AboutToday - Bring RSS Feeds and Daily Events to Your Site!

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.

1. 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!!
   
2. 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:

abouttoday.php
includes/class.csv.php
includes/class_abouttoday.php
includes/cron/cron_abouttoday.php
includes/xml/bitfield_abouttoday.xml
includes/xml/cpnav_abouttoday.xml
admincp/abouttodayadmin.php

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.

Sites Using this Product
Visit www.armchairgeneral.com to see this product in action.

Click Install!
Please Click Install if you are using this product. Thanks!

[libertylounge]

Well, I got a new RSS post at 6am on the dot, and I see in the scheduled tasks log that the RSS feed is updating on time... perhaps the RSS feed simply didn't update until then [ though it is the yahoo politics one ]?

Seems like there should have been something from ~10:30pm to 6am, though..

[CyberRanger]

Originally Posted by libertylounge

Well, I got a new RSS post at 6am on the dot, and I see in the scheduled tasks log that the RSS feed is updating on time... perhaps the RSS feed simply didn't update until then [ though it is the yahoo politics one ]?

Seems like there should have been something from ~10:30pm to 6am, though..

Remember, since the updates are via the vbulletin scheduled tasks, they only run if you have activity on the board. So, if you are using a test board or a board with low activity, the feeds may not update as often as you think they will. I'm looking at creating a file you can run from cron but don't have it ready yet.

[CyberRanger]

Originally Posted by rantrave

Excellent MOD by the way! Installed, Updated, Works Great.

One question, In the automated created thread there is an image atop of the summary that's not showing up. When properties are clicked, I get:

Protocol: HTTP

Address: /forums/admincp/

Dimensions: 28 x 30

Is this a missing image? Why does it call for my admincp folder?

Please see here: http://rant-rave.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8124

When the feed is created into a thread, any html img tags are converted into bbcode IMG tags. I find that the feed image tags tend to contain dynamic url's. Unless you have set vbulletin to allow dynamic img tags (admincp -> vbulletin options -> Message Posting and Editing Options -> Allow Dynamic URL for IMG Tags), vbulletin will convert the dymanic bbcode IMG tags to bbcode URL tags. The bad thing is ... that converion from an <img> tag to the bbcode url tag doesn't seem to work well.

[oberheimhaven]

XML error: syntax error at line 1

I have installed and uninstalled when I add a new feed this is what I get any suggestions??

Hmm I dont what happen It worked tho it added the feed Im sorry, hey when i force update it states set to zero what do i need to do to set this?

Thanks

[CyberRanger]

Originally Posted by stodan

Got some questions concerning displaying the feeds on the page. I am trying to get the feeds to line up in two rows of 3 in todays events. I have read this entire thread from beginning to end, and I am still not sure why it is not working for me.

In admincp>abouttoday>settings> How many rows across for $myfeeds variable? I put 2 in that field.

Include this Feed in $myfeeds variable? Each feed I have added yes to.

Yet they still appear in today events forum home as one column.

The $myfeeds variables will not change how the feeds show on forum home. That's not there purpose. There purpose is to allow you to create a variable (that contains the feed information) that you can then place anywhere on your site.

Originally Posted by stodan

Also how do I get "todays events" box to appear on top of "currently active users" Its to far down on the page at the moment would like it further up.

Sorry, right now you can't really move that.

Originally Posted by stodan

Sorry for these beginner questions, but everyone was a beginner at one point.

No problem, that's how we all learn. Sometimes, the beginner questions help me re-think how to make the product better.

For more detailed information on using the $myfeeds variables, I recommend reading and trying what is detailed in these three posts:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=213

and this:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=215

and this:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=217

[CyberRanger]

Originally Posted by oberheimhaven

XML error: syntax error at line 1

I have installed and uninstalled when I add a new feed this is what I get any suggestions??

Hmm I dont what happen It worked tho it added the feed Im sorry, hey when i force update it states set to zero what do i need to do to set this?

Thanks

If you get that error when you add a feed in admincp, that means there is a problem with the feed. You should delete it and readd it. If you still get that error, there is something wrong with the feed. You can post the feed url here if you want me to look at it.

When the feeds are set to zero, that means they think they've never been updated so they will update immediately.

[CyberRanger]

Originally Posted by Creasey

How do you customize the output of the $myfeeds variable. Your attached image for the side block that contains rss feed is formatted nicely. How do you get the output to look like that versus just plain text?? What do I need to change.

sorry, no way to modify that output right now. (well, you could modify the php files, but I don't recommend that.)

[oberheimhaven]

<a href="http://www.wireimage.com/rss/feeds/category/categorylist.ashx?2-4" target="_blank">http://www.wireimage.com/rss/feeds/c...ylist.ashx?2-4</a>

[CyberRanger]

Originally Posted by oberheimhaven

http://www.wireimage.com/rss/feeds/c...ylist.ashx?2-4

seems to be working for me. Is it working for you now? Maybe it was a temporary Internet gremlin!:alien:

[oberheimhaven]

well it worked then it didnt??? Is this on my end or config problem??

Want to check this out for me??? I have no clue