Invites System

I no longer support my hacks. Please feel free to update them and release new versions elsewhere as long as I get the credit for the original modification.

/*=========================================*\
|| Invites System
||
|| Author : Anton Kanevsky
|| Works on : vBulletin 3.5.0
|| Released : Dec 19, 2005
||
|| Time required to install: 1 minute
|| Difficulty: easy
\*=========================================*/

DESCRIPTION

A complete invites system for your vBulletin board.

STATISTICS

File Uploads: 3
Template Changes: 4
Products to Install: 1


FEATURES

Configuration Options:

• The system can be turned on and off.
• Registration can be set to either require invite code to sign up or to continue allowing regular registrations when the system is on.
• Invite Expiration Period.
• Minimal Posts Required to Receive Changes in Number of Invites.
• Minimal Reputation Required to Receive Changes in Number of Invites.
• Number of Posts Required to Get One (1) Invite.
• Number of Invites Received or Subtracted per Reputation (+ for positive, - for negative).
• Initial Number of Invites Given on Registration (Sign Up).
• Usergroups that May Not Use Invite Manager.
• Usergroups that May Use Invite Manager (Optional Override).
• Initial Registration Usergroup (only pertaining to registration by invites).
• Do or Do Not make users linked by an invite mutual buddies after the completion of registration of the person invited.
• Single / Multiple Address Line Field.
• If Multiple, Number of Fields to Show.

Miscellaneous Features:

• Upon invite-based registration, the person who issued the invite is set up as a referrer of the person invited. Therefore, free specification of a referrer is restricted during such registration.
• Image (GD) Verification.
• Administrator can manually edit any user's invite count.
• If a user is permitted to issue invites (based on both the number of unused invites and the system permissions), that user has a link to invites of usercp home (says "Click here to invite new users!"). When a user has no invites left, the link does not show up. Nevertheless, as long as system permissions allow access to the Invite Manager, the usercp navlink continues to show up, so that the user would have access to his/her invite history, which is available just below the "Issue New Invite" form.
• If registration is set to require invite code to sign up, the navbar register link becomes hidden.
• If registration is set to continue allowing non-invited sign ups, the number of invites available to any single user is unlimited. Therefore, the number of invites left does not show up.
• Invite History in UserCP, on the bottom of the invite manager.
• Single-Line AddressField, with Unlimited # Of Simultaneous Recipients, within the bounds of invite tokens.
• Multiple-Line AddressField, with Limited Configurable # Of Simultaneous Recipients, within the bounds of invite tokens.
• Unregistered Users, Banned Users and Users with No Forumview Permissions cannot use invite manager. Therefore, you do not have to specify those usergroups in the list of usergroups that may not use the invite manager.
• Invite counts are automatically updated once a week, based on the admincp-configured settings.
• Per-user invite usage restriction.
• Inactive users, who do not post anything new, will gradually lose all of their invites.

VERSION HISTORY

1.5.0
A new, commercial release.

1.4.0
[+] Image verification to avoid multiple submits.

1.3.0
[+] New Config Option: Single-Field / Multiple-Field Address Line (Default: Multiple-Field)
[+] New Config Option: Number of fields to show if multiple option is chosen.
[+] User Option, which lets an administrator restrict invite system usage for that single user.
[F] Fixed Bug, which prevented a user from registration if COPPA was enabled.
[F] Fixed Bug, which prevented a user from sending out an invite if he had zero invites and dependency on registration was turned off.
[F] Fixed Bug, which continued to show the invite form after it was submitted, even if there were no more invites left.

1.2.0
[+] New Config Option: Usergroups that May Use Invite Manager (Optional Override).
[+] New Config Option: Initial Registration Usergroup (only pertaining to registration by invites).

1.0.2
[+] Ability to send unlimited simultaneous invites, within the bounds of invite count owned.
[+] Improved invite interface (see screenshot).
[F] A couple of hard-coded forgotten phrases have been moved into the phrase system.

1.0.1
[+] Amount of posts required to get one invite is now configurable
[+] When a user can issue invites, he/she has a link on usercp (which says "Click here to Invite a New User!")
[+] When invites are required to register, there is no direct "Register" link in the navbar
[+] When invites are not required to register, there is no limitation on invites, and therefore the number of invites left is not shown
[+] Administrator can now edit invite counts manually using Admin Manager
[+] Administrator can now specify which usergroups cannot use Invite Manager
[+] More descriptive AdminCP Hack Options
[F] Added TABLE_PREFIX to the Install Code
[F] Fixed a Typo in Registration Code
[F] In the Invite History, invites are now lister in a descending order, rather than ascending. In other words, the latest invites are now on the top.

1.0.0
Initial Release

The installation manual is contained within the attached file.

IF YOU LIKE MY HACK, PLEASE CLICK INSTALL

[akanevsky]

Tralala, Mr.d:

I see what you mean. Wait until next version.

[Jayphen]

Originally Posted by Jayphen

Is there an easy way for myself as the administrator to send out a batch of first invites?

I want to send out something like 100 invites, as I have just created a new invite-only forum.

You've answered other questions, but not this one.

Please reply ASAP - I can't put my forums online until I do this..

[Tralala]

Originally Posted by Jayphen

You've answered other questions, but not this one.

Please reply ASAP - I can't put my forums online until I do this..

Mr.D asked the same question above, and Psionic Vision said he'd work on it for the next version.

A few weeks back I was looking at the cron job to see how invites were issued via reputation gains, and was considering tweaking/simplifying it to allow for it to simply give every member 2 invites (which is how I'd prefer my forums to work)... but I got in over my head, and ultimately figured I'd just wait for Mr. Vision to introduce the feature properly.

In the meantime, you can manually give users invites in the AdminCP. Not easy and not automatic, but it works now.

[Jayphen]

Originally Posted by Tralala

Mr.D asked the same question above, and Psionic Vision said he'd work on it for the next version.

It wasn't the same question. Mr. D asked how you can give say 100 invites to a certain person. I asked how I can send out a batch of initial invites, before my forum has any more than one member (myself)

[akanevsky]

Give yourself 100 invites by editing your own account via admincp... And then send out the invites....

[Mr.D]

Originally Posted by Psionic Vision

Tralala, Mr.d:

I see what you mean. Wait until next version.

Hi
Can you tell me when will you make the next version?

[akanevsky]

I do not answer this kind of questions.

[coolnikin]

I just installed this hack and it gave 10 invites to all the users , how can i remove those invites ?

[akanevsky]

Run the following query:
UPDATE PFXuser SET invites = 0
But don't forget to replace PFX with your table prefix.

[gyankow]

I think this is a great hack!

Q1: Can I see the invites sent by members of the board?
Q2: Can I cc: myself on all invites sent?
Q3: What happens to expired invites?
Q4: If I have the by invitation only selected to yes, does the clean up jobs run?
---
Idea 1: Maybe add a AdminCP module for all invites sent and a way to mass clean them up. Also in the Admin module a please to cancel delete invitations.

Idea 2: Allow the system to retain the invites for future use or re invite.

Idea 3: Stats on the top invites.

Idea 4: Leverage the member db, to check and see if a member is already on the board.

Idea 5: Optional field on the invite form for invitors first name.

Again Awesome Hack!

Glenn