Welcome Thread Created on Members first post

Product Name:
Welcome Thread Created on Members first post

Product Description:
This Hack/Product creates a new "welcome post" when a member posts for the first time. You can choose to either create a new thread in a welcome forum or create the post in an existing thread. The user's original first post can also be modified, allowing you to link to their "welcome post".

I have only tested this package install on 3.5.4. Please post if you successfully (or unsuccessfully) install this under any other 3.5 versions.

This Hack was created as a generic way to post "welcome threads" for all types of registration situations: wide open, authentication, approval, etc. It also keeps the number of welcome threads down somewhat by never posting one for users that register and never post. Lurkers can still register and lurk.

This Hack was inspired by amykhar, PaulM, Andreas, and others and leans heavily on their previous work. This is my first attempt at a packaged, released hack so I hope they will help me out if I screwed anything up

Contents:
This package includes:
1 Plugin:
"Welcome Post and First post modify": Code to create the "welcome thread" and modify the user's original post via templates.

3 Templates:
welcome_thread: The text of the "welcome thread" created.
welcome_title: The title of the "welcome thread" created.
welcome_addon: The text to be added on to the members original first post.

3 Option/Setting:
welcomeforum: (group "Welcome New Users Options"): The forumid of the forum where the welcome threads will be created. A "0" passes control to the welcomethread option.

welcomethread: (group "Welcome New Users Options"): The threadid of the thread where the welcome posts will be created. This option is ignored if the welcomeforum option is set. Setting both welcomethread and welcomeforum options to "0" disables the creation of welcome posts entirely (though modification of the original post may still occur)

welcomeposter: (group "Welcome New Users Options"): The userid of the user that will post the welcome message. If this setting is "0", the welcome post will be poster as the new user.

Installation Instructions:
Step 1: Import the product .xml file (attached here)

Step 2: Change the "welcomeforum" option or the "welcomethread" option to the correct welcomeid or threadid where you wish the welcome messages to be created. "welcomeforum" takes precedence over "welcomethread". Set both to zero if you wish to disable the creation of welcome posts.

TIP: An easy way to get the forumid or threadid number is to put your cursor over the forum or thread you want to use and read the link information in the bar at the bottom of your browser. Look at the "t=xxx" for threads or "f=xxx" for forums.

Step 3: Set "welcomeposter" to the userid of the user you wish to post the welcome message. If this setting is set to "0", the welcome post will be posted as the new user. The default for this setting is "0".

Step 4: Modify the 3 templates to your taste. The sample templates show how to make both the welcome thread and the modified first post point back to each other.

Step 5: Enjoy.

Version History:
version 0.9 - Initial release

• Initial public release

version 0.91

• added welcomethread option and functionality
• code cleanup and template cleanup

version 0.92

• added welcomeposter option and functionality
• code cleanup and template cleanup

[sinaluna]

Question: if we don't want any "add on text" to the new user's first post, should we just delete the text in the "welcome_addon" template? It would be nice, I think, if this was another option that could be turned off in AdminCP.

You can leave the template, but just make it blank. I think Id rather not add another option for it when the blank addon does the same thing logically.

Also, we should be editing the text in the templates of all of our styles? Why not make these as phrases instead?

You can just edit them in the default style if you want. The really dont work as phrases, considering all the things that you might want to put in a template. You can add graphics, links, and reference just about any variable in a template. Phrases are VERY limited. You have to define exactly what variables you can that are available before hand and they are hard coded in the plugin then. You would lose any flexibility.

You could create your own welcome phrases and include them in your welcome template if you were worried about language issues, but this is too limiting for this product.

[sinaluna]

BTW, if you are testing templates you can change the line in the plugin:

PHP Code:

if (($vbulletin->userinfo['userid'] > 0) AND ($vbulletin->userinfo['posts'] == 0)) { 


to something like:

PHP Code:

if (($vbulletin->userinfo['userid'] > 0) AND ($vbulletin->userinfo['posts'] < 9999)) { 


This will temporarily make any post for a user under 9999 posts create a welcome post. This would not work well on an open, public forum. But in a test forum, or if you have closed the forum for maintanance, this lets you easily test the templates.

[Tralala]

This seems to be working okay, for the most part... but I am noticing one issue... it makes new posts in the pre-existing thread, yes... but it doesn't bump that thread and change it's date. So the new posts get lost in the shuffle. Ideally I'd like for these "welcome posts" to act just like any other, effectively being marked as new and bumping the thread.

[Tralala]

And one suggestion while I'm at it, it would be nice if we could incorporate the name of the new member's referrer, if they have one, into the Welcome post.

Something like "Thanks to Tralala, we have a new member aboard. Pamela's first post is here. Let's give our new member a hearty welcome!"

Might also be nice to include their avatar.

Would either of these be possible?

[sinaluna]

Ill take a look this week and see how to get the referer info to the template.

[glowinggal]

great! I look forward to update of this before install!

[LBSources]

Tralala great suggestions and same update/bump to the thread the intro posted in would be great ,...

eitherway .. staff member of ours stressed for this and im glad we installed it..

great!

Lenny

[wideopen]

Thanks this works great...

[JohnnyClark]

this doesnt work for me....nothing is created

[sinaluna]

Sorry for the delay but had something come up and it ate up last week entirely. I will get to it this week (I hope)