Yes, if you leave them empty the program will enter the proper groups (6,5,7) for the admins/smods/mods. From there on, the code in functions_showthread.php decides if the $pnotes will be filled up, depending on the $showviewwarnlink parameter.
If your plain users can see the notes, they should also be able to see the "View XYZ Warnings".
DARN!!! Now, I know, you have the "Who can view warning points" set to "All", right?
OK, try this. In functions_showthread.php find:
Code:
if ($post['warn_notes']==1 and $showviewwarnlink==1);
Replace that with:
Code:
if ($post['warn_notes']==1 and ($useradmin==1 OR $usersmod==1 OR $usermod==1));
That should fix it. Let me know if it works.