Major Additions - Discuss!! A Yahoo Answers Clone

Discuss!!
A Yahoo Answers Clone

by ChrisTERiS

Compatible with 4.2.0
but you must download the file Disucss_1_4_0.zip

1. Why we need a discussion mod

Maybe sounds crazy to have a powerfull forum and to install this AddOn. But this is not true. I do agree that vB has tons of features for any type of discussions. But from the other point Yahoo Answers (and dozens of similars sites) became famous, because they offer a simple way to users to get replies. Short questions, with a couple of replies. Why to go in a complicated system for this? And why to add dozens of extra categories, subcategories etc etc, just for this? This is the reason that you need it.

2.- How it works?

Very simple, so easy to use by novice users too. A member is posting a question in any of your categories (unlimited level are supporting) and then is waiting other members to post a reply. Reads the replies, chooses the best and that's all. There is no need for discussion here.





3.- Installation

1. Download, unzip and upload all files from the "upload" folder where your vb installation is (you can't install in different directory).
2. Goto you admincp and import the product-discuss.xml
3. That's all

4.- Configuration





Configuration is very easy and is like all other addons here. You need to follow the steps below, and soon you'll be ready:

1. First of all goto Usergroup permissions and set what each usergroup can do or not do.
2. Goto Discuss General setting, check the default values and change them if you want
3. PM Templates. I believe that the predefinied text is ok for most of you. But if you want you can change them. Please don't touce the variables (anything inside {}). The available variables are:
   1. {questiontitle} : Title with link
   2. {questiontitle_nolink} : As above but without link
   3. {category} : Category name with link
   4. {category_nolink} : Category without link
   5. {questionowner} : The author's username with link
   6. {questionowner_nolink} : As above, no link
   7. {description} : 200 chars from the question body
   8. {username} : This is the "To:" value. eg Dear {username},
   9. {postdate_short} : Post date in format that you've set as long dates
   10. {postdate_long} : Same as above in long date format
   11. {signature} : Anything that you've set in your settings
4. Last step is to set your categories.

5.- Copyright

In the footer of each page there is a link back to my site vBulletON.com. Even if it easy to remove it, please avoid doing it. Respect if you want to be respected. That's the only that I can say.

6.- PRO version

Currently there is no one. I don't use to build an addon, and then remove 90% of its features to make a free version. No. This is all that I've done. Sure there are dozens of more features that I can add. If I see that this mod becomes popular then I'll add them but as commercial version.

7.- Live Demo

http://www.christeris.com/testvb4/discuss.php

Login:
demouser1 / demopass1
demouser2 / demopass2
demouser3 / demopass3

Enjoy
Chris

[Preech]

Interesting. I live this.

[Christos Teriakis]

Originally Posted by Ahmet Turan

Admin panel:

Please upload this file again. Don't know why the link is not working. Upload the file at:
forum_directory/includes/xml/

Chris

[Ahmet Turan]

add my ftp this xml file.

not open. discuss_admin.php?do=categories can not open this link. tries to display pages

[Christos Teriakis]

Originally Posted by Ahmet Turan

add my ftp this xml file.

not open. discuss_admin.php?do=categories can not open this link. tries to display pages

discuss_admin.php file exists in your admincp/ directory?

[fishmaster]

I really like this mod, it will be huge, and that is the concern.

Years down the road will it be supported?

Do you have a plan to allow others to take over this work if something happens to you or you get tired of doing updates as Vbulletin rolls out version after version?

[Ahmet Turan]

my admin panel name: sude/

ok

was changed

Thanks

[Christos Teriakis]

Originally Posted by fishmaster

I really like this mod, it will be huge, and that is the concern.

Years down the road will it be supported?

Do you have a plan to allow others to take over this work if something happens to you or you get tired of doing updates as Vbulletin rolls out version after version?

Do you know many people ready to spend time for free? Maria gaves full rights to anybody who wanted to port her mods for xenForo, but as a rule to post them for free. She even gave the ability to the new owners to have an income by selling the copyright notice. As I know only one shown interest, but later on he was asking permission to have a commercial version.

About me now. As you can see in the photo I'm not that young anymore, running on my 56. Day be day (and not year by year as you said), many things are changing in my life. Nobody knows how I'll be feeling after some months.

I'm willing to give rights to other coders to continue my work. I'm not asking money, or anything in exchange. Just the promise that what they will get for free, will continue giving if for free. If you find one, I advice you to bet on the next Lottery. Seems that you're a lucky person

Chris

[Vick98]

I am using a custom template and after I added this mod the template images are broken in the Discuss section. This occurred because the the template I use is fixed and the the mod is fluid/100% of the page. How can I change this?

[Christos Teriakis]

Originally Posted by Vick98

I am using a custom template and after I added this mod the template images are broken in the Discuss section. This occurred because the the template I use is fixed and the the mod is fluid/100% of the page. How can I change this?

My templates are using 100% of the available space. They don't interact in anyway with the doc width that is specified in any template. Normally the {headinclude} loads the additional.css template, in case that your custom style is using it. If not test the homepage, by modifying the template discuss_main
Add:

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="{vb:var vbcsspath}additional.css" />

below of:

{vb:raw headinclude}

If it works you need to repeat this step for other templates too. But really I don't understand how this bug appeared to you. I'm also using fixed template at 960px width and works fine.

Chris

[Vick98]

Originally Posted by ChrisTERiS

My templates are using 100% of the available space. They don't interact in anyway with the doc width that is specified in any template. Normally the {headinclude} loads the additional.css template, in case that your custom style is using it. If not test the homepage, by modifying the template discuss_main
Add:

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="{vb:var vbcsspath}additional.css" />

below of:

{vb:raw headinclude}

If it works you need to repeat this step for other templates too. But really I don't understand how this bug appeared to you. I'm also using fixed template at 960px width and works fine.

Chris

I modified the template with the above code but with no luck. I do appreciate your support and quick reply.