Add-On Releases - vBExperience

vBExperience 3.8 (aka xPerience)

Created by Marius Czyz aka Phalynx.

Winner of the "Mod of the Month"-Award (March 2008) on vBulletin.org.


Description
vBExperience is your feature packaged solution for motivation and satisfying your users. vBExperience is an advanced Level/Promotion and Activity System with Shop, Awards and Activities. It will calculate an activity and experience score for every user based on their activites on the forum. Now your users will see how their level is increasing by participating on your forum.

This mod was developed by me because I was never satisfied with the post count. Communities are not only defined by post count, they need much more parameters: Are the postings the user creates helpful? Are his threads frequently read? Does the user participate on the community by posting pictures, attachments, leaving visitor messages, tagging threads? All this can be answered with this mod.

Comments, suggestions, translations, bugs, etc... are very welcome! Support is only given to people who have clicked Mark as Installed.


Compatibility
This mod will work with vBulletin 3.7.x and 3.8.x. For vBulletin 3.6 you will need vBExperience 3.7



Demo:
http://www.insideearth.net/xperience.php?langid=5

Demo Profile:
http://www.insideearth.net/member.php?u=1&langid=5

Demo Rankings:
http://www.insideearth.net/xperience.php?langid=5

Demo Awards:
http://www.insidesupcom.de/xperience...wards&langid=1

Demo Promotions:
http://www.insidesupcom.de/xperience...=shop&langid=1

Demo Shop:
http://www.insideearth.net/xperience...=shop&langid=5

Demo Stats:
http://www.insideearth.net/xperience...stats&langid=5

Demo Earn Points:
http://www.insideearth.net/xperience...=earn&langid=5

Other Demo Site:
http://www.insidesupcom.de/xperience.php?langid=1


There are mainly four things visible for the users: The users score, his level, his next level up in %/points and his activity in %.


Calculation of the score
Taken into calculation are these things:
Threads
- Created threads
- Thread views of own threads
- Thread replies of own threads
- Thread votes of own threads
- Thread tags
- Replies to own threads
- Sticky threads
- Socialgroup Discussions (Discussions, Posts)

Posts
- Created posts
- Views on attachments

User
- Days since registration
- Average posts per Day (for users who are on forum for at least seven days)
- Referrals
- Received infractions
- Reputation / Use of reputation system
- Visitor messages on profiles
- Members of own social groups
- Albumpictures
- Friends
- Completing Profile

Misc
- Calendar entries


Additionally there is support for 3rd party addons (some are already installed):
- vB Tournaments and Ladders (via CDP Addon)
- Post Ranking System (via CDP Addon)
- Helpful Answers (via CDP Addon)
- AWCoding-Donation System LITE and PRO (via CDP Addon)
- Cyb Paypal Donate (included)
- DownloadsII (included)
- ibProArcade Highscorer Points (via CDP Addon)
- LDM Links and Downloads Manager (included)
- PhotoPlog 2.1 (via CDP Addon)
- PhotoPost vBGallery (via CDP Addon)
- PhotoPost Pro (via CDP Addon)
- Post Thank You / Use of Post Thank You (via CDP Addon)
- QuoteIt! 3.16 (via CDP Addon)
- SAPR: Advanced Post Rating system (via CDP Addon)
- thanks via vS-Hide Hack Resurrection (Expanded Edition) (included)
- v3arcade Highscorer Points (via CDP Addon)
- v3arcade Submissions Points (via CDP Addon)
- vBulletin Blog (included)
- Who Downloaded This Attachment? (included)
- Other Addons can be easily added via CDP - Custom Data Provider plugins.

Additionally you can install these modifications:
- Thread Necromancer: Gives (minus-) points when a user is posting in old threads.
- Scrupulous Poster: Gives points for editing posts. Award users that are editing own posts instead of doing double post.
- Deletion Addicted: Gives points when an user/nod soft-deletes post, thread, visitormessage, groupmessage or picturecomment.
- Arm of Law: Give points for moderators who are using the infraction system
- Discussion Ender: Give points for people who are the last on a discussion
- RadioActivity: Reduce points for every day the user is not online

Also, there are already addons available that are working as Custom Data Provider (CDP). A CDP can extend vBExperience by collecting data and adding it to the vBExperience datastore. All point providers can be used for Awards and Shop.

You have to install these hacks for your own, vBExperience doesn't install nor touches these.


vBAdvanced
There are three vBAdvanced 3.0 XML modules: Most Active Users, Most Experienced Users and Last 20 Activities. Import them via vBAdvanced AdminCP.


Awards
There are six default awards: Most Popular, Activity Award, Posting Award, Community Award, Frequent Poster, Blog Award, Calendar Award. The awards are shown in Rankings and Profile. You can set them also to display in postbit near the username. There is a scheduled job running once a day (02:30h) to calculate them.
Via AdminCP they are completely customizeable and can also be assigned manually.
Awards can be created for every data provider.


Rankings
Showing User, Level, Awards, Activity Points (experience, thread, post, user, misc) - sortable.
Since 3.8.3, there is a also a ranking for Social Groups

Shop
A virtual Shop will motivate your users to earn more points. You can define categories and put virtual items with pictures in it. A currency can be defined seperatly for every item, e.g. 20 points from threads or 100 points from gallery. Users can purchase the items, they appear in their profile. The costs of the item are substracted from their xperience points. Additionally you can set quantity of the items.
The Shop will motivate your users to collect specific points to buy an item. Optionally you can show the last purchased items on postbit.
You can put virtual items in it, like WoW addons: Sell WoW Items in exchange of f.e. thread points. Great for RPG forums.
Non-Virtual Items like bold Usernames or Downloads for Points are already on my todo list.

Earn Points
There is an overview for the user on how points can be collected, with a list of users own points. All data is beeing pulled from the database (settings, phrases)

Statistics
The statistics is showing a Top-X list of the leading users. Usefull for optimizing points of the point provider. Only enabled point providers with results will be displayed.


Promotion system
To motivate users to do more on your forum I created the promotion system. By reaching defined xperience points the user will be moved to another usergroup - where you can set graphics, shadows, highlighting, etc... What is interesting in combination with this: you can give the user more possibilities f.e. larger avatars or bigger PM box. A log of the promotions is available.


Calculation of the activity
The system calculates the activity by taking the average post count/visitormessages/group discussion/Blog entries of the ten most active user and comparing it to own post count. This can be set to count only the last X days, f.e. 21 days.


Settings
You can control how many points are given to every calculation. For example you can give many points for creating new threads but only a few for views of that thread. Setting a value to 0 will disable a setting.
Additionally, you can set ignore users (f.e. for bot users), forums (f.e. offtopic forums) and usergroup id's.


Performance, Big Boards
vBExperience has been tested on smaller and also on some bigger sites. I know from boards with around 120k users running this mod smoothly. More about this topic can be read in the file readme_optimization.txt


Frequently asked questions
Q: How do I change the name Experience to something new?
A: You can change the name via phrases. Just search and replace all phrases that contains vBExperience.

Q: When installing vBExperience, does everyone start from scratch, or will it automatically configure everyone's points based on actions before the install?
A: If you recount, vBExperience will calculate ALL existing data since the beginning of the board.

Known Issues:
- Awards: On "Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread" awards are only shown for the user who is viewing this.
- Awards: If activated in with rich username, they are attached to the username. If the username is linked, the awards are also linked. If a link is underlined, the awards are also underlined. This behaviour is hardcoded in vBulletin and cannot be fixed.
- Settings are showing only a blank page, read here: http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/proje...6979#note74140
- If you completely remove vBExperience, you need also to uninstall the product XML manually from the pluginssystem

Credits for icons
- FAMFAMFAM, http://www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/silk/
- IconExperience


History
3.8.5 Beta 3, 18th September 2009
- Fixed Promotions
- Fixed Notifications
- Added Activities to Promotions
- All Activities are not obeying limit
- AdminCP/Experience has a recount for Promotions and Achievements
- Fixed listing of Achievements with Firefox
- Several Beta 2 fixes

3.8.5 Beta 2, 02nd September 2009
- Just a short note: Condition in Achievements and Promotions are calculated in POINTS, not in counts of items.
If you choose 10 Day, you must enter the points needed for this.
For example: You have an achievement for 10 days. You have set 2 points for every day since registering. Calculation: 10*2 = 20
You will have to set 20 as the condition.
- New tabbed interface. If you want to change the style, edit the template xperience_navbar_css
- Promotions now showing usergroups and conditions for a promotion to the next group
- You can import old vBExperience Legacy promotions (that were created within level.xml)
- Achievements in Profile
- Achievements below Avatar
- Several Beta 1 fixes

3.8.5 Beta 1, 28th August 2009
- Achievements!
- Promotions!
- Notification on Awards, Promotions and Achievements
- GAP: Empty pointfields will not be displayed anymore
- Activity: Showing percent values with a decimal
- Activities now also for users
- Awards below Avatar
- Default Awards are now also creating new category
- Shop: Fixed issue in not returning cash on sells
- Reworked Edit Shop Items


Todo for Beta 3:
- Download files with vBExperience as a credit system ("LDM Links and Downloads Manager", "DownloadsII")
- Activity eraser
- AdminCP Permissions
- Advanced User Permissions


For more see history.txt

[pranaysanghavi]

Hi,

this is pretty cool mod, which can be a revenue generating source..

inspite of uploading all files at their correct places, and then proceeding to product mgr to upload the two main xmls, it gives me this messg:
vBulletin Message
You need to upload files first!


--the files that i am tryin to import now are

1. product_vbexperience3715.xml
2. vbexperience_level_1_small.xml

am i doin something wrong?

[gorentals]

What a great MOD!!! Thanks for this. I have 3.7 installed, and the latest experience installed.

I am having a slight issue with the shop. I created an item, etc. Went thru and purchased it, I use a costfield of Experience. I had a user with 139 User experience points, purchased item for 100 exp points. Says I bought it. It never subtracted the user points, and the item I bought was sent to some other user. I went into the transaction log, and it went to some totally different user.

Am I doing something wrong or is this a bug. This is by far an excellent product

Thanks for your time.

PS: Setup a new user. Purchased another item, and the shop item went to the same user as the first one did. So anyone on my forum who buys something from the shop, it keeps going to one particular user.

[Vegetrunks]

Originally Posted by Vegetrunks

I have the same problem...

Ok, I see that promotion system must be edited manually by vbexperience_level_XXX.xml file.
But, how I "freeze" promotion for others usergroup (moderator and similar) like administrator?

Phalynx, I believe in you.

EDIT
I try to replace in class_xperience.php this code

PHP Code:

if ($level_current['usergroupid']<>0 AND $user['usergroupid']<>$level_current['usergroupid'] AND $user['usergroupid']<>6) 


with this

PHP Code:

if ($level_current['usergroupid']<>0 AND $user['usergroupid']<>$level_current['usergroupid'] AND $user['usergroupid']<>6 AND $user['usergroupid']<>5) 


and seems works correctly: moderators (usergroup 5) are not promoted.

Is it right? Thanks.

[pranaysanghavi]

Originally Posted by pranaysanghavi

Hi,


inspite of uploading all files at their correct places, and then proceeding to product mgr to upload the two main xmls, it gives me this messg:
vBulletin Message
You need to upload files first!


--the files that i am tryin to import now are

1. product_vbexperience3715.xml
2. vbexperience_level_1_small.xml

am i doin something wrong?

any help appreciated....

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by TimberFloorAu

I want to create singular awards, that can be assignable to ONE or more individuals, on a ad hoc basis.

Basically:
A user who has won a specific competition, i would want to issue them with a specific award... so on and so forth.

Can we do this, if so, please may I have a step by step example/tutorial.

I am sure its dooable, as this is what this mod is for, but I am sure many many of us who use this, do not know how to actually do it.

Yes, it is doable with the manual assign. Just create a new award and put the userid(s) of the users seperated by a comma in the manual assign field.

Originally Posted by ALil'Hope

I added an item and made it cost 50 experience points, and it says
"Cost: 50 Experience points (you have 6,866)"

I have bought the item 5 times, but it hasn't taken away ANY experience points. I have recounted too.

Confirmed that, will be fixed in next version.

Originally Posted by gamerfu

I am scared in enabling the Promotional System. I am running the latest version 3.7.15 GOLD, but can you prvide screen shots in what is actually enabled or super-seeds the current vB Promotional System?

Will this screw-up my vB upgrade installation or templates? Will the Hooks go away after kill?

Screen Shots of vBExperience Promotional System?

Promotions must be done via XML. A GUI for this similar to vBulletin's promotion system will be done in one of next versions. See the demosites for a view of the working promotionsystem.

No, it will not screw up anything. Why should it do this?

Originally Posted by Stryker412

Can anyone provide some examples (screenshots) as to what they have in their store?

See demosites.

Originally Posted by ALil'Hope

Also where do we choose how often it updates the information?

Change the interval of the vbexperience scheduled task.

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by cvn

BTW, at my opinion the total thanks a member received from others is more important than the total of his thanked posts. So, kindly let me know if there is any way to change the "Points for thanks" from the points given for thanked posts to the points given for a received thank.

Yes, this is something that need to be tweaked.

Originally Posted by UaECasher

I want to know how can i add the Gfx awards

Copy an image with the name award_IDENTIFICATOR.gif to your style's folder (images/misc/level)

Graphics are included with this: award_IDENTIFICATOR.gif

Originally Posted by UaECasher

and when i enter the shop there is nothing in it
how can i add items

AdminCP/vBExperience/Manage Shop

Originally Posted by thecricketzone

is this compatible with vbcredit?

No.

Originally Posted by Dr. Bantham

This allows placing the awards before or after the username, but I there appears to be no option to place them above or below the username. This would be a nice option for a future release.

Not possible with the API, it would require to edit the template manually.

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by AzzidReign

Phalynx - Is there anyway we can get support for this mod (SAPR):
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=170419

Right now it's in beta and has been taken over by someone else to help it go Gold in the near future but I think it would be PERFECT to integrate with this mod. You can base points on "good posts" (view the mod to know what I'm talking about) and you can subtract points for people who have x number of thumbs down.

Please consider this

Let's see

Originally Posted by Vegetrunks

I have the same problem...

Promotions must be done via XML. A GUI for this similar to vBulletin's promotion system will be done in one of next versions.

Originally Posted by gorentals

Is this the Mod that has replaced Ishop? I'm going to install this Mod soon on my forum. Since Ishop doesn't work in 3.7 anymore, I think I'm going to switch

Does the shop work similar to the way Ishop does or did?

I don't know Ishop, it has not replaced it.

Originally Posted by thecricketzone

how can we set it to award 'ad hoc' awards? that would be really useful...or better still if we could work a bookie system into it to use the money / points you gain on the forum? That would be cool....

Just create a new award and put the userid(s) of the users seperated by a comma in the manual assign field.
The shop is working like you described - you get points by doing different stuff on forums and in the shop you can redeem the points.

Originally Posted by pranaysanghavi

this is pretty cool mod, which can be a revenue generating source..

inspite of uploading all files at their correct places, and then proceeding to product mgr to upload the two main xmls, it gives me this messg:
vBulletin Message
You need to upload files first!


--the files that i am tryin to import now are

1. product_vbexperience3715.xml
2. vbexperience_level_1_small.xml

am i doin something wrong?

You didn't copied the content of the upload folder to the root of your forum.

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by gorentals

I am having a slight issue with the shop. I created an item, etc. Went thru and purchased it, I use a costfield of Experience. I had a user with 139 User experience points, purchased item for 100 exp points. Says I bought it. It never subtracted the user points, and the item I bought was sent to some other user. I went into the transaction log, and it went to some totally different user.

Am I doing something wrong or is this a bug. This is by far an excellent product

Thanks for your time.

PS: Setup a new user. Purchased another item, and the shop item went to the same user as the first one did. So anyone on my forum who buys something from the shop, it keeps going to one particular user.

I will take a deeper look. A fix will be included in 3.7.16

Originally Posted by Vegetrunks

Ok, I see that promotion system must be edited manually by vbexperience_level_XXX.xml file.
But, how I "freeze" promotion for others usergroup (moderator and similar) like administrator?

Phalynx, I believe in you.

EDIT
I try to replace in class_xperience.php this code

PHP Code:

if ($level_current['usergroupid']<>0 AND $user['usergroupid']<>$level_current['usergroupid'] AND $user['usergroupid']<>6) 


with this

PHP Code:

if ($level_current['usergroupid']<>0 AND $user['usergroupid']<>$level_current['usergroupid'] AND $user['usergroupid']<>6 AND $user['usergroupid']<>5) 


and seems works correctly: moderators (usergroup 5) are not promoted.

Is it right? Thanks.

Correct. Admin = 6, it's already excluded. This will be an option in next version.

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by gorentals

PS: Setup a new user. Purchased another item, and the shop item went to the same user as the first one did. So anyone on my forum who buys something from the shop, it keeps going to one particular user.

I cannot confirm this. Used 3 users with different items. All items belong to the users who purchased it.

[Phalynx]

Just uploaded 3.7.16 as a bugfix release.

Changes:
- Shop: Fixed subtraction of xperience
- Shop: Fixed SQL Error for ignored users/groups
- Shop: Possibility to use user, thread, post and misc points as costfield
- Awards: Fixed "fing"-Award
- Experience: Fixed sum of albumpictures
- Quantity = 0 shows now an empty rack
- Added language: Arabic
- Added template hooks for thread, post and user

You should only update if you are affected by the described stuff.

Upgrade Instructions
1. Copy ALL (I mean ALL - That is a common error!) files from /upload/ to the server. Espacially take care of the images, copy them to your style misc folder if you use a customized style.
2. ReImport product_vbexperience3716.xml, allow overwrite