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

[jajones]

sweet.
/me installs

[KenDude]

Dartho,

There are some problems.

First here is my site where you can test for yourself: http://www.caymanclub.net

Problem 1: With my Cingular BlackJack phone (running Windows Mobile 5 - MS Smartphone) it does not detect and use the mobile style.

Problem 2: If I manually choose the mobile style from the style drop-down box at the bottom of my home page and select Mobile Device Style I will get Zachary's style but there is a problem with it. Whenever I load the style it asks me to log in again so I do. I can go to the forum home page and see the forums and drill down until I find topics but once I display the topics page and choose a topic to read, it asks me to log in again and there is no way to reply to a topic. I log in and it reloads the page and asks me to log in again, the login isn't sticking.

I'm going to go off and try it with my Blackberry next...

[da420]

Originally Posted by KenDude

Problem 1: With my Cingular BlackJack phone (running Windows Mobile 5 - MS Smartphone) it does not detect and use the mobile style.

I think what is going on here is the Blackjack uses an HTML browser rather than a WAP one.

I work with this device everyday for a job. Hate it with a passion, almost as much as Treo's and Nokia Symbian based devices.

I'm going to go off and try it with my Blackberry next...

Much better device, but the Blackberry Browser is an HTML browser too. If you use the Cingular browser it will work though.

[dartho]

KenDude, could you log on with your BlackJack and then check "Whos Online" and select "Yes" to disaply UserAgent.

If you post the full user agent here (see attached) , I should be able to include it in the add-on

For you second issue, I'm not real sure. I get this on my site sometimes too from my desktop PC, I've found that if I log on and then go to the home page again it will save my log on deatails. This has only happened since installing VBAdvanced.

You could also try the skin which is in THIS product (I didn't find this till after I wrote the hack, I think the product only supports WAP browsers, but the skin should work on anybrowser)

[KenDude]

Here is the user agent:

SAMSUNG-SGH-I607/I607FG1 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows CE; Smartphone; 320x240) UP.Lin

The weird thing is that I went to the forum home and it suddenly showed the mobile style. So I clicked on a specific forum and then it went back to the "normal" default style. I drilled into some messages and still it was the default style, not the mobile style (although I did stay logged in).

Not sure what to make of it, do you mind browsing my site to see what sort of effect it has on your client? I went to your site Dartho on my BlackJack and the mobile skin came right up. It almost seems as if something isn't installed correctly, but I did follow the directions.

[dartho]

Hi KenDude,

When connecting to your site, I get the full version ("Cayman Default") on my PDA. I checked in a browser and changed the style to "Cayman Small" (is this your mobile style?) and its display was identical to "Cayman Default" If this is the mobile style, then it would appear it is an issue with either your install of the style or the style itself.

Is the mobile style you have user selectable? It doesn;t have to be for this plug in to work, but I can check the style itself works.

The style I have on my site is a very modified version of "Alabama" from HERE which was written originally for 3.0.x I haven't moved to 3.6 yet (still on 3.5.x) but when I do I will port my skin over and release it also.

[KenDude]

No the style is called "Mobile Device Style" and is the last one on the list, but I may have made it not user selectable as according to the install instructions. One of the things that confused me in the install instructions was something about changing the ID of the style to "Mobile Device Style" I didn't see how to change the ID so I changed the name. I have a feeling that something isn't set right for that style in the admin panel but I didn't fully understand the instructions can you walk me through it please? Thanks!

[dartho]

If you go to Style Manager in your adminCP and click on your mobile style there, it should open up your site using that style. Now if you look at the URL it has opened, you will see it is something like http://caymanclub.net/forum.php?styleid=9 - that last number on the URL is the style ID - enter that number where it asks in Mobile Device Detection in your AdminCP and all should work!

I've made a minor update to the product file to make it a full 3.6.x product and included version checking and product URL (you can now check for version updates in your adminCP) and made the instructions included in the zip hopefully a little clearer.

[dartho]

*** If you are updating from pre 1.0.2, you will need to uninstall the product first and then reinstall! no need to re-upload files! ***

This is because I changed the product ID from mobile_enabled to mobile_enabled36

[tuanluu]

kool I will get it a try