Show Thread Enhancements - Limited Guest Viewing -- Motivate Guests to Register

With vBulletin, forum guests are able to view endless amounts of content without being directly asked or forced to register no matter how many times they come back. The purpose of the Limited Guest Viewing System is to drive in registrations [or membership upgrades] by limiting the number of threads guests [or certain membergroups] are able to view without interruption.

This plugin offers two options which can be used to drive in more registrations. The first option allows you to show a reminder message or advertisement after a guest has viewed a certain number of threads. The second option puts up a roadblock stopping guests from viewing threads altogether after reaching a certain number of views. Both options work together to encourage and ultimately force anonymous visitors to either register or login but can also be used separately based on your individual needs.

Install Instructions: Read the install file. Customize via admin settings & templates.

Customizing the content / messages: To customize which messages appear or what they say, go to vBulletin options, select the ?Limited Guest Viewing System? group and configure the options as desired. Each phase can be modified by adding translation text. Through the ACP you can enable or disable each option, specify the number of threads that can be viewed before the option is enabled and input any forums you wish to exclude from being blocked.

Search Engine Bots (Spiders): Anything that changes your forum viewing can impact how search engines treat it. The cookie approach used by this modification is bypassed by many bots and, since people can still view posts, cloaking should not apply. Users with IP logging may face more restrictions although a filtering system lets defined spiders pass. This plugin is intended to limit repetitive viewing and not restrict people from single views.

For a full explanation of the impact on bots read the install file before asking questions.

Usergroup Limitations:
Version 2.1 introduces basic usergroup limiting with the same rules & messages guests get. Based on demand this may be extended to a per-usergroup level restriction and messaging in the future.

Change Log:
- 7.21.2012 - Update to 2.1.0 which adds usergroup limiting, fixes mySQL 5.5 support, removes the need for template editing, cleans up install guide. Upgrading is optional.

Mod Philosophy -- Drive Your Own Success:
All of my mods are inspired by my work in the digital industry and are designed to drive registrations, interaction or other engagement activities the core platform does not address. Each is designed to fit a general need by providing a starting point but it's on you to decide how to make things work to their best possible outcome. Don't stay in the box.

[meissenation]

Neither show. It looks like it's increasing the cookie perfectly but the plugin isn't triggering the template to display. If it is normal then how can I edit the plugin when I can't save it?

[Ted S]

That I can't tell you, perhaps there's a conflict in something else? I'm looking at it more but this mod with the code posted is working on my test sever right now.

What happens when you try and save?

[Ted S]

Also to add to my last post, for the cookie to be set the lgv_plugin hook has to be called. That's where the cookie code is.

Try the version attached which enables debugging and let me know how it works.

[meissenation]

Originally Posted by Ted S

That I can't tell you, perhaps there's a conflict in something else? I'm looking at it more but this mod with the code posted is working on my test sever right now.

What happens when you try and save?

It won't let me because when I click to edit the plugin the hook location is blank - it doesn't recognize lgv_plugin as a valid hook location.

[Ted S]

Originally Posted by meissenation

It won't let me because when I click to edit the plugin the hook location is blank - it doesn't recognize lgv_plugin as a valid hook location.

Well that I can fix easy enough but that still doesn't explain why it isn't being called... defining the hook like this shouldn't be an issue.

In any event please upload the new XML file in the latest version of this addon.

[meissenation]

I installed the XML file and doing testing now. I didn't realize at first that you have to click in the forums for the echos to show up.

http://www.mifbody.com/vbulletin/ if you want to test as well.

[Ted S]

Version 2.0.7 has been released which adds support for editing the hook location this modifcation uses. To update upload the files in upload/incldues/xml and the new XML plugin file. Most users do not need to upgrade.

[meissenation]

"db system not enabled
we have a qualified visit -- 17 hits
nothing is excluded
COOKIE: check for counts
nothing until 10"

[Ted S]

Ok so the debug code is telling us that neither the message nor the block page were executed which is why nothing is showing up.

Can you try removing the number for the take over so that all you have is the message count at 10?

[meissenation]

I actually had to disable the modification entirely - I don't know if it's because debug is turned on now or what but my website was basically completely useless for IE6. I'd click a link to browse to a thread and IE would literally become unresponsive. I could only browse to one or two threads and then IE6 would entirely lock up to the point that I would have to "End Task" it. I disabled every mod and the site worked fine and I just went through enabling every mod one by one and the site worked fine until I enabled this one again. Sorry, I gotta give up on this... now I know why my IE6 users were complaining about hating the new vbulletin 4 system.