready to use a dynamic script/structure/software/solution then webtemplates is NOT a performance killer, you can enjoy this hack. Its performance and affect on the server load is very similiar to a regular vbulletin page, like vb forum home page.


10) Do you support this hack? Why is it marked s "Unsupported", it seems like it is quite supported to me?

I have way a lot of hacks (most of them are old now but still) and if you check them, all of them are marked as unsupported and this is intentional. As a matter of fact, I do my BEST to give support for all of them, I deal with ALL security related issues (if any), ALL major bugs (if any), MOST of the minor bugs (if any) and reply a lot of questions but I don't like to "make promises" like giving support because this disappoints people if they can't get a reply for a question and I can't promise to answer ALL questions at all times.

So my personal preferrance is to mark my hacks as "unsupported" but then give as much support as I can afford with my time. And this is usually, for the most times and hopefully "a very good support".

However please remember: I can not commit my entire life to support this free hack. If there is any general bugs, problems or security issues in the hack, I'll do my best to fix them ASAP and release new versions in this thread. You are also very welcomed to ask any hack related questions or future requests here in this thread but please excuse me if I can not find time to answer all. I also don't have plans to enhance the hack in the near future so new feature requests are welcomed but should not be expected to be implemented. I also have many other hacks released here that requires my attention and time so webtemplates is not the only project I devote my time. Thanks for understanding.

11) I was using WebTemplates in 3.5x/3.6.x board and I have custom WebTemplates. Can I keep them in version 3.7 ?

Yes, you can.


12) Vbadvanced or WebTemplates? I can't decide.

Actually they are not in the same league: vbadvanced's main focus is your site main page. Webtemplates main focus is your site's other pages like "about us", "donate to us", "our press existence" etc.

So I don't think you have to choose one between these two. If you want to create a vb powered site home page, you should go with vbadvanced and if you want to create vb powered other site pages, you have to go with Webtemplates. If you want to do both, you can use both too.

So why don't you just install both and try each of them, then decide? Both are free, well coded, well documented, well supported and quite easy to install or uninstall.