Add-On Releases - Mobile Device Style Assignment

This is my first released hack, be nice.

This hack will detect when a mobile device connects to your site and allow you to override the default style/skin with one you specify.

Just install the product-file and set which style is your mobile device style via the AdminCP. Has been tested with several 3.6.x versions up to 3.6.8

I am also releasing a skin I wrote (it is based on vbmechanics Alabama skin, so updated or modified would be a more accurate description) for my own needs - it could probably be tidied up a lot more, but it works for me - take it as it is, I may offer limited support for this skin if I get time (no promises), and feel free to offer suggestions. Mobi - My super light skin is probably the one to go for, it has much greater functionailty.

=Install Instructions=
Go to Plugin System, Manage Products in your AdminCP and click Add/Import Product link at the end of the page
Browse for the product-mobile_enabled36-x.x.x.xml product file and click 'import'
Refresh your admincp page and in VBulletin Options, select the settings for 'Mobile Device Detection'
Change the styleid of your mobile skin in "Mobile Device Style" to the StyleID number of your mobile device skin
Change the styleid of your PDA skin in "PDA Device Style" to the StyleID number of your PDA device skin
Your mobile/pda skin must be user selectable (although you can disbale the ability for users to change styles in vBulletin Options)
Thats it!

=Upgrade Instructions=
Go to Plugin System, Manage Products in your AdminCP and click Add/Import Product link at the end of the page
Browse for the product-mobile_enabled36-x.x.x.xml product file
Choose to overwrite
Click 'import'
Re-configure Styleid of mobile/pda skin if required

VERSION 1.0.7a
Based on initial release - supports assigning one alternative style to ALL detected mobile devices

VERSION 2.1.2
Now allows the addition of exceptions and also specifying a skin for Pocket PCs (Windows CE devices) and a skin for all otehr detected mobile devices.
I've also released a very light skin HERE which is great for cell/Mobile phones

LAST UPDATE 22-October 2007
VERSION 2.1.3 - removed, small bug
VERSION 2.1.3a

• Added ability to assign different styles to IPods/iPhones (In addiotn to Windows CE devices and other detected mobile devices
• Added ability to assign specific style to a user defined device (based on user agent string).
  
  You will need to know the useragent string, or a unique fragment of the user agent string to do this. One exmple of how this can be used would be to assign a specific style to say Firefox users, perhaps a different style for Blackberry users, or you could assign a specific style to search engines (beware when doing this - google apprently doesn't like people displying different content to search engines)
  

To upgrade, simply overwrite product - your existing settings should be preserved.

I've left the previous version available for download - to get the new version, download and install the attached XML

**BACKUP YOUR DB BEFORE INSTALLING**

Other Mobile / Lite Skins:

Mobile - My super light skin
iPhone / iPod Touch Optimised Style
Alabama
VBLite
WAP Plugin - this is a similar product and skin which I didn't find till after I'd made this one - it seems to be more directed at WAP devices as opposed to all Mobile Devices, and appears to no longer be supported, but worth having a look at.


Remember to click install and give a rating :up:

keywords: Mobile, PDA, Autodetect, Autoselect, WAP, Skin, portal, cell, phone, iphone

3.7 Version Here

[cash7c3]

Hey, I am looking to use a product like this to display a specific style for ONLY ONE User Agent... anything else I want to show the regular style. Its for the iPhone (modmyiphone.com), and I want the iPhone to show one style, and any other browser to show the regular skin. Any chance we could get it so I could set a specific UA to change to a specific skin?

[dartho]

That shouldn't be too hard to do if you have the useragent strings ...

[Spika]

Originally Posted by dartho

@Spika - if you just go to your sites home page and add "?styleid=xx" where "xx" is your default styleID you'll be ok. I'll add an option in the footer of the next release to change styles - but this won;t work if you use the "mobile detection" hack as it forces a mobile style when it detects a mobile device.

Might be a while before I can apply these changes - gotta get some sleep sometime!

Thank you very much for you support.:up:

[JustJon]

I'm still digging this mod, but when my users post from their cell phones, their signatures are not attached to the post. How do I fix this?

[Andres Kello]

Originally Posted by dartho

Hi Andres,
I possibly could start from scratch and come up with a more mobile compatible skin in a similar vein to SMF (which by the way would definately the forum software I'd use for a free forum only based site - almost wen t with it myself) but it wouldn;t happen soon. The skin I released with this hack came about from modifying the Alabama skin which vbMechanic wrote. On my small site I am one of only a couple users that access it with a PDA (rather than mobile phone) so the need to make it 100% compliant hasn;t really been there.

As I get time I'll have a go at a skin similar to SMF.

That would be absolutely great to meet the growing demand for mobile websites. The .mobi domain extension was launched 9 months ago and it's fueling a rush to build mobile websites. The problem is, vBulletin won't be meeting that demand at least until version 4.0, and who knows how long away that is.

Also, my users seem to be having a problem using the Quick Reply button on your mobile mod. All it does is apparently "refresh" the page. You can follow the discussion here. Any ideas on how to fix this?

Cheers!
Andres
Mobility.mobi

P.S. By the way, are you in Australia? I'm in Sydney.

[dartho]

Andres - check the attachment in this post: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...82#post1276682

It's still a work in progress, but that skin gets 4/5 on ready.mobi and will allow reading forums/threads and replying. I'm still adding in more functionality and will have a next version released by the end of weekend hopefully. I've also modded the mobile detect hack to allow specifying one skin for Windows CE devices / Blackberrys and another skin for all other detected mobile devices - I haven't uploaded this one yet though

I'm in Perth!

[Tralala]

Originally Posted by cash7c3

Hey, I am looking to use a product like this to display a specific style for ONLY ONE User Agent... anything else I want to show the regular style. Its for the iPhone (modmyiphone.com), and I want the iPhone to show one style, and any other browser to show the regular skin. Any chance we could get it so I could set a specific UA to change to a specific skin?

Along these lines, I have a forum member using an iPhone and he reports that he's unable to switch away from the mobile skin (I suspect it's because of this product being installed.) How can I add the iPhone browser to the list of exceptions so that he may browse my forum using the "full" skin?

[dartho]

Are you able to find the exact user agent string sent by the iPhone?

I mentioned I had a version on teh boil which would deliver one specified style to "Windows CE" devices, and another to all others - I guess I could allow the user to specify an exceptions list also - I'll look at it when you reply (and I get time)

When using this hack, the style is forced - there is no getting away from it.

[dartho]

Update will be out tonight (5 hours?) with a user configurable exceptions list, and choice of applying a different skin to Windows CE devices - ie. Pocket PC's in addition to applying a specified skin to all other detected mobile devices. Just testing now.

[tekguru]

Update downloaded will feedback later!