Allow Your Users to Post Anonymously Without Logging Out

When I released my Post As Anonymous Mod Hack (now obsolete), many users wanted the ability to allow ANY user to post anonymously. This hack fulfils that request.

It is a VERY long and difficult hack to install. Therefore, I have written the instruction file radically different than any I have ever written before. This one is written in discrete steps. Rather than having you blindly edit files and hope everything works when it's done, I have you do the hack in steps and TEST each step.

IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO CODE, I SUGGEST YOU POST A SERVICE REQUEST AND ASK SOMEBODY TO INSTALL THIS FOR YOU.

Features:
A. Control anonymous posting at the board, forum, usergroup, and user level.

This means that you can use the anonymous posting in any combination that you can use features such as allowing users to reply to posts.

B. Users can post anonymously, but still subscribe to the thread.

C. You can set the anonymous username per usergroup. For example, Admins can post as Anonymous Admin, while regular users post as Anonymous Registered Member.

D. Mods and Admins can see who truly posted.

E. Users can see their name on their own anonymous post.

F. The "edited by" message does not show on anonymous posts.

G. Lastposter works properly.

H. Search will not pull up a user's anonymous posts under their name. But, you can search for all anonymous posts.

I. Anonymous posts are marked so that you don't forget the post is anonymous and "out" yourself.

J. Anonymous posts can be safely quoted.

I will not support this hack for any version of vbulletin other than 3.0.7.

[amykhar]

It never slowed my forum down, Lionel. Also, if your slowdown is recent I doubt this mod is the cause because you installed it quite a while ago.

This mod requires no extra queries for posting or reading posts.

[jellybaby]

Does anyone have this working in 3.0.8?

[jellybaby]

I cant see a checkbox anywhere can anyone tell me what I have missed please. Ive only done the first step and checked and Ive done it wrong already..lol!

Many Thanks

[ktaylor]

Originally Posted by jellybaby

Does anyone have this working in 3.0.8?

I'd like to know this too as i've assumed if it works in 3.0.7, then it'll work in 3.0.8

but i'm stuck on Step 3 where we're supposed to add in the new setting group...only vbulletin options doesn't have (or i can't find) anywhere to include a NEW setting group..

Anyone have any clues on this? did 3.0.8 take out the "add new setting group" or put it somewhere else?

Thanks!

[amykhar]

you need to be in debug mode to add the settings group.

[ktaylor]

ahhh, that's why the debut portion is in there...ok, thanks!

i tried putting the $debug=1 in the config.php last night and it had some sort of cookie/header malfunction.. any idea on what that might be about? i know it might not be related to the hack - just wondered...

[amykhar]

Not sure about the header glitch. Make sure there are no spaces or line returns after the ending ?> in config.php though.

[midnightz]

This will work with 3.0.8

You will need to change the instructions at 5b.


5b. Run the following query's to update your existing users: (use the table prefix if necessary and change the fieldx to use the value you chose)

PHP Code:

ALTER TABLE 'userfield' DROP 'fieldx';  

ALTER TABLE 'userfield' ADD 'fieldx' VARCHAR(50) DEFAULT "yes" NOT NULL; 
 
UPDATE userfield set fieldx='yes'; 


Reason: new version uses "mediumtext" which can't have a DEFAULT (e.g. 'yes')

Solution: change field type from "mediumtext" to "varchar"

-----------------------------------

Enjoy the fix

[Greebo]

Is there a vB3.5 version of this hack available? Its worked great for me in 3.0.x but now I'm getting ready to upgrade.

[sunnycher]

I'd like to know this too!