Arrange Sub-Forums in columns

Better alternatives to this hack:

3.6 plugin version by Cybernetec with more options:
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=122996

3.5 plugin version by Atakan KOC: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=118935

CSS/templates version by hpwilhelm:
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=91299

Ported from 3.0.x.

What it does
This hack arranges sub-forums on the forum home into 2 columns, makeing large lists of sub-forums more presentable. You can see the before/after in the screenshots attached

Note:
1. You need to enable sub-forum display on the forum home from your vB admin panel
2. This hack is for the forum home page, not forum display.

To enable sub-forums on the forum home page
1. Go to your forum Admin panel
2. Click vBulletin Options
3. Select "Forum Listings Display Options" from the drop down list
4. In "Depth of Sub-Forums" replace 0 with 1

Installation
To install, edit the file includes/functions_forumlist.php

1. Find (there are two slightly different lines, differing by a space, the one in question is around line 552)

PHP Code:

    if (!isset($vbulletin->iforumcache["$parentid"]))
    {
        return $output;
    } 


Place this code below it:

PHP Code:

 $output .= "<table width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" ><tr valign=\"top\"> ";
      $cols = 0; 


2. Find

PHP Code:

            if (!empty($output))
            {
                $subforum = $splitter["$canpost"] . $subforum;
            }
            if ($depth < $vbulletin->options['subforumdepth'])
            {
                $output .= construct_subforum_bit($forumid, $cancontainthreads, $subforum, $depthmark . '--', $depth + 1);
            }
        }
    }

    return $output;

} 


Replace with

PHP Code:

                        //sub-forum hack
            if ($depth < $vbulletin->options['subforumdepth'])
                        {
                                $cols++;
                                if ($cols==3)
                                        {
                                        $cols = 1;
                                        $output .=  "</tr><tr>";
                                        }

                        $output .= '<td width="50%">' . construct_subforum_bit($forumid, $cancontainthreads, $subforum, $depthmark . '--', $depth + 1) . "</td>";
                        }
        }
    }

        if ($cols ==1) $output.="<td>&nbsp;</td></tr></table>";
    else $output.="</tr></table>";

        return $output;

}
//end hack 


Template modification (optional)
As this hack will list the sub-forums in a table, the font used is not effected by the <div> tag for subforums, which will cause the default font to be used instead of smallfont.

To use smallfont for sub-forum names, edit the "forumhome_subforumbit_post"

Change (this is the whole template)

 <img class="inlineimg" src="$stylevar[imgdir_statusicon]/subforum_$forum[statusicon].gif" alt="" /> <a href="forumdisplay.php?$session[sessionurl]f=$forum[forumid]">$forum[title]</a>

To:

 <img class="inlineimg" src="$stylevar[imgdir_statusicon]/subforum_$forum[statusicon].gif" alt="" /> <a href="forumdisplay.php?$session[sessionurl]f=$forum[forumid]"><span class="smallfont">$forum[title]</span></a>

And for those who want to edit or remove the "Sub-forum" word, just remove (or edit, if you just want to change it) "<strong>$vbphrase[subforums]</strong>:" from the "forumhome_forumbit_level2_post" template.

handling of sub-forums.

[Rich]

Hello,

Is it possible for us to make the <td> larger than what it is? I have 2 rows set, but it is cutting some of the names and starting a new line. I would prefer it didn't do that. How can this be modified so that it will allow larger forum names?

[tamarian]

You can try a nowrap attribute.

Find this:

PHP Code:

$output .= '<td width="50%">' . construct_subforum_bit($forumid, $cancontainthreads, $subforum, $depthmark . '--', $depth + 1) . "</td>"; 


Replace with:

PHP Code:

$output .= '<td width="50%" noWrap>' . construct_subforum_bit($forumid, $cancontainthreads, $subforum, $depthmark . '--', $depth + 1) . "</td>"; 


[Rich]

Hello,

I new it was a simple edit. Thanks, it worked like a charm.

[Boofo]

Again, please make a text file for this.

[tamarian]

Originally Posted by Boofo

Again, please make a text file for this.

I thought there was one alread

[Rich]

Hello,

Not sure if that was a joke or not, so I figured I would respond. When i downloaded it, there wasn't anything that informed to use a "noWrap" function. (I was over-thinking this to the extreme and was looking for a way to set widths. lol)

[tamarian]

Originally Posted by iguanairs

Not sure if that was a joke or not, so I figured I would respond. When i downloaded it, there wasn't anything that informed to use a "noWrap" function. (I was over-thinking this to the extreme and was looking for a way to set widths. lol)

I think many are better off without the noWrap attribute, and it's only useful to those really need it. I don't use it, since it allows members with lower resolution to still be able to view the entire page without scrolling sideways.

[Brinnie]

Hey, was there a plug in for this?

I thought I saw another version of this, but I may be wrong.

Not that I'm implying anything, I'm just trying to figure out if there's another one, so I can make a choice.

[Brinnie]

To install, edit the file includes/functions_forumlist.php

1. Find

PHP Code:
foreach($vbulletin->iforumcache["$parentid"] AS $forumid)

Yea, dude...
I have 2 instances of that exact code.

Replace them both?!?!?

[Brinnie]

Hi,

I applied this hack to RC2 and came out with this:

I don't know if it has anything to do with haveing multiple instnaces of that code or not, but I only replaced the first one.