Board Optimization - Super Speedy UserCP

TIME TO INSTALL: 10 seconds (requires editing of one file in one place)

This simple code modification increases my usercp.php loading speed by 6x. I think it will be most useful in cases where there are many subscribed forums.

It is listed as a modification for version 3.8.3 (which I am currently working with), but this mod works as far back as 3.0.1 (the 'find' text might be slightly different, but the function name and the text you replace is the same).
EDIT: Tested up to 3.8.4.

It works because the php function is_array() is excruciatingly slow, and an empty array gives the same return value as an empty variable.

This code would likely break if someone introduced a location in the code where the $lastpostarray variable was set to something (i.e. not nothing) that was not an array.

There are lots of these checks in the vBulletin code. It's likely that further speed increases could be achieved by changing more of them -- just remember that there is an unlikely circumstance (see previous paragraph) where it would cause problems. If you find other locations with significant effects, please post them in a reply!

##### IN FILE

functions_forumlist.php

##### FIND

function construct_forum_bit($parentid, $depth = 0, $subsonly = 0)
{
global $vbulletin, $stylevar, $vbphrase, $show;
global $imodcache, $lastpostarray, $counters, $inforum;

// this function takes the constant MAXFORUMDEPTH as its guide for how
// deep to recurse down forum lists. if MAXFORUMDEPTH is not defined,
// it will assume a depth of 2.

// call fetch_last_post_array() first to get last post info for forums
if (!is_array($lastpostarray))

##### REPLACE

if (!is_array($lastpostarray))

##### WITH

if (!$lastpostarray)

#####

And that's it! Enjoy, and I hope it helps!

[jambo_1969]

It is a bit quicker, HOWEVER, it zero's all the stats from the main forum.php page - so it looks like there are no posts and no views.

[Birched]

That doesn't happen for me at all -- check your braces (it sounds like you may have corrupted the surrounding function?), and if that doesn't fix it, then post in your change here for me to look at (or pm it.)

[unp]

Originally Posted by down.low

One mistake:


if (!i$lastpostarray)

should be the following:

if ($lastpostarray)

Originally Posted by Birched

Thanks - fixed.

Its still ' if (!$lastpostarray)' in the frst post.
So what should it be ?

[jambo_1969]

Originally Posted by unp

Its still ' if (!$lastpostarray)' in the frst post.
So what should it be ?

I'm assuming the one in the OP, as I put the amended one from the later post in, and it zero'ed all post/view counts on forum home.

[unp]

I get and error with if (!$lastpostarray)

Parse error:  syntax error, unexpected T_VARIABLE in /home/unp/public_html/includes/functions_forumlist.php on line 156

With if ($lastpostarray) All post/view are Zero on forumhome.

[Birched]

Originally Posted by unp

Its still ' if (!$lastpostarray)' in the frst post.
So what should it be ?

The error was the letter 'i' that used to be there (look more closely.)

[Birched]

Originally Posted by unp

I get and error with if (!$lastpostarray)

Parse error:  syntax error, unexpected T_VARIABLE in /home/unp/public_html/includes/functions_forumlist.php on line 156

With if ($lastpostarray) All post/view are Zero on forumhome.

Please post your modified code. That is what you'd get with a typo.

[unp]

I tried again and it worked.I must have done something wrong the first time.

[TWTCommish]

I assume this only speeds up the UserCP if the user has subscribed to forums? I ask because very few of my users use that feature.

[Birched]

Originally Posted by TWTCommish

I assume this only speeds up the UserCP if the user has subscribed to forums? I ask because very few of my users use that feature.

That's what it looks like. It's easy to try, though.