Miscellaneous Hacks - Ultimate Side Columns 2.2

Ultimate Side Columns
By Kerry-Anne www.peterska2.co.uk

Welcome to Ultimate Side Columns 2.2 !

USC 2.2 has now been released!!!!

Introduction

Following the success of the left and right side column modifications, and building on their weaknesses, the Ultimate Side Columns system was born.

Ultimate Side Columns (USC) is your one stop shop for all your side columns needs. It is an easy to configure, all in one solution.

USC 2.0 was born through the evolution and bug fixing of USC 1.0 for vBulletin 3.6 and is for vBulletin 3.7.0 RC1 and later only. It is not supported with earlier versions and may not work with them.

Features

USC 2.0 is fully customizable, can use conditions and variables (not available in USC 1.0), has greater flexibility in where it can be omitted from (after requests received), and contains new functionality of both independently collapsible columns and user defined custom links to be displayed on a per user basis in the column location of the administrators choosing.

A maximum of 20 blocks spread over the two columns are available at this time. However, if more are required then an expansion pack will be provided. The blocks can be reordered and moved between the templates with ease through simple template edits.

USC 2.2 Change Log:
Fixed bug with profile.php?do=editattachments
Added All Pages options

USC 2.1 Change Log:
Fixed blank page caused by missing template in the XML
Added compatibility with 3.7.0 Stable/Gold
Manual Template Edit instructions added to package
Enhanced the display page choices to allow exact selection of the pages where USC is to be displayed
Added usergroup permissions in addition to the global options for viewing the left column, viewing the right column, and using the custom contents block.

USC 2.1 has additional files. You need to upload the files first BEFORE importing the product

Upgrading from USC 2.0
Upload the contents of the upload folder, except the admincp directory, then import the XML.

Go to vBOptions > USC Options and set the display pages using the new options
Go to Usergroups > Usergroup Manager and set the permissions for each usergroup as desired. By default no permissions are given to any usergroups.

Upgrading from USC 1.0

USC 2.0 has been rewritten from the ground up and therefore all the blocks have been moved from the settings into the templates. Therefore, a unique upgrade script has been provided which must be run before importing the new product. Importing the new product first will result in the loss of your existing USC contents.

The upgrade script is located in the admincp directory after uploading the USC files and is ran by pointing your browser to admincp/usc_upgrade.php

Full upgrade instructions are included in the upgrade readme file in the zip.

Installation Instructions

Download the zip, unzip it and upload the contents of the upload folder to your forum directory. Import the product, all done.

Full instructions are included in the install readme in the zip.

Support

This modification has limited support only and is therefore flagged as unsupported. Support will be given when possible although it is always preferable when users of USC support each other. This was very successful with USC 1.0 and therefore is continued with USC 2.0

If you have any other combinations of pages that you would like to see available for the column options, please post them in the support thread ensuring that you add the title "USC Page Combination Request" to your post, or use this as the first line of your post ensuring that it is in bold text. This is very specific as due to the limited nature of support and time, the support thread will only be quickly skimmed through and therefore requests may be missed if it is not clear what they are.


The screenshots attached to this post and the next one show a range of pages with a range of column combinations. They are not labeled but they are pretty self explanatory.

Enjoy USC 2.0.

Kerry-Anne


PLEASE NOTE: This modification is unsupported. You may not receive a reply right after posting. Please try and help each other out.



Problems with your side columns not showing?
For your side columns to show, you need to update your usergroup permissions from the usergroup manager for each usergroup

Problems with errors in your vBOptions?
Point your browser to admincp/index.php?do=buildbitfields then try again

[trigatch4]

Default display is:

[L. Side]......[Content].......[R. Side]

How would I display it like this:

[L. Side]......[R. Side].......[Content]

I guess I could edit this in the templates myself but am a little lost? Is there an easy "float left" type thing I can do or do I need to change the place that the sidebar appears in each template individually? If so.. where?

[lstintxs100]

Originally Posted by d-wiz

There is a whole row in plugins all crossed over? Should I uninstall and check if they are still there?

I think you are right about installing it twice, I had a little trouble installing it as I'm new to all this and had to try a couple of times before I got it right.

I'm actually still not sure if I was supposed to just install 2.2 or 2.0 then 2.2 to be honest

The ones with strike through are ones you have disbled.

You only need to install one version.

If you installed 2.0 and 2.2 then that may be what your problem is.

Uninstall both ( do not remoave the files) and re-install only the 2-2 XML. I am thinking she included all versions of 2.x to give users more flexibility in their installation.

[d-wiz]

Originally Posted by lstintxs100

The ones with strike through are ones you have disbled.

You only need to install one version.

If you installed 2.0 and 2.2 then that may be what your problem is.

Uninstall both ( do not remoave the files) and re-install only the 2-2 XML. I am thinking she included all versions of 2.x to give users more flexibility in their installation.

I can only uninstall 2.2 through manage products. I uninstalled it and reinstalled only 2.2: uploaded files and imported product-ka_ultimate_sidecolumn_2-2.xml after deleting usc_upgrade.php.

Still two columns

[UaECasher]

Hello,

I have installed and uploaded all the files but i can't see the columns and i'm not really understanding how to add blocks the help file is little messy can any one help me please and tell me how to add links and stuff

Thank you

[Chris04S]

Hi.. I am new to forums and new around here.. but certainly not new to building sites, etc. Anyway... building forums is a whole new world for me although I grasp the basics as I am used to HTML, CSS, RTML for you yahooers. Anyway, I just tried installing this, two questions, one, I have "re-skinned" the forum with one of miners skins, the sidebars are not showing up, could this be a cause, that I have re-skinned the forum that is?

My other question is I downloaded the Mini Navbar: Breadcrumb at Bottom of Thread
Version: 1.0.4, prior and in the installed products screen it put a [S]slash through the name [/S]. I guess the USC plug in cancels out the Mini Navbar plugin?

Thanks for any help guys...

Chris

[lstintxs100]

Originally Posted by d-wiz

I can only uninstall 2.2 through manage products. I uninstalled it and reinstalled only 2.2: uploaded files and imported product-ka_ultimate_sidecolumn_2-2.xml after deleting usc_upgrade.php.

Still two columns

please, Pm me a link to your site. you have me curious now.

[lstintxs100]

Originally Posted by UaECasher

Hello,

I have installed and uploaded all the files but i can't see the columns and i'm not really understanding how to add blocks the help file is little messy can any one help me please and tell me how to add links and stuff

Thank you

You have to enable each user to be able to see the columns in their user group settings.

The blocks will not show unless they have some content in them. If the blocks have no content then they will not show up. Find a usc template for a block and paste an add code in it and it will show up. I just enabled admins to see them as I was installing and testing.

[lstintxs100]

Originally Posted by Chris04S

Hi.. I am new to forums and new around here.. but certainly not new to building sites, etc. Anyway... building forums is a whole new world for me although I grasp the basics as I am used to HTML, CSS, RTML for you yahooers. Anyway, I just tried installing this, two questions, one, I have "re-skinned" the forum with one of miners skins, the sidebars are not showing up, could this be a cause, that I have re-skinned the forum that is?

My other question is I downloaded the Mini Navbar: Breadcrumb at Bottom of Thread
Version: 1.0.4, prior and in the installed products screen it put a [S]slash through the name [/S]. I guess the USC plug in cancels out the Mini Navbar plugin?

Thanks for any help guys...

Chris

If the hooks that are called for this product are not in that skin, then they will not show up. It may just be as simple as going into the usergroup permissions and alowing each usergroup to see them.

I am not sure on the mininavbar, I have not installed that product. There are several options in the control panel for where on the page the column will show. you can have it show with or below the navbar as well as start at the top of the page.

[Chris04S]

Originally Posted by lstintxs100

If the hooks that are called for this product are not in that skin, then they will not show up.

Well I guess the skin isnt the problem as I put it in default mode and they still arent showing. This was a fresh install so I uploaded the admincp folder and merged that with the existing so it has

root/forums/admincp
root/forums/includes
root/forums/.dsstore
root/forums/usc_cp

I then went in and uploaded the 2.2 xml.. then read since this was a fresh install 2.1 maybe should of been uploaded.. so I deleted 2.2xml through the vb control panel/products screen... uploaded the 2.1xml and then the 2.2xml through the products screen both times allowing them to overwrite... I then edited the template and put <tr><td class="alt1">Hi</td></tr> as a tester in block one... I then went into the screen Setting Group: Ultimate Side Columns Options and enabled show left column, show right column and for it to show on all pages... still nothing. The only thing I can think of is as it was mentioned, there is a usergroup permissions that needs to be turned on.. can anyone point me to exactly where in the usergroup settings changes would need to be made? Otherwise.. I am a bit stumped..

Thanks,
Chris

[lstintxs100]

admincp> usergroups> usergroup manager> edit a usergroup > Ultimate Side Columns Permissions