Allow Your Users to Post Anonymously Without Logging Out

When I released my Post As Anonymous Mod Hack (now obsolete), many users wanted the ability to allow ANY user to post anonymously. This hack fulfils that request.

It is a VERY long and difficult hack to install. Therefore, I have written the instruction file radically different than any I have ever written before. This one is written in discrete steps. Rather than having you blindly edit files and hope everything works when it's done, I have you do the hack in steps and TEST each step.

IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO CODE, I SUGGEST YOU POST A SERVICE REQUEST AND ASK SOMEBODY TO INSTALL THIS FOR YOU.

Features:
A. Control anonymous posting at the board, forum, usergroup, and user level.

This means that you can use the anonymous posting in any combination that you can use features such as allowing users to reply to posts.

B. Users can post anonymously, but still subscribe to the thread.

C. You can set the anonymous username per usergroup. For example, Admins can post as Anonymous Admin, while regular users post as Anonymous Registered Member.

D. Mods and Admins can see who truly posted.

E. Users can see their name on their own anonymous post.

F. The "edited by" message does not show on anonymous posts.

G. Lastposter works properly.

H. Search will not pull up a user's anonymous posts under their name. But, you can search for all anonymous posts.

I. Anonymous posts are marked so that you don't forget the post is anonymous and "out" yourself.

J. Anonymous posts can be safely quoted.

I will not support this hack for any version of vbulletin other than 3.0.7.

[Osterling]

Originally Posted by amykhar

If you installed as instructed, you should be able to tell me what step you are on. There is testing involved at each level of installation to help narrow down any installation issues.

s. TEST. Log in as a user that should be able to post anonymously. Start a new thread. Does the checkbox show that asks you if you want to post anonymously? If not, make sure you did step o

[amykhar]

Originally Posted by exasko

s. TEST. Log in as a user that should be able to post anonymously. Start a new thread. Does the checkbox show that asks you if you want to post anonymously? If not, make sure you did step o

Double check your step N. That can also cause what you are seeing.

[Osterling]

I made sure I did that change and it still does not appear for me.

Also note, I didn't go past 7. This section allows users to post a new anonymous reply. because I didn't want members to be able to post replies anonymously so I figured I didn't need to do that part. But still it said at that check point that I should be able to post anonymously so hmmm...

I don't know why it won't work

[amykhar]

Just for giggles, do step seven, part f.

[Osterling]

did it, and it didn't help..

[amykhar]

Are you sure all the permissions are set correctly? That has been most people's problem.

[Osterling]

my forum is set up to allow the anonymous post, and so is my usergroup...

let me know if you want to see it hands on and i send you the info via pm.

[amykhar]

Yes. Send me the info via PM.

[kylek]

Help, anyone?

I have gotten to the end of step six, ( all checks and tests have been fine) and am now getting this database error, cant even access the forum index. Anyway of correcting this?

Database error in vBulletin 3.0.7:

Invalid SQL:
SELECT forum.forumid, lastpost, lastposter, lastthread, lastthreadid, lasticonid, threadcount, replycount,postanon,anonname
FROM vb3_forum AS forum

mysql error: Unknown column 'postanon' in 'field list'

mysql error number: 1054

- Panic attack is over, went over everything and must of missed a query as now everything is good. on to step 7..

[amykhar]

Looks like you didn't run the queries. Run those, or those that you missed, and you should be fine.