Allow Usergroups to Post HTML

Just like the name says, this ultra-simple little Product will allow you to specify Usergroups that may post in HTML and have that HTML be parsed...SOME PEOPLE ARE HAVING TABLE PROBLEMS - THIS IS UNSUPPORTED USEAGE OF THE MODIFICATION AND I AM UNABLE TO ASSIST!

***BE AWARE THAT INDISCRIMINATE USE OF THIS HACK IS RISKY - RESTRICT IT TO ONLY THOSE USERGROUPS YOU TRUST ABSOLUTELY***

The scary message above is to make sure you are aware that enabling HTML for any group opens you up to security issues. This is why it is not a feature of Stock vB, probably.

I decided I needed to have the ability to post in HTML because I just installed ZT's RSS Feeds hack, and the ones I got from Google looked all horrible.

Now updated to be controlled by a Setting in Usergroup Manager, it's phrased and even works in editpost.php (preview) in WYSIWYG and normal modes, AND the Forum Rules shows HTML is ON.

This will not work retroactively. That is, if a User posted something in HTML before they were given the ability, that post has to be edited by that member (or someone else with HTML ability) in order to be parsed. I am assuming this is due to post caching.

Many thanks to Kirby for prodding me to figure it out by myself and not just telling me what to do.

A "demo" is here..html is OFF in that Forum, but the post is made by an Admin, so the HTML is parsed.

[Traxdata]

oh, it works on 3.7.b3, just uninstall and re-insall this product!

[manning]

tried to import got > Invalid File Specified

any support for this type of mod on 3.6+ ??? Would like to allow admin to post google rss feeds - vb is screwing the feeds up when they are done in bbcode!

[ddmobley]

Originally Posted by manning

any support for this type of mod on 3.6+ ???

There is no support on this product at all.

[manning]

Originally Posted by ddmobley

There is no support on this product at all.

Yes, I understand that ... thats why I said "this type of mod" ...

Maybe theres a work around for the RSS issues I am having ... Ill' dig.

[mihai11]

All the people that are interested in this mod, should ask Jelsoft to implement this feature in the standard VB 3.7.0 GOLD:

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249806

If you hurry up, we might see it there.


Regards,
Razvan

[frank44]

...

[legionofangels]

The post cache is a serious problem and without any known fix it invariably makes the add on useless or useful for a limited time.

I looked through and read all the 24 pages of posts, pretty interesting, and a few hiccups here and there. The theory in general is perfect, but defining what sections it affects and what sections it doesn't would be great. What you want is global command of having your posts parse the HTML while everyone else just posts there text. I remember that video mod that gives you the options of certain usergroups to allow to parse the video you post from youtube or whatever and originally when we restricted it, it really worked. You could see vids in normal accounts, and could post, but the post would only show the link. Only until an admin edited your post, would it parse the video and show it.

They need to build in the command for admins only and just force forum operators to admin people you want to use HTML and abandon the idea that people or regular members need the option to use HTML in there sigs and for posting. A whole member base on a website is bound to have a trouble maker or someone who doesn't follow the staffs rules and easily is someone you can spend all your time worrying about or who will post something they shouldn't HTML wise. That is why I'd restrict it to admins only.

After reading all of this and weighing whether to use the mod or not, the post cache parse error helped make the decision. Since the html information I'll be posting can never disappear I simply can't use this. I'm not really upset either because my original plan is what I'm falling back on and it basically allows only Admins to use HTML in the Admin CP, and then I just close the threads of the HTML I post. I will also turn off the ability NOT to use HTML as I need that on, but the ability for any usergroup to make new threads or new posts. In fact I don't even need to close the thread at that point.

That should work well for my needs and restrict through subforums the possibility of HTML use to myself, while making a separate subforum for commentary on any of the HTML and stuff.

I do appreciate your effort and amazing professionalism with that tool who posted in the middle of this thread. But this mod needs cleaned and the coding needs to be worked on as that error of the HTML disappearing due to cache is useless unless you prune your threads fairly fast.

[MdrNate]

Works for me! 3.6.8, great item, hope this becomes standard in upcoming releases.

[Jim O]

Originally Posted by ddmobley

In a search for an answer to the parsed posts disappearing, I have modified my system to preserve the parsed post cache for posts that are sticky. On my system, the only posts that would have HTML in them are sticky posts, so it was, to me, only a question of how to keep the software's maintenance from deleting posts from the parsed post cache that were stickly posts. Here's how I did it:

In includes/cron/cleanup2.php, there is a code segment that looks like:

// expired cached posts
$vbulletin->db->query_write("
	DELETE FROM " . TABLE_PREFIX . "post_parsed
	WHERE dateline < " . (TIMENOW - ($vbulletin->options['cachemaxage'] * 60 * 60 * 24)) 
);

I edited it to look like this:

// expired cached posts
$vbulletin->db->query_write("
	DELETE parsed FROM " . TABLE_PREFIX . "post_parsed AS parsed
	LEFT JOIN " . TABLE_PREFIX . "thread AS thread ON thread.firstpostid = parsed.postid
	WHERE parsed.dateline < " . (TIMENOW - ($vbulletin->options['cachemaxage'] * 60 * 60 * 24)) . "
	AND thread.sticky = 0"
);

Edit: I found I was getting a SQL error in my previous modification, and found a new way of keeping the post_parsed_cache clean. This above works.

This simply checks the thread table for the existence of a sticky post ID that matches the post ID of a post in the parsed post cache. If there is a match, it doesn't delete that post's cache, it leaves it indefinitely, or until the post is manually deleted.

This appears to work in 3.7 RC1 but the table "post_parsed" is now "postparsed".

So one would need to look for:

// expired cached posts
$vbulletin->db->query_write("
	DELETE FROM " . TABLE_PREFIX . "postparsed
	WHERE dateline < " . (TIMENOW - ($vbulletin->options['cachemaxage'] * 60 * 60 * 24))
);

and replace with:

// expired cached posts
$vbulletin->db->query_write("
	DELETE parsed FROM " . TABLE_PREFIX . "postparsed AS parsed
	LEFT JOIN " . TABLE_PREFIX . "thread AS thread ON thread.firstpostid = parsed.postid
	WHERE parsed.dateline < " . (TIMENOW - ($vbulletin->options['cachemaxage'] * 60 * 60 * 24)) . "
	AND thread.sticky = 0"
);

Addendum: Alternatively, if you prefer not to stick all of the threads that you want to put HTML in, and you want to be the only one allowed to use HTML, the following should work:

// expired cached posts
$vbulletin->db->query_write("
	DELETE parsed FROM " . TABLE_PREFIX . "postparsed AS parsed
	LEFT JOIN " . TABLE_PREFIX . "thread AS thread ON thread.firstpostid = parsed.postid
	WHERE parsed.dateline < " . (TIMENOW - ($vbulletin->options['cachemaxage'] * 60 * 60 * 24)) . "
	AND thread.postuserid != 1"
);

This assumes your user ID is 1. Substitute your user ID if that is not correct. Of course this can make for a large "postparsed" table.

[Dabbi]

Not sure what's going on with this or if it's been reported or even if it's a bug or not but..

I have a problem with disappearing HTML breaks < br >. The only way I can make them show up on the board is to add a space if trying to explain it to a member or in the HTML code use something like <***> and tell members to swap out the <***> for < br > (remove spaces

My members can post it and not have a problem and it only shows as inactive HTML but I can't.

I really need to be able to use HTML on the board and this mod looked like it would do the trick but this glitch is annoying.. well that and if I edit the post the code is gone.