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

[tekguru]

Originally Posted by dartho

tekguru - I've updated my profile with my sites address - http://thewholeforce.com - it's a Rugby supporters site for the Western Australian Super14 rugby team "Western Force"

Nice looking site, strange that for some reason I thought you were a fellow Brit

Be cool if you and Aggie could work together to produce anawesome generic PDA theme though.

Ref Adv where you say in the mobile theme you kill the left and right hand columns does this not cause any issues?

[dartho]

no probs at all, it just doesn;t disaply left and right columns and is more likely to fit on a small screen - here's my adv_portal template:

$stylevar[htmldoctype]
<html dir="$stylevar[textdirection]" lang="$stylevar[languagecode]">
<head>
<if condition="$pages['name'] == 'home'">
	<meta http-equiv="Cache-Control" content="no-cache" />
	<meta http-equiv="Pragma" content="no-cache" />
	<meta http-equiv="Expires" content="0" />
</if>

<title>$vboptions[hometitle] <if condition="$pagetitle">- $pagetitle</if></title>

$headinclude
<if condition="$show['inlinemod']">
	<script type="text/javascript" src="clientscript/vbulletin_inlinemod.js"></script>
</if>
</head>
<body>

$header

$navbar

<table align="center" class="page" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%">
	<tr valign="top">
		<if condition="$show['center_column']">
			<td valign="top">
				$home[centerblocks]
			</td>
		</if>
	</tr>
</table>

$footer

</body>
</html>

[tekguru]

Originally Posted by dartho

BTW - if you use this skin with vbAdvanced, I suggest you edit the "adv_portal_welcomeblock" template and remove all its contents so you don't have a double log in screen on your front page.

BTW should this be instant as I've just cleaned those two templates and accessed via the mobile device and I still see two login prompts.

[dartho]

Back a week ago I suggested

BTW - if you use this skin with vbAdvanced, I suggest you edit the "adv_portal_welcomeblock" template and remove all its contents so you don't have a double log in screen on your front page.

under cmps 3.0 - there are 2 temapltes, adv_portal_welcomeblock_lean and adv_portal_welcomeblock_expanded - you could clear the entire contents of both of these or if you still want the basic userinformation, edit these tempaltes, search for <else /> and delete everything (including "<else />") down to but NOT including the last </if>statement just a few lines from the bottom


On another note - I've been having a look and dig around tonight, and I think I can come up with a 5/5 mobile phone compliant skin - very basic but should be compatible with older mobiles - similar to the SMF mobile style. It's just a matter of finding the time to do it - a few long nights and a case of beer should be enough, but not sure when I can get around to it.

[tekguru]

Originally Posted by dartho

Back a week ago I suggested under cmps 3.0 - there are 2 temapltes, adv_portal_welcomeblock_lean and adv_portal_welcomeblock_expanded - you could clear the entire contents of both of these or if you still want the basic userinformation, edit these tempaltes, search for <else /> and delete everything (including "<else />") down to but NOT including the last </if>statement just a few lines from the bottom

Yep already cleared both of those so I think it may be a caching issue as for me at least I still get the two login prompts.

Originally Posted by dartho

On another note - I've been having a look and dig around tonight, and I think I can come up with a 5/5 mobile phone compliant skin - very basic but should be compatible with older mobiles - similar to the SMF mobile style. It's just a matter of finding the time to do it - a few long nights and a case of beer should be enough, but not sure when I can get around to it.

Sounds perfect to me if you can come up with one expect a donatin from me at least!

[dartho]

I have an alpha VERY lite skin if anyone wants to test? Only has forums/threads and replying to posts - everything else is same as existing released mobile skin. page sizes are greatly reduced - forum home is like only 6 kilobytes (I've learnt a bit and should be able to greatly reduced the 'dartho mobile alabama' bandwidth requirements too)

Please leave feedback on this one!

Now I need to work on the mobile detect hack and try and discern low res devices which can use this skin, and higher res devices that can use the alabama skin...

[MotoUp]

I actually really like the functionality of the dartho alabama skin, even if the load times are a bit longer, so if you do work on making it smaller, my only request is that you don't remove any of that functionality. I love being able to read and send PM's, edit posts, create new threads, etc. which wasn't available in the previous style.

[dartho]

no loss in functionality - just a significant reduction in size - probably over 80% smaller.

I will in the coming weeks modify the mobile device detection so that you can specify one skin for Windows CE devices and blackberrys and a different skin for "other" mobile devices.

Any suggestions for what devices/browers should be lumped into teh WIndows CE (high res, high functionality) category would be helpful.

[MotoUp]

Okay, so the mobil-phone-skin that you just released above is not the dartho skin reduced, it's completely different, am I understanding that correctly?

[Derek_Trotter]

@Dartho
Excellent! This is better solution! My browser still not alow me to log in, but surfing forum is much faster. This is very important for my members. Can you add to this skin P.M. ?