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.

[NTLDR]

Originally Posted by buro9

I've used document.getElementById() rather than use IE based document.all access.

You should use fetch_object() (a vB JS function) this will give the best compatibility will all thr browsers vB supports properly.

[Boofo]

The fix in the first post works great if you type it in, but if you paste something in the thread title, it doesn't turn on the button. Any fix for this?

[Boofo]

I'm getting a 406 error (object undefined) with this now after making the changes to the code in the first post. Any fix for this?

[gmarik]

nice working ...

[Boofo]

Originally Posted by buro9

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

Can you share the changes you made?

[buro9]

Originally Posted by Boofo

Can you share the changes you made?

Yes, I hope this won't offend the hack creator... but here are snippets of my newthread template:

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

		<!-- subject field -->
		<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" class="fieldset">
		<tr>
			<td class="smallfont" colspan="3">$vbphrase[title]:</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td><input type="text" class="bginput" name="subject" id="subject" onChange="showFind(this);" onKeyUp="showFind(this);" value="$subject" size="40" maxlength="85" tabindex="1" /></td>
<td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
<td><img id="findicon" name="findicon" src="$stylevar[imgdir_button]/findicon_off.gif" alt="Search for existing topics" onclick="openWindow()" /></td>
			<td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td><img id="display_posticon" src="$selectedicon[src]" alt="$selectedicon[alt]" /></td>		</tr>
		</table>
		<!-- / subject field -->

Obviously I'm trusting that you can take the applicable small bits and merge them as appropriate into whatever you have.

[Boofo]

How can you get this to show the button on when you start typing in the subject filed Box (like from tthe first post)?

[buro9]

Originally Posted by Boofo

How can you get this to show the button on when you start typing in the subject filed Box (like from tthe first post)?

onKeyUp="showFind(this);"

From the first key it is activated.

Though a trim() function should be added to prevent it being activated on pressing of the space bar.

[Boofo]

Originally Posted by buro9

onKeyUp="showFind(this);"

From the first key it is activated.

Though a trim() function should be added to prevent it being activated on pressing of the space bar.

How do we add the trim code to this?

[Boofo]

Found a bug with this hack. If you have quotes in a thread title, you will get a javascript error when you click the button to check the topic and also the window will have the table in it without any topics. The title I used was:

"Killing all my chickens"

Any fix for this?