Version: 2.0.4, by CyberRanger
Developer Last Online: Jan 2015
Version: 3.5.4
Rating:
Released: 02-05-2006
Last Update: 08-01-2006
Installs: 249
DB Changes Uses Plugins Template Edits
Additional Files
No support by the author.
What is AboutToday?
AboutToday provides a central place to bring daily items of interest to your forum visitors. It includes two main components: an RSS Reader System and Local Events database System.
Please NOTE: This mod has been modified for vb ver 3.6.4. It should work on vb ver 3.5.4 and 3.6.x.
An RSS Reader system where the admin can enter RSS feeds that will then be displayed on the page. RSS feeds can be set to AUTOMATICALLY create threads or be set so that users can easily create a thread from a feed.. Feeds can be read via fopen or cURL.
The RSS Feeds are fully intergrated with vbAdvanced and could actually be placed anywhere you want!!
A database system that can hold unlimited categories of "AboutToday" events. For example, you could have a history category (like a Today in History) with sub-categories for different eras in history. Or, you could have a daily joke or software tip of the day, etc.
The "Add Event" feature is intended to help you if you want for example - Sports: Today in History. With the vb calendar, you cannot have categories and you are restricted with how far back the dates can go.
So with the "Add Event" feature, you could have a category tree like:
Hockey
Professional
College
High School
Football
American Football
The Rest of the World (Soccer)
Baseball
with the normal calendar feature, you cannot have categories. And with "Add Event" you can have any date. So, if you want an event like "Jan 1, 132 B.C. - the first ball was invented", you can do that. But, that isn't possible in the normal calendar. Also, the events in "Add Event" are fully searchable.
Installation
Copy the following files to your server in the forums directory:
From the admincp, import the product file product-abouttoday.xml (Manage Products - Add/Import Product).
REFRESH your admincp window. You should now see a listing in the left column of the admincp for "AboutToday".
Getting Started
NOTE - if this is a new install, a Yahoo RSS Feed and CNN Entertainment Feed have been automatically added to give you a feel for how the product looks.
If you plan to use the RSS Feeds:
1. From the admincp, select AboutToday - RSS Feeds. Add an RSS Feed.
2. From the admincp, select Usergroups - Usergroup Manager. Add permissions so the Administrator group can use the product.
3. From your forum directory, bring up the file abouttoday.php. 4. If you want the feeds to AUTOMATICALLY create threads, go to admincp - abouttoday - settings. There you must set the userid of the account to use to create the thread. Then, edit the RSS Feed with the forumid of where the threads for that feed should be created!
If you plan to create your own "today in history" type of database:
1. From the admincp, select AboutToday - Categories. Add a category.
2. From your forum directory, bring up the file abouttoday.php. "Add" your first event to the category you have created!
Version Status
I've tested this product extensively but ... use this totally at your own risk!
Credits
I learned a lot about how to code this and used a lot of the code from what Ron1n did with ecDownloads. What I've learned from his code while helping to support ecDownloads has been invaluable.
I have installed this and the default feeds work fine. However, when I try to add a new feed from the Admin CP, I get the 404 Error message. What I am doing wrong???
well ... that's a new one! Do you get it when you click "Add Feed" button? What url is showing in the address bar when you are at the 404 Error message page?
Even with the RSS feeder not having an incremented post count, the posts were still adding to the sites overall postcount. Just not the users post count.
Is there no way at all to extract that magic post count number? Grrr
well ... that's a new one! Do you get it when you click "Add Feed" button? What url is showing in the address bar when you are at the 404 Error message page?
My RSS "User" is the only one with permission to create threads in paticular forums. Would it be possible in that case to total threads in certain forums instead, as the number will be the same as the RSS Post count?
Something like
$rsscount = ($forum1count + $forum2count)-1
(the -1 would be changeable in my style as there are a couple of stickies in those forums that would need to be excluded)
My RSS "User" is the only one with permission to create threads in paticular forums. Would it be possible in that case to total threads in certain forums instead, as the number will be the same as the RSS Post count?
If that's the case, you should be able to just set the forum's settings to "no" for "Count Posts Made in this Forum Towards User Post Counts".
Hmm... as I write that the way I'm updating the user count may by-pass that setting. Give it a try and let me know what happens.
AboutToday - Bring RSS Feeds and Daily Events to Your Site! Details »»
About Developer
DB Changes 
No support by the author.
07-11-2006, 07:44 PM
