Put a Column on the Left Side of Every Forum Page

This little PRODUCT will provide you with a template to put content in a column going down the left side of every forum page.

What you put there is limited only by your imagination.

This can easily be combined with the right column product to have a column on both sides.

To use this with the right column product , change the footer code to:

<!-- Right Column Code  -->
</td>
<td width="160" valign="top" align="left">$rightcolumn</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td></tr>
</table>
<!-- End Right Column Code -->

Changes in 1.1
Some very important changes were made to the header and footer template changes. Please modify your header and footer code to use the new version.

This is now a PRODUCT and not a plugin. Use the product manager to import it. If you are upgrading, copy the contents of your left_column template to notepad BEFORE you install the product. Then, replace the template contents with your backup.

This version now includes sample html in the left_column template. Thanks to iguanairs for that code.

[peterska2]

NexDog

I've done a bit of poking around for you and this should work.

Download this mod and import the plugin.

The template edit to do in the readme file apply to your left_column template instead of the navbar.

If it doesn't work, you can hit me with a big stick.

[Viks]

Amykhar, Is it possible for the left coloumn to be the EXACT same hieght as the forumshome coloumn on the right.

I mean the length of the LEFT coloumn should match the one on the right...even if it is blank.

is it possible?

[NexDog]

Originally Posted by peterska2

NexDog

I've done a bit of poking around for you and this should work.

Download this mod and import the plugin.

The template edit to do in the readme file apply to your left_column template instead of the navbar.

If it doesn't work, you can hit me with a big stick.

Actually, already tried that and it doesn't work. But if I put the $navbar variable in the forumhome template the navbar comes up with the avatar in there.

[peterska2]

I'll play with it tomorrow and see what I can come up with

[NexDog]

Hey, thanks, I really appreciate that. It amazes me that people are always willing to give up valuable time to help people on this board.

[NexDog]

One of our coders got this to work.

1) He modified the left_column plugin code to create a variable called
"UserAvatar".

2) He modified the left column template to show said variable.

3) He had to hack one file - includes/class_core.php to force the function
fetch_user() to return avatar details. This is where we need help.

The other plugin (Avatar_In_Navbar) has a specific define that tells the
code to include the avatar stuff. How can we activate that define through a
plug in so that we don't need to modify the core files? Otherwise, each
time I do a security update, I'll kill the hack....

[NemoTech]

Originally Posted by amykhar

Header

<if condition="(in_array($vbulletin->userinfo['usergroupid'], array(6,27)))">
<!-- Left Column Code  -->
<table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" align="left">
<tr>
<td width="160" valign="top" align="left">$leftcolumn</td>
<td valign="top">
<table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td valign="top">
<!-- End Left Column Code -->
</if>

Footer

<if condition="(in_array($vbulletin->userinfo['usergroupid'], array(6,27)))">
<!-- Left Column Code  -->
</td></tr>
</table>
</td></tr>
</table>
<!-- End Left Column Code -->
</if>

This example would only show the column to the people in usergroups 6 and 27

What if you wanted to exclude certain forums from having the left column? What changes do I make in the if statement?

Thanks.

[todd222222]

How would I go about having the column show up on every page except my vbadvanced home page? Any help would be greatful.

Thanks
Todd

[Langly]

Originally Posted by BiReL41r

This is a good hack to display your google adsense ads on the left. Some other sites do this aswell apposed to the top or footer of the site.

Can you give an example of the code and where to put the google ads at in this hack?

[Z28.com]

pardon my ignorance,

but how exactly do I import the XML file?? I have installed the script in the header/footer and the column works fine. I just dont understand what the XML file is about?

Thanks