Trader Ratings v1.2.0

Trader Ratings - A user feedback hack
Copyright ?2004 Jason Rabel, All Rights Reserved.
__________________________________
Latest TR Verson: 1.2.0
vB Versions: 3.0.0 - 3.0.9
Author: Jason Rabel
Contact: PM me here, I'll respond.
Site: EXTREME Overclocking
??????????????????????????????????

Updates:
??????????????????????????????????
1.2.0 - September 4, 2004
- Added Trader Ratings Stats Page (finally!)
- Added PM notification when someone receives feedback
- Changed how positive feedback percentage score is calculated (bugfix)
- Ability to "close" the Trader Ratings pages (for maintainence or whatever) - TRATING_CLOSED
- Ability to set the URL field when submitting feedback to required or optional - TRATING_REQ_URL

1.1.0 - June 7, 2004
- Added time-based user edit/delete abilities, set via TRATING_UEDIT constant in traderratings.php file
- Userdate field is now an int field to be consistent with vBulletin
- Userrating field changed to tinyint to save space
- Fixed timeframes for showing historical ratings
- Made some various code consolidation
- Added missing ".TABLE_PREFIX." statement
- Templates.txt file shows code for postbit & MEMBERINFO, with conditional examples
- All 3 templates changed heavily
- Added some more phrases & fixed missing phrases

1.0.1 - June 2, 2004
- Fixed a "divide by zero" display error
- Postbit template fixed so guests do not have a trader rating

1.0.0 - June 1, 2004
- Initial Public Release

Description:
??????????????????????????????????
Trader Ratings has evolved from my vB2 Buy/Sell/Trade User Rating System. This is a rating system for when members buy / sell / trade items from each other (presumably on a FS section of your forum). It is based on the honor system since there is no way to truly tell if they did engage in a transaction. (But I'm working on a way to fix that.) Trader Ratings came about because it was a pain to try and maintain a single thread listing good / bad traders and so far has worked out quite well.

Features:
??????????????????????????????????
? Rate another member: Positive / Negative / Neutral
? Specify Buyer, Seller, or Trade
? Leave comments about the deal
? Records date when rating created
? Specify a URL to the deal
? Display ratings over time
? Filter based on Buyer/Seller/Trade/or feedback they left for others
? Users can edit/delete ratings left for others (time based limitation)
? Admins & Mods can edit/delete anyone's ratings (just incase)
? Stats page showing best & worst rated members, and recent ratings
? PM notification when a person is rated

Basic Info:
??????????????????????????????????
I haven't written a FAQ or any real documentation yet, but the way the system works is very simple. The only part that might confuse someone is that the Feedback Score is based only on UNIQUE members. Also, there are simple checks in place to make sure they actually do select proper info and enter a comment. A user is not able to rate themself (obviously). Permissions for viewing / rating are similar to standard forum viewing / posting permissions. Also it checks to make sure users exist and all that good stuff.

Installation Info:
??????????????????????????????????
This hack is very simply to implement requiring only:
? 1 new file
? 5 new templates / 2-3 template changes (navbar, posbit/postbit_legacy, MEMBERINFO, memberlist_resultsbit)
? 52 new phrases
? 1 new DB table / 1 table DB change & index

An install/upgrade PHP file is included to do all the template/phrase/DB stuff, so basically you run that, upload the file, and edit your postbit template. BAM!

Screen Shots / Demos:
??????????????????????????????????
See Screenshots below, or you can view them on my forums: My Trader Rating Page

Standard Disclaimer:
??????????????????????????????????
BACKUP YOUR DATABASE & FILES BEFORE IMPLEMENTING THIS HACK!!!

Forums Using This Hack:
??????????????????????????????????
EXTREME Overclocking Forums
i-Club -- Forums
Accord Tuner
NSX Prime
Honda-Acura.net
Guns Network
PimpRig

(PM me your forum if you want me to add you to the list)

Donations:
??????????????????????????????????
This hack will always be free, however your donations are kindly accepted and will help towards further development. If you donate, please leave me some info (either your forum site or username at vB.org) so that I can thank you.


Plans For Future Releases:
??????????????????????????????????
? rebuttal / followup comments
? item description (possibly instead of thread url)
? button on thread that buyer/seller clicks to tie the transaction to two people

[lifesourcerec]

Hopefully you can hook up the Top 10 feedback page.

[Gavin B.]

Nice, thanks a lot for that.

[eoc_Jason]

Okay, I just uploaded a upgrade_traderratings_vb2.php which is a direct upgrade from the vB2 hack to the current version. Consider it experimental and untested, but it *should* work without problems.

I've been doing bits and pieces with new features, I'm going to try and sit down this weekend and do some hardcore coding, however it is fathers day this weekend so I might end up being busy with family.

With a little luck, another release should come early-to-mid next week. :banana:

[RetroDreams]

This would be absolutely pimp if it could be integrated in one of the PHP Auction GPL apps out there. Would take sites to a whole new level.

[Chriss74]

In ebay, you can rate the seller and the buyer. But what's about the trade? I don't understand, why the trade can be rated, too. Who should rate for the trade? The buyer, the seller or both?

Please explain, for what a rating of the trade is good for.

Thanks,
Chriss

[Yahhoon23]

Both.

It's just like an ebay auction.

On ebay, when you buy something, you pay with money.

In a trade, you are basically paying for an item with another item. Meaning in a sense, you are paying for the trade with an item of value or item worth money.

Get what I'm saying?

So it's the exact same as a ebay deal. Both people get rated on how the transaction went.

[eoc_Jason]

implementing a "trade" feature for a classified is not difficult, obviously you couldn't do a "trade" auction.

Please try to keep posts relevant to this hack though, as I said the classifieds/auction will be a separate hack, once I get more gathered together I'll post a new thread for discussion while I work on it.

[sketch42]

Originally Posted by eoc_Jason

implementing a "trade" feature for a classified is not difficult, obviously you couldn't do a "trade" auction.

Please try to keep posts relevant to this hack though, as I said the classifieds/auction will be a separate hack, once I get more gathered together I'll post a new thread for discussion while I work on it.

jason.. in the next release which you said hopefully by mid next week.. is the joinable transaction button there?

[Chriss74]

Originally Posted by Yahhoon23

Both.

It's just like an ebay auction.

On ebay, when you buy something, you pay with money.

In a trade, you are basically paying for an item with another item. Meaning in a sense, you are paying for the trade with an item of value or item worth money.

Get what I'm saying?

So it's the exact same as a ebay deal. Both people get rated on how the transaction went.

Sorry, but I still didn't get it. Maybe my english isn't good enough...

For my opinion, always the seller and the buyer should rate and should be rated - like in ebay. I still don't understand the sense of rating the deal itself - regardless if it was a sale or a trade.

And if there is a possibility to rate a trade, there should also be the possibility to rate a sale. Otherwise it would be unlogical.

Maybe, you or someone else try to explain it again, why it is sensible to rate a trade.

Thanks,
Chriss

[Yahhoon23]

Rating the deal itself is the same as rating the buyer or seller. I mean you rating the buyer or seller based on how the sale went right? Yes.

So, if someone traded you a computer for a television, wouldn't you rate on how the transaction went.

On ebay and any other feedback system, you don't rate the deal. You rate the seller for example on how good he was with customer service, or how fast he shipped etc. So if you buy an item using ebay, and he emailed you that day, and then you recieved the item in a week, you would rate him positive right?

Now if the seller never contacted you and sent the item a month late, you'd probably rate him neutral or negative because he was terrible as a seller.

Now, if you are the seller, and a buyer buys something, then he pays right away, you'd give him good feedback right? Yes.

If you are the seller and the buyer waits 2 weeks to pay, or doesn't pay at all, what do you rate him? Negative obviously.

Now, in a trade. Say you both agree to a trade. You are sending him your tv, he is sending you a computer. Well what happens if you send the tv and you never get the computer? Are you not going to leave him feedback on how the trade went? No. You are going to want others to know that you had a trade arranged and you never got the product that you wanted.

Another example is if you two are arranging a trade and he's trying to lowball you left and right, and finally you agree on something but it took forever and he acted crappy about it. You might not want to leave negative feedback because you both finally agreed on a trade, but you also didn't like he he did things so you will leave him neutral feedback.

Now as for positive feedback, say you find someone wanting to trade your tv for a computer. You both recieve your items promptly, so you would rate the feedback as positive because it was exactly as described and there were no problems.


Here's a feedback overview from eBay - http://pages.ebay.com/help/feedback/...-overview.html

"eBay members who have completed a transaction with you can leave feedback about their experience."



You made the point "For my opinion, always the seller and the buyer should rate and should be rated - like in ebay. I still don't understand the sense of rating the deal itself - regardless if it was a sale or a trade."

That is exactly what takes place in this hack. You rate a buyer or seller of an item that you recieved or sent. I don't understand exactly what you aren't understanding.

You believe that both the seller and buyer should be rated and that's what's happening in a item being sold, or items being traded. Either way it involves 2 parties.

So my main question is why is it NOT sensible to rate a trade?

Maybe if you answered that I could help you answer your questions.