The Arcive of Official vBulletin Modifications Site.

Global Threads · **Released**: 10-20-2006

Description
If your forums are split up in such a way where certain groups of users only visit a certain forum, then you know it's difficult to get all your users to read an announcement. This mod displays a certain amount of threads from a specified "source" forum, and places it on the Forum Display page right after the Stickied threads. These threads are labeled with a "Global: " tag.

This mod is in beta, so install at your own risk, but will be supported. Please let me know of any bugs, or suggestions that you may have!

Install / Upgrade
Download the attached XML file, and import it at
Admin Control Panel > Plugins & Products > Manage Products > Add/Import Product

Remember to "Allow Overwrite" if you are upgrading.

Usage

Create a new forum that will be your "source" forum; that is, this forum will contain your global threads. Get the forumid of this forum.
In your AdminCP --> vBulletin Options --> Global Threads make sure you:
- enable it
- enter in the forumid of your source forum
- set the number of threads from the source forum to display
Make a new thread in your "source" forum and it will be displayed globally in other forums.

Mod Info
1 - Query
1 - Phrase
1 - Template
3 - Plugins
0 - Template Edits

v1.0.1
Added the option to exclude certain forums.
v1.0.0b
Initial release.

Please click "Install" if you have installed this mod! Thanks!

|oR|Greg · #22 10-23-2006, 06:55 PM

Actually I got it working exactly how I wanted it, check the attachment...

It was very simple as long as you're using the Separate Sticky/Normal threads hack. Just had to re-code your merge plugin and the Forum Display template.

If you want have the other hack installed and you want to make yours look like mine do the following:

Open ForumDisplay template
Find:

Code:

$threadbits_sticky

Replace with:

Code:

        $stickyglobalthreadbits
	$threadbits_sticky
        <else />
        $nostickyglobalthreadbits

In the Plugin (Merge Global Threadbits with Threadbits)
Replace the entire plugin with:

Code:

if ($vbulletin->options['gton'])
{
eval('$bolx3 = "' . fetch_template('FORUMDISPLAY_Separate_global') . '";');

eval('$bolx4 = "' . fetch_template('FORUMDISPLAY_Separate') . '";'); 

$nostickyglobalthreadbits = "$bolx3".$globalthreadbits."$bolx4";

$stickyglobalthreadbits = "$bolx3".$globalthreadbits;
}

Add a phrase called: delim_global
With the following:

Code:

Universal Threads

Lastly, add a template called FORUMDISPLAY_Separate_global
With the following:

Code:

<tr><td class="thead" colspan="<if condition="$show['threadicons']">7<else />6</if>"><strong>$vbphrase[delim_global]</strong></td></tr>

This doesn't add the little globe image I have, if you want that, PM me.

Stop · #23 10-23-2006, 08:03 PM

Wonderful work both of you randominity and |oR|Greg. It's like you've read my mind. I was about to start a thread to request such hack but here you did it. And when I went through the thread, I had this idea about editing the hack, just like what |oR|Greg did. Thanks for both of you.

randominity, can you please include those editings in the hack ?

|oR|Greg · #24 10-23-2006, 08:16 PM

Well the only problem with including my steps would be I think that "$threadbits_sticky" won't exist in the ForumDisplay template because the Separate Stickies/Normal threads hack isn't installed. That of course would also alter the IF statement in the ForumDisplay template. If anything he can include it stating: IF you're using the separation hack, then you can use my piece, otherwise it might get too confusing for some.

Shanj · #25 10-23-2006, 09:41 PM

Would be interested in the new version to select some forums and exclude others.

Thing is I'm not sure I understand how the thread is displayed and how it functions.

DISPLAY - "places it on the Forum Display page" - does that mean it puts a new thread in multiple forums?

SOURCE - does that mean the threads act independently once they appear in the multiple forums? or are they clones of the source?

For example If I make a source thread, and a user answers it in forum A, does the reply appear in forum B forum C etc?
Or does each thread in each forum it appears in operate independently once the thread is created?

I WOULD LIKE to have my moderators able to post multiple threads to their own set of forums. They would need some kind of CP but only to the forums they have access to, so they don't get confused by a long list of forums!

Shanj · #26 10-23-2006, 09:48 PM

new version to select which forums?
sounds good!

Are the threads clones or duplicates? That is if a user replies to one does the reply appear in all the forums selected? (clone)
Or does a thread operate independently once it gets started by the plugin so a user in one forum can reply w/o the reply cloning in other forums? (duplication)

I really want a plugin where my moderators can post a thread ONLY in their own list of selected forums. So each moderator has a list of forums to operate for duplicate threads and has no access to other forums not on their list.

randominity · #27 10-23-2006, 10:44 PM

well how it works is this.. .the source forum is where the ONE and ONLY thread resides... what the display does... it just grabs the threads from the source forum, and basically links it to your other forums...

you can see how it works at my forum: www.l2blah.com - the announcements forum is my "source" forum, check out the other forums and you can see the global threads.

When users reply to the global thread, they are replying to ONE thread, that's actually located in the "source" forum; but the thread just gets displayed in all the other forums as well.

Things I will include in the next version:
1) Forum Exclusion
2) Display Properties
2a) more locations of where you can place the Global threads
2b) changing the text of "Global Threads: " to something else
2c) setting the sorting of global threads (right now I have them set to the time of creation instead of lastpost)

|oR|Greg · #28 10-23-2006, 11:27 PM

Why not have it based on usergroup permission instead of forumid, and have it be a un/checkable box just like Un/Stick Thread. That way you're not limited to 1 forum as your source, and you're not limited to X number of Global Threads?

randominity · #29 10-24-2006, 03:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by |oR|Greg

Why not have it based on usergroup permission instead of forumid, and have it be a un/checkable box just like Un/Stick Thread. That way you're not limited to 1 forum as your source, and you're not limited to X number of Global Threads?

because that would require a database edit I believe

|oR|Greg · #30 10-24-2006, 03:54 AM

Yeah? Oh well...

|oR|Greg · #31 10-25-2006, 01:55 PM

Damn, I hate being thurough... I just noticed in the actual Global Threads forum my hack causes a small issue with displaying a black section called Universal Threads above the Normal Threads section. Gotta work on that. Although it gave me an idea, to make the section collapsable as well as the Sticky threads, and the Normal Threads. Why not right?

X vBulletin 3.8.12 by vBS Debug Information
Page Generation 0.11300 seconds Memory Usage 2,317KB Queries Executed 26 (?)
More Information
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