WebTemplates 3.x: VB Integrated Content Management System

After a long wait, here is the new 3.x version of Webtemplates for vB 3.x boards. First a short introduction for users who are not familiar with the old version:

This hack is a vBulletin integrated content management system. Term "Webtemplates" stands for dynamic webpages that reside in your MYSQL database and administered inside your vbulletin admin control panel. But they are more than regular site pages because they can automatically inherit visual design of your forum, can apply permissions according to your vb usergroup settings, can keep track of page counts, last visitorname/visit time, display page browsers in the page itself and in your whoisonline page etc. So basically webtemplates are dynamic web pages of your site which are powered by vbulletin. Or more simply putting, with this hack you can create regular HTML pages in your vB admin cp and these pages will be integrated into your vbulletin database about permissions, styles etc.


WEBTEMPLATES 3.x FEATURES:

• Easy Installation : Webtemplates can be installed to your board without modifying even a single vbulletin file, nor does it modify any vbulletin database table! It is coded as an add-on, not a hack.
• Apply VB Permissions: You can ban any webtemplate to any user or usergroup according to their userids or usergroupids. So for instance you can design a webtemplate which only members can see while guests can not, or only user A can not see etc.
• Private Webtemplates : With 1 click you can make a webtemplate "private" and it will be displayed to only certain usergroups.
• Draft Webtemplates : You can put webtemplates in "draft" mode which makes them invisible to all but admins.
• Page Counter : Each webtemplate has a built-in counter and you can display page count to your visitors and you can edit it or turn it OFF or ON per webtemplate basis.
• Visitor Logging&Tracking : You can track certain users' (by usergroup or userid) webtemplates visits to see who visited a webtemplate and when. This is configurable per webtemplate basis. Webtemplates have visits logs which admins can see.
• Site Contributers (Editor) Support : You can grant editing permissions for certain users or usergroups for your webtemplates individually and they will be able to update these webtemplates using their own editor interface. vB's WYSIWYG editor is supported in Editor interface!
• Page Browsers Display : Webtemplates can display who is browsing that webtemplate while people is reading them (like default forum browse display of vbulletin)
• Who is Online Display : Webtemplates can display page visitors in who is online (This is Optional and require a simple hacking in file /functions_online.php). You can create private webtemplates which are hidden in who is online too.
• Header/Footer Inclusion : Webtemplates can automatically use headers/footers (your default vb header/footer or custom ones)
• Help Documents : The script comes with built-in & detailed help documents (they are webtemplates too).
• Admin Panel in Webtemplates : Your webtemplates can include an "admin panel" displayed to only admins and by using them you can access many details and stats of your page while you are browsing them.
• Good Performance : Webtemplates 3.x structured so that it performs well even under heavy load conditions and high traffic servers. (See Performance issues below)
• Easy Back up: Simply back up your database (inside vbulletin or externally) and all your webtemplate structure is also backed up automatically.

ADVANCED FEATURES FOR ADVANCED USERS:

• Webquery Feature : With advanced "webquery" feature you can now add create dynamic webtemplates which include database query results. For instance you can easily add "last 10 threads forum X", "most active users list" etc. to your webtemplates with default webqueries that comes with installation or you can create your custom webqueries with basic SQL knowledge.
• Multi Parsing : Webtemplates can parse PHP or HTML or TEXT (=smilie/img tags/bbcode parsing like vb posts). This means you can design a page just like vb posts (TEXT parsing), standart HTML (HTML parsing) or even in PHP (PHP parsing).
• PHPINCLUDE per webtemplate : Every webtemplate has its own "phpinclude" field which you can run PHP codes before loading the Webtemplate
• Theme Support : Webtemplates support "themes" which are parent webtemplates which include child webtemplates in them. For instance if you have 20 similiar pages which uses the same visual look, you can make a single theme for all of them, then just insert their content into this theme. If you change theme later, all 20 pages' visual will change automatically.
• Conditionals : Webtemplates has built-in support for Logician's advanced templates conditionals so you can design webtemplates which change their display under different conditions. (Even if you don't have that hack installed)
• Default variables : You can use/display certain variables in your webtemplates like username of the visitor, visitor email address, last visit time, page creation time, page last edit time, Last visitor name, last visit time etc.
• Archieve to Text File : Webtemplates/Webqueries can be downloaded to a text file with one click for archiving purposes. You can also easily share these text files with other hack users.
• Outside Variables : Advanced users can now use outside variables in webtemplates, then webtemplates will accept/use/process user sent variables via HTTP_GET and HTTP_POST methods (eg. a HTML form can post to a webtemplate with this feature)

For screenshots, FAQ, performance issues, migration from old version to new version, see below.

If you use the hack, clicking here will make sure you'll know about updates&bug fixes. It will also help me understand how many people is using the hack so please click the install button if you use it. Thank you..


Version Updates:
16.Feb.2005 - > Version 3.01

* Hack released.




3.5 Version :
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=103076

[digitalJE5U5]

I installed the hack and everything went smooth. However, when I try and create a custom page with php, I am not getting the header and footer included.

Under the "theme" option , I have selected "default basic theme". The default VB form header and footer are included.

ex: echo "hi";

Gives me a plain white page with "hi". No header or footer.

If I change the parse method to TEXT and change nothing else, I get echo "hi"; just like it is supposed to look - inside a box with the header and footer, etc.

ANy help? What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

/DJ

[Logician]

Originally Posted by digitalJE5U5

I installed the hack and everything went smooth. However, when I try and create a custom page with php, I am not getting the header and footer included.

To include header and footer in PHP parsing, you need to add it to your code like this :

echo "$header";
echo "hi";
echo "$footer";

[jluerken]

Will this work with 3.5 or will be an update available within short?

[Logician]

Originally Posted by jluerken

Will this work with 3.5 or will be an update available within short?

I have no idea for both question. I haven't even yet downloaded 3.5

[jluerken]

Originally Posted by Logician

I have no idea for both question. I haven't even yet downloaded 3.5

Hi Ligician,

this is one of the most important hacks for me and I think for others also.
Many special pages were created and now, where the 3.5 release is coming close
it would be nice to have this hack updated.

Can you take time to do this?

This would be really excellent.

[Logician]

Originally Posted by jluerken

This is one of the most important hacks for me and I think for others also.
Many special pages were created and now, where the 3.5 release is coming close
it would be nice to have this hack updated.

Can you take time to do this?

This would be really excellent.

I understand. But please note that my hack list is way too crowded (see my profile) and most of these hacks are quite complicated ones like webtemplates. I have even unofficially released hundreds (literally!) of other hacks in hack requests forum and I even get requests for them to be updated from time to time. As for my officially released hacks, some members are asking them to be ported from vb2.x to vb3.x and some vb 3.x to vb3.5. If I covered all these requests, believe me this would be a full time job. So unfortunately I can only work on these requests for these when I have a time. Sorry for the inconvenience..

[jluerken]

Originally Posted by Logician

I understand. But please note that my hack list is way too crowded (see my profile) and most of these hacks are quite complicated ones like webtemplates. I have even unofficially released hundreds (literally!) of other hacks in hack requests forum and I even get requests for them to be updated from time to time. As for my officially released hacks, some members are asking them to be ported from vb2.x to vb3.x and some vb 3.x to vb3.5. If I covered all these requests, believe me this would be a full time job. So unfortunately I can only work on these requests for these when I have a time. Sorry for the inconvenience..

We should try to clone you Logician

[Pain86]

is there anyway to make links load on one page and not open a new window up?

[NonCompare]

Is it possible using conditionals to have only one template(I named it articles) with dynamic-changing content. I just made a static left tmenu for my forum categories:
Introduction [forumid=1]
Articles [forumid=2]
Suggestions [forumid=3]
and so on.......

My initial moved was to have my left menu a link like:
<a href="/forums/view.php?pg=articles&forumid=1">Introduction</a>
<a href="/forums/view.php?pg=articles&forumid=2">Articles</a>

Now my problem is I don't know how to implement that so-called outside variables, so that when I click Articles(2), for example, it will go to view.php?pg=articles&forumid=2 and will display all threads that belong to Articles category. But remeber it use the same template, so if I click Introduction again, for example, it will go again to view.php?pg=articles&this_forumid_here_will_change _accordingly

Does anyone already done this. Please help me, I would greatly appreciate from you guys!

If I did not explain it thoroughly, kindly let me know.

[Logician]

Originally Posted by NonCompare

Now my problem is I don't know how to implement that so-called outside variables, so that when I click Articles(2), for example, it will go to view.php?pg=articles&forumid=2 and will display all threads that belong to Articles category. But remeber it use the same template, so if I click Introduction again, for example, it will go again to view.php?pg=articles&this_forumid_here_will_change _accordingly

If I understand it correctly, it sounds possible. You need to put "forumid" into "Outside Variables" section of your webtemplate.

Then create a new webquery that depends on this very $forumid variable. Eg.

-----------------
SELECT threadid, title, postusername,postuserid,dateline
FROM " . TABLE_PREFIX . "thread
WHERE sticky=0 AND visible=1 AND forumid='$forumid'
ORDER BY dateline DESC
LIMIT 10
---------------------

In this webquery also makes sure you enter this line to "Query PHPInclude Code" :

PHP Code:

$forumid = intval($forumid); 


Now you can include this webquery in your webtemplate and everytime you call your webtemplate with a new "$forumid" value, the content of it will change.

Is this what you wanted to achieve?