Miscellaneous Hacks - Digital Point User Map

About
This is a system for geo-locating your currently online users and plotting them on a world Google Map. You can click any of the pins for a link to pull up the user's location in Google Earth.

This is something I originally made almost 5 years ago. Now that I rewrote it for vBulletin 4, I wrapped it up as a product package and released it for the world to use.

Installation

• Put the usermap.php file in your forum folder.
• Install the product-digitalpoint_usermap.xml product under AdminCP -> Plugins & Products -> Manage Products -> Add/Import Product

Notes

• Important! - this uses the free GeoIP PHP extension, so you must have it installed on your server in order for it to work.
• Uses datastore cache so it does not repeat GeoIP queries unnecessarily.
• Upgraded to Google Maps API v3.

You can see a live version in action here:
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/usermap.php

[jay5r]

Just wanted to say thanks to Shawn. We PM'd and he suggested I didn't have the database installed correctly. I deleted the files, reinstalled and it works great now.

Originally Posted by digitalpoint

What's the URL you have it installed at?

[jay5r]

I installed it and users seem to like it. How hard would it be to modify? About 70% of my users want their screen names to show when you scroll over or click on their pin. Another 13% want to be able to opt out. Ideally I'd like screen names to show by default (being able to click to their member page would be incredible) and there be the option to set a persistent cookie that could either hide the screen name or completely opt-out.

[digitalpoint]

You couldn't do the opt-out with a cookie, would need to be something stored in the database since user A viewing it would need to know the opt-out setting for user B. It wouldn't be *terribly* hard for a programmer to do for you.

[RustedBucket]

Hey Shawn, any chance of making this work using membergroups?

[digitalpoint]

what do you mean exactly?

[Valerio]

Hello
I ask to my host to install the module and it did straight away, so i proceed with the installation and the result was:

Warning: geoip_record_by_name() [function.geoip-record-by-name]: Required database not available at /var/lib/GeoIP/GeoIPCity.dat. in [path]/usermap.php on line 100

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in [path]/usermap.php on line 128

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in [path]/usermap.php on line 133

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in [path]/usermap.php on line 152

Warning: geoip_record_by_name() [function.geoip-record-by-name]: Required database not available at /var/lib/GeoIP/GeoIPCity.dat. in [path]/usermap.php on line 158

I ask to my host and he reply:

hello,

Unfortunately the database it is requesting is not free: http://www.maxmind.com/app/products it is $370/site license.

The other issue is if you cannot specify where the database is located from within the script to reference a file from within your account files and directories rather than the backend server files and directories you will need to upgrade to a VPS or dedicated server.

Please let us know if there is anything else we can assist you with.

so?

[TeknoSounds]

Ask them to use/install the LITE version:

http://www.maxmind.com/app/geolitecity

[Valerio]

Fantastic, it work, Thank you digital point :up:

I open a ticket, and my host download the database in a folder into the root and change the path of php.

I'm very happy about that host.

The map visualize only the realtime users connected right?

Do you think it will be possible to add the nickname of the registered users to the map so when i click on a pin it appear the username of the registered user?

[digitalpoint]

No sorry... Too many privacy issues.

[Boofo]

Shaun, is there a way to suppress the foreach errors that show up if a guest clicks the link and no users are logged in?