Add-On Releases - CES Navbits Designer

CES Navbits Designer
Version: 1.4.3

*** NEWS ***
3/17/2007 - v1.4.3 released
2/25/2007 - v1.4.2 released
2/3/2007 - v1.4.0, v1.4.1 released
2/2/2007 - v1.3.0 released
1/24/2007 - v1.2.3 released
1/15/2007 - v1.2.0, v1.2.1, v1.2.2 released, screenshots updated
1/7/2007 - v1.1.0 completed - withheld due to inefficient processing
1/5/2007 - v1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3 released, screenshots added
1/4/2007 - v1.0.0 released - Custom Navbits launched

Known Issues:
- If you are a vbWiki Pro user, and you are getting a "Style has not been updated for Custom Navbits" message in your wiki, see this post: #21

What It Does:
Using a wizard in the AdminCP, allows admins to create a breadcrumb path for the vBulletin navbar that could be practically anything. This is useful for automating navbits on custom pages or anywhere else.

For example: After searching for threads or posts, vBulletin's default lastelement is always "Search Results." However, using this mod, I have been able to change it to "Search Results in Threads" and "Search Results in Posts" respectively.

Products to Install: 1
Plugins Included: 1
Files to Upload: 5
Templates to Edit: 1
Files to Edit: 2
Queries Added:* 0

*This now adds ZERO queries to modified pages, which I figure is the query count we all care about.

Mod Features:
- Add navbits for any page in the AdminCP
- Now makes use of the datastore
- Settings in vBulletin Options
- Supports relative and absolute links
- Breadcrumb can use any custom text
- Name your various custom navbit sets
- Use conditionals for further control
- Set execute priority of navbit sets with overlapping conditions
- Navbits immediately updated
- use FORUM_HOME, THIS_PAGE, WIKI_NAME as preset variables
- supports $vboptions, $vbphrase, other variables, and HTML
- Complete support for vbWiki Pro

How many more features can we add to a navbits extension?

Current Syntax:
As of v1.2.0, just fill in the form!

When using $vbulletin options or $vbphrases, do not use quotes inside the brackets:
BAD: $vbulletin->options['option']
GOOD: $vbulletin->options[option]

Tutorials:
- Introduction to creating custom navbits: Basic Tutorial
- How to exclude a parent forum from multiple subforums at once: Parentlist Tutorial

Changelog:
As of Version 1.4.3:
- fixed a warning that would occur in the AdminCP when no custom sets
had been created

As of Version 1.4.2:
- updated product dependency

As of Version 1.4.1:
- fixed a bug where the last element would be empty if script had a
custom set and the conditions returned false
- updated phrases
- fixed bug where table ces_navbits would not be removed from the
database on upgrade

Ideas for Future Versions:
- Suggestions?

Screenshots:
In order, these screenshots show the process:
1. Before Navbits Management
2. AdminCP Link
3. AdminCP Navbits Manager
4. AdminCP Navbits Designer (pre v1.4.1)
5. After Navbits Management

[thincom2000]

Has anyone tried using this to extend their navbits in vbWiki Pro?

I haven't had a chance to use it myself (writing and testing and overwriting, thus clearing my navbits table over and over), so I'm curious as to how well it works especially with that software.

I also haven't been able to test the set displaytitle feature. I know MediaWiki versions 1.7.1+ have this built in, but this feature was added to the navbits for people who were stuck using 1.6.8 (e.g. myself). Since I reduced the file edits for the last big release, I didn't think to test this feature. Does it still work?

Please someone try it and let me know. My test site is being annoying again with its 404 errors. There's a possibility it will work without it but if it doesn't it should be a quick fix (just adding a single array value).

[Terminatoronly]

cool i was waiting for this mod really its the best thanks for the release


Installed & Nominated

[thincom2000]

Glad I'm not the only one who saw the use in it.

[djjeffa]

im a lil confused?
so basicly you could add or removing things from the nav bar on eack page?
if I am right would this work for difrent forums if chosen?

[thincom2000]

Yes, you are adding and removing things from the navbar. Technically they are called navbits or breadcrumbs, which I try to use in my explanations so people don't get confused and think I am talking about the entire navbar template.

Originally Posted by djjeffa

if I am right would this work for difrent forums if chosen?

This allows you to edit the breadcrumbs, and could work for anything (different forums, whatever) if you use the advanced options like Global Variables and Conditions.

[Terminatoronly]

thanks for making the hack mate but i have a problem i dont know how to use the navbits managment thingy i dont know what shall i set into it please give me some examples i dont know how to use it and i find it useful

[thincom2000]

Script Title tells the hack what PHP script to modify navbits in. If you're not sure what this is, open the file and look for the line that starts

PHP Code:

define('THIS_SCRIPT' ... 


The definition of THIS_SCRIPT is what you fill in here.

Label is essentially a filename. The hack uses this to tell your various navbits apart if you make more than one.

First Element is the forum level of your navbits. Usually your navbits starts with the name of your board - this is where you can change that.

Last Element is the final navbit usually defined as $navbits[lastelement]. This is where you can that.

There are two columns for URLs and text. Type your links into the URL column, and type the text for those links into the Text column. The boxes between First Element and Last Element are for all the navbits in between, just put each one on its own line.

Global Variables is for including variables that you might want to include in your conditions below it. Global Variables must be defined somewhere else in the script with the Script Title you are modifying.

Conditions is for entering an argument that would be in a PHP conditional or <if condition="..."> This is useful if you only want to display the customized navbits on a page when certain conditions are met.

For example:
I want to make the navbits for the search results page say "Search Results in Posts" if we have searched for posts instead of threads. By default, the search results page would say the following no matter what:

Forum > Search Forums
Search Results

What we do in the Navbits Designer to make it say "Search Results in Posts" ONLY if we have searched for posts:

Script Title: search
Label: Search Posts
First Element URL: FORUM_HOME
First Element text: FORUM_HOME
URL: $vboptions[bburl]/search.php
text: Search Forums
Last Element URL: THIS_PAGE
Last Element text: Search Results in Posts

Global Variables: $search
Conditions: ($search['showposts'] == true) AND ($_REQUEST['do'] == 'showresults')

will return:

Forum > Search Forums
Search Results in Posts

Hope that helps!

[Terminatoronly]

cool thanks alot i will try it

[thincom2000]

I'm working on version 1.3.0 now which uses the datastore and thus requires no extra queries on runtime. (The tradeoff with eliminating queries I have found to usually be additional file edits). Navbits are pre-sorted in init_startup to eliminate the memory issues I was worried about with users who used this heavily.

The new version should be ready by the weekend.

[thincom2000]

Went from Version 1.3.0 to Version 1.4.0 in two days. Enjoy the new features and the zero-query-ness.