Private Messages Enhancements - Private Message Quote Formatting

What is it?
----------------------------
This mod arranges quotes in a PM to be in a "conversational" order instead of being nested. This solves the problem of displaying deeply-nested quotes. This mod also has an option to add a date/time stamp to quoted PMs.

Also, I'm not much of an html/css person - this mod mostly provides variables which can be checked in the template, and a bare-bones css file. If anyone comes up with css for a better looking format and wants to share it, please do (and maybe I'll put it in a later version).

(vb4 version is here: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=292968)


Installation:
----------------------------
Just import the product XML file from the Product Manager. This doesn't change stored PMs in any way (unless you enable the date/time stamp option - see below), so you can uninstall or disable the product at any time to go back to the original PM template.

If you'd like to customize the format, you can edit the kh99_pm_quote, kh99_pm_quote_bit, and/or the kh99_pm_quote.css templates.

If you want to add date/time tags to PM quotes, go to the adminCP options under "Private Messaging Options" and set "Add Date and Time to Quotes" to yes. Note that if you later uninstall this mod, any messages quoted while this option was on will still contain a date/time tag, but it will display after the name in a default format and timezone. If this is a concern, it's probably better that you don't enable this option.

Also note that the date/time option only adds the timestamp to newly quoted messages - it will not add one to quotes in existing messages.

Note: Because I forgot to set a product id for version 0.90, when upgrading from 0.90 to a later version the mod installs as a separate product so that it looks like this mod is installed twice. If that happens you should just be able to uninstall version 0.9.

History:
----------------------------
1.0 (Jan 01, 2013)

• Fixed issue with white page on some forums
• All templates now cached (I hope).
  

0.91 (Dec 22, 2012)

• Fixed conflict with at least one mod that adds default text formmating
• Fixed problem with html in pm notification email
• Option to show only N newest quotes and hide the rest
• Optional Date/Time tag added to quotes in PMs
• Added enable/disable option for the entire product, in admincp
• Templates are now cached
  

0.9 (Dec 14, 2012)

• Initial Release

[kh99]

Obviously others are interested in the vb3 version so it doesn't matter to me if you wait or decide not to install it at all. But for anyone else who might be worried about it, this makes no database changes and has no custom uninstall code, so uninstalling won't be a problem.

[Max Taxable]

Originally Posted by kh99

Obviously others are interested in the vb3 version so it doesn't matter to me if you wait or decide not to install it at all. But for anyone else who might be worried about it, this makes no database changes and has no uninstall code, so uninstalling won't be a problem.

Nice to know.

I thought it was a good idea (it is) that's why I asked for it for v3.

[ctrlbrk]

Yes, I very much want this to work... just need to fix the emails, or trigger them to be sent in HTML mode.

[Max Taxable]

Originally Posted by ctrlbrk

Yes, I very much want this to work...

Me too.

[kh99]

It turns out that it wasn't a big fix. I'll release a new version tomorrow.

[ctrlbrk]

Originally Posted by kh99

It turns out that it wasn't a big fix. I'll release a new version tomorrow.

Excellent, thanks. Crossing fingers for adding the date/time as well, I know it will take some PHP and query but I think is worth it

[kh99]

Originally Posted by ctrlbrk

Excellent, thanks. Crossing fingers for adding the date/time as well, I know it will take some PHP and query but I think is worth it

I'll look in to doing that. But one thing about that: it will be something that won't go away when you uninstall the mod. It's going to have to go in as part of the name of the person you're quoting.

[ctrlbrk]

Originally Posted by kh99

I'll look in to doing that. But one thing about that: it will be something that won't go away when you uninstall the mod. It's going to have to go in as part of the name of the person you're quoting.

Or just a $variable? I figure you'll need to do a SELECT query to find the info, then the plug-in could just throw it in a $variable? I for instance would prefer to be able to float: right; the date on the other side of the quote box. But either way, it is welcome.

[kh99]

Originally Posted by ctrlbrk

Or just a $variable? I figure you'll need to do a SELECT query to find the info, then the plug-in could just throw it in a $variable? I for instance would prefer to be able to float: right; the date on the other side of the quote box. But either way, it is welcome.

I'm not sure what you mean by a variable. (Edit: oh, I think I see now, you mean a variable you can use in the template). Maybe you have an idea of how to do it that I haven't thought about. But the quote is just a bbcode with the user's name as an option and the text as the parameter, like: [QUOTE=ctrlbrk]Or just a $variable?...[/quote]. That's all the information there is. It *might* be possible to do a query for previous messages matching the quoted text (assuming it hasn't been deleted), but I'm not going to try to do anything like that - it might end up being more complicated than the entire mod is now.

So that just leaves adding it to the option somehow. Quoting posts uses that method by adding the post id after a semicolon, like [QUOTE=ctrlbrk;2392037]Or just a $variable?...[/quote], then the code looks for that, strips it off and uses it to create the little arrow that takes you to the post. I might be able to do something similar with the date and time, but then if my mod is uninstalled it will still be there (unless I go through all PMs on the system and delete it when I uninstall). That might not be a problem if it's text - my mod can strip it off and make it a variable in the template, and if it's uninstalled it will just appear after the name. Adjusting the timezone might be a bit of an issue but I think I can deal with that.

Anyway, let me know if you have a different idea.

[kh99]

Hmm...I suppose I could just do one query to try to match the quoted text and username, and if it fails (like if the message was deleted) then it just won't show up. I don't like that as mush as including it as part of the option text, but I'm not the one requesting it. Would you rather it be a hit-and-miss type of thing that depends on the quoted message still being in the system (but it would work for existing pms with quotes and would go away completely if uninstalled), or make it part of the option, in which case it would not be there for pre-existing pms and it wouldn't go away when uninstalled, but it would stay around even if the mod is uninstalled? (In either case it will be a variable that you can float right, as long as this mod stays installed).