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

[Mark.B]

Originally Posted by Phalynx

Additionally you can set their visibility to 0.

How do you actually do that, out of interest?

[redlabour]

How to prevent User from reading/writing to a Forum of a Groups he is not a Member off?

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by Mark.B

How do you actually do that, out of interest?

What do you mean exactly? I set just the displayorder to 0.

Originally Posted by redlabour

How to prevent User from reading/writing to a Forum of a Groups he is not a Member off?

Which version are you running? If 1.3, just check permissions for his usergroup.

[redlabour]

Originally Posted by Phalynx

Which version are you running? If 1.3, just check permissions for his usergroup.

Sorry, then i don?t understand your Descriptions in the AdminCP for the Permissions:

There are only the Options to read or write in public or non-public Forums.
There is no Option to access/show only Socialforums of Groups where the Member is subscribed to.

So what did i have to allow/deny for this?

And at least a Featurerequest:
[*] Option to delete all old Messages of a Group if a Socialforum is created from Database

[Phalynx]

You asked in your first post for "Groups he is not a Member off", now for "where the Member is subscribed to"...

If you are asking for showing the forum, it's included in the read-permission. If the user can read in the forum he can also see the forum.

[Baldilocks]

Awesome!! Now this add-on is perfect!!

Nominating you for mod of the month!

[Baldilocks]

Here is the best way to make this look/feel the best:

1. In the Socialforums settings "Visibility"- Set to NO.

2. Make a Forum Category Called "Social Forums" (Set Active Status- NO) It will be hidden.

3. Make a Forum Called "Social Forums Home" (Set Active Status-NO) It will be hidden. This is the Forum where the Social Forums get "subbed" to. (This is the Forum ID number you will need to set in the Socialforum settings.) They will all be hidden from view from EVERYONE, you included.

This makes Social Groups more private and doesn't clutter up the Forum Home.

[Mum]

Will they show in new posts still with your settings Baldilocks, or only if they have read/write permissions?

[Phalynx]

You can set this behaviour via usergroup permissions. Set to No for all Groups would only members allow to see the forum, it's posts, etc...

[Baldilocks]

They will only show if they have read/write permissions.
For added bonus set the Main Forum (the ID number for socialforums add-on) to not be indexed in searches either.

Even I as Super Admin can't get into the "Ladies Only" social forum--I already tried, nor do their messages show up on a New Posts/Today's Posts search.