New Posting Features - New Thread Button Anywhere

Overview:

With mobile devices becoming more and more prevalent, the average IQ of people finding your site is declining...at a shocking pace. There was a time, not too long ago, before the pestilence of mobile devices and social media, that internet users were tech savvy people using desktop computers and forming complete sentences. Those were good times.

Increasingly, this new generation of internet users lacks the brain power to successfully navigate vBulletin's insuperable labyrinth consisting of "choose forum -> click forum -> click post new thread." To be honest, I don't particularly value such users or want them polluting the site with their pinhead musings, but hey, we've got to remain competitive and this requires dumbing things down a bit for the facebook junkies and iPhone users.

This product allows you do display a large, nearly impossible to miss button, directly below the breadcrumbs (on selected pages) that will make it easier for your users to post new threads. The added element consists of three parts: a message to the user welcoming them and instructing them on how to use the element to start a new thread, a dropdown menu from which they can choose a forum in which they have permission to post new threads (with forum categories in bold red and non-selectable), and a large button they can click once they have selected a forum which loads the newthread form to post a new thread in the forum they selected. You have 8 pre-defined linear gradient schemes (cross-browser compatible) from which to choose for the background color of the button, or you can use your own, with a choice to define separate schemes for each style using your StyleVars.



If a user has not selected a forum, then the tooltip for the button tells them they must choose a forum first. If they click the button anyway, then a popup alert repeats the fact that a forum must be chosen first. Once they select a forum, the tooltip for the button changes to tell them they may click the button to post a new thread in the selected form, and the name and description of the forum they selected is shown to help make certain they have made the correct choice.

They are essentially doing the same thing as if they had gone to a forum and clicked "+ Post New Thread," but now the button isn't carefully hidden behind the curtain of the link to the forum they want.

Everything is fully phrased and stylevars are used wherever applicable.

Updates:

Version 1.01:

• Added custom hook location to "navbar" template in case ads are turned off (previously used a global ad location as a template hook).

Version 1.1:

• Added support for Restrict Posting By Forum
• Added setting to allow for excluding forums from drop-down menu.
• Added setting to allow for left/right orientation of product element.

Version 1.1.5:

• Improved method for adding hook to "navbar" template to be more general.

Version 1.2:

• Forum exclusion now includes child forums.

Version 1.2.1:

• Added support for smaller screens.

Version 1.3:

• Added settings to allow for custom linear gradient on button.

Version 1.4:

• Changed custom color selection to HTML color pickers.
• Added "StyleVars" option to button color to allow for customization per style.

Version 1.5:

• Added support for when DBTech has replaced your "navbar" template.
• Combine plugins for adding custom hook and rending output.

Version 1.6:

• Added 5 more default button color gradients from which to choose.
• Removed need for explicit CSS for default button colors, greatly reducing the size of the template.

Version 1.7:

• Added support for manually placing the new thread button element within your "navbar" template using "{vb:raw markfl_newthreadbutton}".

Version 1.8:

• Fixed bug where forums with no parent and posting allowed were treated as categories.

Version 1.9:

• Adding setting to exclude usergroups from button access.
• Phrased "None Selected" drop-down menu selection.

Version 1.9.1:

• Phrased word "Category" in drop-down menu.

Compatibility:

Tested and working on VB 4.2.x and may work on all 4.x versions of vBulletin.

Backup/Warning:

This product does not alter your database, however it is always good practice to make regular backups and you should make a backup before installing ANY new mod.

As always, products are USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. I will provide support and do my best to help but no absolute guarantee is offered.

To Install:

1. Download and extract the attached .zip file.
2. Follow AdminCP -> Plugins & Products -> Manage Products -> Add/Import Product.
3. Click on "Choose File" and browse to the product .xml file that was packaged in the .zip file.
4. Click "Import."
5. You MUST enable the product in the settings before it will function.
6. Configure the remaining settings to your liking. Each setting has a detailed explanation of its use.

Support for this product can be found here:

• MHB - New Thread Button Anywhere
• TAZ - New Thread Button Anywhere

[Alan_SP]

This last option, maximum posts, should that be minimum posts user have? It seems more logical to me this way.

[MarkFL]

Update - Version 1.01:

• Added custom hook location to "navbar" template in case ads are turned off (previously used a global ad location as a template hook).

Originally Posted by Alan_SP

This last option, maximum posts, should that be minimum posts user have? It seems more logical to me this way.

Something like this would be more useful to new users than to more experienced users...and so that's why I gave an option to stop displaying it to users once they reach a certain number of posts.

[thenicehorizon]

amazing Mr MarkFL

[Stratis]

Nice work and good idea, thank you very much. Tested in v4.2.0.

How about an option to position button Left or Right

Attachment 154753

[Manoel J?nior]

Please, add group permissions

[MarkFL]

Originally Posted by Stratis

Nice work and good idea, thank you very much. Tested in v4.2.0.

How about an option to position button Left or Right

I could see that making sense if you are using a language which reads from right to left.

Originally Posted by Manoel J?nior

Please, add group permissions

I thought about that, but it just didn't seem worth the added complexity.

[Stratis]

Originally Posted by MarkFL

I could see that making sense if you are using a language which reads from right to left.

No I don't use language right to left, its psycho

Default buttons to make a new thread are in left position, so when big button stops to show up to new members, it will continue with the small default in the same place. it depends where we have big button to show up in the first place.

And something else, in "Choose A Subforum First" if there is an option to which forums we want, because when we have some forums restricted for members with less say than 5 post its better not show those forums.
What you say about it ?

[Morrus]

Originally Posted by Stratis

And something else, in "Choose A Subforum First" if there is an option to which forums we want, because when we have some forums restricted for members with less say than 5 post its better not show those forums.
What you say about it ?

I agree that would be great. I have hundreds of older subforums, but I'd only want a list of a half dozen or so for a new user to choose from.

[MarkFL]

Update - Version 1.1:

• Added support for Restrict Posting By Forum
• Added setting to allow for excluding forums from drop-down menu.
• Added setting to allow for left/right orientation of product element.