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

[wicked80]

I installed the Mod and when i clicked "Create Forum" got the exact same error as described above by Reeve:

Invalid Forum Specified.

I am using 3.7 beta 5 version and can you tell me how to disable the default message board.

Thanks

[traxxadd]

Works great thanks for the time you put into this mod!!!!!:up:

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by Yours Truly

Do you have a list of what you added without me having to download it? I'm talking about the bit i edited myself

Here are the settings from 1.2:

$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'active', '1');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'allowposting', '1');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'cancontainthreads', '1');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'moderatenewpost', '0');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'moderatenewthread', '0');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'moderateattach', '0');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'allowbbcode', '1');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'allowimages', '1');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'allowhtml', '1');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'allowsmilies', '1');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'allowicons', '1');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'allowratings', '1');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'countposts', '1');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'canhavepassword', '1');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'indexposts', '1');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'styleoverride', '0');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'showonforumjump', '0');
	$forumdm->set_bitfield('options', 'prefixrequired', '0');

Originally Posted by Varsh

Surely at least this:

• Social group forums are hidden from everyone except those that are part of the social group

No? And perhaps when someone not in the social group will not be allowed access if they're not in the group.

They can be hide, but for everyone. Direct access only for members of the group. But if someone knows the exact URL of the forum he gain's access.

Originally Posted by RvG2

Nope I did not modified socialgroups_group. I have more than 2 members in my group so this should not be a problem at all. Just I need to have the template edit on themes aside from the vb default theme (if any)

Please PM me login details as Admin to your site. I need also query permission.

Originally Posted by Reeve of shinra

This is what I see when I try and create a group :/
Invalid Forum Specified.

Originally Posted by wicked80

I installed the Mod and when i clicked "Create Forum" got the exact same error as described above by Reeve:
Invalid Forum Specified.

If you get a "Invalid Forum Specified" you should check parent forum setting in AdminCP/Settings/SocialForums

Originally Posted by wicked80

I am using 3.7 beta 5 version and can you tell me how to disable the default message board.

With 1.2 this is not needed anymore. SocialForums 1.2 will be released today.

[Phalynx]

SocialForums has been updated to 1.2 - here is the changelog:

- 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

Upgrade:
- Simply import XML, overwrite existing

[Varsh]

Originally Posted by Phalynx

They can be hide, but for everyone. Direct access only for members of the group. But if someone knows the exact URL of the forum he gain's access.

That's my only qualm really otherwise now it's just what I needed. Isn't it possible to use an if statement to check whether the user is part of the group or not? Ir not then give them a permission denied screen?

[Phalynx]

They are several ways of accessing a forum or a particular thread. To catch all this locations would be very intensive.

[edenx]

Suggestions:

1. Group Leader can set new moderators for group forum.

2. If I see a "group forum" new posts on "today topics" and click that forum without being a member, it will notify me and ask me to join the group.

[NFLfbJunkie]

Could there be an option to still allow messages to be made in the social group as well as in the social group's forum? And can "Allow HTML" be set as 'diasbled' upon creation of a social group's forum?

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by edenx

1. Group Leader can set new moderators for group forum.

That would not be part of this modification.

Originally Posted by edenx

2. If I see a "group forum" new posts on "today topics" and click that forum without being a member, it will notify me and ask me to join the group.

Nice idea, let's see for next version.

Originally Posted by Junkie

Could there be an option to still allow messages to be made in the social group as well as in the social group's forum?

Possibly, let's see...

Originally Posted by Junkie

And can "Allow HTML" be set as 'diasbled' upon creation of a social group's forum?

That's I didn't see, it will be changed in next version.

[toucan42]

I am eager to get 3.7 installed on my board just to have this hack - THIS is how social groups and vb are meant to play together - nice nice work - thank you so much!