Major Additions - vbRides ? Garage

vbRides is a vBulletin Garage plugin for vBulletin Suite 4 forum software. Members of your website can showcase their rides with the community. This is not a port or copy of another garage but a unique mod designed by a car guy for the car community. My intentions with vbrides is avoid the bloat of unnecessary extensions an keep a simple 'showcase' style garage.

I have wanted to build a 'garage' add-on since I first started with vbulletin an worked on something with Magnus ten years ago. It was Christeris new add-ons that had the style an layout that inspired me to create this new add-on. He has since abandon his work an given ozzy47 his code who has given me permission to use Christeris code to build a new garage add-on called "vbRides".

Due to starting with code from another project this add-on will remain free an not offered as a pro or lite edition. However there was extensive work writing vbrides an would appreciate your support.


Key Features

• User management of rides through the User Control Panel
  
• Forty fields of specifications to fill out for a detailed ride profile.
  
• Support for an audio clip embedded with the HTML5 audio player.
  
• Ride owners can add a single YouTube video.
  
• RSS feed for new rides with photo, title, an description.
  
• Searchable fields include owner, VIN, and keywords.
  
• Unlimited categories an subcategories.
  
• Lightbox presentation of ride images
  
• Create new ride thread in a specified forum showing the ride year, make, model, an it's main image with a short description.
  
• Up to 5 ride listings can be automatically generated an added to owners forum signature.
  
• Social Media block can either use AddThis account or choose Twitter, Google, Pin It, an Facebook like buttons.
  
• Owners ride listings tab can be shown on their user profile.
  
• Vehicle of the day within it's category added with cron.
  
• Extra fields can be added under the user stats block.

Under Construction

• SEO Friendly URLs has not been tested an should be considered under development.
  
• Custom Facebook Open Graph isn't working as intended.
  
• Signature hook is only showing ride for first post. To Fix Plugin Manager > Edit Plugin vbRides: Postbit, Signatures and PM's, Remove the "_once" from require_once. :erm:
  
• Missing side padding for text in side blocks with last update.

Future Plans / Wishlist

• Drag Strip stats, an extension to add drag racing information with timeslip images.
  
• Modification system, an extension to add searchable database based on the parts. So a Holley carb install would be linked to other rides who have done the same install.
  
• Add activity stream support

Installation

• Download and unzip the file 'product-vbRides_x.x.x.zip'
  
• Upload the content of upload folder to your existing vBulletin directory. If your admincp folder is renamed from default manually move vbrides_admin.php to it.
  
• CMOD 777 the directories:
  
  • vbrides/photos
    
  • vbrides/audio
    
• Goto Admincp, Plugins & Products > Manage Products > Add/Import Product and import product-vbrides.xml
  
• Set the various settings in vbRides
  
• Set Usergroup permissions See Post

YouTube Channel
vbRides Instructional & Demo Videos

Demo:
http://www.action-network.com/vbrides.php

Demo Account:

vbrides:W5K9VK

More Screenshots

Translations
Phrases are included in the install xml, the file in downloads is extra for use in translating or rephrase for different uses.

Change Log

• Version 1.0.1
  
  • Updated functions_vbrides.php to correct missing deleteDir() function
    
  • Fixed template bugs in 'vbrides_view_ride', 'vbrides_my_comments_bit'
    
  • Added post new ride button to front page in 'vbrides_rightside' template
    
  • Product xml should now install on forums without cms although template is still added
    
• Version 1.0.2
  
  • Updated vbrides.php, vbrides_modcp.php, vbrides_usercp.php to fix bugs with comments
    
  • Updated add_rides_forumhome.php to hide block if no rides to show
    
  • Changed the moderate.png from site_icon folder to a filled in comment bubble
    
• Version 1.0.3
  
  • Added hard coded avatar width in comments to avoid breaking the layout
    
  • Redesigned how thumbnail images are made, now set a fixed height an width
    
  • Reworked RSS feed, now 100% validates so should work as intended
    
  • Fixed various bugs, so reupload all files
    
• Version 1.0.4
  
  • Inserted link to "AddThis" in AddThis profile ID description
    
  • Fixed Show Empty Categories to work as intended
    
  • Removed removeslash function as it didn't work on all servers causing fatal error
    
  • Removed bbc table structure in new ride forum post template to work with TapaTalk
    
  • Added min/max character info to small description input description so users are aware
    
  • Added style variables for adjusting the rating text in view ride page
    
  • Reworked pm and new thread code an phrase template
    
  • Edited moderate.png, moderated.png, and stars.gif
    
  • Fixed broken style in member ride tab caused by last update
    
  • Rewrote vbrides_stats.php to correctly count photos and main images as total images
    
  • Fixed various bugs, reupload all files
    
• Version 1.0.5
  
  • Ride report permission should be fixed to hide from Guests
    
  • Removed dependancy on cms an blog css tags
    
  • New setting Show Create Rides Button as graphic button, link, or hide
  • Fixed bug if overwriting main photo would add to the photo count
  • Performed a spellcheck on the phrases to fix misspelling an grammar
  • Added new style variables for list header to make up for removing blog.css
    
  • Fixed various bugs, reupload all files
    
• Version 1.0.6 Thanks to Keyser Soze for his contributions regarding this version.
  
  • Changed breadcrumb nav to better use vbulletins breadcrumb-navbits
    
  • Removed dependency on cms an blog css tags
    
  • Changed how YouTube videos are added, can now enter full urls
    
  • Fixed bug with comment counter
    

[I.G.O.T.A.]

One more thing. When a post is first made in the forum there is a small image that is broke. Any idea what it should be?

[Action-N]

Originally Posted by IGOTASTi

Why do you have a forum to post the ride in? Do you need the forum post?

Why is there posting new rides in a forum? Can use it in a member introduction type forum as a notice to members of the new activity. It's not necessary at all especially if forum home block is showing new rides. To disable it you just wouldn't pick any forum, no other on off option.

I found your website an looked at the post, did you already edit the post to take out the bad image? Was curious to what it was pointing to.

Also there was a error in functions_facebook.php when viewing sub categories that I'm looking at right now... It's looking for a function from function_vbride.php that isn't being called for some reason. For now you should go to Plugin Manager, scroll to Product : vbRides an turn off 'Open Graph Description / Title Override' or update with the following code.

if (THIS_SCRIPT == 'rides' && $_REQUEST['do'] == 'main') //For Main Page
{
	$og_array['og:description'] = $vbulletin->options['vbrides_og_description'];
	$og_array['og:image'] = $vbulletin->options['bburl'].$vbulletin->options['vbrides_og_image'];
	$og_array['og:url'] = $vbulletin->options['bburl'].'/vbrides.php';
}

[I.G.O.T.A.]

Thanks for the heads up. I turned off the Open Graph Description. Any idea what is going on there with that issue?

I also took the image out. It was putting it into some type of chart. The error was showing on Tapatalk and not the forum. It was doing a table of some type.

Also people are having issues creating a garage. Their getting this error below.

"Small description too long/too short. Give specific character range."

One more thing. How do you get the program to work on the home page as a widget? Not working on my end.

[Action-N]

I don't know about why that function is not found, the other sites work the way it was. Anyway I took that function out, was using it to take off a backslash from the home an forum url. But the settings for those specifically tells admins no backslash in the description so I shouldn't have to check for it.

Ok yes I used a table bb code to format the text an image in the post. I don't have Tapatalk an never even thought about it. Guess I'll have to check that out this weekend.

There is settings in the admincp for setting a minimum an maximum characters for the small description field. I put those in because that description is used in the listing throughout the mod so it needs something an one word entries looked bad. So give them more or less in the settings. I'll update the help text under the input to specify a min an max characters will be needed.

The widget is there an would just need to be added to a layout used on your front page.

[I.G.O.T.A.]

Got all them fixed. Thank you.

The next question is having a small color issue with some small items. That in your css?

[Action-N]

There are a few colors still set in css, the others are style variables. What's not in there uses the themes colors. If the issue your referring too was the number portion of the rating bar the fonts in css an background in style variables. On the three themes of yours it's the same on two an the black background one has the issue. I should add a style variable for the whole rating to make it easier.

I see that Tapatalk was third party so probably not gonna be able to set a conditional for new ride posts. Gonna have to find a different way to format the post apparently.

...Oh an you can set a background image for the intro text in style variables too, thought that would be cool option.

[I.G.O.T.A.]

Yes I was referring to that, lol.

Tapatalk is 3rd party, but used by lots of forums.

What do you mean about the background image?

[Action-N]

Ok IGOTASTi, I've been working on the new issues an manage to take care of most of them. So far I think the permissions for admins edit icon an report ride icon permissions. Thought I had them once, but on your site unregistered could still see the report icon. Confirmed on my site so need to mess with that again. Another thing is the image count for stats doesn't look to work right.

[I.G.O.T.A.]

Glad I could help. Really nice program once everything gets worked out.

Would love to help you promote it.

[Action-N]

I think the update is ready to go. Got distracted making a video presentation for install an setup. Was just coming on to get the files updated.

Yeah about getting everything gets worked out, this is a brand new add-on not converted from older vbulletin versions. So considering that an this was my first add-on built out of necessity it's doing pretty good.

In regards to help promoting I wanted to make sure it's bugs are worked out an I have an importer for vbgarage before I focused on promotion. But to help get the word leaving the vbRides copyright active so anyone seeing the add-on knows where to get it. It only shows on the rides pages an not the whole website.