phpAdsNew Banner Ads integration (advertisements, classified ads, Adsense, etc.)

OpenAds / phpAdsNew Integration 1.0.4 for vBulletin 3.[56].x
2006-06-08 by mip

Integrates the OpenAds / phpAdsNew ads system by introducing a new template tag <ad ... />.
You can even deliver your Adsense stuff via phpAdsNew using HTML banners.

The features of phpAdsNew combined with the power of vBulletin's templating system gives you the possibility to place ads for specific user groups, forums, and keywords.

PREREQUISITES:
This plugin requires a working installation (local or remote) of a recent version ofOpenAds / phpAdsNew (free software released under the GPL).
When using OpenAds, replace phpAdsNew in this documentation with OpenAds (phpAdsNew is just the predecessor of OpenAds).

INSTALLATION:
When having a previous version of this product installed, see section UPGRADE instead.

Install product "phpadsnew-1.0.4.xml".
Set phpAdsNew path in Server Settings and Optimization Options to point to either your local phpAdsNew installation or a remote server (using XML-RPC).
It is strongly recommended to set $phpAds_config['compatibility_mode'] = true; in phpAdsNew config file, to prevent problems when phpAdsNew uses a database different from the one used by your vBulletin board.

When using XML-RPC, make sure to have lib-xmlrpc-class.inc.php and lib-xmlrpc.inc.php copied from phpAdsNew misc/samples/xmlrpc/php/ to your forum's includes/ directory (not necessary when using a local phpAdsNew installation).

Read the NOTES section below.

Click INSTALL in this thread to mark product as "installed" and receive notifications when a new version comes out.

UPGRADE:

• 1.0.3 --> 1.0.4
  1. Import product as usual, with "Allow Overwrite" set to Yes.
• 1.0.2 --> 1.0.3
  Upgrading is recommended, as this is a bugfix release.
  
  1. Import product as usual, with "Allow Overwrite" set to Yes.
     
  2. Recompile any templates where you experienced problems with the <ad .../> tag (notably those where this tag is used repeatedly on a line).
     
• 1.0.1 --> 1.0.2
  
  1. Import product as usual, with "Allow Overwrite" set to Yes.
     
  2. Set $phpAds_config['compatibility_mode'] = true; in phpAdsNew config file.
     
• 1.0 --> 1.0.1
  There's basically no need to upgrade, as the changes don't affect a working installation, but I recommend to do so, to ease possible upgrades in the future.
  1. Import product as usual, with "Allow Overwrite" set to Yes.
  2. Alter the path to phpAdsNew in vBulletin Server Settings and Optimization Options to point to your phpAdsNew installation.
     As opposed to version 1.0 of this product, a local path is not relative to the DOCUMENT_ROOT.

USAGE:
Use the newly introduced <ad ... /> tag in your templates.
The syntax is similar to phpAdsNew's view_raw() function call - the tag understands what, clientid, target, source, and withtext as arguments.

Please make yourself familiar with phpAdsNew prior to using this product. You can't expect this product to work, if you didn't check if your phpAdsNew is delivering your banners cleanly.

Examples:

• Get banner using keywords:
  <ad what="foo|bar" />
• Get banner for guest usergroup (in this case, "ug1" must be set as a keyword in phpADsNew, see 2nd screenshot):
  <ad what="ug$bbuserinfo['usergroupid']" />
  (same technique can be applied to deliver forum-specific ads)
• Similar invocation using template conditionals:
  <if condition="$bbuserinfo['usergroupid']==1"><ad what="" /></if>

NOTES:

1. Always use the latest stable version of phpAdsNew.
   Old versions had bugs and some even had severe security issues - I'll give no support for installations with an outdated phpAdsNew.
   At the time of writing, latest version is 2.0.8.
2. Templates which make use of the ad-tag might need to get recompiled after product change.
3. Recommendations for heavy-duty servers: Move the plugin code to files; try to avoid using xml-rpc or cache xml-rpc requests (e.g. with memcache).
4. Have an eye on current phpAdsNew security issues
5. This product comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
6. Support is provided at will.
   Don't expect help if you haven't read instructions or phpAdsNew manual, if you're using non-standard vBulletin software or if your problem descriptions are useless.

PS:
This plugin is donationware - it helps you to make some money, so please be fair and honor my work with an adequate pecuniary donation.
Donate via Paypal

[Eagle Creek]

Originally Posted by robert_2004

compatibility_mode HAS to be set to true. the problem you are talking about, already being upgraded, is phpAds being broken.

if you disable compatibility_mode, then vB can't find the database for phpAds.

also, don't use Safe_mode - it's not actually fixing your situation, it's just supressing your errors.

SO: go to phpadsnew.com and do a search on how to fix your program not letting you log in. do a serch like 'already upgraded' or what ever the error is displayed.

I was having problems with this script, because i was going straight to Google adsense, and wondering why it wasn't displaying - when the whole time it's my adsense code that is broken (still waiting on google to fix my account).

Nobody is respondig overthere :surprised:

[Tru2Chevy]

Originally Posted by Eagle Creek

Nobody is respondig overthere :surprised:

I had the exact same error that you did, and I finally got someone to help me over there, but the problem was never solved. When I tried to use this hack I ran into the same exact problems that you did, and no one here or over on their forums seems to have any clue how to fix it.

I wish I could use this hack, but my ads display fine using just the invocation code from PAN, see: http://www.njfboa.org

- Justin

PS - Here is the thread I started on their forum: http://forum.openads.org/index.php?showtopic=10405&hl=

[Eagle Creek]

Hi Justin,

thanks for your reply.
I like the ads-system but their support is poor.

Can you tell me how you solved the problem; otherwise said: what did you do so your forum is showing ads now?

My 1st thought was also that the table was missing. But vB is working perfect, and the problem starts to apperar only when enabeling the comp. mode.

[Nick0r]

Hello,

Excellent plugin.

One (small) problem.

I like to use text directly below my images and when adding banners to phpadsnew this is possible. Now, you can usually tick the 'yes' box when creating the remote innvocation javascript code, but if you use your plugin you're unable to select 'yes' for that, would it be possible to add an option for it?

[Tru2Chevy]

Originally Posted by Eagle Creek

Hi Justin,

thanks for your reply.
I like the ads-system but their support is poor.

Can you tell me how you solved the problem; otherwise said: what did you do so your forum is showing ads now?

My 1st thought was also that the table was missing. But vB is working perfect, and the problem starts to apperar only when enabeling the comp. mode.

The only way I could get it to work was to abandon this hack altogether. I just generate the invocation code from within PAN and copy it into the forum template where I want it displayed (same place that I would have placed the <ad> tags that this hack creates).

- Justin

[DomP]

y're missing the best part:
The features of phpAdsNew combined with the power of vBulletin's templating system gives you the possibility to place ads for specific user groups, forums, and keywords.

[Eagle Creek]

Originally Posted by DomP

y're missing the best part:
The features of phpAdsNew combined with the power of vBulletin's templating system gives you the possibility to place ads for specific user groups, forums, and keywords.

You're talking to who?

[Eagle Creek]

Set $phpAds_config['compatibility_mode'] = true; in phpAdsNew config file, to prevent problems when phpAdsNew uses a database different from the one used by your vBulletin board.

Ok... So I have PHPAds installed in the same database as my forums.
Let's move on.. Going to try some things out..

[robert_2004]

eagle creek;
it doesn't have to be in the same folder. i have:
.com/phpads/
.com/forums/

then i have compatibilty mode on.
What i was trying to say before was, reupload your files, i think a file might be incorrect.
then also reupload the files for this modification.
add the <ad zone 1> code, and make an add that's just simple text.

Otherwise, send me a PM, and i'll take a look at your phpads admin if you want - you may have it incorreclty set up.

[Eagle Creek]

When I fist installed it, it wasn't. (and btw, it stil isn't). I use two seperata folders, /forum and /ads.
And it didn't work.

I reuploaded all the files and re?nstalled the whole program but still I'm in a loop .

I got it working by now and I don't want to screw up the intire installation again. Is there any simple solution then?