welcome/login panel on non-vB page

I've seen a lot of requests for this around here, but no solutions.

Latest version is 1.30
Works with V2.2.9 Should work with earlier version of 2.2.x too.


OVERVIEW
========
This hack/modification is designed to create a welcome panel on your non-vB homepage, so that users are either welcomed back if they are registered, or invited to login/register if they are not.

There are config options to show avatar and/or PM information and/or who's online (with or without usernames) in your welcome panel.

If you want to see a working example, then go to http://www.thebookforum.com The hack installed there does not show all of its features, but gives a general idea. The templates allow complete control over the look of the login/welcome panel.

There is one PHP file (webwelcome.php) to upload, and ten custom VB templates to create.

The templates can be modified to suit the design of your site. The ones that I have included in the zip file are those that I created for my site.

There are options to include the following additional info
- Avatar for guests or user's own avatar if logged in. If no avatar selected, a default one will be shown. Example guest and default avatars included in this release package.
- PM info to logged in users (will not show if user cannot use PMs or has chosen not to)
- Who's online (number of members of guests). Additional option to choose whether to show usernames.


CREDITS
======
This hack also uses some code originally written by several members of vbulletin.org in particular Firefly and MrLister.

Full credit is given in the php file for the relevent bits of code used. I have modified their code slightly to work with this hack.

I have not formally asked their permission due to the open source nature of the hacks at vbulletin.org
If they object I will remove their code from this hack release.


HISTORY
======
V1.30 13 September 2002
Hack creation now very simple. No more copy & paste. I've changed a lot of the original vb code so copy & paste would be nearly impossible.
Added option to include PM info and who's online (with or without usernames) in the welcome panel.
Default templates included in the hack release altered to include these new options.
New templates for the additional info to be shown.

V1.20 11 September 2002
Added option to include user's avatar in the welcome panel.
Default templates included in the hack release altered to include these new options.
Default templates altered to be more generic.

V1.10 13 May 2002
Fixes the bug where the "most users online...." on the forum page keeps reseting to zero.
Removes a lot of the unecessary bloat from the script.
Creation of script simplified. Now just cut and paste.
NB template name change in this version - webwelcome_home is now called webwelcome.

V1.00 07 April 2002
Original release.

[wintz]

Originally posted by scsa20
make sure, in the Admin CP area of the main options that you have set the domain to set the cookies to .yourdomain.com

Yeah i just tried that and still i get the same error, i must be doing something wrong :ermm:

[Darren Lewis]

Wintz, try changing that code to this

PHP Code:

<?php
chdir("./forum/");
require('./global.php');
?>

[wintz]

Thanks Darren, tried the new code but still i get the same error

[Darren Lewis]

Sorry wintz, can't think of anything else Maybe someone else can help? Let us know if you get it working.

It must be something to do with the paths to the global.php file in your forum directory, but I can't figure out what.

[wintz]

Well thanks for trying Darren it was appreciated

[Heat]

I removed require('./global.php'); and I am still getting this error message.

Warning: Cannot add header information - headers already sent by (output started at /www.cornertrap.com/ct2.0/index.php:3) in /www.cornertrap.com/forums/admin/functions.php on line 1620

from functions.php

Line
1617 if ($cookiedomain) {
1618 setcookie($name, $value, $expire, $cookiepath, 1619$cookiedomain, $secure);
1619 } else {
1620 setcookie($name, $value, $expire, $cookiepath, '', $secure);
1621 }

Any ideas on how to fix this problem?

[Darren Lewis]

Hello Heat. Have you added these few lines of code to the very top of the website's (ie not the /forums) index.php file?

PHP Code:

<?php
chdir("forums/");
require('./global.php');
?>

This has to run before any other header information.

Are you running any other PHP scripts on your homepage?

Darren.

[Heat]

Thanks for the reply. I didn't put the code at the very top of the index page. Instead I ran it at the top of a separate html page that was included in index.php. Now it runs with no errors.

Thanks.

[Darren Lewis]

I think that there is a bug in the script. My "most ever online users....." at the bottom of the forums keeps resetting itself.

I suspect that this is caused by too much extra code being left in the newly created webwelcome.php file.

Does anyone else have this problem? If so, does anyone know which lines of code should be removed?

The other "bug" is that if you close your forums, your homepage will also show as closed - not sure how to resolve these problems :ermm:

Thanks.

Darren.

[Heat]

I have noticed this bug too. The "Most number of users ever online" resets. Will there be a fix?