Profile Enhancements - e-steki Karma version 2.2

e-steki Karma v2

I'm really excited to present the new, better from all aspects, version of my previous hack (the one that was in beta stage). I've spent numerous hours to make this, its my greatest modification so far, so I hope you like it!

What is it?
e-steki Karma is a powerful system to let users rate each other with a rating from -5 to +5. Each user's karma is a number, which is the average of all votes they have received. Refer to the Features section for more information.

What's the use?

1. Less flames. Users vent their spleens on rating the one that got on their nerves with a -5 and that's it.
2. Easier spotting of bad members/trolls by new users. This way, new users will not take seriously the bad members' posts and they won't get a bad idea about your forum, they will just think "oh nobody likes that guy anyway, he's not representative of the forum".
3. Users try to have a good behaviour because they know that otherwise their karma will decrease.
4. On a big board, it makes it easier for you to spot members that would perhaps make a good moderator (if they have a high karma value) or members that may need to get banned (if they have a very low karma value). You will also be able to judge how a ban will affect your other users, according to how much they like the soon-to-be-banned user (which is reflected in his karma value).
   

Features

The features in bold were added in the second version. Features in bold italics were enriched in version 2 but existed in version 1 partially.

Admin/Mod Features

1. Now compatible with vBulletin 3.6.8 (link to e-steki Karma 1.0 for 3.5.x).
2. Customizable via a lot of settings.
3. Much better and more safe coding than the previous version. Most of the code has been rewritten from scratch.
4. Great power about who will use the system, via the permission settings.
5. Maintenance section
6. Easier installation than version 1 (Only one template edit (placement of a small comment), the others that version 1 had are now performed via template hooks).
7. Fully phrased (exept for the AdminCP Maintenance section)
8. Users with karma administrative priviledges can see for every user who they rated and by whom they have been rated and remove any vote they wish (useful for karma flooding that some users perform to be in the stats).
9. Most of the bugs in the previous version are now fixed with the maintenance section addition.
10. The bug with the date of the last vote in the profile is now fixed.
11. Displaying the karma in the postbit is now done with no queries.
12. Users with karma administrative priviledges can see the IP of the rater in each vote
13. A nice, usable and extensive html manual instead of an ugly readme.txt ;-)

End user Features

1. Users that have the Karma turned off don't count at all for the system. their votes don't count in anything, and the votes others gave them before they turned it off also don't count at all. Those users also, can't see anything that has to do with the karma system, anywhere. It's like the karma does not exist for them and they don't exist for the karma. However, if they switch it on again, nothing is lost and they may continue from the point where they deactivated it.
2. Rating is now performed by clicking on an image, no form submitting required (saves one click)
3. There is a complete statistics page, with 7 tables that display various statistics.
4. The Karma of each user displays in the postbit (unless he has opted out of the Karma, is not permitted to use it, or the admin has turned off this feature) and users can rate him from there
   
5. In each member's profile they can see if they have previously rated them and what rating they gave.
6. They can view all the votes they have given in a separate page and remove some of them if they wish (or go to the member's profile and change them). Votes that are not active at the time are marked with an admin-controlled formatting. He can also sort the votes by date or rating (default sorting is controlled by the admin). In the same page, users with karma administrative priviledges can also view who rated each user (fully, with sorting, formatting and vote removal).
7. Controversy feature, via an admin customizable algorithm. Controversy for each user is displayed in their profile, as well as in the stats and is color-coded as well as descriptive.
8. Each user can view the percentages of the votes he (or every user, if set so by the admin) has received in a nice graph by clicking in the controversy value.

Don't forget to Mark as INSTALLED!
Important: Supported for only a few days after each release.
Installation/Upgrade instructions included in the zip.

Changelog
2.2.1: Important bugfixes
2.2: I don't remember as apparently, I forgot to add it to the changelog initially
2.1: fixed bugs, cached templates and added the feature of a popup menu rating form in the postbit.
2.0: Initial release

[Lea Verou]

Originally Posted by NolF

Installed, and gave me no errors.
I have a whole bunch of hacks installed and no conflics. Abou 60k users and hips of posts xD so it works ^^

3 suggestiosn I can think at the moment

First: The images (thumbs up down and neutral) should be in the misc folder of the theme instead of the root folder of images ($stylevar[imgdir_misc]/)

Second: Put a link to the stats on the "quick link" menu

Third: An option to hide who gave the karma

Lovely hack, and honestly great work hoppefully we'll see the unvote hack for 3.6
Keep up with the good work and good luck with the MOTM

Thanks NolF, especially for the "good luck with the MOTM" part (although I'm sadly loosing )

I agree with your first and second suggestion, however I don't have the time atm to update or support this modification (as I said, its only supported for a few days after each release). The third suggestion is not needed, as they are already hidden for the members.

[DJ XtAzY]

ok i fixed this myself. I have to change a little for the sql query in the "e-steki Karma profile field part 2" to get rid of this error for some reason

$isthere = mysql_num_rows($db->query_read("SELECT karma FROM " . TABLE_PREFIX . "user WHERE userid = ".$vbulletin->userinfo['userid']." AND karma=1"));

to

$isthere = $db->num_rows($db->query_read("SELECT karma FROM " . TABLE_PREFIX . "user WHERE userid = ".$vbulletin->userinfo['userid']." AND karma=1"));

[NolF]

Well I've found couple of interesting things. One is a serious bug, which never came to my mind, but has to be fixed :O because is a big one aye

[bug 1]

When u give karma to someone, you use this link
./karma.php?do=processvote&u=$$$$&rating=4
But if you use firefox (works on ie too u just have to bother yourself coping the link word for word), and copy the link, you cna change that number to any number, for example 100, and it will give 100 karma points to that user. if you put -1000 it will take 1000 points from that user :O

I wonder how one of my users figured it out, but very cleaver indeed. The creep didn't even report it, but there you go

[bug? 2]
I'm pretty sure it is how you intended it to, but, is a bit ehhh to classify inactive users as not having opted to participate in the system. I mean, in the stats page the part which says "users have chosen to not participate in the Karma system. Shame on them!"
In my personal opinion, only active users, who have opted not to participate should be counted here.

[Suggestion 1]
Okey this suggestion, is better than any of the previous 3 ^^
When you give karma, you are redirected to the members profile, but my users (at least) find it quite annoying. I guess vBulletin has made them used to been redirected to the same page they were at.

[Suggestion 2]
At the moment, in order to calculate karma averages, you are using the old fashion add all scores and divide by the number. However, it is not the same to have 100 votes and an average of 4 than having 5 votes and an average of 5.
I recon a formula such as the one used on imdb.com is more aquarate than the current formula

Originally Posted by imdb

weighted rating (WR) = (v ? (v+m)) ? R + (m ? (v+m)) ? C

where:
R = average for the movie (mean) = (Rating)
v = number of votes for the movie = (votes)
m = minimum votes required to be listed in the Top 250 (currently 1300)
C = the mean vote across the whole report (currently 6.7)

Variables, I guess should be determined via ACP, or calculated to correspond with the votes flux

[Comment]
I run a Spanish forum, so I had to translate the phrases, I just wanted to say, it was quite complicated at times to translate them, because it wasn't intuitive from the names, and the original English sentence what the purpose of the phrase was.
Also in many cases, you just put a word/sentence, which will be followed by a variable (ie number username etc) and dont use the {1} that makes it quite complicated to translate in many languagues
I could do a list if you are interested

Thx for listening ^^

[Lea Verou]

Really useful feedback NolF. Thanks a lot.
I hope my users don't figure out bug #1 till I have time to fix it
Its so scary to think of what can happen if they do, they really take the karma seriously.
I don't think bug #2 can easily be fixed though. Perhaps a workaround would be to substract inactive users from that number, whether they have opted out voluntarily or not.
I'll try to find some time to fix bug #1 soon, it doesn't seem too time consuming to fix.

About the phrases, {1},{2} etc is used in vB phrases as well, its supposed to be the "correct" way. Placing a variable next to the phrase is problematic if a language requires it to be before the phrase or in the middle of it.

edit: Perhaps you should put bug #1 in code tags, till its fixed, so that it can't be read by guests or unlicensed users. You never know who's reading.

[Lea Verou]

Bug #1 bothered me quite a lot, so here's a workaround.
Tell me if it works.

[NolF]

yep that works, when u give 100 for example, it is set back to 5, and if you use 4.5 for example it counts as 4

great job faster than I expected great job

Originally Posted by Michelle

About the phrases, {1},{2} etc is used in vB phrases as well, its supposed to be the "correct" way. Placing a variable next to the phrase is problematic if a language requires it to be before the phrase or in the middle of it.

That is what I was trying to say ^^. Some of your phrases don't use the {1} etc
for example
karma_rated ---- {1} has rated
in my opinion should be {1} has rated {2}

karma_you_have_voted ---- You have rated this user a
it should be -> You have rated this user a {1}
etc there are some more

[Lea Verou]

Oh, lol
Yeah, a list of those would help, so that I change them in the next update.

[NolF]

Here you go, a list with the sentences I recon need the {1}s

karma_percent_of_votes == % of total votes => {1} % of total votes [Note: I think this phrase is not beign used]

karma_rated == {1} has rated => {1} has rated {2}

karma_ratedby == {1} was rated by => {1} was rated by {2}

karma_users_have_rated == users have rated => {1} users have rated {2} users

karma_users_not_participate == users have chosen to not participate in the Karma system. Shame on them! => {1} users have chosen to not participate in the Karma system. Shame on them!

karma_users_that_gave_the_most_x_votes == users that gave the most {1} votes => {2} users that gave the most {1} votes [Note: the {2} is the number 10 by default]

karma_you_have_voted == You have rated this user a => You have rated this user a {1}

userrating_lastrated == Last rated on => Last rated on {1}

=======
Note: I've only included the ones users can see, ACP functions can go in english no problem

Thx for the fix once again ^^

[ijob]

I'm wanting to install this hack but am unsure about if its working without problems? Can someone advise on its status? does it work?

cheers

[MikeHolohan]

This is an excellent hack, well done, just a question tho can I change the word Karma to something else?

thanks, Mike.