Geek Article System 3.5 RC2

Woohoo.

This is the RC for the next release of the Geek Article System.
I have decided to take it out of private beta as results from the private beta are taking yonks to come back in. I have fixed all known issues so we should be cooking on gas (hohohahaha).

Special thanks to gltdn for help with beta testing

Install instructions:
Read the readme in the package. Should be straight forward stuff.
It is important to note that THIS IS FOR A CLEAN INSTALL. I will devise an upgrade script when the package is final.

New features:

• Crap loads.
• New Article header image functions (global gallery, forum gallery and uploadable images)
• New forumdisplay/threadbit look and feel
• Synopsis box
• Post as user
• Autolink into the Geek Autolink system
• Turn on/off synopsis/byline
• Auto synopsis (if synopsis is off or left blank, it uses first x amount of posts from article)
• Synopsis uses BB code
• etc...etc...etc

A word about the installer.
This has taken me ages to do. The installer does everything for you (including all file changes). It will make backup copies of all files changed, make the file changes, and leave them in a folder for you to copy over when you are done. This may not work with PHP in safe mode. If you are using PHP in safe mode, you may have to do the changes manually (which you have the option to do anyway).

Click the install button if you install. Otherwise you may miss very important updates.

Demo: http://www.thenailgeek.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17

Missing phrases after install? Just search for a GAS phrase name... edit it, then click save. This will rebuild your phrases.

nJoy

[gldtn]

Originally Posted by Allan

thank you for this hack, it is superb Geek

PS: I have a prob, I obtains a white page in "forumdisplay" (category)

can you provide a link so we can see? Also I would suggest to go manually thru the changes of forumdisplay.php and make sure everything is correct.

[The Geek]

Gldtn: Im looking into this right now.

Allan - Thanks! White pages are usually down to either a missing template or a file edit mistake. Is the forumdisplay blank regardless of the forumid - or just when you go to an 'article' forum?

[Allan]

@Gldtm: nop, I have to install it in localhost, but I will check the changes make in the forumdisplay.php

@The Geek: veiled, I have remakes the installation of the file manually "forumldisplay.php" is that does not have anything to change, I always obtains a white page, yes, I put a forumid well.

ps: tested with IE et Firefox (vBulletin3.0.7)

I have to install the version 1.04, which file php or other changed please ?

[The Geek]

Hey Allan - Im not sure if I follow you 100% - If you get a blank page regardless of the forum you are in - then check forumdisplay for the following code:

PHP Code:

eval('print_output("' . fetch_template($GAS_setting['rt_template']) . '");'); 


above it try putting this:

PHP Code:

echo("###$GAS_setting[rt_template]###"); 


And see what it spits out.

Gldtm- I simply cant reproduce your problem! Can anyone else verify? Can you at least PM me a step by step process of what you are doing to reproduce the problem and give me a test account to go try it myself?

[Allan]

which step please ?

because I have just remade manually the change of the file "forumdisplay.php", and of step 200 to 208, one does not find the 2 lines that you a post shows me higher :surprised:

[Allan]

afflicted, veiled, I have to find:

eval('print_output("' . fetch_template($GAS_setting['rt_template']) . '");');

and i'm add abode :

echo("###$GAS_setting[rt_template]###");

and it is similar, page blank

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

will be able you to say exactly which file one be to change in the version 1.50 please ?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(20:46)
veiled, I have just reinstalled vBulletin 3.0.7 locally and I have also to install your last version (1.50) and similar, white page ...

[shiva]

Well, have to say I'm quite pleased with this, once I got it working, though I am now finding my members are a bit confused about the difference between a byline, a Synopsis and the actual editor to post the main article. Before you comment on the intellegance level of my members, we are all older guys, who didn't have computers to play with when we were young, so we get confused easily.

To be honest, they hate change. So, I have a couple questions and some ideas, based on what I've seen so far:

1. What's the template used for the fields for posting, I think a line explaining what each field does would help people.
2. Is there a way to not have bylines? I've noticed it stretches the header image down on my forum with my themes
3. On the listing for the synopsis, it cuts off the amount of characters automatically, is there a way to change it?
4. OR... instead of having the synopsis, having the system instead display as a option the first 100 or whatever characters of the post instead. Like how VBA CMPS news pages do it, and would be a lot simplier especially if we are using that new vb3articles convertor of yours (Besides, I already had someone post and not bother with bylines and synopsis) Also, maybe a read more link at the forum board listing at the bottom of each synopsis would be nice.
5. I love the way it displays, but I noticed there's a space on the left menu at the top, and I think it would look a bit better if the header image for the article rating etc be in line with the first line in the article. Is there a way to set a different CSS code for the background color there? I would like to play a bit with that left menu, add some stuff, so which template would that be?

Really top notch though, and it's nice to have it so intergrated with the forum system, but these are just suggestions for future versions.

[uae]

So far so good, waiting for the final release.

**Clicked Install**

[The Geek]

Hey Shiva....

Excellent points.
1- its called GAS_article_options
2- Just comment the byline field out of the above template. Then no one can enter them.
3- The cut off point for synopsis is the field size (255). If enough people want - I suppose I can make it a blob field or you can do that yourself. Then edit GAS_article_options and change the length.
4- Ill have to look into that. I know what you mean though... the synopsis box was a specific requested feature that was seperate from the article. Let me mull it over.
5- Can you give me a screenie of what you mean?

Thanks guys!

[shiva]

First off:

My main article page



will make the changes and see what happens, getting braver every day...

The space is marked (can't miss it) but is very apparent on one theme, the others are okay, weird, as all 3 themes are extremepixel themes.

The left menu should be a slightly different color, just to make it slightly more apparent, and set a nice color contrast. I believe that the main posting field would be set to alt1 in the CSS, the left menu would then be a different class, but it also occured to me that it would be theme specific as well. Is the code for that in GAS_article_options as well?

I think having the ability to just put out the first characters of a post is rather handy, to be honest, that's all I did with my articles so far, just copy and paste in the first few lines. I'm Lazy...