Geek Article System 3.52

IMPORTANT:
Please note that I can no longer support this project. Primarily as it is designed for vb3.0.x and I no longer use that version (im obviously on vb3.5x ). There is a version for vb3.5 however its a commercial script. This project is left here for the community.
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HowdA All.

The GAS3 system is a comprehensive article system that completely integrates into vB3.

News:

• Updated 3/08/05 to version 3.53 for compatability with vb3.08
• Updated 13/05/05 to version 3.52!!! Posts for 3.52 to integrate with GAL4.0 start here

History

Originally, I looked into other article systems to integrate with my forums but just got irritated over and over again as I found the other offering out there very limiting for my needs. I wanted to use my members usergroup permissions, the search facility (so when someone did a search for 'bob' both articles AND threads appeared on one page), I also wanted wysiwyg editing and vBs attachment system. Well, I accomplished 99% of my needs with the Geek Article System 2.0
Why 3.0? While the 2.0 was fine for my needs, many users began asking for a far more complex system that took the beauty of 2.0 and added popular features in the other article systems.

Here are the features in a nutshell:

• Integrates 100% into vB. No importing forums or creating special groups. Simply mark forum as an 'Article' forum and instantly all threads become articles. Dont like it anymore? Simply remove the ID and the therads and forums go back to normal.
• Whatever you can do in a thread or post, you can do with the GAS3 system (uploading attachments, smiles, BBcode, various editors, yadayadayada)
• Adding on the above point: all the differing vB editors (wysiwyg, etc..), usergroup permissions (heck - anything you can set for a forum you can set in this - AND MORE!) why> because it is totally integrated!
• Create multiple pages in your post by simply putting [BREAK] anywhere in your post.
• The first thumbnail in an article substitutes the posters avatar (switchable via admincp)
• Upload header images and have them auto resize
• Choose header images from a global (or forum specific) gallery
• Integrated article byline.
• Synopsis - allows users to give a summary that appears on the new forumdisplay
• New forumdisplay shows article header image and synopsis (if no synopsis then the first X amount of characters from the article is used)
• Synopisis allows BBCode
• Integrates with the Geek AutoLink system (optional)
• Allows you to post as other users
• Article sidebar that shows the article rating, your rating, the rating form, article tools, and article attachments (all toggable via admincp)
• An auto installer/upgrader/uninstaller that makes all file edits for you!
• A whole host of other tiddlybits that I wont bore you with

Special thanks goes to rlamego, peterska2, Snow, Gldtn, and Magic Spark for private Beta testing this for me. Couldnt of happened without them!

Change log
13.05.05 - updated to 3.52
All this does is update GAS for the GAL4.0 integration.
To update, simply replace your existing functions_geekarticles.php with the one in the latest package.

18.3.05 - updated to 3.51
This really just fixes a couple of mega minor bugs.
Added new default icon per forum functionality (see readme)
Wrote a real README.
Wrote a seperate 3.5x upgrade script. Users of 3.5x should run admincp/gas3_upgrade.php

16.3.05 - updated to 3.50
Loads of new features and a new installer that makes the file changes for you.
New forumdisplay
Uploading of images for your header
Synopsis box
yadayadayda

10.2.05 - updated to 3.02
Fixed typo in readme (step 2.6 referenced $articlebyline instead of $GAS_byline). This bug fixes the disappearing byline when editing an article.
To upgrade - edit your editpost template and search for $articlebyline then replace it with $GAS_byline

Importers
I have made an importer for v3articles. Technically speaking, you dont have to strictly have GAS3 installed to use the importer (though it is ideal). What it does is essentailly import v3articles, comments, ratings, and attachments into existing forums as new threads, replies, threadratings, and post attachments. The idea is that you install GAS3, create the forums to house your articles, and then import your existing v3articles into them (but as I said, you can simply import v3articles into normal forums without having GAS3 installed).
There is also a rollback feature in case you change your mind or experience a problem with the import. Your v3articles installation isnt touched. In fact, no v3articles are harmed in the process

Known issues:

• none that I am aware of.

Demos: (note that I have a custom skin, so your results will be ever so slightly different)
http://www.thenailgeek.com/showthread.php?t=11287
http://www.thenailgeek.com/showthread.php?t=8801 - pages with comments (click View Comments to see comments only)


Difficulty - EASY
Time - about 5 minutes
File modifications? a few but now all done automatically for you

Change log:

Updated to 3.01 Feb 7th
Fixed a couple template errors and minor readme instructions


Instructions

Click install. I have busted my butt over the past few weeks to do this and all I ask is that you click install if you use it

• Download the package and unzip.
• Follow the README!
• Ther installer does all the work for you
• When done, go into your admncp, and adjust your settings

Troubleshooting:

• No phrases after install? This happens a lot with many installers for some bizzare reason. All you have to do is do a phrase search for GAS_ , edit the phrase (dont change it), then save it. Bingo - all your phrases appear.

Also:

I would therefore backup your DB, your styles, and any of the files the README asks you to change.

nJoy

[Rich]

Hello,

I tried that too before I tried the code posted above. No luck.

[SamirDarji]

Do a view source of the page with the problem and see if there are any table tag problems. Something tells me there's something going on between vb's tables and the ones on your post.

[jaredvolkl]

Originally Posted by sketch42

yea but where would i put that and what phrase would i use?

I'd be interested in how to do this. I also want to add how many views an article has just like a normal thread.

[MillerLight]

Can images be uploaded and placed in the article when it is created? I have looked at the demo's and dont see this? On most, I see an attachment box, "Containing an Image",to the right of the article, which sometimes doesnt appear to go with the flow of the article?

Can it work like creating a normal post on VB?

Thanks

[The Geek]

When you create an article - it is exactly the same as creating a post in vb (to vb, it is a post). Therefore placing images at runtime is as simple as uploading an attchment or using the [img] bbcode. A lot of users (including myself) that use vba gallery or photopost also use the Geek Gallery Popup to insert pics from their gallery at article creation time.

to make a 'comments' phrase, add a new global phrase called comments_reads with the text:
Comments: {1}, Reads: {2}

In your GAS_threadbit template... stick the following HTML wherever you fancy it:
<phrase 1="$thread[replycount]" 2="$thread[views]">$vbphrase[comments_reads]</phrase>

Bammo - there you go

Iguana - Im with samir there... the displaying of the HTML doesnt have much to do with GAS other than the results get put into a GAS template... Check out the HTML output and see if you can find the problem from there. Still looks to me like it isnt valigned correctly.

HTH's

[thephonemall]

Attempting to doa fresh install on VB 3.0.8
First error that popped up:

ERRORS:
cant find root directory gas
Make sure you have created this in your forum directory.

I have the gas folder with 777 in my forum directory. My root VB folder is named "community" rather than "forum"
Is this what is causing problems? Obivously a whole slew of errors incurred following the first and I proceeded with an uninstall. I would really like to get this working. Any help is appreciated.

[The Geek]

Originally Posted by thephonemall

Attempting to doa fresh install on VB 3.0.8
First error that popped up:

ERRORS:
cant find root directory gas
Make sure you have created this in your forum directory.

I have the gas folder with 777 in my forum directory. My root VB folder is named "community" rather than "forum"
Is this what is causing problems? Obivously a whole slew of errors incurred following the first and I proceeded with an uninstall. I would really like to get this working. Any help is appreciated.

Just follow directions in the readme for creating the directory structure yourself. This is an occasional problem with some setups but the readme has an easy wnough workaround.

You dont need to do an uninstall if you get file change errors btw

[mhme]

Originally Posted by thephonemall

Attempting to doa fresh install on VB 3.0.8
First error that popped up:

ERRORS:
cant find root directory gas
Make sure you have created this in your forum directory.

I have the gas folder with 777 in my forum directory. My root VB folder is named "community" rather than "forum"
Is this what is causing problems? Obivously a whole slew of errors incurred following the first and I proceeded with an uninstall. I would really like to get this working. Any help is appreciated.

I have this problem too. (on 3.0.8)

I have created all directory as you described in GAS3.53\README.html and have 777 as permission on them.
But I still give error!


doing folder structure

Note the following errors occured. DO NOT NAVIGATE FROM THIS PAGE WITHOUT MAKING NOTE OF THEM!!!

cant find root directory gas
Make sure you have created this in your forum directory.


Please help me.

[thephonemall]

Hey Geek, (respect intended)
On Manual Step 200 you have the following:
=======================================
step 200
in forumdisplay.php, replace:

$phrasegroups = array('forumdisplay'

with:

//=== GAS Step 200 ===
$phrasegroups = array('forumdisplay', 'geek_articles'
============================================

The actual file has a closing bracket here array('forumdisplay') <-----
Should I add the bracket after ....'geek_articles' ?

Same thing on:
first step 1 in editpost.php
Step 500 in newthread.php
Step 600 in showthread.php
Step 700 in printthread.php

My printthread.php is 0 bytes with no content so I could not make manual changes. I noticed that the original zip contained a printthread.php 6kb in size so I have replaced it and made changes.

Also there is no "// build thread data" in forumdisplay.php as mentioned in step 207. I took a guess on where to place this.

Install appears to work fine.

[The Geek]

Thats by design. The replacements are inline and look like that for the automated installer. Just follow exactly and you should be cool.

Your printthread sounds freaky. The original thread should also NOT contain a printthread.php file (i just double checked and couldnt find it!). Im guessing that the one youre looking at is your own that has been modified in gas/changes.

Dont know what you mean for step 207 w/o looking at it again... but most likely its a conflict with another mack or something. I tested the latest install on clean 3.08's and got 0 errors. Regardless I hope everythings cool.

mhme... Looks like you will have to do the changes manually. That is the first time out of hundreds of installs that I have heard that though. Bummer as there are quite a few manual changes with this version