Show RSS Feed Icon in each forum

So I wanted to add an image link to each forum for its unique RSS feed. This would allow people to subscribe to their favorite forums with their favorite News Reader instead of email. It would always be up to date and accurate.

There are three steps to doing this.

First, I decided I needed a small plugin to determine if RSS was turned on within the forumdisplay template. Go to your plugin manager and add the following code to the "forumdisplay_start" plugin.

PHP Code:

if ($vbulletin->options['externalrss'])
{
   $show['rss'] = true;
} 


Next we will be editing the forumdisplay template itself.

Find:

<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center" style="border-bottom-width:0px">
<tr>
<td class="tcat" width="100%">$vbphrase[threads_in_forum]<span class="normal"> : $foruminfo[title]</span></td>
<td class="vbmenu_control" id="forumtools" nowrap="nowrap"><a href="$show[nojs_link]#goto_forumtools" rel="nofollow">$vbphrase[forum_tools]</a> <script type="text/javascript"> vbmenu_register("forumtools"); </script></td>
    <if condition="$show['forumsearch']">
<td class="vbmenu_control" id="forumsearch" nowrap="nowrap"><a href="$show[nojs_link]#goto_forumsearch" rel="nofollow">$vbphrase[search_this_forum]</a> <script type="text/javascript"> vbmenu_register("forumsearch"); </script></td>
    </if>
</tr>
</table>

And replace with:

<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center" style="border-bottom-width:0px">
<tr>
<td class="tcat" width="100%">$vbphrase[threads_in_forum]<span class="normal"> : $foruminfo[title]</span></td>
<td class="vbmenu_control" id="forumtools" nowrap="nowrap"><a href="$show[nojs_link]#goto_forumtools" rel="nofollow">$vbphrase[forum_tools]</a> <script type="text/javascript"> vbmenu_register("forumtools"); </script></td>
    <if condition="$show['forumsearch']">
<td class="vbmenu_control" id="forumsearch" nowrap="nowrap"><a href="$show[nojs_link]#goto_forumsearch" rel="nofollow">$vbphrase[search_this_forum]</a> <script type="text/javascript"> vbmenu_register("forumsearch"); </script></td>
    </if>
    <if condition="$show['rss']">
<td class="tcat"><a href="external.php?type=rss2&forumids=$foruminfo[forumid]"><img class="inlineimg" src="$stylevar[imgdir_misc]/feed_icon.png" height="14" width="14" alt="Feed Icon" title="Subscribe to $foruminfo[title]'s RSS Feed"></a></td>
    </if>
    </tr>
</table>

Finally the third step is to upload the attached image to represent your feed. If your site isn't set up to allow IE to view transparent backgrounds in PNG images, you will probably want to convert the image to a GIF format matted to your background.

Distibuted under the "Wayne License". You may modify to suit your needs, No Attribution Necessary, Redistribution allowed on sites which can verify legitimate vBulletin License Holders only.

[synwave]

Go to your plugin manager and add the following code to the "forumdisplay_start" plugin

I dont have a plugin called "forumdisplay_start".

[Wayne Luke]

Originally Posted by croportal

no i dont have, just you rss feed

Hmm.. The template looks right. You have plugins enabled in the options?

I would have to look at your AdminCP to get it working at this point though.

[Wayne Luke]

Originally Posted by KW802

Wayne,

Would the condition "<if condition="$vboptions['externalrss']">{code}</if>" work instead of using the plugin?

I believe it would. I wanted variable consistency though. Makes it easier if my wife has to change something in the templates. She knows a little about HTML but nothing about PHP.

[Wayne Luke]

Originally Posted by michaelbenson

I personally just removed the conditional IF statement and bypassed the plugin, it didnt really seem neccessary to check whether or not RSS syndication was enabled since i had already done within the vBulletin Options area.

The conditional is there so if you have to turn off the feeds for some reason, the icon and link disappears as well

[shiva]

I dont have a plugin called "forumdisplay_start" either.

?????

[Darat]

You need to create a plugin called "forumdisplay_start", this is what I created and it seems to work:

Admincp>Plugin system> Add New Plugin

Product: vBulletin
Hook location: forumdisplay_start
Title: "Check for RSS on/off for RSS feed icon on each forum"
Plugin Php Code:

PHP Code:

if ($vbulletin->options['externalrss'])
{
   $show['rss'] = true;
} 


Active: Yes

And then click on save.

[shiva]

Thanks. Must have missed that in the instructions.

[synwave]

Works nicely - Thanks everyone!

[Marv]

Wayne,

I?ve tried to put this in the forums tools menu but for some reason it creates only the basic information of my forums - but no threadinfo?s.

<rss version="2.0">
- <channel>
   <title>MySiteTitle - MyForumsTitle</title>
   <link>http://www.mysite.com/forums</link>
	- <description>MySiteDescription !</description>
	   <language>en</language>
	   <pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 2006 14:47:11 GMT</pubDate>
	   <generator>vBulletin</generator>
     <ttl>60</ttl>
 </channel>
</rss>

I?m using this in the forums menu (extended to rss 0,91, 2.0 and rdf-feeds)

PHP Code:

<!-- forum tools menu -->
<div class="vbmenu_popup" id="forumtools_menu" style="display:none">
<form action="moderator.php" method="post" name="forumadminform">
    <table cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" border="0">
    <tr><td class="thead">$vbphrase[forum_tools]<a name="goto_forumtools"></a></td></tr>
    <if condition="$show['newthreadlink']"><tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="newthread.php?$session[sessionurl]do=newthread&amp;f=$foruminfo[forumid]" rel="nofollow">$vbphrase[post_a_new_thread]</a></td></tr></if>
    <tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="forumdisplay.php?$session[sessionurl]do=markread&amp;f=$foruminfo[forumid]" rel="nofollow">$vbphrase[mark_this_forum_read]</a></td></tr>
    <tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="subscription.php?$session[sessionurl]do=addsubscription&amp;f=$foruminfo[forumid]" rel="nofollow">$vbphrase[subscribe_to_this_forum]</a></td></tr>
    <if condition="$show['rss']">
    <tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="external.php?type=rss2&forumids=$foruminfo[forumid]" rel="nofollow">$vbphrase[subscribe_to_this_forum_rss]</a> 
    <a href="external.php?type=rss&forumids=$foruminfo[forumid]" rel="follow" target="_blank"><img class="inlineimg" img border="0" src="stylevar[imgdir_misc]/rss.png" lowsrc="RSS Feed 0.91" alt="RSS Feed 0.91"></a> 
    <a href="external.php?type=rss2&forumids=$foruminfo[forumid]" rel="follow" target="_blank"><img class="inlineimg" img border="0" src="stylevar[imgdir_misc]/rss.gif" lowsrc="RSS Feed 2.0" alt="RSS Feed 2.0"></a>
    <a href="external.php?type=rdf&forumids=$foruminfo[forumid]" rel="follow" target="_blank"><img class="inlineimg" img border="0" src="stylevar[imgdir_misc]/rdf.gif" lowsrc="RDF Feed" alt="RDF Feed"></a>
</td></tr>
    </if>
    <tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="forumdisplay.php?$session[sessionurl]f=$foruminfo[parentid]" rel="nofollow">$vbphrase[view_parent_forum]</a></td></tr> 


Do I have to place the initial plugin elsewhere as in forumsdisplay_start if I?ld like to place this in the forum menu?

Any idea ?

[Azhrialilu]

Nice addition, Wayne.... I especially like the "Wayne Licence" comment