Add-On Releases - PS - HelpCenter

HelpCenter is the ultimate ticket support system for your vBulletin!

Click Here for vBulletin 3.6 Version

HelpCenter is a support ticket system made for vBulletin. It allows you to manage your members questions much easier, saving you the hassle of going through emails and private messages.

Visit PaulSonny for news, demos, screenshots, and more!

Demo: PaulSonny HelpCenter

Features

If you have any feature requests please make them known at PaulSonny.

* Automatic Template Edits
* Turn HelpCenter ON/OFF and display a custom message.
* Disallow New Tickets to be created and display a custom message.
* Give your Ticket ID's a Prefix.
* Auto Open closed tickets when a new reply is made. (Now an Admin Option)
* Add, Edit and Delete departments via AdminCP, view Tickets within a Department.
* Open/Closed ticket AdminCP Management.
* Make tickets public/private.
* Ticket Priorities. (Low/Medium/High)
* WOL: HelpCenter.
* View Statistics about HelpCenter in the AdminCP.

Installation Instructions

[] Upload all the files from the Upload folder.
[] Import product-helpcenter.xml via the AdminCP.
[] Set Permissions for each usergroup via the AdminCP for HelpCenter.
[] Set Departments up via the AdminCP for HelpCenter.

Footnotes

Please report all bugs, feature requests and comments here.

Version History:

Version 1.00 Beta 1:

Initial version for vBulletin 3.7.

Version 1.00 Beta 2:

Bug Fixes.

Version 1.00 Beta 3:

Database Errors Fixed.
Added Extra Usergroup Permissions.
Ticket Priority Added.
Ticket Number Prefix Added.
Plus Much More...

Version 1.00 Beta 4:

Added Some extra Admin Features.
Fixed some bugs.
Other small features added.

Version 1.00 Beta 4 Security Fix

Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Fixed.

Version 1.00 Beta 5:

Further Enchanged Some Admin Functions.
Enhanced My Tickets Interface.
Paginated Results.
Fixed More bugs, such as Guest Tickets Problem. (Temporary Measure!)
Other small features added.

Version 1.00 Beta 6:

Make tickets public/private.
Tidied up Admin Interface.
Fixed Phrases.
Tidied Up the Code.
It now parses smilies in your tickets. so you get !
Other small features added.

Version 1.00 Release Candidate 1:

Fixed SQL Vunerabilities
Fixed Phrases.
Tidied Up the Code.
Implemented Delete Confirmation Screens.
Improved CSRF Security.

Version 1.00:

Can View HelpCenter Permission Added.
Updated Delete Confirmations.
Fixed No Title Error.
Tidied Up the Code.

Version 1.01:

Minor Template Change for Version.
Standard Editor Error Fixed.
Improved Code Structure for Editors.

Please remember to click Mark As Installed if you use this modification.
If you use this plug-in, and find it useful, please support us by nominating us for Mod Of The Month (MOTM) in the top right corner of this thread, or feel free to donate.

You will get an email when a new version is released.

Thanks, PaulSonny & The Development Team.

[danielc2384]

^ In the "HelpCenter Permissions" category I set all moderators permissions to "yes" but they still can't view it.

[PaulSonny]

Originally Posted by exetel

It might be my first post however if you have seen how long I've been registered for and the fact I'm still a paying customer for VB so my opinion on this still counts right? no matter how many posts someone makes right?...

And the fact i asked some important questions there mate which I'm sure others like to know the answers to if they going to choose a payed mod over a free one...

So lets try this again shale we?

What makes yours different from any other FREE ticket system out there that might have better features?


Bottom line is here you start off something given away for free that's fair enough but then later down the track you pull the plug basically begging for ppl to PAY for something extra that they might want which by all accounts would be a normal feature in any Ticket system how have totally missed the plot here?... Don't you think this a bit hash?.... I know I'm finding it hard to swallow this deception.

Regards

Cheyne

I'm not looking to get into any arguments over this so this will be my final reply on the matter.

At the end of the day, alot and I mean alot of effort goes into these types of modifications both coding and support.

We are not pulling the plug on anything, where have you got this assumption from? We have been honest and clear from the start as to what our intentions will be.

We are not requiring anyone to pay for this modification, it is based basically upon choice, you either want to, or you dont, and can you please provide me with a link to a post/comment where I have begged for people to PAY?

Some of the features in the pro version of HelpCenter you might/might not find in other support ticket systems. To be honest I dont care what features others have, this is mine and Jase2's modification and we will put into it what we think it needs, as we already have put alot of the suggestions people have mentioned, more than we should have!

AND finally, I dont appreciate you accusing me of deception and trying to deceive people, like I have said above, myself and Jase2 have been clear from the start about what our intentions are.

Originally Posted by danielc2384

How can moderators reply to posts in the help center since they dont have access to the admin cp?

Originally Posted by danielc2384

^ In the "HelpCenter Permissions" category I set all moderators permissions to "yes" but they still can't view it.

You have to give moderators the permission to manage all tickets, are you having problems with other usergroups and their permissions?

Originally Posted by powerful_rogue

Hi Paul,

I know youve probably been busy, just wanted to see if youve had a moment to log in and check.

Thanks

Dave

Sorry I have not been in touch sooner, I have just started work on MyCart and got really carried away and totally forgot about the PM I received. I will be home in around an hour and will have a look.

My apologises and thanks, Paul.

[Jase2]

Originally Posted by exetel

It might be my first post however if you have seen how long I've been registered for and the fact I'm still a paying customer for VB so my opinion on this still counts right? no matter how many posts someone makes right?...

And the fact i asked some important questions there mate which I'm sure others like to know the answers to if they going to choose a payed mod over a free one...

So lets try this again shale we?

What makes yours different from any other FREE ticket system out there that might have better features?


Bottom line is here you start off something given away for free that's fair enough but then later down the track you pull the plug basically begging for ppl to PAY for something extra that they might want which by all accounts would be a normal feature in any Ticket system how have totally missed the plot here?... Don't you think this a bit hash?.... I know I'm finding it hard to swallow this deception.

Regards

Cheyne

Sorry, I just had to comment on this. FYI, the lite version is so users could get a feel of what the basics of HelpCenter is about. In the paid version, there is going to be even more features, with the same great support!

Really, have we begged users to pay? I don't think so. Get your act right before you start jumping to conclusions. vBulletin had a lite version... hmmm, but you still paid for vBulletin paid ? Yes!

I don't mind answering questions, but when someone doesn't think before they ask or accuse, then I really cannot be bothered with them. Good bye!

[powerful_rogue]

As much as I would love to be a coder, its never going to happen. Some people have it and others dont.

I can tell that a lot of time and effort has gone into this mod and the support offered is second to none.

Im more then happy to pay for the premium version when it comes out. If it keeps Paul and Jase rolling out top quality mods like this then that cant be a bad thing.

Ive been after a support mod for a long time, and had to settle on a php script that looks clumsy and takes members away from the forum. Having eveything in one place like this mod does is great.

Plus, you dont have to buy the premium product, all the features you need for a basich help desk are included in the lite version.

Sorry to jump in on an argument thats nothing to do with me, it just winds me up when people complain about having to buy a full version. I own a car, however I dont expect Fiat to do the services and supply all the extras for free.

[baghdad4ever]

Originally Posted by PaulSonny

Guests are able to see there own tickets (based on their IP Address).

Thanks, Paul.

thanks for your reply

i understand now

bec i make the ticket via username

and enter as guest and see my ticket

so if there r many users have the same ip (shared internet)

so they will see ticket of each other

and no privacy

so please can you change this

and make it via username only not by ip

[gettingbetter]

Some suggestions for future releases, if not already implemented or mentioned:

1) A pull-down textbox on the ticket response screeen with "Close this ticket" (and other variables) so that the ticket can be closed upon responding.

2) reCAPTCHA field for certain usergroups (unregistered, awaiting email confirmation, etc) when submitting a ticket. Deters spam, obviously.

3) Perhaps some aesthetic designs or graphics. Not essential, but might make things look spiffy.

This is a very good and professional mod. Thanks for all the hard work I know you put into it.

[PaulSonny]

Originally Posted by Jase2

Sorry, I just had to comment on this. FYI, the lite version is so users could get a feel of what the basics of HelpCenter is about. In the paid version, there is going to be even more features, with the same great support!

Really, have we begged users to pay? I don't think so. Get your act right before you start jumping to conclusions. vBulletin had a lite version... hmmm, but you still paid for vBulletin paid ? Yes!

I don't mind answering questions, but when someone doesn't think before they ask or accuse, then I really cannot be bothered with them. Good bye!

Well said, I couldnt of put it better myself!

Originally Posted by powerful_rogue

As much as I would love to be a coder, its never going to happen. Some people have it and others dont.

I can tell that a lot of time and effort has gone into this mod and the support offered is second to none.

Im more then happy to pay for the premium version when it comes out. If it keeps Paul and Jase rolling out top quality mods like this then that cant be a bad thing.

Ive been after a support mod for a long time, and had to settle on a php script that looks clumsy and takes members away from the forum. Having eveything in one place like this mod does is great.

Plus, you dont have to buy the premium product, all the features you need for a basich help desk are included in the lite version.

Sorry to jump in on an argument thats nothing to do with me, it just winds me up when people complain about having to buy a full version. I own a car, however I dont expect Fiat to do the services and supply all the extras for free.

Thanks for your comments, much appreciated.

Originally Posted by baghdad4ever

thanks for your reply

i understand now

bec i make the ticket via username

and enter as guest and see my ticket

so if there r many users have the same ip (shared internet)

so they will see ticket of each other

and no privacy

so please can you change this

and make it via username only not by ip

I agree this is an error, I will fix for RC2.

Originally Posted by gettingbetter

Some suggestions for future releases, if not already implemented or mentioned:

1) A pull-down textbox on the ticket response screeen with "Close this ticket" (and other variables) so that the ticket can be closed upon responding.

2) reCAPTCHA field for certain usergroups (unregistered, awaiting email confirmation, etc) when submitting a ticket. Deters spam, obviously.

3) Perhaps some aesthetic designs or graphics. Not essential, but might make things look spiffy.

This is a very good and professional mod. Thanks for all the hard work I know you put into it.

1) You can already close a ticket from the Ticket Options menu with the correct Usergroup Settings.

2) This has already been suggested and Jase is implementing into the paid version.

3) Can you please confirm what you mean? Graphics for where?

Thanks, Paul.

[powerful_rogue]

Just to say thanks once again Paul for sorting that problem out for me. Ive finally been able to get rid of that horrid support system I was previously using and put this one live on the forum

Ive had problems with a few mods in the past, some free and some paid and the support didnt come close to what you have offered. Thank you once again

Ive also got a couple of suggestions for maybe a furture version. When you have it set to create a thread when a ticket has been created, maybe have a link in that thread that will take you straight to the ticket in question.

The other suggestion relates to unregistered members creating tickets. Im presuming one of the main reasons they will create a ticket is because:

1. They are having problems registering or
2. They have been banned.

Maybe an option for them to enter an email address rather then basing it on their ip. They can then either log into the help center using their email address or have the reply emailed to their email account.

Keep up the good work guys.

Dave

[Twilkey]

Originally Posted by exetel

It might be my first post however if you have seen how long I've been registered for and the fact I'm still a paying customer for VB so my opinion on this still counts right? no matter how many posts someone makes right?...

And the fact i asked some important questions there mate which I'm sure others like to know the answers to if they going to choose a payed mod over a free one...

So lets try this again shale we?

What makes yours different from any other FREE ticket system out there that might have better features?


Bottom line is here you start off something given away for free that's fair enough but then later down the track you pull the plug basically begging for ppl to PAY for something extra that they might want which by all accounts would be a normal feature in any Ticket system how have totally missed the plot here?... Don't you think this a bit hash?.... I know I'm finding it hard to swallow this deception.

Regards

Cheyne

I kind of feel like now that I am on the team, I need to say something here.

1. Support - You talk about these free mods. What would you do if the mod is not supported. I use Joomla on my site and I have yet to find a mod like this that is supported. And if I did find one, it probably isn't as supported as much as our mods. I am personally not a regular coder on this mod, but I am a member of the Development team. I even chime in and answer questions and such. That alone shows that we do offer top notch support. And when we release MyCart, We will show that mod just as much support.

2. Integration - You talk about bridges. There are some bridges out there. Joomla has one, but for most people, it takes hiring someone to get it installed. Even then you have to worry about that mod being supported. If it is not supported then there is a good chance that there are bugs and holes in it. You also have to think about upgrades. If you use Joomla, then you know that 1.0 is a bit different then 1.5. Most of the mods that work on 1.0, don't work on 1.5 and even some of them that do work, are screwed up. Again, I use Joomla, and personally, if I had the time to go through and import that database into vbadvanced and vbulletin, I would. Joomla is sloppy in my opinion, and most of the mods made for it are sloppy as well. Now wouldn't you rather have a mod that is so easy to install and set up, that you do not need to hire someone to do it for you. Even then, if you do need help, we have great support. Also on a smaller note, if you install a whole cms then you have to worry about styling. If you get our mod, then the styling is already done for you. No need to look into getting a skin for the cms you only got because you needed a support ticket system.
Another thing to look at it users. If you get a cms for the support system and you dont want to hire someone to bridge it with vB, then you have to worry about two sets of user tables. Because personally, I don't like spam, and if you don't require registration, then you will probably get alot of unneeded tickets. Our mod uses the already established vBulletin user table.

So if you look at this, If a complete noob, that knows nothing about skinning, or doing anything with any system other then vbulletin, comes here and needs a Support Ticket system or a shopping cart, then its probably going to be cheaper to just buy our mod.

On a last note, because I can't think of anything else to say really, All this will go for MyCart also.

[youradhere4222]

No one is implying that you are being forced to pay, but I think we're disappointed that a modification with such potential is this has features reserved for those who pay.

Take ibPro Arcade, for example - no paid version. I guess it could be argued that the support takes time, but money won't buy time, and there is the option to leave a hack unsupported, as well as a donation option, which I know is used.