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

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by triff

Is it possible to tweak the public socialforums so that they stay visible to all, but that only members of the individual socialgroups see the "unread posts" sign when there's any new posts there? (that is, that the socialforums you are not a member of stay marked "read"?)

Originally Posted by VinnyS

Ok I installed the mod works great!! My question is when the forum is made it seem to place it at the top in my announcement forum. Let say I create a main forum called Social Forums is it possible when someone makes a social forum it would always be placed under the heading I want it to be placed? Is it possible to write this in the next update? The other thing if you delete the group the admin need to manualy remove the forum..

To get support, you will need to click "Mark as Installed".

Originally Posted by Fraik

Private forums are viewable trough the archives, along with all the topics and posts in that forum. I double-checked my permissions just to be sure, and they were all good. Forum isn't visible in the normal listing, but it is in the archives.

Yes, that is because the SocialForums permissions are hooked as an overlay to the existing permissions. This is due to missing hooks in the vBulletin permission system. Addressed in next version.

Originally Posted by subnet_rx

I'm having a problem with this locking out admins and global mods from the forums if they are not part of the group. I went in and set up the forum permissions so that we could see it, and I still can't get in.

Check usergroup permissions (how many times did I say this already?!?)

[triff]

Originally Posted by Phalynx

To get support, you will need to click "Mark as Installed".

I have!!!

SGL.

[Phalynx]

That was an answer to VinnyS, sorry for not answering your question.

As for your question: No, not possible. If a users see a forum, he should see also threads. But if the users can see a thread, he has this also in new posts. That's a limitation in vBulletin.

[triff]

Okay, thanks for the reply!

SGL.

[subnet_rx]

Originally Posted by Phalynx

Check usergroup permissions (how many times did I say this already?!?)

That must be in an addon, I don't have usergroup permissions. I only have forum permissions. Could someone link the url for usergroup permissions at their forum so I could see where it might be on mine?

[Fraik]

Usergroups -> Manage Usergroups

Make sure that you have installed all the files (not just the product file). One of them adds additional fields to the usergroups permissions.

[MrEyes]

I'll bet this question gets asked alot over the next few hours/days

It seems that a new announcement from the VB dev team regarding VB 3.8 has come out:

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1604038

Part of the announcement states that they are going to add social forums, as usual details are fairly sketchy.

Anyway the question is, when further details are announced would this mod be "decomissioned"?

[Phalynx]

It's just adding threads, not forums. So I think I will maintain this also with vB 3.8

[akonze]

Problem: I can't see the "create forum" link in the group.

I installed it like the readme file says. The group has 8 members, 5 are needed to create forums. The usergroup "registered users" has permission to create forums. Did I forget something???

[maidos]

can the group the member who joined, displayed on postbit?