The Arcive of Official vBulletin Modifications Site.

About Developer · **Released**: 11-02-2001

Hack: Persistent Mark Forum Read
Version of VB: 2.2.5
Current version: 1.3
Description: This hack replaces the bahavior of vBulletin's "Mark Forum Read" and "Mark All Forums Read" with a system that uses a database to track when forums are set read. By eliminating the use of cookies for this feature, a user can come onto your boards, read a bit, mark forums read as they go through and logout. The next time they come into the forums, the status of which forums they've read and which they haven't, as well as new posts since the last time they read is preserved.

This functions a lot like EZBoard and Chatspace's Webboard.

Included in this hack are three search routines: searing the entire forum for new messages, an individual forum and a section of the hierarchy (parent + children)

Also: Mark All Forums Read, Mark Individual Forum Read and Mark Hierarchy Section (Parent + Children) Read

Note: The install is not all pretty yet and requires a degree of knowledge of MySQL (to add a table) and PHP (as it requires heavy modifications to core files). It is recommended that you backup everything before using this.

After installation, behavior might be a bit odd until a default "markread" record is created for users. This is created when they first login if one does not exist.

This hack has been tweaked to now not add more than two queries to your index page. It will add load on sub-forum pages currently if you have a lot of nested forums. This will be fixed in the next release.

Instructions:

Follow the instructions in the included text file TO THE LETTER. If you run into problems, post here so we can work through them and improve the instructions. Look for a better install utility soon.

I recommend doing the text editing using a DIFF utility to see where you made changes, it honestly helps.

Place the images in your vbulletin image folder. I included PSD files for them if you want to change colors.

Erwin · #47 02-26-2002, 09:27 AM

Nice hack. I love it!

Erwin · #48 02-26-2002, 06:20 PM

By the way, the server load increase is there, but marginal. My users love it - we recently merged with an ezboard forum and the migrated members had requested this. They are now ecstatic!

Infernus · #49 02-28-2002, 10:58 PM

When I installed this, After trying to mark a forum read I would just get a white screen. Not sure what the problem was, but im guessing its one of the places where I had to guess on the code because the directions didnt match.

Tommy Boy · #50 03-16-2002, 12:55 AM

This is a wonderful hack, I've said it before, and I'll say it again!

I just wanted to mention that in my forum, in order to display the forum home page, more than 260 sql queries are being performed! The situation is not much better with the forumdisplay.php script as well.

The good news are that after hours of intense optimization, the forum home page is now done with only 21 queries, and the forumdisplay.php with 23.

I know ethank is too busy to work on this hack anymore, but maybe these scary numbers will encourage him to come back to us.

Erwin · #51 03-17-2002, 04:56 AM

Tommy Boy - do you mind sharing your optimizations?

Tommy Boy · #52 03-17-2002, 02:19 PM

It will be a bit difficult, since for starter, I didn't install the complete hack on my board, but only the parts I needed, and also I don't have the original hacked version to compare the differences with...

If you really want me to do it, and ethank approves, I guess I could work on something though... (you'll have to send me the originally hacked versions of some files).

JulianD · #53 03-21-2002, 08:47 PM

Hi tommy, My members are requesting this hack all the time, but I don't want to install it due to the increase load to the server.. But after hearing you, you are my last hope!

I would really like to see such optimizations to the hack... If there's something I can do, just tell me

Erwin · #54 03-21-2002, 09:13 PM

Well, it's all working like a charm for me - I also have not put in everything, only the relevant bits.

nafae · #55 03-21-2002, 11:16 PM

tommy, you must help us, you are our only hope! </leia-like voice>

SHalliday · #56 03-30-2002, 05:12 PM

What would those "relevant bits" be. I really want to use this hack but am not sure what parts to install. Would really appreciate the help.

TWTCommish · #57 03-30-2002, 09:28 PM

Has anyone else had any problems with this? The "Mark Forum Read" link on the board I installed it on doesn't seem to work anymore...

ethank · #58 04-20-2002, 10:36 PM

Well, I spent some time today optimizing this hack and got it so the forum index page is done using only 2 additional queries. That is a good thing

I cut the total queries down to virtually nothing. You can eliminate one of the queries most of the time if you use PHP-Cache.

I also added PHP-Cache to handle sub-forum display, but thats another hack entirely.

So..I'll redo the instructions and repost them. With the new code it doesn't add much load at all to the forums. I still have to optimize forumdisplay the same way, but that one isn't as bad because usually there aren't as many forums on that page.

Ethan

JulianD · #59 04-21-2002, 01:00 AM

Thanks Ethank! I'm going to try it right now!

ethank · #60 04-21-2002, 06:47 AM

I haven't updated the instructions, so don't

This week I will.

Erwin · #61 04-21-2002, 07:21 AM

Your beautiful hack works like a miracle on 2.2.5 anyway at the moment... just so you know...

X vBulletin 3.8.12 by vBS Debug Information
Page Generation 0.04832 seconds Memory Usage 2,341KB Queries Executed 30 (?)
More Information
Template Usage: (1)SHOWTHREAD (1)ad_footer_end (1)ad_footer_start (1)ad_header_end (1)ad_header_logo (1)ad_navbar_below (1)ad_showthread_beforeqr (1)footer (1)forumjump (1)forumrules (1)gobutton (1)header (1)headinclude (1)modsystem_post (1)navbar (6)navbar_link (120)option (1)pagenav (1)pagenav_curpage (4)pagenav_pagelink (16)post_thanks_box (16)post_thanks_button (1)post_thanks_javascript (1)post_thanks_navbar_search (16)post_thanks_postbit_info (15)postbit (16)postbit_onlinestatus (16)postbit_wrapper (1)spacer_close (1)spacer_open (1)tagbit_wrapper Phrase Groups Available: global inlinemod postbit posting reputationlevel showthread	Included Files: ./showthread.php ./global.php ./includes/init.php ./includes/class_core.php ./includes/config.php ./includes/functions.php ./includes/class_hook.php ./includes/modsystem_functions.php ./includes/functions_bigthree.php ./includes/class_postbit.php ./includes/class_bbcode.php ./includes/functions_reputation.php ./includes/functions_post_thanks.php Hooks Called: init_startup init_startup_session_setup_start init_startup_session_setup_complete cache_permissions fetch_threadinfo_query fetch_threadinfo fetch_foruminfo style_fetch cache_templates global_start parse_templates global_setup_complete showthread_start showthread_getinfo forumjump showthread_post_start showthread_query_postids showthread_query bbcode_fetch_tags bbcode_create showthread_postbit_create postbit_factory postbit_display_start post_thanks_function_post_thanks_off_start post_thanks_function_post_thanks_off_end post_thanks_function_fetch_thanks_start post_thanks_function_fetch_thanks_end post_thanks_function_thanked_already_start post_thanks_function_thanked_already_end fetch_musername postbit_imicons bbcode_parse_start bbcode_parse_complete_precache bbcode_parse_complete postbit_display_complete post_thanks_function_can_thank_this_post_start pagenav_page pagenav_complete tag_fetchbit_complete forumrules navbits navbits_complete showthread_complete
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