New Posting Features - Form Hack

Form Hack 4.1

Features:

Ever wanted an online form that a user can fill out, which when submitted gets:

• Posted into a new thread in a forum of your choice
• Create a new poll in the new thread with options of your choice
• Posted as a reply in an existing thread of your choice
• PMed to you or someone else
• Emailed to an email address you specify
• Choose to redirect to the post, thread or forum, or a custom thank you message
• Choose to redirect to edit post
• See a preview before they submit

Or any combination or all of the above?

Well, this is the hack for you!

You can use this for:

• Moderator Applications
• Quiz Submit Form which gets PMed to a moderator
• Contact Form that goes to PM, email or thread
• Guests to apply to be members
• Report a Moderator form that goes as a PM to you
• Guests can PM you for whatever reason
• Order form to buy things
• Donation form
• News or Articles submissions that can go straight to a thread

Or anything you like - this hack is totally customizable via the AdminCP.

The beauty of this hack is that once you install this hack, to make a new form all you need to do is copy the main hook, rename it to whatever you want, edit the variables in the hook, and you have a totally new form!!! You do not need to touch the templates again, but can always create new ones and use different templates for different forms.

Format of the form:

• One main input question
• 3 Radio buttons Choice questions
• 3 Normal text input questions
• 1 Drop down menu
• 3 Check boxes
• 1 Long answer question
• 1 VB message editor text box question
• Upload attachments

This is customizable via the hook.

Also:

• You can set the usergroups you want access to this form.
• Depending on your forum permissions, if the new thread is in a public forum, members can reply to it. This hack allows a form to submit the new thread or post wherever you want it to go.
• Force the user to answer all questions.

INSTALLATION
Easy - takes only a few minutes:

• Import the XML into products. (admin cp -> Plug-in System -> Manage Products -> Add/Import Product)
• Edit the main plug-in - the instructions are all inside the hook itself, in the top half. Follow the instructions carefully!
• To get to the form, go to: /newthread.php?do=form (change "form" to the name of your form if you have few)

Done!

Use this hack to make as many forms as you like!

Enjoy!

Updates:

Version 4.0: (09/15/2006)

• Ported over for vb3.6
• Send to multiple emails.
• Send multiple PMs.
• Parse emails for BBCode
• And finally, ATTACHMENTS!

Version 4.1: (04/24/2008)

• Fixed for vb 3.6.10
• Small bug fixed.
• List of the 2 quick edits are in the zip file so you don't have to start making a form from scratch.

MAKE SURE YOU CLICK INSTALL!
You will get an email when a new version is released.

Abe1 with rights from Dr Erwin Loh

[MoB Dudditz MD]

As with any area that allows for user input, does this hack validate input in any way?
I just want to make sure it is secure enough so that the average user cannot exploit it.
If not, is there a way to integrate validation to make it more secure?
Thanks

[TheMilkCarton]

You can use some JavaScript and expressions to limit input in any of the boxes. I've done this so that a certain box can only have numbers input into it. You could essentially use this as a NoSpam! type mod. Then you can modify your form plugin so that ALL the fields must be answered.

Or you can wait until I finalize my Image Verification add-on... which is looking pretty dismal right now. I just don't have time to test every little thing, and I certainly won't support it when/if I do release it.

I may see if Abe1 would like to take what I've done and test it and incorporate it right into the actual form hack. Not sure if he's interested though.

[Limerick]

Originally Posted by rayw

I will post the finished product once I have fine tuned it.

Hello rayw,

Did you succeed?
I'm interested by your search

[Deepdog009]

Thanks 2 ABE1 file I have inserted IMAGE VERIFICATION...

I have created two forms of IMAGE VERIFICATION 2 use with this HACK...

check my sig for more info...

Good Luck...

Thanks again 4 dis Hack ABE1 im learning about forms.

[Deepdog009]

Originally Posted by upnorth

I'm looking for some guidance in formatting the answer template so that I can control the way the finished post looks. Is there any way to use conditionals in the answer template?

For example I have

$question1
$checkboxAnswer1_1
$checkboxAnswer1_2
$checkboxAnswer1_3

If only the first checkbox is selected on the form then the $checkboxAnswer1_2 and $checkboxAnswer1_3 put spaces in the final post. I'd like to do something like

if ($checkboxAnswer1_2==""){
echo "";
}
That way I can eliminate the spaces?

Any ideas?

UpNorth this can be done, but you will have to alter the plugin file to match and execute.

I still learning this stuff, Im sure ABE1 can do this with his eyes closed, but hes a busy man.
I will take a look and see if I can help...

Check with RayW, he has made some progress in this area...

[Limerick]

Hello All,

In fact I wish to know if it is possible to let people post the form in any of the existing forums. To do so, they should be able to select the forum in a dropdown list looking like the "Forum Jump" list.

Would this be possible?

And first off all, would it also possible to let users choose the name of the filled form when posted?
For example the form type would be displayed like a prefix and the user would complete this prefix by a name written in a mandatory field...

Thanks for your help

[Mookie]

I am having a problem with the form hack. I am receiving a error

Invalid Forum specified. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator

Does anyone know how to fix this error. I have tried almost everything... I guess there is something that I have not tried yet.

[rayw]

Originally Posted by Limerick

Hello All,

In fact I wish to know if it is possible to let people post the form in any of the existing forums. To do so, they should be able to select the forum in a dropdown list looking like the "Forum Jump" list.

Would this be possible?

The answer to this is above. (well, it is back on the last page now about half way down).

It is exactly what I've got running on my forums at the moment, only with a few extra forums added.

[rayw]

Originally Posted by upnorth

I'm looking for some guidance in formatting the answer template so that I can control the way the finished post looks. Is there any way to use conditionals in the answer template?

For example I have

$question1
$checkboxAnswer1_1
$checkboxAnswer1_2
$checkboxAnswer1_3

If only the first checkbox is selected on the form then the $checkboxAnswer1_2 and $checkboxAnswer1_3 put spaces in the final post. I'd like to do something like

if ($checkboxAnswer1_2==""){
echo "";
}
That way I can eliminate the spaces?

Any ideas?

Originally Posted by Deepdog009

Check with RayW, he has made some progress in this area...

upnorth, I'm no experienced programmer (I'm still learning too) but it looks like you have the right idea.

You may be able to work it out using what I have posted here (it is back on the previous page about half way down as well). If you give your checkboxes values ($checkbox1a, $checkbox1b, $checkbox1c, for example) and apply those values to what I have written, you would be pretty close to fixing your problem I reckon. You may need to make 1 or two other tiny changes to make it function correctly.

I wish I could help more!

[Limerick]

Originally Posted by rayw

The answer to this is above. (well, it is back on the last page now about half way down).

It is exactly what I've got running on my forums at the moment, only with a few extra forums added.

Hello rayw,

Thanks for your answer, but when you say

I will post the finished product once I have fine tuned it.

, I thought it was not finished. Especially when you say

When I submit the form using this, I get: Warning: Cannot use a scalar value as an array in /includes/functions_newpost.php on line 356

Could someone offer some advice. I'm assuming the problem lies in the above somewhere; maybe!!

.

But your answer here should mean "all is ok now", I guess