[HTL] & [Normal] Persistant Mark Forum Read

Here's the core of a Persistant Mark Forum Read routine.

What it does and How it works:
Clicking the Mark Forum Read link in a forum now adds a record to the database and marks that forum read as of the moment you click the link. New messages posted after you mark a forum read will remain "new" until you click Mark Forum Read again in that forum.

To view ONLY new messages, click on the lightbulb instead of on the forum name. You'll only see threads that have been active since you marked the forum read.

The mod requires 2 new tables. Displaying new messages simply hijacks the $ daysprune function by plugging in the time that the forum was last marked read.

The standard Active Topics (View New Posts) function is unaffected, except that the lightbulb is no longer connected to that routine(optional). The lightbulb now indicates if the forum has been marked read with this routine.

There's also a QuickScan feature which shows the unread topics in all forums (similar to the regular View New Posts routine, but the threads remain on display until you mark each forum (or all forums) read.

Quickscan can be turned on and off for each forum separately.

Don't install this in a production environment, try it on a test system first.

Feedback and help appreciated.

Ed

July 14, 2004: Updated package to v0.3. This version includes a new file that will Mark ALL Forums Read.

July 22, 2004: Updated package to v0.4. This version includes QuickScan.

July 25, 2004: The basic package is now complete with the addition of individual forum on/off control in the quickscan.

Aug 7, 2004: Added text to make navigation easier. Added additional support for subforums

Aug 9, 2004: Added HTL installer

[edschaum]

Thanks for the feedback, I'll look into the tableprefix issue.

I've also added the Quickscan routine, which is the first step towards making this hack practical.

Next on the list is to add the ability to turn individual forums on or off regarding inclusion in the quickscan.

After that, what I'd really like to do is fully integrate the package with vB. Ideally, there'd be an option to select which version of Mark Read to use - the version that's included with vB, or this one. I wonder if it would be possible to set it up so each user could choose which system they prefer. For example, it would be nice to be able to toggle the use of the "go to first unread" link to be part of this routine so that the icons stay visible until the forum is explicitly marked read.

That level of integration would probably require too many changes though. I wonder how I could convince Jelsoft to add this as a feature.

Ed

[Berethorn]

I'm afraid one of my users is getting this error: I think it may be in regards to this hack. Before this, I've had no problems, and I'm still using your the version without quickscan.

Invalid SQL:
SELECT *
FROM [prefix]_lastreads
WHERE lr_member = AND lr_forum = 2

mysql error: You have an error in your SQL syntax. Check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'AND lr_forum = 2' at line 3

mysql error number: 1064

Think this can be solved?

[edschaum]

Originally Posted by Berethorn

Think this can be solved?

It kinda looks like the user is not logged in since there's no userid coming up in the query.

If the user IS logged in, then I'll need to know exactly what the user is doing, then I'll have to sign up on your forum and try to reproduce the error.

Note that error-checking is limited at this stage... I'm still in shock that it works at all :nervous:

[edschaum]

Originally Posted by Berethorn

I'm afraid one of my users is getting this error: I think it may be in regards to this hack. Before this, I've had no problems, and I'm still using your the version without quickscan.



Think this can be solved?

I just noticed this in your report:
"FROM [prefix]_lastreads"

The table should be lr_lastreads, I wonder what happened there? You mentioned a problem with the table prefix, I wonder if this could be related.

[Berethorn]

It was originally "FROM bere_lastreads", but I changed it to [prefix] to avoid confusion. This isn't an issue, it's just my database adds a prefix before the table name.

But I fixed it, I think. The issue was, the user somehow ended up without a userid. Possibly mySQL failed during registration. I fixed it by getting them to sign up again. I don't think it was your hack causing the problem. Thanks, though.

[edschaum]

Ok, if any other problems, let me know. The latest version seems be working really well. And with the ability to quickscan selected forums, the main coding is done. All I have to do now is bring it up to vB coding standards and work out a few small details.

[Tailfeathers]

Can't wait for the final version.

I have a quick question -- what is this lightbulb you speak of?

[edschaum]

Originally Posted by Tailfeathers

Can't wait for the final version.

I have a quick question -- what is this lightbulb you speak of?

On the main forum display page, there are icons to the left of each forum name. When there is new activity, those icons change...they "light up". On this site, the icons are little squares with check marks - there's a dull gray background when there's no activity, the background brightens up considerably when there are new messages.

The lightbulb terminology comes from the code... the routine to display that icon is called "getforumlightbulb".

Re the final version - writing the routine was the easy part. Bringing the code up to vBulletin standards will be the hard part! :cross-eyed:

I also have a better idea on displaying the quickscan results, but I don't know how to accomplish it programmatically, so that will have to wait until I learn a little more about the vB code.

In the meantime, I'll continue to clean up the current code in order to bring it to v1.0 so I can give it a full release.

Ed

[Tailfeathers]

Ahhh ok, thanks for the explanation.

[Tailfeathers]

One more question -- does this hack slow down the board or have any impact on the server or anything like that at all?