Major Additions - Discuss!! A Yahoo Answers Clone

Discuss!!
A Yahoo Answers Clone

by ChrisTERiS

Compatible with 4.2.0
but you must download the file Disucss_1_4_0.zip

1. Why we need a discussion mod

Maybe sounds crazy to have a powerfull forum and to install this AddOn. But this is not true. I do agree that vB has tons of features for any type of discussions. But from the other point Yahoo Answers (and dozens of similars sites) became famous, because they offer a simple way to users to get replies. Short questions, with a couple of replies. Why to go in a complicated system for this? And why to add dozens of extra categories, subcategories etc etc, just for this? This is the reason that you need it.

2.- How it works?

Very simple, so easy to use by novice users too. A member is posting a question in any of your categories (unlimited level are supporting) and then is waiting other members to post a reply. Reads the replies, chooses the best and that's all. There is no need for discussion here.





3.- Installation

1. Download, unzip and upload all files from the "upload" folder where your vb installation is (you can't install in different directory).
2. Goto you admincp and import the product-discuss.xml
3. That's all

4.- Configuration





Configuration is very easy and is like all other addons here. You need to follow the steps below, and soon you'll be ready:

1. First of all goto Usergroup permissions and set what each usergroup can do or not do.
2. Goto Discuss General setting, check the default values and change them if you want
3. PM Templates. I believe that the predefinied text is ok for most of you. But if you want you can change them. Please don't touce the variables (anything inside {}). The available variables are:
   1. {questiontitle} : Title with link
   2. {questiontitle_nolink} : As above but without link
   3. {category} : Category name with link
   4. {category_nolink} : Category without link
   5. {questionowner} : The author's username with link
   6. {questionowner_nolink} : As above, no link
   7. {description} : 200 chars from the question body
   8. {username} : This is the "To:" value. eg Dear {username},
   9. {postdate_short} : Post date in format that you've set as long dates
   10. {postdate_long} : Same as above in long date format
   11. {signature} : Anything that you've set in your settings
4. Last step is to set your categories.

5.- Copyright

In the footer of each page there is a link back to my site vBulletON.com. Even if it easy to remove it, please avoid doing it. Respect if you want to be respected. That's the only that I can say.

6.- PRO version

Currently there is no one. I don't use to build an addon, and then remove 90% of its features to make a free version. No. This is all that I've done. Sure there are dozens of more features that I can add. If I see that this mod becomes popular then I'll add them but as commercial version.

7.- Live Demo

http://www.christeris.com/testvb4/discuss.php

Login:
demouser1 / demopass1
demouser2 / demopass2
demouser3 / demopass3

Enjoy
Chris

[Christos Teriakis]

Originally Posted by David_R

Database error in vBulletin 4.1.11:

Invalid SQL:
SELECT * FROM user WHERE userid= LIMIT 1;

Is missing the userid. Where exactly did you met this? Does this question have post from a registered user?

Chris

[Christos Teriakis]

Originally Posted by hakkuo23

Database error in vBulletin 4.1.12:

Invalid SQL:
SELECT * FROM vb_user WHERE userid= LIMIT 1;

Is missing the userid. Where exactly did you met this? Does this question have post from a registered user?

Chris

[Christos Teriakis]

Originally Posted by BadgerDog

Also ...

Seem to have a cosmetic issue with Facebook buttons appearing in the middle of other fields, over writing stuff that's there?

We don't use Facebook and all the vBulletin options for it are turned OFF ...

Thanks

Regards,
Doug

Another one user has the same problem (around in the 2nd page here). Don't know why it appears there. Maybe a custom style issue. In anycase I'll try to find another solution for sharing option. I dont like it too, not because is not working for me, but because it leaves a wide space from the right side. But this is the official FB plugin.

Chris

[Christos Teriakis]

Originally Posted by SilverBoy

nice work as always Chris

I just wonder if the questions and replies added to the post count of the user? I think we need if it is not added to show it in user profile and user posts too .

Thank you. As I said in my main post, this is still a basic version. If I see that there is interest from users, I'll start adding things.

Chris

[Da-Vinci]

Originally Posted by ChrisTERiS

You welcome. As I said in a previous post, my design knowledge is minimal. It's not bad to say it. Coding is different that design. So this post is going to DaVinchi too. If you have a final css version that works, I can add it to the distribution file, to avoid all these changes after a new release.

Thank you both of you.

Chris

Best thing I can think of is to try and use existing stylevars in the CSS file, for instance, EG:

On the default skin, the stylevar {vb:stylevar forumhead_border} matches the colour #5A7F97 but only has a border of 1px.

So in the discuss.css the original category menu decleration looks like this.

div.categoriesmenu {
    display:block;
    width: auto;
    position:relative;
    background: #C9D6DE;
    border: 2px solid #5A7F97;
    padding: 10px;
}

A possible replacement could be,

div.categoriesmenu {
    display:block;
    width: auto;
    position:relative;
    background: {vb:stylevar forumhead_background};
    border: {vb:stylevar forumhead_border};
    padding: 10px;
}

The theory is that a Style designer shouldn't make any clashes with colours within the theme and the stylevars will be inherited through all styles.

The problem is finding the correct stylevars. I haven't found a stylevaro that matches the colour #C9D6DE, so without doubt some of the colours would need to be changed.

You may also need to make a new CSS template rather than a file, to use the stylevars, it's been so long since I done any styling I can't remember, I would need to experiment to be sure.

[hakkuo23]

Originally Posted by ChrisTERiS

Is missing the userid. Where exactly did you met this? Does this question have post from a registered user?

Chris

This happens when I try to reply to a question. I am a registered user.
Here is the full error:
Database error in vBulletin 4.1.12:

Invalid SQL:

Warning: mysqli_query() [function.mysqli-query]: (42000/1064): You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'LIMIT 1' at line 1 in [path]/includes/class_core.php on line 1391

SELECT * FROM vb_user WHERE userid= LIMIT 1;

MySQL Error   : You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'LIMIT 1' at line 1
Error Number  : 1064
Request Date  : Thursday, April 19th 2012 @ 11:19:05 AM
Error Date    : Thursday, April 19th 2012 @ 11:19:05 AM
Script        : http://xenogamers.org/discuss.php?do=savereply
Referrer      : http://xenogamers.org/discuss.php?do=viewquestion&questionid=5
IP Address    : 24.97.196.3
Username      : silence
Classname     : vB_Database_MySQLi
MySQL Version : 5.1.61-cll

[Christos Teriakis]

Originally Posted by hakkuo23

This happens when I try to reply to a question. I am a registered user.
Here is the full error:
Warning: mysqli_query()

hmmm.. are you using mysqli? Let me check it, but I think that you must change to mysql in config file

Chris

[BadgerDog]

Originally Posted by ChrisTERiS

hmmm.. are you using mysqli? Let me check it, but I think that you must change to mysql in config file

Chris

As noted in my post above, I consistently get exactly the same error while replying to a post...

Used XXX's to preserve some privacy ...

Database error in vBulletin 4.1.3:

Invalid SQL:
SELECT * FROM user WHERE userid= LIMIT 1;

MySQL Error : You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'LIMIT 1' at line 1
Error Number : 1064
Request Date : Thursday, April 19th 2012 @ 09:22:54 AM
Error Date : Thursday, April 19th 2012 @ 09:22:54 AM
Script : http://www.xxxx.com/discuss.php?do=savereply
Referrer : http://www.xxxx.com/discuss.php?do=v...n&questionid=2
IP Address : 99.99.99.99
Username : Tester
Classname : vB_Database
MySQL Version : 5.0.95

UserID of original post starter was 2 and UserID of reply poster is also 2 ...

Regards,
Doug

[BadgerDog]

Originally Posted by ChrisTERiS

Another one user has the same problem (around in the 2nd page here). Don't know why it appears there. Maybe a custom style issue. In anycase I'll try to find another solution for sharing option. I dont like it too, not because is not working for me, but because it leaves a wide space from the right side. But this is the official FB plugin.

Chris

Thank you very much... appreciate it ...

Regards,
Doug

[Krusty1231]

Invalid SQL:
SELECT * FROM _vbuser WHERE userid= LIMIT 1;

MySQL Error   : You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'LIMIT 1' at line 1
Error Number  : 1064
Request Date  : Thursday, April 19th 2012 @ 08:13:09 PM
Error Date    : Thursday, April 19th 2012 @ 08:13:10 PM
Script        : http://www.XXX.com/XXXX/discuss.php?do=savereply
Referrer      : http://www.XXX.com/XXXX/discuss.php?do=viewquestion&questionid=1
IP Address    : XXX.83.16.XX
Username      : Jerry
Classname     : vB_Database
MySQL Version : 5.0.92-log

Same issue.