Advanced Warning System (AWS)

Advanced Warning System Version 3.5.0

The AWS version for vB 3.5 has been released. You can download it and get support in this thread:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?p=770032


Advanced Warning System Version 3.4.16 (latest stable release for vB 3.0.x)


LATEST ANNOUNCEMENT

The AWS has its own Premium Forum here at vBulletin.org, so please use that for questions and discussion on this hack.

The Permium Forum is located at :

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=105





This Warning System owes its existence to Zero Tolerance's Warning Hack (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=65336). I liked the idea, so I installed Zero's hack in my forums site. However, as in most cases, I was not fully satisfied with the way it worked, so I started customizing it. Other people in the thread above, asked questions, which I had already answered by my customizing work, so I answered, giving away those parts of the code, that I had modified.

In the long run, I almost hijacked the thread and the hack from Zero, so I guess I owe him an apology. However, the mods I did have compiled a new, more complete warning system, with much more functionality. Several members from that thread, asked if this could be released as a new hack, so after discussing it with Zero, here it is.

What it does? Well, it is a Warning System, which means it allows you (the administrative team of your site, in other words the admins, the supermods and the mods), to define offences, which the members of your forum should NOT commit. But as we all know, there are instances where members do not follow the rules. In that case, this warning system, allows you to issue a warning to the member who commited the offence. The warning has some points associated with it, as well as a period over which it is valid. When a member gathers enough points, he is banned from your forums, for a predefined period of time. That's mostly it, but below, you can find a short list of features:

Full warning system with:

- post- and non-post-related warnings
- hierarchical warning schema
- hidden or real warners
- customizable maximum warning points
- automatically bans members who reached the maximum warning points
- customizable ban days
- customizable ban user group and permanent ban user group
- customizable restore user group, where users are restored after they get unbanned
- customizable option for who can see the warning level of the members
- automatically issued warnings for posts which contain censored words
- automatically issued warnings for private messages which contain censored words
- supports incremental banning periods
- supports multiple warnings for the same post
- warned members are notified either by Private Message or e-mail when they are warned and when one of the warnings they have received is either deleted or expired
- maintains historical listings of issued warnings (even if deleted or expired)
- customizable warning types
- each warning type has predefined warning points associated with it
- each warning type has predefined maturity period, after which it is automatically deleted
- reports for admin, mods and members
- cron job included to automatically remove matured warnings
- uses vBulletin's cron job, to automatically unban banned users
- all options are setable in your AdminCP
- user warning points and number of bans viewable in your AdminCP User Manager.
- statistics show warning per type, warnings per warner, bans per user.
- Allows you to warn a user from your AdminCP/User Manager.
- Large "Warn" sign, in posts which have received a warning, for mods, supermods and admins, to easily distinguish those posts.
- Ability to remove user's avatar, signature or usage of the Private Messaging system, depending on the warning points he has collected.
- Supports non-standard admins, supermods and mods user groups.
- Allows you to save a copy of the warning send to the warned user, in a predefined forum.
- Allows you to issue "Alerts" (warnings without warning points, for first-time offenders)
- Allows you to add private or public notes for a user, either post-specific or not. Notes appear in the postbit, above each user's message.
- etc.

Admitedly, this is not an easy hack to install. It requires 20 new templates and modifications to some existing ones too. It requires five new tables and modifications to some others. It requires several new phrases. I've tried to make the installation, as easy as I could, by automating certain tasks in an automatic installer. The installer will add the new templates for you, add the new tables required and change the existing ones, and will add the required new phrases. You will have to manually edit the existing templates and the php files though. I also included an upgrade script, which will upgrade those who are using Zero Tolerance's warning hack (version 1.5) to this one. An uninstaller is also included, which removes what the installer installs.

Please keep in mind, that this is a very difficult hack to install. For this reason, I strongly recommend that you back up your database before starting the installation. I also suggest that you keep copies of each file and template you edit, so that you can always revert to a previous stable condition. Finally, I strongly suggest that you always run the latest release.

The zip file always contains both the instructions and the files required to install the latest version. If you have installed a previous version and want to upgrade to the latest, there is a text file attached, in the zip with upgrade instructions. Follow them.

In this thread, you will also find a more detailed document describing the features of this hack, as well as a document describing its version evolution.

Also keep in mind that the installer, will add the AWS templates only to your default style. If you want to use them in another one, you may try this Zero Tolerance's hack, which copies the templates to other styles you may have.

Another thing, the installation instructions were written when vB was at release 3.0.3, so you may expect to find some differences, with the latest files and templates. As far as I can tell, I haven't faced any such case, but I post this reservation here, since I do not have the time to recheck all the instructions for compliance with the latest vB release. The hack has been installed and is working fine with the vBulletin version shown at the top of this thread.

Finally, if you are using more than one style, the installer will install the templates only in the default one. If you want to use the rest of your styles, here is a hack, that will do this for you.

This hack can also be integrated with Zero Tolerance's vBChat. However, since I am using a heavily-modified version of vBChat, I haven't included instructions, on how to patch the original vBChat files, in the documentation. If you are interested in having AWS issue automatic warnings when one of your user enters a censored word in a vBChat message, or if you want your moderators to be able to warn a user, who misbehaves in vBChat, please post a thread in this forum and I'll help you through.

This is my first officially released hack, so please don't be to harsh with me, if I broke any rules or made any mistakes. The mods have been tested extensively, both by me and two volunteers (thank you gentlemen), but I am only human.

Closing, let me thank Zero Tolerance, who got me started in this, and who owns a big part of the code of this hack. I definnitely couldn't have done it, without his code.

Special Note
For those who upgrade from Zero Tolerance's hack to my AWS, even though I have included a script which will do some of the work automatically, not everything is done by that script. Read the installation instructions carefully. You have to run the upgrade script first and then do several things manually. If you just run the upgrade script and just upload the files, the AWS will not work properly. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to post here.

Also, let me add here, that version 3.3.0 wouldn't have been possible without the contribution of Revan.

And a couple of warnings:

PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE LATEST ZIP FILE FROM HERE, BEFORE YOU START INSTALLING THIS HACK. JUST BECAUSE YOU DOWNLOADED IT A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, THAT DOES NOT MEAN IT IS THE LATEST VERSION. MAKE SURE YOU DOWNLOAD THE ZIP, JUST BEFORE YOU START INSTALLING THIS HACK.


LATEST VERSION

Version 3.4.16 (released Thursday August 25th, 2005 GMT 18:18)

A couple of bugs fixed in this version. One is related to the Notes feature, and it allowed plain users to see the notes entered, if the "Who can view warning points" setting was set to "All".

Features.txt a new version of this file has been uploaded on April 4th2 005 GMT 09:30, which covers the latest additions to the hack. The original Features.txt file hasn't been updated since the first release of this hack, so it was time for an update.

John

[Viol8or]

Best wishes to all of you.
Can't wait to see version 3 showing up

[BlackxRam]

I really think this hack would be more complete with a defined offense like (Uber Spammer) that will automatically set a user and all IPS gathered under their name and set to the IP BAN list. I have not ONCE seen a hack that would allow this... and I think it would be a PERFECT addition to your hack.

So what do you say? You think it can be done?

[sv1cec]

Originally Posted by BlackxRam

I really think this hack would be more complete with a defined offense like (Uber Spammer) that will automatically set a user and all IPS gathered under their name and set to the IP BAN list. I have not ONCE seen a hack that would allow this... and I think it would be a PERFECT addition to your hack.

So what do you say? You think it can be done?

Well, it already has .... half of what you want.

In other words, it does allow you to define a warning type, which is characterized as "Permanent Ban". In other words, when this type of offence is commited and warned, the member is send directly to the banned members with a "permanent" ban duration.

As for the IP addresses, don't you think it's kind of dangerous? I mean an IP is not (unfortunatelly) always associated with one particular user. So, if you ban the IPs that that member has used in the past, it is quite possible, that you might be banning other legit members, who will try to visit the site in the future. Remote, indeed, but possible. Also, I spend some time this morning trying to find out if vB allows you to ban an IP address, I think I remember seeing something like that, but couldn't find it. Cosnidering that I went to bed at 5 am this morning, I am not very sure if my eyes could see what I was looking at. I'll check again later today.

For the time being, I am stuck with an issue which I can't understand. I have added the feature of sorting the Logs list, by the various columns presented there, in ascending or descending order (I thought that would be a useful feature). But for the life of me, I can't pass a certain sorting string to a parameter used in the select query. All other strings are passed find, but a string that asks the query to do an addition of two columns and sort on the result, doesn't work. If someone can help, please jump in or PM, or email me.

Rgds

[BlackxRam]

Well Vbulletin does have the ability to ban IP addresses, however moderators and super moderators don't have the ability to access that part of the forum to do so. Whch is why when the situation arises to be able to do it automatically instead of manually adding in the ipaddresses i figured why not ask.

Are you considering adding a feature like Erwins hack that makes all posts by certain banned members invisible? Like perhaps putting them into the Mass Ignore feature in Vbulletin? That would be great as well.

[deb0]

I didn't get any errors installing this mod. But IN the legacy postbit, when I click Warn UserX or View UserX's Warning, I get a blank page with this url:

warnuserX-
http://www.afrochat.net/forums/Warn....=108&post=9590

View UserX's warnings-
http://www.afrochat.net/forums/Warn....arnings&id=108

So many changes were made, I don' thave a clue where to start digging.

My board seriously needs this mod.

Plz help.

[deb0]

Nevermind, I fixed. Apparently rerunning the installer after all the changes and file uploads fixed it.

I haven't found any errors so far. Testing. This was an extensive hack, so I just wanna say "excellent job" so far.

[deb0]

Is there a way to remove a given warning from a member? This is important.

[sv1cec]

Originally Posted by deb0

Is there a way to remove a given warning from a member? This is important.

Two ways, one is to use the Remove link in the View XYZ's Warnings, and the other is to use the Complete Removal from the View Warning Logs in AdminCP.

The second method removes not only the related warning and its points, but also any bans associated with it (it does not unban the member if he is banned, you will have to do that manually, but reduces his bans number by one).

Rgds

[sv1cec]

Originally Posted by sv1cec

Two ways, one is to use the Remove link in the View XYZ's Warnings, and the other is to use the Complete Removal from the View Warning Logs in AdminCP.

The second method removes not only the related warning and its points, but also any bans associated with it (it does not unban the member if he is banned, you will have to do that manually, but reduces his bans number by one).

Rgds

Just to wet your appetite, here is a list of the things you can expect in Version 3.0:

In a few words, I've managed to move a big chunk of code, from the various files which issue warnings (Warn.php, editpost.php, newreply.php, newthread.php, private.php), to the functions_warning.php file. This makes the hack much easier to install, in the first place. It also makes the automatic warning feature, much easier to implement, in other parts of vBulletin, thus allowing me to easily expand its functionality in the future. Finally additional features can be added more easily.

I also altered the way the banning worked. In other words, until version 2.3.5, when a member was banned, his total warning points remained into his account. If he received one more point, he was banned again, a second time. This (I think) was wrong, because:

a. Obviously, since the member is already banned, he can't commit more offences, which would lead to another warning. Obviously if a moderator ends up warning a post, posted by a banned user, this offence was commited before he was banned, but the warning for it, is coming after he was banned.

b. Let's take this example:

A member commits the following offences:

offence A : 5 points
offence B : 6 points
offence C : 3 points

The warning limit is 10 points. As the admin issues the first two warnings, the ban limit is reached and the member is banned. The member's total points are 11 at this moment. But the admin still has to add another warning, worth 3 points. The moment he does that, with the old system, the total points the member has, would go to 14, but he would also receive another ban (remember, that he was banned the moment the admin issued the second warning).

To avoid this problem, a member who is banned, can of course still be warned and his points increase accordingly, but he does not receive another ban, while his first is still in effect . In the example above, the last warning is issued and the user points reach 14, but his ban count remains at one. When he is unbanned, and if we suppose that none of his warnings have expired, he still has 14 points and if he receives one more then he will then receive his second ban.

Other functionality added:

It's just natural to add the option of e-mailing those users who get banned, to let them know that they got banned. A PM in this case, is useless, as they cannot log in the forums to read it, so an e-mail has to be used. Some admins however might not want to alert bad members with such an e-mail, so I added an option, with which you can define if you want e-mails send to the members who get banned or not. That required a new template to be added.

Some one suggested that a member might get a ban, but then learn his lesson and behave. Why should that ban be in his account for ever? Wouldn't it be logical to remove it, after a certain period passes? I think it would, or at least it sounds reasonable, so what I did, was to add an option, where you can define the duration that a ban will stay in a user's account. After that period, the ban will automatically be removed from the user's account. In other words, if that period is 6 months (which is entered as days in the program, i.e. 180 days), and he was banned on January 3rd, this ban will be shown in his account until July 3rd. If you check the User Manager page, in your AdminCP, before July 3rd, you will see that ban. If you check it after the above date, the user will appear as if he had never been banned. This required a new table to be added to the system.

Although this feature sounds reasonable, there might be others who will not consider it useful, so again, an option was added to control it. Finally, since maybe some admins want to have old bans expire, but want to see if their users were banned at some time, the above mentionned table can be checked to see if a member has ever been banned.

To see the contents of this table, you should use the "View Bans Per User" selection in the AWS Menu, in your Admincp. The table structure is self- explanatory, each record you see there, represents a warning which caused a ban. The Ban Rank is the order of bans that this user has received, in other words, if this is 1, this was his first ban, if this is 2, this was his second ban etc. . The Ban Status column has the following meanings:

"IUA" (In User's Account) : The ban is still active, so it is included in the Bans number shown in your User Management page.
"NAUA" (Not Affecting User's Account) : The ban has matured (in other words the user has been good for the time you specified and the cron job removed this ban from the user Bans number, shown in the User Management page.
"Permanent" : This warning caused a permanent ban, so this cannot be removed or rendered inactive.

If you do not use the Bans Maturity feature, you should not see any Inactive bans here, the records should either be Active or Permanent.

If you want to be able to see the expired bans, even though your user account bans have been reduced after he was good for quite some time, all you have to do, is to turn on the historical records option. If the Historical Records is set to Yes, the ban records will remain in that new table, but will be marked as Inactive.

The other columns of this table, show the details of the warning that caused the ban (like type of warning etc).

So, by checking this menu option, you can immediately see the bans history of your members.

Some clarification is in order here:

In the View Warning Logs menu option, there are two alternatives, one is to Remove a warning, and the other is to do a Complete Removal of a warning. The difference between these two actions, is not very clear, so here is the clarification.

The Remove action, is sort of a manual maturing of a warning. It removes the warning points from the user's account, it marks the warning as inactive, but does not reduce the number of warnings a user has received in his career in the forum, and it does not remove any bans that the warning might have caused, from the user's account.

The Complete Removal, is like undoing the warning. The warning points will be removed from the user's account, his warnings will be reduced by one, any associated ban that the warning has caused will be removed from the user's account (his bans will be reduced by one). The only thing that the Complete Removal will not do, is to unban the user and the reason for this, is because the program cannot be sure if the user is still banned, and if he is, if the user was banned because of the warning you are removing or because of another warning. As a result, if the user is banned, you will have to unban him manually.

If this is still not clear, do use the hack's thread for your questions.

Another feature that was added, was the sorting of the Log File. When you select to see the Warning Logs now, you will see a set of buttons, at the top row of the list, saying "Asce" and "Desc". You may click on those buttons to sort the list, according to that column, in ascending or descending order. I think this will help the admins, in better evaluate their members actions.

Finally, another feature that I added, was the ability to select if a moderator can enter a comment, when he is warning a member, or if the Warning Type Description will be send instead of a comment. If you want to make your moderators life easier, then set this option to Yes. Keep in mind that this option affects only, post-related warnings. The Non-Post-Related ones still allow the warner to add a comment.

Oh yes, I also added some statistics, warnings per warning type and warnings per moderator (well, per warner shall we say?).

The code is pretty stable at the moment, but since it involved several major changes I'll have a test environment set up tomorrow, where I'll be able to test the installation scripts and the functionality before releasing it. I guess you will have it before New Year.

Rgds

[Viol8or]

Very nice Happy to see the stats are in there.
Maybe one more suggestion, coming from my users. It would be nice if we could set a level of when the warning indicator changes colour. Now it is always displayed in red in the post bit. But why not black or blue up to a warning level of ex. 7 and from then on in red?