Miscellaneous Hacks - SocialForums 1.4

SocialForums for vBulletin 3.7
Created by Marius Czyz aka Phalynx.

This mod will work *ONLY* with vBulletin 3.7 or higher. It will not run on vBulletin 3.6.x due to non existent feature of "social groups".

Support will be only given for people who clicked Mark as INSTALLED.

Description
Not satisfied with vBulletin social groups messaging function? With SocialForums your social group leaders can create a standard forum for their group.
A group leader can only create a forum if the group has at least 5 members - this can be changed via settings. Optionally the group leader can be a moderator of such a social forum.

Permissions
Since 1.3 there are advanced permissions active (Forum and Archive). This includes read/write public and private (moderated/invite only) socialforums and creation of forum. As this needs two additional queries on every page you can disable this.

Demo
None, see screenshots

Installation
This product is fully phrased and uses template hooks. No file changes or manual template edits needed.
1. Upload bitfield_socialforums.xml to existing folder /includes/xml/
2. Upload functions_socialforums.php to existing folder /includes/
3. Fresh Installation: Just import the product. Upgrade: Import the product, allow overwrite. No forums get lost!
4. Check settings, especially for parent forum. Don't forget to set permissions via usergroups!

Troubleshooting
Q: I don't see a link to create a forum. Why?
A: Check permissions for the usergroup, espacially if the user is allowed to create forum.
A: Check if the usergroup meet min users requirement, see AdminCP/Settings/SocialForums.

Q: My users see the forums, but they shouldn't!
A: Check permissions for the usergroup, if the users usergroup is set to "can see".
A: Did you disabled the restriction mode? Enable it.

Todo
- By deleting a group the forum should also be deleted/archived. Currently this has to be done manually.

Known Issues
- On big boards with hundreds of social groups this mod can really impact the performance because of the mass of new created forums. If you still want to use this mod use the "Minimum Members" feature with a higher value. Using the permission check there are additional two queries on every page.

History
1.4.6, 6th October 2008
- Permissions are now also active in Archive

1.4.2, 27th May 2008
- Added: If a group has a linked forum the grouplisting has the last post date and count of postings (with permission check).
- Added: Recent threads in linked forum on group home
- Added: Private groups: Link to forum only shown to members of group
- Changed: Enabled permissions for unregistered usergroup. Unregistered Users are not more explicit denied without a check of it's usergroup

1.3.1, 23th May 2008
- Fixed: Not existing array

1.3.0, 23th May 2008
- Added: Permissions are now active. This includes read/write public and private (moderated/invite only) socialforums and creation of forum. Please check permissions for every usergroup! As this needs two additional queries on every page you can disable this.
- Added: Checks for permission before the creation link will be displayed
- Changed: Default View Age set to "Show all Threads"

1.2.1 8th April 2008:
- Added: Group messaging can be disabled via options (previously: always disabled)

1.2.0 4th April 2008:
- Added: Groupleader can now be moderator of group forum
- Added: Minimum Members that are required for own forum
- Added: Group messaging will be automatically hide for group that has own forum
- Added: Forums are created with more allowances
- Added: By deleting a forum the linked socialgroup get's updated
- Added: Forum's description contains link back to social group
- Added: By changing group's name it synchronize it with the forum's name

1.0/1.1 1st April 2008:
- Initial releases

[crkgb]

1. Possibility of adding moderators (by the group owner) to a social group forum would be nice.
2. Allowing a person creating a Social Group to choose an admin predefined category for their Social Group.
2. A "master-page" would be nice. For example something like this http://en.club.26l.com
- with best most active groups and most active users on it, as well as the list of all the social groups where they are members.

[RvG2]

I have installed in my live site but can't make it worked.

(disable the group message function and create a parent forum for group forum) but the link "create forum is not showing". vb version 3.7.0 b4.

[Alfa1]

Another great hack by you!

I would like to appoint one or more moderators to all group forums, so that I am certain that these forums get the same quality of moderation as the rest of my forums. Is this possible?

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by abroad

any ideas how I can get back the link to the Social Forum once I have deleted the same Social Forum in the Forum Manager?

See this:
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....6&postcount=32

Originally Posted by abroad

Got this error:

error desc: Table 'usr_19_8.socialgroup' doesn't exist

prefix the socialgroup table with your DB-prefix.

Originally Posted by crkgb

1. Possibility of adding moderators (by the group owner) to a social group forum would be nice.
2. Allowing a person creating a Social Group to choose an admin predefined category for their Social Group.
2. A "master-page" would be nice. For example something like this http://en.club.26l.com
- with best most active groups and most active users on it, as well as the list of all the social groups where they are members.

Already in 1.2:
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....7&postcount=28

Originally Posted by RvG2

I have installed in my live site but can't make it worked.

(disable the group message function and create a parent forum for group forum) but the link "create forum is not showing". vb version 3.7.0 b4.

The group must have at least 2 members.

Originally Posted by Alfa1

Another great hack by you!

I would like to appoint one or more moderators to all group forums, so that I am certain that these forums get the same quality of moderation as the rest of my forums. Is this possible?

Just assign a mod to the parent forum. That mod can moderate all subforums.

[snunhuck]

I've done it, but when I created a group, a socialforum did not appear in the forum.

[Kyderoy]

Will the posts in the social groups be added to the member's total post count?

[NeuroLancer]

Originally Posted by Phalynx

Changes so far:
- Groupleader is now also moderator of group forum
- Added new setting: Minimum Members that are required for own forum
- Group messaging will be automatically disabled for group that has own forum
- More options for forum allowances

Legend . What an important feature the group leader as group forum moderator is. Im so glad you have added this in. :up:

[Mark.B]

A suggestion, if this is going to have the group leader automatically made a moderator in that forum, have an option to turn that off. I wouldn't want anyone other than my moderating team having that ability, on a site like mine there is potential for people to wreak havoc.

[maidos]

can u do something so ppl get redirected right to the forum section

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by snunhuck

I've done it, but when I created a group, a socialforum did not appear in the forum.

Do the group has at least 2 members?

Originally Posted by Kyderoy

Will the posts in the social groups be added to the member's total post count?

Yes, as the created forum is a normal forum. You can change it for every created forum.

Originally Posted by Mark.B

A suggestion, if this is going to have the group leader automatically made a moderator in that forum, have an option to turn that off. I wouldn't want anyone other than my moderating team having that ability, on a site like mine there is potential for people to wreak havoc.

Yes, there is an option for that.

Originally Posted by maidos

can u do something so ppl get redirected right to the forum section

Redirected when what happened? After creation of forum?