Miscellaneous Hacks - Rotating Banner System

With the Rotating Banner System software, you may publish literally anywhere standard banners and advertising, with no restriction but your imagination. Unlike many other products, it allows to show an unlimited amount of banners and advertising, which are randomly shown at the places you choose, and you may refer generically to an Ad by using specific placeholders.

Also the management is straight-forward and simple to use. Forum administrators with maintenance rights may add, edit and delete records from the Administration Control Panel (ACP), one of each representing a banner. After saving the new banner settings, they are immediately visible at your board.

Compatibility: from vBulletin 3.6.5 onwards

By the way, I do also install the hack on your boards, but since I am very, very busy, it may take some time (weeks) until it gets done.


Tutorials:

• How-to create my first banner (Flash).

Updates:

• 2.0.1: Simple click tracker added, HTML help included.
• 2.0.3: Small bug fixes; additional banner list, navigation bar, E-Mail field for banner event notifications and automatic save on scroll setting; absolute URL to rbs_banner.php in order to allow click tracking on non-standard pages; supported languages: English, Italian; Help file clean-up.
• 2.0.5: Small bug fixes; additional details in banner list; email notification for epired banners.
• 2.0.6: vbCMS compatibility bug fix; additional banner lists.
• 2.0.7: Usergroups filter: now it is possible to define a list of usergroups which may show a banner; additional vbCMS compatibility bug fix.
• 2.0.8: Various fixes and most of all, inclusion of the right files: admin_rbs.php, cpnav_rbs.xml
• 2.0.9: Extra comma fix in new record creation.
• 2.1.0: Fix for an occasional banner type selection bug, when the sample banners have been deleted or disabled.
• 2.2.0 (Major upgrade): Up to 10 different banner locations. Requires changes to your existing placeholders in your templates, since a more generic format has been chosen. If you don't need more than 2 different locations, you don't need to upgrade. Changed files: rbs_banner.php, admin_rbs.php
• 2.2.1: Minor bug fix in files: admin_rbs_h_banner_list.php, admin_rbs_v_banner_list.php
• 2.2.1: Hotfix for Max Clicks saving bug.
• 2.2.2: More listings and less files. PDF Help. Separate Italian add-ons and help. Duplicate button.
• 2.2.3: Minor bug fixes. Changed files: product-rbs.xml
• 2.2.4: Flash Banner support (beta). Changed files: product-rbs.xml, rbs_wrapper.swf, admin_rbs.php, English Help.
• 2.2.5: Hotfix for vBulletin 4.0.2 compatibility bug.
• 2.2.6: Checking for installed Flash Wrapper rbs_wrapper.swf; A few English FAQ; Help files. Changed files: product-rbs.xml
• 2.3.0 (Major upgrade): New modules: Delete Expired Banners, Disable Expired Banners; Detail Banner Statistics with unique access key for your customers; Updated help; Changed files: all.
• 2.3.1: Hotfix for missing field in rbs_hist table. Changed files: none, just update product.
• 2.3.2: Added: Unsupported option for setting any number of available positions between 1 and big bang. Fixed: Small bug and speed issues. Removed: Italian translation. Italians may now request support at www.vbulletin.it. Changed files: admin_rbs.php.
• 2.3.3: Fix: Copy selected forum ID's during banner duplication. Changed: start and end hours for new banners are set to 0:00 and 23:59 respectively. Changed files: admin_rbs.php.
• 2.3.4: Option: Send Mail Before. This option allows to schedule expiring banners differently. New variables for emails: $rbs_enddate: This variable holds the formatted banner ending date and time based on the standard formats for date and time in vBulletin settings; $rbs_name: This variable holds the banner name. EMail Notifications option description: Added direct links to the email phrases for quick changes. Changed files: rbs_mail_cron.php.
• 2.4.0 (Major upgrade): Removed: Option to enable or disable mailing. Banners with email addresses to notify are handled. Setting to reset mailing in single banners. Now, if mailing should be repeated, you will have to edit the banner from phpMyAdmin. Added: Order links in lists. The initial state is ordered by ID, as before. By clicking the titles, the other voices can be ordered. Clicking twice inverts the order. This works in all lists. Options to prevent counting and reducing thus a tiny bit of load. A new bunch of demo banners for new installations. Demo banners are locked into database in order to avoid 30% of the questions because of the 'experts' deleting them before trying the product. They can be disabled and modified though. The true experts can delete them after all testing from the database by using phpMyAdmin without side effects. Changes: Phrase for emailing about expiring banners, now also with direct links to the phrases. Demo banners. Our old publisher ID is replaced with the new ones, and old demo banners are updated with the new ones, if found. The functions have been exported to includes/functions_rbs.php. This makes the product code smaller and easier to maintain, and runs faster on sites where caching/acceleration is enabled. Changed Files: all *.php
• 2.4.1: Option Likelihood. This new option adds a weight to banners and allows thus to show one banner more often than another. The default weight is 100%. We also make sure that the final date of the default banners falls into a valid range. Changed files: includes/functions_rbs.php and rbs_stats.php.
• 2.4.2: Workaround for update sequence problems.

Hacks and unsupported add-ons:

• Banner Rotator Widget To CMS
• Rotate banners in-place
• Italian Translation

[y2ksw]

Originally Posted by cbehan

In both templates, the code is inserted into the template, but on the rendered source it's nowhere to be found.

Ok this means, the plugin works, but for some reason it can't find a banner for your page.

If you still have the default banners (at the beginning), could you please try to enable them and see if they show up? Else you may create a new image banner and make sure to use an extremely large timeframe to avoid it becomes expired for some reason.

Or run this query to re-insert the default banners, provided you have id 1 and 2 free to use:

REPLACE INTO `rbs_banners` (`id`, `name`, `url`, `image`, `text`, `startdate`, `enddate`, `impressions`, `notes`, `maximpressions`, `position`, `forumids`, `enabled`, `forumhome`, `clicktrack`, `maxclicks`, `clicks`, `m_expired`, `mails`, `usergroups`, `flash`, `object`, `embed`, `width`, `height`, `md5key`) VALUES
(1, 'Google Text 468x60', '', '', '<script type="text/javascript">\r\n<!--\r\ngoogle_ad_client = "pub-8477879996596626";\r\ngoogle_ad_width = 468;\r\ngoogle_ad_height = 60;\r\ngoogle_ad_format = "468x60_as";\r\ngoogle_ad_type = "text";\r\ngoogle_ad_channel = "";\r\n//-->\r\n</script>\r\n<script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script>', 1211320800, 1526853600, 274611, '', 0, 0, '', 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, '', '', 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, '2b4dd10a8f244478254663e1c96b17aa'),
(2, 'Google Image 468 x 60', '', '', '<script type="text/javascript"><!--\r\ngoogle_ad_client = "pub-8477879996596626";\r\ngoogle_ad_slot = "8172517593";\r\ngoogle_ad_width = 468;\r\ngoogle_ad_height = 60;\r\n//-->\r\n</script>\r\n<script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script>', 1211320800, 1526853600, 273356, '', 0, 0, '', 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, '', '', 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, '09c198a7c54fc144b22d0e477294d9f0');

[cbehan]

Originally Posted by y2ksw

Ok this means, the plugin works, but for some reason it can't find a banner for your page.

If you still have the default banners (at the beginning), could you please try to enable them and see if they show up? Else you may create a new image banner and make sure to use an extremely large timeframe to avoid it becomes expired for some reason.

Or run this query to re-insert the default banners, provided you have id 1 and 2 free to use:

REPLACE INTO `rbs_banners` (`id`, `name`, `url`, `image`, `text`, `startdate`, `enddate`, `impressions`, `notes`, `maximpressions`, `position`, `forumids`, `enabled`, `forumhome`, `clicktrack`, `maxclicks`, `clicks`, `m_expired`, `mails`, `usergroups`, `flash`, `object`, `embed`, `width`, `height`, `md5key`) VALUES
(1, 'Google Text 468x60', '', '', '<script type="text/javascript">\r\n<!--\r\ngoogle_ad_client = "pub-8477879996596626";\r\ngoogle_ad_width = 468;\r\ngoogle_ad_height = 60;\r\ngoogle_ad_format = "468x60_as";\r\ngoogle_ad_type = "text";\r\ngoogle_ad_channel = "";\r\n//-->\r\n</script>\r\n<script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script>', 1211320800, 1526853600, 274611, '', 0, 0, '', 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, '', '', 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, '2b4dd10a8f244478254663e1c96b17aa'),
(2, 'Google Image 468 x 60', '', '', '<script type="text/javascript"><!--\r\ngoogle_ad_client = "pub-8477879996596626";\r\ngoogle_ad_slot = "8172517593";\r\ngoogle_ad_width = 468;\r\ngoogle_ad_height = 60;\r\n//-->\r\n</script>\r\n<script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script>', 1211320800, 1526853600, 273356, '', 0, 0, '', 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, '', '', 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, '09c198a7c54fc144b22d0e477294d9f0');

I uninstalled the product, then reinstalled it to restore the original ads. That didn't work.

I tried even just placing some simple text into the Text box to see if it would appear....no luck.

It's as though the plugin isn't responding to insert the code at all.

[Maxi62]

Hi
I become no mail from rotating banner system?
In the setup I enabled it and I have banner email address is also entered

Why might that be?

[y2ksw]

Originally Posted by cbehan

I uninstalled the product, then reinstalled it to restore the original ads. That didn't work.

I tried even just placing some simple text into the Text box to see if it would appear....no luck.

It's as though the plugin isn't responding to insert the code at all.

Please PM me your site. I really believe it is something trivial but can't work out what. I probably will also need an admin account with permission to see into the settings and styles.

[y2ksw]

Originally Posted by Maxi62

Hi
I become no mail from rotating banner system?
In the setup I enabled it and I have banner email address is also entered

Why might that be?

Maybe mailing or the task are globally disabled?

[Maxi62]

Originally Posted by y2ksw

Maybe mailing or the task are globally disabled?

No, its on! can i test the email function? When email is sent?

[FTDave]

Thank you for the mod.
http://www.teenbay.net

[y2ksw]

Originally Posted by Maxi62

No, its on! can i test the email function? When email is sent?

The email is sent when a banner expires (by date/time).

[uglyduck]

Great mod. I have this working on my site for the most part but have discovered that it is only showing banner IDs 1 through 8. I have 12 banners currently configured in position0(horizontal) but as I indicated only banners 1-8 are displayed, 9-12 do not ever show up. I am using image banners, no flash. I confirmed the image paths for the non-working banners are valid Below is the code I have entered into global_ad_below_navbar template

<center><!--@vbbanners:0@--></center>

Here is what I have configured in the RBS options for Nth placeholder

<!--@vbbanners:%d@-->

Thank you

[y2ksw]

Originally Posted by uglyduck

Great mod. I have this working on my site for the most part but have discovered that it is only showing banner IDs 1 through 8. I have 12 banners currently configured in position0(horizontal) but as I indicated only banners 1-8 are displayed, 9-12 do not ever show up. I am using image banners, no flash. I confirmed the image paths for the non-working banners are valid Below is the code I have entered into global_ad_below_navbar template

<center><!--@vbbanners:0@--></center>

Here is what I have configured in the RBS options for Nth placeholder

<!--@vbbanners:%d@-->


Thank you

Please make sure you haven't set other rules which may exclude those banners from showing, such as specific sections, usergroups and date/time ranges.