Major Additions - vbRides ? Garage

vbRides is a vBulletin Garage plugin for vBulletin Suite 4 forum software. Members of your website can showcase their rides with the community. This is not a port or copy of another garage but a unique mod designed by a car guy for the car community. My intentions with vbrides is avoid the bloat of unnecessary extensions an keep a simple 'showcase' style garage.

I have wanted to build a 'garage' add-on since I first started with vbulletin an worked on something with Magnus ten years ago. It was Christeris new add-ons that had the style an layout that inspired me to create this new add-on. He has since abandon his work an given ozzy47 his code who has given me permission to use Christeris code to build a new garage add-on called "vbRides".

Due to starting with code from another project this add-on will remain free an not offered as a pro or lite edition. However there was extensive work writing vbrides an would appreciate your support.


Key Features

• User management of rides through the User Control Panel
  
• Forty fields of specifications to fill out for a detailed ride profile.
  
• Support for an audio clip embedded with the HTML5 audio player.
  
• Ride owners can add a single YouTube video.
  
• RSS feed for new rides with photo, title, an description.
  
• Searchable fields include owner, VIN, and keywords.
  
• Unlimited categories an subcategories.
  
• Lightbox presentation of ride images
  
• Create new ride thread in a specified forum showing the ride year, make, model, an it's main image with a short description.
  
• Up to 5 ride listings can be automatically generated an added to owners forum signature.
  
• Social Media block can either use AddThis account or choose Twitter, Google, Pin It, an Facebook like buttons.
  
• Owners ride listings tab can be shown on their user profile.
  
• Vehicle of the day within it's category added with cron.
  
• Extra fields can be added under the user stats block.

Under Construction

• SEO Friendly URLs has not been tested an should be considered under development.
  
• Custom Facebook Open Graph isn't working as intended.
  
• Signature hook is only showing ride for first post. To Fix Plugin Manager > Edit Plugin vbRides: Postbit, Signatures and PM's, Remove the "_once" from require_once. :erm:
  
• Missing side padding for text in side blocks with last update.

Future Plans / Wishlist

• Drag Strip stats, an extension to add drag racing information with timeslip images.
  
• Modification system, an extension to add searchable database based on the parts. So a Holley carb install would be linked to other rides who have done the same install.
  
• Add activity stream support

Installation

• Download and unzip the file 'product-vbRides_x.x.x.zip'
  
• Upload the content of upload folder to your existing vBulletin directory. If your admincp folder is renamed from default manually move vbrides_admin.php to it.
  
• CMOD 777 the directories:
  
  • vbrides/photos
    
  • vbrides/audio
    
• Goto Admincp, Plugins & Products > Manage Products > Add/Import Product and import product-vbrides.xml
  
• Set the various settings in vbRides
  
• Set Usergroup permissions See Post

YouTube Channel
vbRides Instructional & Demo Videos

Demo:
http://www.action-network.com/vbrides.php

Demo Account:

vbrides:W5K9VK

More Screenshots

Translations
Phrases are included in the install xml, the file in downloads is extra for use in translating or rephrase for different uses.

Change Log

• Version 1.0.1
  
  • Updated functions_vbrides.php to correct missing deleteDir() function
    
  • Fixed template bugs in 'vbrides_view_ride', 'vbrides_my_comments_bit'
    
  • Added post new ride button to front page in 'vbrides_rightside' template
    
  • Product xml should now install on forums without cms although template is still added
    
• Version 1.0.2
  
  • Updated vbrides.php, vbrides_modcp.php, vbrides_usercp.php to fix bugs with comments
    
  • Updated add_rides_forumhome.php to hide block if no rides to show
    
  • Changed the moderate.png from site_icon folder to a filled in comment bubble
    
• Version 1.0.3
  
  • Added hard coded avatar width in comments to avoid breaking the layout
    
  • Redesigned how thumbnail images are made, now set a fixed height an width
    
  • Reworked RSS feed, now 100% validates so should work as intended
    
  • Fixed various bugs, so reupload all files
    
• Version 1.0.4
  
  • Inserted link to "AddThis" in AddThis profile ID description
    
  • Fixed Show Empty Categories to work as intended
    
  • Removed removeslash function as it didn't work on all servers causing fatal error
    
  • Removed bbc table structure in new ride forum post template to work with TapaTalk
    
  • Added min/max character info to small description input description so users are aware
    
  • Added style variables for adjusting the rating text in view ride page
    
  • Reworked pm and new thread code an phrase template
    
  • Edited moderate.png, moderated.png, and stars.gif
    
  • Fixed broken style in member ride tab caused by last update
    
  • Rewrote vbrides_stats.php to correctly count photos and main images as total images
    
  • Fixed various bugs, reupload all files
    
• Version 1.0.5
  
  • Ride report permission should be fixed to hide from Guests
    
  • Removed dependancy on cms an blog css tags
    
  • New setting Show Create Rides Button as graphic button, link, or hide
  • Fixed bug if overwriting main photo would add to the photo count
  • Performed a spellcheck on the phrases to fix misspelling an grammar
  • Added new style variables for list header to make up for removing blog.css
    
  • Fixed various bugs, reupload all files
    
• Version 1.0.6 Thanks to Keyser Soze for his contributions regarding this version.
  
  • Changed breadcrumb nav to better use vbulletins breadcrumb-navbits
    
  • Removed dependency on cms an blog css tags
    
  • Changed how YouTube videos are added, can now enter full urls
    
  • Fixed bug with comment counter
    

[dennisuello]

Keep getting a number of these errors.

Database error in vBulletin 4.2.2:

Invalid SQL:
SELECT COUNT(id) AS ownerrides FROM vb_vbrides_rides WHERE userid= AND active=1 AND status<>2 ORDER BY userid;

MySQL Error : You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'AND active=1 AND status<>2 ORDER BY userid' at line 1
Error Number : 1064

They seem to come from "User:unregistered", so I'm guessing search engine crawler bots.

[Action-N]

Hey dennis, thanks for posting the error. From what you posted it's not getting the userid variable which comes right from the ride query. So I first thought it was getting the userid from the person viewing the page which made sense if their a bot. However coming from the ride query itself I can't see right off why. I'll keep looking, but what I see that's more an issue is your forum doesn't have the CMS installed does it? I styled this addon to blend into CMS using it's css style tags so people didn't have to custom modify css for each skin. That being the first site I've seen without it I'll have to change that somehow. Did you have any issues with the install file or php errors other than the one?

[I.G.O.T.A.]

The newest version seems to be working correctly.

[Action-N]

Oh interesting, must have just been that exported product xml. I'm working on a final 1.0.5 to release, I am reworking the css code so those not having cms or blog don't get a broken layout. Getting their so not much longer.

[I.G.O.T.A.]

Originally Posted by Action-N

Oh interesting, must have just been that exported product xml. I'm working on a final 1.0.5 to release, I am reworking the css code so those not having cms or blog don't get a broken layout. Getting their so not much longer.

So you'll be able to turn that on and off then?

[I.G.O.T.A.]

Seems that when the picture size is bigger than 1meg the server times out. We're going to increase the file size to 3 meg see what happens.

[Action-N]

I uploaded an official 1.0.5 that should help fix the layout problems with those not having CMS or Blog systems. I started to add a no cms css separate that can be turned on by those needing it. Then the more I got into it I ended up switching the cms_widget over to use the forum sidebar code that gave the same layout. By the time I was finished I only had one tag I needed so I made new stylevar for it.

When updating copy your template edits an revert them back before upgrading. Then apply your changes afterwords so templates can be updated to 1.0.5.

I also looked at the image file size to see if it was working with the imagesize setting. If it's bigger than in the options it gives size exceeded redirect. Did let me find that I had the code converting the size to kb, but it needed to be bytes which it was already. Easy fix an works now, I tried a 3mb image against the 2mb default an got exceeded error.

[BGN64]

How easy/difficult would it be to use this mod for boats instead of cars?

[Action-N]

Everything should be phrased so in theory just a matter of editing the text through the phrase manager. I'd still try to keep them close to the comparable specification field since it uses certain ones to use in the auto signature. If your cool with referring to the boats as a ride you should just need to edit the spec fields, those with something else would have fun editing all the rides references. I'd defiantly back up the phrases afterwards, not sure if updates would overwrite them.

Actually what i can do is export the phrases now that they should be final. Then people can use the file for translations as well as rephrasing for different genre's like boats. Then i can post them here to share.

[I.G.O.T.A.]

Originally Posted by Action-N

I uploaded an official 1.0.5 that should help fix the layout problems with those not having CMS or Blog systems. I started to add a no cms css separate that can be turned on by those needing it. Then the more I got into it I ended up switching the cms_widget over to use the forum sidebar code that gave the same layout. By the time I was finished I only had one tag I needed so I made new stylevar for it.

When updating copy your template edits an revert them back before upgrading. Then apply your changes afterwords so templates can be updated to 1.0.5.

I also looked at the image file size to see if it was working with the imagesize setting. If it's bigger than in the options it gives size exceeded redirect. Did let me find that I had the code converting the size to kb, but it needed to be bytes which it was already. Easy fix an works now, I tried a 3mb image against the 2mb default an got exceeded error.

How do I do the template? Don't quite understand.