Major Additions - VBGooglemap Member Edition

Version 3.0.1 is currently available

This is the tested port of my 3.5.x version h(https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=99920)

You can now nominate hacks yourself for hacks of the month. There is a link on the right of hacks on top of the files.

Function
This will display the members of the Bulletin Board based on their lattitude and longitude coordinates on a googlemap.

Don't forget to hit install !!!!!!!
Please read the guide before asking for support !!!!!!!

Feel free to support this mod and make a paypal donation to admin@stonyarc.com

INSTALL

Detailed installation instructions and screenshots in the included pdf file.

Current Features



NOTE:
VBGooglemap 3.0.0 contains the vulnerability fix. Please upgrade immediately. Version 3.0.0. also contains all features from 2.5.X

As always you use modifications at your own risk.

VBGooglemap Member Edition 2.5.x brings you a lot of new features. It?s vital that you uninstall any previous version before upgrading/installing version 2.5.x.

Upgrading from version 2.5.0 is easier. Instruction are available in the guide.

As the uninstall function will not remove your googlemap data in the database but only the templates and files you can safely remove an older version. As a precaution you should always take a backup. This should be done on each major change you make to your bulletin board.

IF YOU ARE RUNNING VERSION 1.0.3, 2.0.X AND YOU CHANGED TEXT DIRECTLY IN THE TEMPLATES YOU NEED TO SAVE YOUR CHANGES AS VERSION 3.0.0. REQUIRES YOU TO UINSTALL PREVIOUS VERSIONS.

This has taken quite some work and still will take a lot more. Please give credit where credit is due. You cannot remove any notice without prior written permission.

Changes in this version

SEE FIRST POST FOR FULL ROADMAP AND HISTORY

Planned Features
- TBD

Volume warning

high volume of users may slow down the load. Currently a load counter is included.

Languages

Thanks to Wachtmeister there is a German translation available to you all. Feel free to use it.

The translation will be updated on each new version.

Special

- Read the attached PDF for more information. The pdf is also included in the zip file.
- You'll need a googlemap key for your domain. Get your own key for your domain view http://www.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html for more information.
A googlemap key is only valid for a specific domain. You'll need a specific google account to create one.
All is explained on the googlemap link indicated above.
- Set the file permissions on the marker.xml file to 777
- The googlemap script can handle non-registered users. They will only see the main map and won't be able to enter information. This is reserved for logged in users (detected automatically)
- usergroup permissions are available in the backend
- To change location just drag the map while holding the left mouse key or by using the zoom and key functions on the left
- First time loading of the map may take a few seconds longer because of Google API hosting



Special Xbox Live version
http://www.xboxlivenation.com/community/gamermap.php

Credits

This has taken quite some work and still will take a lot more. Please give credit where credit is due. You cannot remove any notice without prior written permission. Instructions are included in the pdf file.
Special credits to Google, Pyg for the javascript tips.


FAQ

The FAQ is included in the pdf file.

INSTALL



Feel free to support this mod and make a paypal donation to admin@stonyarc.com



(c) 2007 Stonyarc

[Parture]

When is there going to be a brand new googlemaps, preferrably HSE Edition? I base my forums on a Meeting Place Finder.

Another question: Is it really necessary to have this markers.xml?

Everybody can download this XML file. So an unregistered user can have all members with their coordinates. Makes this sense?

If we really need this file is it not possible to protect it against violation?

[Glenshadow]

True.. I never thought about that.. but usually "most average" people won't know about this file.

You need to have it because it stores the locations.. unless you get creative with blocking the direct call of it, or re-write the whole mod to use DB.. your most likely stuck with it. It has to be accessable and writeable.

[lpetrich]

There is a way to avoid creating and using that file.

Put its contents into the map page itself, as a JavaScript array.

However, one will have to ensure that quotes and apostrophes are properly escaped.

It's possible to improve performance by caching the page and updating it whenever the positions-DB entries change. And a simple way of doing that is to calculate a MD5 or SHA1 hash value for the positions DB whenever it gets updated, and to update the page only when its hash code differs from the DB's one.

PHP has some built-in functions for that, md5() and sha1(), so it should be straightforward to implement.

[DaveS]

Originally Posted by Glenshadow

Well I don't know about a re-release, but if it helps anyone I have attached my product-vbgooglemapme.xml and vbgooglemapme.php files in a zip. All I have done is added the recommended changes and it does work as I stated in earlier post.

Thanks for the fixes. I've come back to this to try to find a google maps members map solution as there doesn't seem to be one anywhere and this is closest I could find.

Im on vB 3.8.

I've updated with your files and I get the following problems (just in case there are additional fixes):

If I click the "Your Entry" link to add a marker it all seems to work, but when I load the Main Map I'm not shown on there. However I can see myself in the users list.

If I click on the "Your Entry" link after I've added myself the Googlemap doesn't load showing me where I had been placed.

No matter what I do it won't display the saved markers.

Any ideas?

[PtitLu]

This is exactly the problem i have since 3.7.5 (and still have on 3.8.0). Wishing someone has a solution, or this fantastic mod will be upgraded.

[Phaedrus]

Is there a way to make it update when usergroups change?

[Phaedrus]

Originally Posted by Glenshadow

True.. I never thought about that.. but usually "most average" people won't know about this file.

You need to have it because it stores the locations.. unless you get creative with blocking the direct call of it, or re-write the whole mod to use DB.. your most likely stuck with it. It has to be accessable and writeable.

CHMOD = 644 works. (Guess Not, weird things have been happening since the upgrade to 3.8.1)

[Parture]

Why doesn't some rewrite the whole thing and start over in a new thread? I preferred the HSE edition.

[lpetrich]

I'm thinking of uploading an archive of the vbGoogleMap plugin with my fixes.

Would that be OK with you people or would that be out of line?