Major Additions - GRPS: Groups Commune 2.0.x

Welcome ladies and gentleman, this is the release thread for GRPS, an interactive groups commune. I hope you enjoy this release and i sincerely hope it provides everything to your community in which you're looking for.

What is it?
It's a groups commune. The original idea is that forums with lots and lots of forums on the front-page suck, as a result i thought most of the conversation was rather obscure in regards to what the forums were trying to achieve, so it'd be nice to have that all going on elsewhere, not detracting away from the content and stopping your front-page from looking like a car crash.

Features?

• Groups Home
  
  • Groups Activity List
    
    • Newest Groups
      
    • Most Popular Groups
      
    • Largest Groups
      
  • Category List
    
  • Group Search by Title
    
  • Group Sort by Alphabetical Title, Categories, Member Count
    
    
  • Users can create groups
    
  • Admin switch to moderate groups or not
    
    • Admin CP access to moderation panel
      
• Groups Page
  
  • Posts since last visit notification
    
  • Group Info
    
    • Group Leader shown with avatar
      
    • Category
      
    • Type
      
      • Groups can be listed as public, private or hidden
        
    • Start Date
      
    • Member count
      
    • Post count
      
  • Group Desciption
    
    • Shows group title
      
    • Shows random image
      
    • Shows group information set by group leader
      
  • Groups Thread List (Forum)
    
    • Status Icon
      
    • Title
      
      • Threads use postbit as per the forums
        
    • Thread Author with avatar and time that the thread was started
      
    • Last reply with avatar, username and time that the last reply was posted
      
    • Post New Thread Button
      
      • Groups Members can create threads
        
  • Newest Members
    
    • Shows five newest members
      
    • Link to view all members
      
      • Shows all members of the group
        
  • Group Options
    
    • Users can join/leave groups
      
      • PM Notification for group leaders upon join requests (when moderation enabled).
        
      • PM Notification for of acceptance or refusal.
        
    • Users can send invites to other users via PM
      
• Groups Thread
  
  • Groups Info Box (see above for more info)
    
  • Group Description box (see above for more info)
    
  • Newest Members List (see above for more info)
    
  • List of groups posts using forums postbit
    
  • Pagination using native vBulletin pagination
    
  • Group Leader/Moderation Options
    
    • Open/Close Thread
      
    • Stick Thread
      
    • Delete Thread
      
  • Users have the ability to report posts
    
  • Moderators have the ability to view IP and host.
    
• Group Leader Options
  
  • Groups Management
    
    • WYSIWYG Editor
      
    • Reason for editing box
      
    • Group Options
      
      • Private Posts
        
      • Only group leader can make threads
        
      • Moderate Members
        
      • Show group text edit details
        
      • Hide group image on group pages
        
      • Hidden Group
        
        • This option is only available to admins
          
  • Group Members Moderation
    
    • Ability to accept or deny new members
      
• Postbit Integration
  
  • View Users Groups
    
• User Control Panel (Integration)
  
  • List of groups appears in usercp in order of the last post
    
• Administrator Options
  
  • vBulletin Options
    
    • Turn groups on or off
      
    • Groups Limit Per User
      
    • Posts Per Page (threads)
      
    • Check Forum Activity Posts
      
    • Check Forum Activity Time
      
    • Number of Random Images
      
    • Turn email notification of new groups on/off
      
  • Usergroup Options
    
    • Can view groups
      
    • Can create groups
      
    • Can join groups
      
    • Can post messages in groups
      
    • Can edit messages in groups
      
    • Can delete messages posted in groups
      
    • Numbers of groups usergroup can join limited
      
    • Can moderate groups
      
      • See above for more info
        
    • Can view IP Addresses
      
  • Category Editor
    
    • Edit
      
      • Edit cat id (please not this can ef up your show)
        
      • Edit cat title
        
      • Edit cat description
        
    • Add
      
      • New Cat Title And Description
        
  • Groups Editor
    
    • Search for group by id
      
      • Edit
        
        • Title
          
        • Desciption
          
        • Categoryid
          
        • Group leader id
          
        • Private Posts
          
        • Moderate Members
          
        • Hidden group
          

Special Thanks to harry1951, without his help testing and his recommendations, this would've never ended up the way it did.

Honestly, i can't think of anything else, if you appreciate the work gone into this mod, please donate (in GBP) (right click open in new window)

Hopefully you all appreciate that i just relaunched my site and rather than soak up the atmosphere there or go out drinking i came to release this tonight.

Screens below, rest to your right

Please note this mod does work with 3.5.x

PLEASE DO NOT JOIN MY SITE IN A BID TO PLAY WITH IT OR HAVE A LOOK AT IT FURTHER, MY SITE IS SOMETHING I VALUE FOR BEING SOMEWHERE I CAN CHILL AT, IT'S NOT A TEST SUITE OR DEMO!

Bug Fixes

• Groups v2.0.0 RC1b.zip: fix regarding incorrect table prefixes in index.php and editpost.php
• Groups v2.0.0 RC2.zip: fix regarding incorrect table prefixes in functions_grps.php and class_grps.php. also fix regarding installation instructions.
• Groups v2.0.0 RC3.zip: fix regarding inability to get to create groups page. updated simplified instructions, sadly still not cool html ones and also added ability to delete groups, delete categories and of course the menu options to get to these.
  • Groups v2.0.0 RC3b.zip: fix regarding joining and leaving group depreciated function error added uninstaller to the zip at http://www.yoursite.com/groups/tools...p?do=uninstall
  • Groups v2.0.0 RC3c.zip: fix regarding edit being stated as 70's on group stages, requires re-installtion of the plugin only.
• Groups v2.0.0 RC4.zip: various bug fixes and new general setting, please reupload all files and then reinstall the product.
• Groups v2.0.0 RC5.zip: bug fixes regarding fixing links to forums being broken and forcing redirects for create group outcomes.
• Groups v2.0.0 RC6.zip: various bug fixes including table prefixes in admincp, invitations system now features in-line erroneous username fall-back and clean up regarding broken images in viewthread.php
• Groups v2.0.0 RC7.zip: bug fixes including missing phrases and missing 'noavatar.gif for group leader on groups info.
• Groups v2.0.0 RC8.zip: various bug fixes including missing phrases, smilies not working. new function to turn of new group moderation. form now working on print_no_permission page (thanks Adrian) and something else i forgot.
• Groups v2.0.0 RC9.zip: fixes two spelling mistakes, moves viewthread.php string_replacements to admincp and simplifies the installer experience. (yeah i thought there'd be more to it too).
  • Groups v2.0.0 RC9b.zip: re-fixes two spelling mistakes, fixes a viewthread.php string_replacement via the admincp and turns the default random image count down to that of which is provided.
• Groups v2.0.0 RC10.zip: optimises some of the code, cuts down on queries in exchange for additional joins and now forces compatibility in groups/viewthread.php with vBulletin options. also adds new option in admincp in order to make usercp listing work better out of the box.
• Groups v2.0.0 RC11.zip: fixes a problem with avatars not displaying correctly in thread listing and also optimises the code in membership.php
• Groups v2.0.0.zip: adds and array_merge to the code and smilie popup fixed. now features hooks for plug-in 'easability'. uCS integration moved to external plugin too.
• Groups v2.0.1.zip: removes one hook, fixes problem with membership.php, fixes problem editgroup.php not remembering options and fixes avatar problem.
• Groups v2.0.2.zip: various bug fixes (like missing pagenavs, more elegant removal of reputation button and infraction button and php notices), one or two new features (like intuitive page titles) and now fully phrased.
• Groups v2.0.3.zip: bug fix regarding now being able to select categories. includes a new feature which is basically pagination for the thread listings.
• Groups v2.0.4.zip: bug fix regarding not being able to moderate group memberships.
• Groups v2.0.5.zip: bug fix regarding those introduced via 2.0.4, new features such as double post prevention disable, admins can override privacy settings, usergroup permission text more intuitive and end-user usability increased with modification to threadbit on groups.php. group leaders can now kick users from there groups.
• Groups v2.0.6.zip: bug fix including report, missing edit button and other misc small bugs, new features such as disable hidden groups, allow mods to see private groups, and resign from group handing off to another user.
• Groups v2.0.7.zip: bug fix including fixing post counts, thread goto's and fatal php errors.
• Groups v2.0.8.zip: bug fix regarding inability to delete posts, problem with editing posts and other misc errors.
• Groups v2.0.9.zip: various bug fixes including wywiwyg error, admin cp error and redirect/goto errors.
  • Groups v2.0.9b.zip: fixes problem with upgrade4.php
• Groups v2.0.10.zip: various bug fixes including acknowledging renamed modcp and admincp dir's also adds option regarding removing of posts at group exit/kick.
• Groups v2.0.11.zip: various bug fixes including security/privacy fixes.
• Groups v2.0.12.zip: permission bug fixed.
• Groups v2.0.13.zip: various bug fixes including ability to ignore members in groups and newreply bug.

[Merriweather]

I finally got around the dang missing avatar issue by adding a replacement variable to the site template:

src="customavatars/

replaced with

src="http://www.mysite.com/forums/customavatars/

Which FINALLY fixed it. I don't know what the issue is with GRPS itself that it couldn't do that when the leader had no avatar, but I'm relieved to have done something about it and if anyone else has the issue, there's your fix.

[sabret00the]

Originally Posted by Merriweather

Sabe ~ Does your forum store avatars in the file system, or in the DB?

file system.

[sabret00the]

Originally Posted by Merriweather

Question (things I am coming across while trying to solve my own issues): What is the purpose of replycount and lastpost in the grps table? All of my groups have 0 for both of these items in the DB.

both were designed for implementation at a later date, sadly said later date won't happen until 3.0 at which point they're used to cache said information and ease burden on the database.

Originally Posted by Merriweather

Forogt to mention before, too, that when posting to a thread, the posting rules say:

You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

Even when the user does have permission.

i tried to fix that. ultimately it'll be scrapped for 3.0.

Originally Posted by Merriweather

Also, I believed I found the problem with the "View New Reply" etc links not working. I had my group thread length per page set to 20. When a user tried to use a page jummp link, it would go past the last page, i.e. page 3 of 2 and therefore show a blank page. I changed it to 10 and the issue got worse, I ended up on page 5 of 2 trying to see the last post.

I changed it to 25 and it worked.

It seems what is going on is when you change that number, somewhere, something isn't calculating right. It seems to be calculating the pagejump based on whatever is hard coded into the script/system for posts per page and not looking at what the user has set.

Hard to describe, but I can show you if you'd like.

ahhh, ok. i wouldn't have even though to look there, just seen the problem in the code and have fixed it.

i'll release 2.0.10 around the middle of next week.

[sabret00the]

Originally Posted by Merriweather

I finally got around the dang missing avatar issue by adding a replacement variable to the site template:

src="customavatars/

replaced with

src="http://www.mysite.com/forums/customavatars/

Which FINALLY fixed it. I don't know what the issue is with GRPS itself that it couldn't do that when the leader had no avatar, but I'm relieved to have done something about it and if anyone else has the issue, there's your fix.

interesting. that's definitely due to neglect on my part. on both of my test setups avatars are stored above the ROOT. i will be more mindful of this in future

[sabret00the]

Originally Posted by Exitilus

I think he meant Request for Groups 3.0 heh..... I'm half asleep right now .. but I'll work on some features as well

i'll look forward to seeing them.

[sabret00the]

Originally Posted by sabret00the

About the ability to have multiple group leaders. whoever starts the group will be able to appoint his fellow group leaders and then they'll basically have the same amount of power as the group starter. i.e. the ability to edit members, kick members, delete messages and so on and so fourth, etc. they won't be able to kick other group leaders however. the reason i'm mentioning this is because i'm about to start coding this feature and unless theirs resounding opposition to this i'll write the feature like this.

consider this coded.

[Benj]

might be cool to add the group posts to the forum posts for the statistics on forum home?

[sabret00the]

i appreciate all the suggestions thus far, keep them coming.

[Exitilus]

I didn't read through other suggestions. But I'm *sure* It's been mentioned. I know you don't want to use the forum datastore ... what about some sort of extra code & template edit that will show New Group posts under the New posts section when a user clicks it. (IE Two seperate tables .. one for forum, one for groups).

[Merriweather]

Other ideas:

- Use template replacement variables after install instead of manually editing all smilies etc (this would just be a change in the instructions for the end user).
- Do not allow group leaders to turn the group over to a user who is in a usergroup that does not have the option to lead groups.
- Allow polls in groups.
- Show page numbers/navigation under post title on group home page.
- Improve browse.php to show additional info such as public/private, group leader, number of members, number of posts.

The MOST requested features from my users is post review when posting and email notification of new group posts.