Existing Topics Check

This hack will allow you and your members to check for existing topics, or similar ones, of the thread you plan to create when at newthread.php.

This should help to prevent double topics that often appear from newbish members who neglect to use the search feature.

It uses the exact functions as the "similar threads" feature, therefore has the same accuracy.

Tested to work on:

• vBulletin 3 RC2
• Internet Explorer 6 (with Javascript enabled)
• Mozilla Firebird 0.7 / Mozilla 1.5 (with Javascript enabled)

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Tweak #1

If you would like the find icon to show upon typing in the input box, and then disappear if the input box is empty upon change, please do the following:


In the template newthread, find:

function showFind(object)
{
  if(object.value != '')
  {
    document.findicon.src = "$stylevar[imgdir_button]/findicon_on.gif";
    document.findicon.style.cursor = "pointer";
  }
  else
  {
    document.findicon.src = "$stylevar[imgdir_button]/findicon_off.gif";
    document.findicon.style.cursor = "default";
  }
}

Replace it with:

function showFind()
{
    document.findicon.src = "$stylevar[imgdir_button]/findicon_on.gif";
    document.findicon.style.cursor = "pointer";
}

function hideFind(object)
{
  if(object.value == '')
  {
    document.findicon.src = "$stylevar[imgdir_button]/findicon_off.gif";
    document.findicon.style.cursor = "default";
  }
}

In the same template, find:

<td><input type="text" class="bginput" name="subject" onChange="showFind(this)" value="$subject" size="40" maxlength="85" tabindex="1" /></td>

Replace it with:

<td><input type="text" class="bginput" name="subject" onchange="hideFind(object)" onkeypress="showFind()" value="$subject" size="40" maxlength="85" tabindex="1" /></td>

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

Attached is a screenshot.

Inside the zip are English, German, and French installation instructions. Please be aware I used a software translator for the German and French docs.

Enjoy.

[Dean C]

What a great idea! I'd love to see this installed here.

[PranK]

nice work mate! Thanks.

/me clicks install

Christian

[Velocd]

Originally Posted by Boofo

Shouldn't the icon become active when you type soemthing in there? It only becomes active here after I click it.

Ah ha!

Good point. I'll tweak it a bit, since that does seem more suitable.

And yes the title shows up in the similar threads when there are 2 of them.

Are both topics exactly (case-sensitive) the same? Maybe there is a case-sensitive problem in the hack.

I'll look into the code to see what could be causing the conflict of it not showing another of the same topic.

Edit:

Check out the attachment Boofo, I tested the topic on my localhost and it seems to work.

[Boofo]

Thank you, sir. Let me know when you have something and I will be glad to test it out for you. I'm really looking forward to this hack.

Yes, they are exactly the same in case-sensitivity. But it wouldn't even find a part of the title either (i.e. conditional statements).

[Boofo]

Originally Posted by Velocd

Ah ha!

Good point. I'll tweak it a bit, since that does seem more suitable.



Are both topics exactly (case-sensitive) the same? Maybe there is a case-sensitive problem in the hack.

I'll look into the code to see what could be causing the conflict of it not showing another of the same topic.

Edit:

Check out the attachment Boofo, I tested the topic on my localhost and it seems to work.

Could it be because they are in a private forum and passworded as to why it won't work here??

[Velocd]

Yes, if you don't have permission to view the forum those threads are in, they wont show. Although I'm guessing you do have permission since you're the administrator.

For those wanting the suggestion made by Boofo, I've added the instructions to the tweak in the first post.

[Boofo]

I don't have a lot of threads since I am starting from scratch so maybe it has to do with that then. I don't know.

[Boofo]

Have the instructions been updated to include this?

[Velocd]

Originally Posted by Boofo

Have the instructions been updated to include this?

If you're referring to the tweak, no.

The tweak instructions are in the first post.

[buro9]

Originally Posted by Velocd

If you're referring to the tweak, no.

The tweak instructions are in the first post.

I had a very similar thing running on my old VB2 forums, I have now installed this hack on my VB3 test site... and it's nice Very nice.

I have made a few adjustments though:

I've used document.getElementById() rather than use IE based document.all access. This will ensure compatibility with standards compliant browsers. You need to add id="" to the relevant pieces of HTML, subject and findicon I think are the only two.

I already added an onKeyUp alongside the onChange on the subject input box. This runs it everytime a key is lifted... though I left the onChange in there as it makes no difference and ensures that more limited browsers will still support it.

Aside from that... lovely hack