How to create a Ajax Sidebar with Recent Posts

At YoungCoders, I recently wrote an ajax enabled recent posts widget, and I thought I would post it here. I do not recommended this for high traffic forums, as you'll be running a lot of queries.

I'm going to forget to check back here and update this with any changes. So, please see here, which is where I will maintain and try to provide support.

I) Setting up the Feed
1) First, you need the improved external.php file from vBulletin.org. The link is here: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...t=fps_external

2) This new external file lacks some of the documented features, and the feature we need is the latest posts (not latest threads). The attached file resolves that and may only be used if you have a valid vBulletin license. The reason we may not use the built-in one is because it does not have support for permissions and will therefore treat every user as a guest. Credit for fps_external.php goes to the original authors; my revision was trivial.

3) Upload fps_external.php into your forum directory.

II) Setting up the Ajax
1) Our threads are going to appear in an unordered list. So, let's setup our default list:

  <ul id="latestthreads">
   <li>Please wait while the feed updates.</li>
  </ul>

We have to throw in the please wait to make our page validate and also to notify our users that we're fetching the feed.

2) You then need some JavaScript. I'm not going to document this as it's pretty self-explanatory:

/*
* Ajax sidebar for vBulletin.
* Depends: hacked fps_external.php
* Created for: www.youngcoders.com
*/


function createRequestObject() {
    var ro;
    var browser = navigator.appName;
    if(browser == "Microsoft Internet Explorer"){
        ro = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
    }else{
        ro = new XMLHttpRequest();
    }
    return ro;
}

var http = createRequestObject();

function updateSidebarResponse() {
    if(http.readyState == 4){
        var length = document.getElementById('latestthreads').getElementsByTagName('li').length;
        for (var y = 0; y < length; y++)
        { 
                document.getElementById('latestthreads').removeChild( document.getElementById('latestthreads').getElementsByTagName('li')[0] );
        }
        
        
        var response = http.responseXML.getElementsByTagName('source')[0].getElementsByTagName('thread');
        var length = response.length;
        for (var x = 0; x < length; x++)
        {
                var id = response[x].getAttribute('id');
                var title = response[x].getElementsByTagName('title')[0].childNodes[0].nodeValue;
                var author = response[x].getElementsByTagName('author')[0].childNodes[0].nodeValue;
                var when = response[x].getElementsByTagName('time')[0].childNodes[0].nodeValue;

                var top = document.createElement('div');
                var bottom = document.createElement('div');

                var option = document.createElement('li');
                var link = document.createElement('a');
                link.href = 'showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=' + id;
                link.appendChild(document.createTextNode(title));
                var by = document.createElement('small');
                by.appendChild(document.createTextNode(' by ' + author + ' at ' + when));

                option.appendChild(link);
                option.appendChild(by);

                document.getElementById('latestthreads').appendChild(option);
        }
    }
}

function updateSidebar() {
    http.open('get', 'fps_external.php?type=xml&qty=20&items=active');
    http.onreadystatechange = updateSidebarResponse;
    http.send(null);
}


updateSidebar();

The above code will fetch the sidebar just once. To make it update, you must have it run through intervals:

setInterval('updateSidebar()', 60000 * 1); // Update every minute
setInterval('updateSidebar()', 60000 * 3); // Update every 3 minutes

Terms of Use: For each site you deploy this on, you must tell one friend about YoungCoders.com

For a preview and more discussion: http://www.youngcoders.com/showthrea...288&styleid=19

[Snake]

Awesome!

[Kihon Kata]

I do not recommended this for high traffic forums, as you'll be running a lot of queries.

I'm out

[t3nt3tion]

The full bar would be ok though. I know it`s easy to replicate

[Kungfu]

any idea why nothing is showing up?

i do fps_external.php?type=xml&qty=1&items=active
just from the browser and its blank and im not sure why. any ideas?

[t3nt3tion]

A link to your site maybe ?

[Illustrious]

Originally Posted by Mauu

It really can't get much simpler: upload patched fps_external, stick HTML in, stick JavaScript in, done. Granted, basic web-design knowledge is required.

The problem is where do you "stick HTML/JavaScript in" and how do you link this to the sidebar. A guide does that, explain what you have to do in reasonably simple terms so that people who are unable to do it without the guide can. One way you could go about is write up the guide so that you give one generic example solution of how to install it.

Judging by the replies on your own website, it seems like a lot of others are confused.

For example, I can easily point out:

II) Setting up the Ajax
1) Our threads are going to appear in an unordered list. So, let's setup our default list:

Set up the default list where?

2) You then need some JavaScript. I'm not going to document this as it's pretty self-explanatory:

And where does this javascript go?

[t3nt3tion]

All you need is to add a left/right comun code, and add the code in there. That`s it.

[AMD_Warrior]

Where do we add it?
which template??

[ManagerJosh]

While I'm no coder, I took a look at the code and it appears you put it in the header template. That's my best guess.

Either way, I'm echoing the same problems with this template release and that the installation is rather vague. Moreso, you didn't release any code for your AJAX sidebar I'd like to point out .

[fatwillie]

How to create a Ajax Sidebar

I don't see any ajax code nor do I see sidebar code...