=V.2= vB3 Similar Threads

vB3 Similar Threads =Version 2=
by Velocd

This hack, as well all my other vB2 hacks, I no longer provide support for (being I run vB3 and it's too much hassel to debug vB2). When vB3 Release Candidate comes out, by request I might convert some of my hacks.


Update - Version 2.1
View this post for complete information.


Description:

I recoded the old vB3 Similar Threads hack earlier today, realizing a much better and enhanced method of making it work.
Also, I made a new thread for this hack mainly so it would be better known, since the old one had many unsolved issues.

Improvements:

• It no longer compares threads via a similarity or priority level, but rather using a MySQL string-comparison function.
  I experienced no slow downs on any pages, and many of my pages seem to be generating .20 faster (from the old version).
• The comparison between threads is even more accurate and efficient, and best of all requires no toggling of a priority setting like the previous version. The threads are now searched via the one and only query, making things faster.
• The hack has been tested on 2.2.6 and 2.2.9, and also does not require the use of PHP function trim(), so older versions of PHP should deal no trouble.
• The overall appearance of the hack has been enhanced to look more vB3 as well

The MySQL function MATCH..AGAINST requires MySQL version 3.23.23 or later, else the hack will not operate.

Screenshots:

Refer to the .zip, they are located inside.


Upgrading?

If you are upgrading from the old version, just replace the codechunk.txt file in the location of the old chunk, as well replacing the templates.

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Remember, if you use this hack on your forum, please click the install button! ^__^

side note: once installed, the similar-thread box will not show until you start replying to threads or create new ones. I predict this has something to do with the altering of the field title to FULLTEXT

side note 2: if for some reason you are getting an error about FULLTEXT not being functionable on your thread table, you are running a non-MyISAM table type, and thus must be converted. Run this query to do so:

PHP Code:

ALTER TABLE `thread` TYPE = MYISAM 


[Gutspiller]

I installed this hack and it works great with my forum! :banana:

I have one question though. The way that it works, I take it it does a type of search for these "similar threads" I want to change the way it works and make it more precise by only searching the titles and not the contents of the threads. This way it wont matter the contents of the post is, the similarity will have to occur in the title of the threads.

Can somebody help me how to do this? It should be fairly easy, I just have any clue.

Please help.

[Elvis]

I'd strongly suggest replacing:

ORDER BY dateline DESC

with

ORDER BY threadid DESC

on a board that dates back a couple years worth of posts... this seems to help show only the most recent 'similar threads'

[Boofo]

All that will do is display it in order by tread title instead of order by date. I think it only looks at the thread title for matches already, doesn't it?

[Elvis]

Originally posted by Boofo
All that will do is display it in order by tread title instead of order by date. I think it only looks at the thread title for matches already, doesn't it?

a) by 'threadid DESC' it orders the found threads in descensing thread ID order... which gives you the most recent threads, in order that they have been started, not replied to. It's much more relevant to pull up things from this year.. than say 2001.


b) Yes, but Im not changing WHAT it searches, just how it orders them.

[Gutspiller]

Can somebody still help me with my first question? I want it so that the way it ranks similar threads is done by thread title alone and not by the contents of the thread. The way my forum is setup the current searching isn't as good as if it was based on the title of the thread alone.

Anybody?

[Boofo]

That's how it already searches.

[Gutspiller]

Originally posted by Boofo
That's how it already searches.

hmmm. :surprised:

Well how about making the words that are before each other more important that the following words.

So a title that is "Unreal II movie"

wont bring up similar threads, just because their title has the word "movie" in it. Movie isn't going to be important. But other titles that have "Unreal" are going to be more important .

Can you do that?

[Boofo]

It should bring up anything that has "movie" or "Unreal" in it. And even "II". I have mine set to show 10 threads instead of the default 5. Maybe that will help? It would be kind of hard to selectively pick the order of words in the title, I think.

[Gutspiller]

Originally posted by Boofo
It should bring up anything that has "movie" or "Unreal" in it. And even "II". I have mine set to show 10 threads instead of the default 5. Maybe that will help? It would be kind of hard to selectively pick the order of words in the title, I think.

OK, I changed it to 10 and out of those ten threads, only 2 reffer to Unreal or Unreal 2. Is it possible to have it use the first words of the title? I mean movie could be anynumber of threads. Most threads are going to have the important words first. So I was hoping something could be done about having it more relative to the other words. This way the closer they are to the beginning of the thread title, the higher ranking they have in the search. Is something like this possible?

I was also noticing that the previous version of this hack supported descriptions, but I didn't happen to notice anywhere in the code to turn that feature on. Is it in there and I missed it or does V2 not support descriptions?

[Xyphen]

Ok, I have a test forum, where there are only 2 threads -_- so far, but the smiliar threads thing doesn't show up on showthread? why, help please, I am using vb2.2.9, there are no errors, just that smiliar threads don't show up, nothing shows up, everything is exactly the same as it was before i installed the hack, I even replied in both threads and made a new thread, doesn't work at all. help plz..