Mini-hack: show list of forums from the same category in a popup menu

Description:
This hack makes navigation within forums from the same category much easier - no need to go to forum home or other aggregate page, just use popup menu similar to "Forum tools". See attached screenshot, it is really self-describing.
There're no new db queries, one .php file changed, one template edited and one template added.

Limitations:
Obviously, this is for forums which are categorized. Also, it will list all sub-forums of a parent forum, including subforums of the current forum and all subforums of forums from the current category. In other words, it's not for boards with advanced tree-like forum structure (more than 1 level deep).

Another issue: it will only work when DHTML popups are enabled. Required code is missing from the part of FORUMDISPLAY template responsible for displaying non-DHTML navigation.

Updates:
1.2 - Add check for active forum state when listing forums.
1.01 - Check forum permissions to hide forums which can't be accessed by user.

Code changes:
In forumdisplay.php, find this code fragment (vb 3.0.7):

	else
	{
		$lastread = $bbuserinfo['lastvisit'];
	}

Add these lines below:

PHP Code:

    // HACK: display sibling forums as related topics menu
    require_once('./includes/functions_misc.php');
    $childforums = fetch_child_forums($foruminfo['parentid'], 'ARRAY');
    foreach ($childforums AS $val)
    {
        if ($val <> $forumid)
        {
            $relatedperms = $bbuserinfo['forumpermissions']["$val"];
            if (!($relatedperms & CANVIEW) AND $vboptions['hideprivateforums'])
            {
                continue;
            }
            $relatedinfo = fetch_foruminfo($val);
            if (! ($relatedinfo['options'] & $_FORUMOPTIONS['active']) )
            { // forum isn't active
                continue;
            }
            eval('$relatedtopicbits .= "' . fetch_template('relatedtopicbit') . '";');
        }
    }
    // HACK 


In the same file, find this code (near the top):

	'none' => array(
		'FORUMDISPLAY',

Add this beneath:

		'relatedtopicbit',

Template changes:
In the FORUMDISPLAY template, find this line:

	<td class="tcat" width="100%">$vbphrase[threads_in_forum]<span class="normal">: $foruminfo[title]</span></td>

underneath it, add this:

	<td class="vbmenu_control" id="relatedtools"><a href="#goto_relatedtools">Related Topics</a> <script type="text/javascript"> vbmenu_register("relatedtools"); </script></td>

Find this fragment:

<if condition="$show['popups']">
<br />
<!-- popup menu contents -->

Add underneath it:

<!-- related tools menu -->
<div class="vbmenu_popup" id="relatedtools_menu" style="display:none">
	<table cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" border="0">
	<tr><td class="thead">Forums<a name="goto_relatedtools"></a></td></tr>
	$relatedtopicbits
	</table>
</div>
<!-- / related tools menu -->

Create new template named "relatedtopicbit". Populate it with this:

	<tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="forumdisplay.php?$session[sessionurl]f=$relatedinfo[forumid]">$relatedinfo[title]</a></td></tr>

That's it.

[kmike]

No, at least until we upgrade to 3.5, which is still some months away.

[Renada]

Originally Posted by kmike

No, at least until we upgrade to 3.5, which is still some months away.

Thanks for letting me know I'll keep an look out for it in the future.

Regards,
Renada