Miscellaneous Hacks - NoSpam! for vBulletin 3.7

NoSpam! is back and better than ever! The automatic template edits should be smoother than they were in the previous version, in addition to the 3.7 support. Please note that this version will ONLY work for vBulletin 3.7!

NoSpam! is a simple hack that allows the administrator to specify a number of easy questions, a random one of which must be answered correctly in order for a guest to be able to register, post, search or use the contact form. Because you create the questions and they are unique for each forum, it is impossible for a bot programmer to preprogram a bot to be able to answer them without adjusting the bot specifically to one, and thus you will be rid of all spam posted by CAPTCHA-evading advertisement programs.

This functionality was added by default in vBulletin 3.7's Q&A human verification system, so why use NoSpam! for 3.7 at all? There are a few reasons why one could prefer it:

- I have heard reports that vBulletin's default Q&A human verification is faulty and lets bots through. Truth to be told, I would not have publically released a 3.7 version if not for this. I don't quite see how this could happen and have not experienced it myself seeing as I don't use vBulletin's human verification, but if those reports are to be trusted, NoSpam! will do a better job of keeping the bots out.
- It is much easier to add questions and answers in NoSpam! en massé than in vBulletin's default system. If you want a great number of questions, vBulletin's built-in system takes terribly long to add them all in with quite a lot of page loads in between, while a fast typer can add several dozen questions to NoSpam! in a matter of minutes.
- If you have previously used NoSpam!, a simple copy-paste will get all your previous questions into NoSpam! for 3.7, while to get them into the built-in vBulletin system requires a converter.

If the reports of vBulletin's default human verification system failing are incorrect, I will freely admit that most people will do fine with the built-in system. But if you prefer this hack, by all means use it.

NoSpam! can be used with or without default vBulletin human verification. In this version, the automatic addition of the question into the templates should be flawless and not induce the often-reported problem where the question didn't appear in the previous version of the hack.

VERSION HISTORY:

4.0: Redid the automatic addition of questions to be smoother and more or less foolproof. Released for vBulletin 3.7.
3.0: Added functionality to allow users to specify which pages should use NoSpam!.
2.0: Extended the NoSpam! functionality to guest posts, guest searches and guest "Contact Us" in addition to registration.
1.1: Made template edit automatic (with thanks to Cole2026), added ability to have more than one answer to each question, and made answers case insensitive. To upgrade, I recommend undoing the template edit so you won't have to worry about it anymore (replace $nospamfield in the template register with $imagereg, or if you added $nospamfield above $imagereg, just remove $nospamfield altogether), and then reimport the product through the Admin CP (making sure that Allow Overwrite is set to On).
1.0: Initial release.

INSTALLATION:

1. Import product-nospam.xml through the Admin CP product manager.
2. Go to your vBulletin options in the Admin CP and select NoSpam! Settings. Once there, turn the system on and input your questions and answers according to the instructions there.

The system should now be functional and running.

UNINSTALLATION:

Just uninstall the product through the Admin CP.

SUPPORT:

Full support will be given in this thread. All suggestions are welcome.

Thank you and please click "Mark as Installed" if you like it.

[beishe8]

Originally Posted by shimpaku

OK....I take it then that it is a plugin?

Admin CP > Plugins & Products > Download/Upload Products > Upload XML File From Computer ("product_nospam")

Is that the correct procedure?

~Phil

Plugins & Products > Manage Products > [Add/Import Product] EITHER upload the XML file from your computer

Choose Browse.
Import

[shimpaku]

Originally Posted by beishe8

Plugins & Products > Manage Products > [Add/Import Product] EITHER upload the XML file from your computer

Choose Browse.
Import

Thanks.....got it and installed. Sorry for the hassle but I never added in a plugin.
Looks great!

~Phil

[Fungsten]

OMG it works too!!

Sorry but some of the other registration Mods I've tried mess up everything.

[Digital Jedi]

Originally Posted by tafreeh

i think this is buil-in option in vb 3.7... iguesss

Originally Posted by Mike-D

Jelsoft has made brilliant ways to stop such Spam things. Why to reinvent the wheel (German idiom)? I don't see any reason why publishing a second Spam Hack. Maybe someone can enlighten me

I realize this has been asked and answered, but I have to stick my two cents in here.

With NoSpam!, you get to do a question and an CAPTCHA at the same time. With default vB 3.7.x, you get one or the other, not both.

No, this is not reinventing the wheel. This is putting an extra wheel on your unicycle and making it a bike.

End rant.

[PoetJA-1975]

Originally Posted by Digital Jedi

I realize this has been asked and answered, but I have to stick my two cents in here.

With NoSpam!, you get to do a question and an CAPTCHA at the same time. With default vB 3.7.x, you get one or the other, not both.

No, this is not reinventing the wheel. This is putting an extra wheel on your unicycle and making it a bike.

End rant.

I'd like to chime in as well... Before Jelsoft aka vBulletin copied the principle of NoSpam - there was CAPTCHA and nothing else - It wasn't a viable premise to keep Spammers from registering. Then NoSpam! was introduced = Simply brilliant modification that cut out 99.9% of all spam posts & registrations my Forum had once attracted...

So... Thanx again ANTIALIASIS - I had installed NoSpam on 3.6 series and it was absolutely fabulous. It's a pleasure to install again on 3.7 so thanx for sharing! Wonderful modification!

Jacquii.

[AURFSCAN]

NoSpam is the best...Installed and working perfectly

Spam went from heaps to nothing..what more could you want 10/10

[AURFSCAN]

Originally Posted by Digital Jedi

With NoSpam!, you get to do a question and an CAPTCHA at the same time. With default vB 3.7.x, you get one or the other, not both.

No, this is not reinventing the wheel. This is putting an extra wheel on your unicycle and making it a bike.

:up:

[Paul99999]

Great hack,

Have you ever considered having an option for multiple questions on the registration page? ie the user has to get 3-5 questions right before being able to register?

[shimpaku]

Originally Posted by AURFSCAN

NoSpam is the best...Installed and working perfectly

Spam went from heaps to nothing..what more could you want 10/10

Same here. One very simple question and I went down from an average of 8 to 14 spammers a day to nothing!

~Phil

[shimpaku]

Originally Posted by Paul99999

Great hack,

Have you ever considered having an option for multiple questions on the registration page? ie the user has to get 3-5 questions right before being able to register?

I believe that option is already there. However, two, three or more questions to register is a bit of over kill don't you think?! It's just there to deter human assisted bots and not meant to scare possible well intended registrants away! After all, it's not intended as a college entrance exam!

~Phil