Add-On Releases - Mobile Device Style Assignment

This is my first released hack, be nice.

This hack will detect when a mobile device connects to your site and allow you to override the default style/skin with one you specify.

Just install the product-file and set which style is your mobile device style via the AdminCP. Has been tested with several 3.6.x versions up to 3.6.8

I am also releasing a skin I wrote (it is based on vbmechanics Alabama skin, so updated or modified would be a more accurate description) for my own needs - it could probably be tidied up a lot more, but it works for me - take it as it is, I may offer limited support for this skin if I get time (no promises), and feel free to offer suggestions. Mobi - My super light skin is probably the one to go for, it has much greater functionailty.

=Install Instructions=
Go to Plugin System, Manage Products in your AdminCP and click Add/Import Product link at the end of the page
Browse for the product-mobile_enabled36-x.x.x.xml product file and click 'import'
Refresh your admincp page and in VBulletin Options, select the settings for 'Mobile Device Detection'
Change the styleid of your mobile skin in "Mobile Device Style" to the StyleID number of your mobile device skin
Change the styleid of your PDA skin in "PDA Device Style" to the StyleID number of your PDA device skin
Your mobile/pda skin must be user selectable (although you can disbale the ability for users to change styles in vBulletin Options)
Thats it!

=Upgrade Instructions=
Go to Plugin System, Manage Products in your AdminCP and click Add/Import Product link at the end of the page
Browse for the product-mobile_enabled36-x.x.x.xml product file
Choose to overwrite
Click 'import'
Re-configure Styleid of mobile/pda skin if required

VERSION 1.0.7a
Based on initial release - supports assigning one alternative style to ALL detected mobile devices

VERSION 2.1.2
Now allows the addition of exceptions and also specifying a skin for Pocket PCs (Windows CE devices) and a skin for all otehr detected mobile devices.
I've also released a very light skin HERE which is great for cell/Mobile phones

LAST UPDATE 22-October 2007
VERSION 2.1.3 - removed, small bug
VERSION 2.1.3a

• Added ability to assign different styles to IPods/iPhones (In addiotn to Windows CE devices and other detected mobile devices
• Added ability to assign specific style to a user defined device (based on user agent string).
  
  You will need to know the useragent string, or a unique fragment of the user agent string to do this. One exmple of how this can be used would be to assign a specific style to say Firefox users, perhaps a different style for Blackberry users, or you could assign a specific style to search engines (beware when doing this - google apprently doesn't like people displying different content to search engines)
  

To upgrade, simply overwrite product - your existing settings should be preserved.

I've left the previous version available for download - to get the new version, download and install the attached XML

**BACKUP YOUR DB BEFORE INSTALLING**

Other Mobile / Lite Skins:

Mobile - My super light skin
iPhone / iPod Touch Optimised Style
Alabama
VBLite
WAP Plugin - this is a similar product and skin which I didn't find till after I'd made this one - it seems to be more directed at WAP devices as opposed to all Mobile Devices, and appears to no longer be supported, but worth having a look at.


Remember to click install and give a rating :up:

keywords: Mobile, PDA, Autodetect, Autoselect, WAP, Skin, portal, cell, phone, iphone

3.7 Version Here

[dartho]

The hack works with Opera mini, someone just questioned how well the alabama skin looks under Opera...

BTW, attached is the latest incarnation of the alambama skin I've been messing with. I've tested it using Pocket Internet Explorer under Wiundows Mobile 5 on a PDA connecting to a 3.6.7PL1 site. All looks fine, it needs more refining as far as it's look goes, but is functional. I've got opera around here somewhere and will test with that when I get a chance. Let me know of any issues and I'll try and fix. Otherwise it might be a couple weeks before I do anything else with it...

[tekguru]

Sounds good - grabbing it now - feedback tonight hopefully!

[JustJon]

That works just groovy for my Treo. Thanks.

[MotoUp]

I am using a Blackberry, and the theme loads great. The only problem I'm having is that the pulldown menu with options will pull down, but when I click, or hit enter, it doesn't take me anywhere. Is this just blackberry related? I don't see a go button or anything next to the drop down...any ideas?

[MotoUp]

Nevermind, I figured it out. Had to enable Javascript support in my browser options.

[MotoUp]

Okay, small problem now. I just tried to post. LOL, it says, this forum is not accepting new posts at this time.

Hmmmm

[tekguru]

Okay theme loaded today, good comments from teh test team, but......

Ok, this is strange... This morning, I was on my device, and browsing thru the mobile portal! (BTW: Much better theme with 'remember-me!)

Well I tried to post here in this thread, not once, but twice, and both times the post appeared in a totally different thread. Caught me by surprise the first time, and I thought I just tapped a wrong button somewhere! I deleted, and tried again about a half hour later, and same exact thing...

So as you can see there are a few posting issues, other testers have reported the same.

One weird error everyone seems to be getting which ties in to the time I started playing with these thmes is:



Any ideas what may be causing it?

[dartho]

that is odd! And this doesn't happen with the "VB Lite" skin?

I'll have a dig through and see what I can find.

[MotoUp]

First of all dartho, I would like to say, this style rocks! You are doing an amazing job with it, and only today did I realize it was different than the original vbLite style. I was not getting these same errors with vbLite, but there is so much potential here I would love to help get it working.

I did some more testing, and found that the error I was getting about the forum not accepting new posts was when people were posting with the quick reply. If we were to click on the actual "reply" link and submit the post, it worked fine, and if we created a new topic it worked fine.

I hope that helps, and I will be more than happy to help you test it more thoroughly, feel free to PM me and I can give you more contact info.

One other thing we noticed is if we log in to the forum, then go to the drop down menu and say go to new posts ( or any other option), once that page loads we are forced to log in again, from there, the browsing is flawless.

[dartho]

@Motoup, thanks for the extra feedback - those issues should be reasoably easy to fix - the log in and quick reply options were only added in that last version. I'll have a go at that this evening and get a new version to you to test before posting up here again.

@tekguru, that script error is a little odder, I think there may be some issues with a hack or addon you have installed - I'll contact privately to discuss that possibility further