Thread Category / Prefix Hack

Thread Category / Prefix Hack

Version: 1.3.7
vBulletin Version: 3.0.7
Developer: Mystics (www.vbulletin-germany.com)
Hack-Language: English & German & French (thanks to ReadWrite)
Install-difficulty: Medium
File-edits: 19
Template-edits: 16


Brief Description of the Hack

With this hack it is possible to assign a category/prefix to a thread. To do this you are able to select an appropriate category from a list beside the title while posting a new thread - for example 'Help', 'Problem', 'Search' etc.

The categories displayed in this list may be defined by a moderator for each of his moderated forums (Forum Tools -> Manage Categories); of course an administrator is allowed to do this for every forum.


Features

• Moderators are able to create own categories for each of their moderated forums
  (Forum -> Forum Tools -> Manage Categories -> threadcategory.php)
• Display of the categories on forum display, search results, subscribed threads and within the thread itself
• It is possible to change the category with editing the first post of a thread or with the thread tools available for moderators at any time

Settings in the Admin CP

• Maximum categories per forum
• Thread Category required: Users have to select a thread category for their threads
• Default Thread Categories: You may set default categories which will either be shown only in forums without own categories or be shown in addition to existing categories
• Show Thread Categories in extra column or in front of the thread title in the same column
• Alignment of the categories (if 'Show in extra column' is enabled): Align left, align right, center
• Show Category in 'Last Post' column
• Category HTML Markup: Specify an HTML tag with which to display the categories (bold, italic, red etc.)
• Allow Thread Category search: If enabled, the categories of all forums the user has access to will be grouped in a list and displayed in the search engine.
• Per Forum: Allow categories in this forum.

Screenshots

See attachments.


Version-History

1.3.7 (02-22-2005 - 09:00 pm)

• Modified instructions for vBulletin 3.0.7
  (3 more changes within the search_results template)

1.3.6 (01-15-2005 - 06:10 pm)

• Modified instructions for vBulletin 3.0.5
  (only the third modification of the template FORUMDISPLAY has changed)

1.3.5 (11-02-2004 - 11:00 pm)

• Bugfix: File: newthread.php
  Preview error with categories containing "&" fixed

1.3.4 (09-25-2004 - 04:00 pm)

• Update: Template SUBSCRIBE (colspan have to be increased since vB 3.0.2)
• Bugfix: File: includes/functions_forumlist.php
  Include category length in length of the shown last thread title

1.3.3 (04-08-2004 - 08:55 pm)

• Bugfix: File: forumdisplay.php
  Selected category got lost when browsing through forum pages

1.3.2 (03-27-2004 - 05:45 pm)

• Bugfix: File: clientscript/vbulletin_quickreply.js
  Javascript error when using Quick Reply
• New: Added modification for postbit_legacy template (same as postbit modification)
• Modified instructions for vBulletin 3.0.0 'Gold' (only the first modification of postings.php has changed)

1.3.1 (03-06-2004 - 00:20 am)

• Bugfix: Template: threadbit_deleted
  Incorrect display of category column in this template

1.3 (02-23-2004 - 08:40 pm)

• Bugfix: Don't display a category in a thread if categories are not allowed in the forum
• Bugfix: Critical bug in threadcategory.php related to the option 'Update existing threads with changed categories' fixed

Upload the new threadcategory.php as soon as possible!

1.2.1 (02-14-2004 - 02:15 pm)

• Bugfix: Template: forumdisplay_announcement
  Wrong 'colspan' value used, if categories are displayed in an extra
  column and forum contains announements in addition

1.2 (02-11-2004 - 11:30 pm)

• New: Display category in notify mail next to the thread title
• Bugfix: Improved display of the categories in "Who's Online"

1.1 (02-10-2004 - 11:55 pm)

• New: Display of last category in the 'Last Post' column (may be disabled in the admin cp)
• New: Display of hack version in the admin cp at the vBulletin options (for example 'Thread-Category Hack v1.1')
• Bugfix: Show link to 'Manage Categories, if DHTML menus are disabled
• Bugfix: Don't show categories from forums where categories are not (longer) allowed
• Bugfix: Convert HTML code within categories

1.0.1 (02-08-2004 - 11:30 pm)

• Bugfix: Correct display in "Who's Online" while managing categories

1.0.0 (02-08-2004 - 4:49 pm)

• First version

Installation

1. Upload the files categoryinstall.php and categoryinstall_text.php to the admincp directory of your forum
2. Open this file with your browser:
   http://www.yourdomain.de/forum/admin...oryinstall.php
3. Log in and follow the instructions
4. You may delete the two files after the installation of the hack

Time needed for installation: approx. 30-60 min.
Tested for version: 3.0.0 RC 3 (and above).

Note: If you have already used the vBulletin 2 version of this hack (only available in german) and the categories are still stored in the vB3 database, you may convert them for the vB3 version. You will see a note to that in step 2 of the hack installation.


Update hack

1. Upload the files categoryinstall.php and categoryinstall_text.php to the admincp directory of your forum
2. Open this file with your browser:
   http://www.yourdomain.de/forum/admin...oryinstall.php
3. Log in, select the version you want to update from (at Step 2 -> 'Update Hack') and follow the instructions

Short overview of the needed modifications

1. Files that need to be edited:

• editpost.php
• forumdisplay.php
• moderator.php
• newthread.php
• postings.php
• search.php
• showthread.php
• subscription.php
• admincp/forum.php
• clientscript/vbulletin_global.js
• clientscript/vbulletin_quickreply.js
• clientscript/vbulletin_stdedit.js
• clientscript/vbulletin_wysiwyg.js
• includes/functions.php
• includes/functions_databuild.php
• includes/functions_forumlist.php
• includes/functions_newpost.php
• includes/functions_online.php
• includes/functions_search.php

2. New files:

• threadcategory.php

3. Templates that need to be edited:

• editor_clientscript
• editpost
• FORUMDISPLAY
• forumdisplay_announcement
• forumhome_lastpostby
• newthread
• postbit
• postbit_legacy
• search_forums
• search_results
• search_results_postbit
• SHOWTHREAD
• SUBSCRIBE
• threadadmin_editthread
• threadbit
• threadbit_deleted

4. New templates:

• threadcategory_listbit
• threadcategory_modify

5. New phrases:

• Too many to list them all - they will be created automatically by the install script

Final words

If the hack doesn't work correct after installation, please verify all modifications you have made within the files and the templates. Be sure you have uploaded all edited and new files.

The hack was tested extensive and will function properly if installed correct.

Thanks to ReadWrite for his french translation.

Have fun with the hack.

Please click Install if you have installed it

[hitmanuk2k]

In editor_clientscript we are told to add something below:

"must_enter_subject" : "$vbphrase[must_enter_subject]",

But I can not find that line in there.

[Box Websites]

Hi all,

Can someone tell me how to uninstall this? I thought there was a script to run but I can’t find it, heh.

[rjordan]

I must say, this had to have taken a long time to put together. The installation instructions and their delivery method is top notch. I thank you for what you have come up with as it has gone in smoothly on my site. I thank you!

[Dennis Olson]

I installed this yesterday. Works perfectly. However, in my vB3.0.3, I had to dig around for new code placement in the FORUMHOME and SEARCH_RESULTS templates, as there are differences in 3.0.7. All-in-all, a great hack, and it installed in about 3 hours.

[Dennis Olson]

When I SEARCH on more than ONE KEYWORD, the search function ONLY searches threads that have a category. The old threads (which do NOT have a category) are ignored. However, if you search fo a single keyword, ALL threads containing that keyword are found, whether categorized or not.

Could somone perhaps tell me what needs to be done?

vB3.0.3

Thanks!

EDIT: Additional information -

To test, I added a category to a few threads whos contents would be used in a search. When I searched using multiple keywords, only a SINGLE thread came up in results. This was a thread that had been created AFTER categories were put in place. The missing threads had the category added via a thread edit (thread tools / edit thread).

However, when I used -' "keyword1" and "keyword2" '- , I got all three threads. Still NONE of the uncategorized ones however.

[Dennis Olson]

Problem went away on its own after a day or so...

??

[The Kiss]

Hi Mystics,

I'm the administrator of the French forum of a famous website (check out my PM). We currently have 3 forums in several languages. Today i'm ready to try your hack but I wondering if you can add the following changes. Please, have a look to the attached pic.

#1 - Display categories under titles of forums [important request, please]
#2 - Let users to select categories from top of the page (as showed on the pic)

Another question. I saw you are member of the vBulletin programming commulity. So, can you tell me if your hack could be integrated as a standard feature in next releases of VB?

Bye

[Mystics]

Originally Posted by The Kiss

#1 - Display categories under titles of forums [important request, please]
#2 - Let users to select categories from top of the page (as showed on the pic)

Feel free to edit the hack for your purpose...I won't add this because not many users (including me) need such a feature. And if you have many categories you can't display them all as plain links.

[The Kiss]

ok, I understand your position. BTW perhaps I can use the Replacement Variable Manager if I can't display all categories as plain links. Possible ?

e.g: [cat1] = http://www.xxxxxxxx.xxx/forum/showthread.p....

Another solution should be to extend the length of descriptions below Forum title. Is it possible and does this affect something?

I won't add this because not many users (including me) need such a feature.

Well, in fact the biggest French forum (22.905.990 messages and 253.967 members) uses the system I describe. That's why I asked the question. I want the same thing as them.

check it out at: http://forum.hardware.fr/


Thanks anyway,
Bye

[Mystics]

Originally Posted by The Kiss

Another solution should be to extend the length of descriptions below Forum title. Is it possible and does this affect something?

You can do that.

Originally Posted by The Kiss

Well, in fact the biggest French forum (22.905.990 messages and 253.967 members) uses the system I describe. That's why I asked the question. I want the same thing as them.

check it out at: http://forum.hardware.fr/

This looks just like normal sub forums, not like categories.

You should consider using sub forums instead of categories.