Post by Proxy - Let your staff post using another username(s)

Hack: Post by Proxy
Version: v1.00.1
Author: MarcoH64
vB version: Tested 3.5.3

Description
With this modification installed, members of usergroups that have permission, will be able to make posts using a different username (post by proxy).
This can be usefull if you want to let Staff members (for example: moderators, administrators) make posts that can not be resolved to a single
staff member. Members that are in a usergroup that has permission to see the real poster, can view both the Proxy username and the real
username.

Features
- Members of a usergroup can be given permission to create posts by members of another usergroup.
- Usergroup permissions control who can view the real poster
- Username can be choosen when creating or editing a post/thread
- Original poster is stored in history
- Postcounts updated on a change of the posters username
- History is updated when a username is changed (from ACP)
- Fully phrased
- Automatic templates edits at runtime. Instructions for manual edits for modified styles are provided.
- As a litle bonus: Usergroups can also be given permission to sent Private Messages on behalf of another username.

Installation
See install.txt

Configuration
See Manual.txt

Change Log
Version 1.00.1 21-02-2006
- Fixed bug giving an error message when PHP setting 'allow_call_time_pass_reference' was set off
Version 1.00 09-02-2006
- Initial Release


Please don't forget to click Install at vbulletin.org.
If you like this work and would like to support the author, donations are always welcome at Paypal: marcoh64@gmail.com

[moonclamp]

Originally Posted by MarcoH64

Ok, if i understand correct, all that would be needed to turn this into an Anonymous Posting hack, would be forum permissions. Right now only Usergroup permissions are possible.

Yeah, just so the proxy options are only visible when posting in certain forums

Originally Posted by MarcoH64

What would be needed?
A. A forum setting (ie. every usergroup can post in that forum using 1 of the defined users).
B. A Usergroup/Forum permission. (ie. you can set for each Usergroup for each forum what permissions they have).

I think it needs a crossover between forums and usergroups.

If a member starts abusing the option then we need an option to exclude them from that grouping

EG

"registered users group" can post as "userID xx" in "forumId x"

"registered users" cannot "post by proxy" at all in "other forums" (and do not even see the option)

"admin usergroup" can post as "usergroup AB" in "all defined forums"

"supermoderator group" can post as "userID zz" or "usergroup AB" in selected forums

[Marco van Herwaarden]

Reuploaded version 1.00.1.

If you have downloaded this prior to this post as a bugfix, please download again. Also there is now 1 change in the functions file to get rid of this bug, re-uploading files is now also needed. If you already installed 1.00.1 to fix the bug, then there is no need to reinstall the Product file for the updated version 1.00.1.

If you where running 1.00, and you did not have the mentioned bug, there is no reason at all to install 1.00.1.

[Marco van Herwaarden]

Originally Posted by moonclamp

I think it needs a crossover between forums and usergroups.

If a member starts abusing the option then we need an option to exclude them from that grouping

EG

"registered users group" can post as "userID xx" in "forumId x"

"registered users" cannot "post by proxy" at all in "other forums" (and do not even see the option)

"admin usergroup" can post as "usergroup AB" in "all defined forums"

"supermoderator group" can post as "userID zz" or "usergroup AB" in selected forums

I will once more rethink what i can do for this with standard vB permission systems. I don't really feel to write a seperate permission system.

[m_k]

Originally Posted by MarcoH64

Reuploaded version 1.00.1.

woot! workin' like a charm now :-)

thanks marco for the quick work in fixing the bug... great hack too btw

[Marco van Herwaarden]

Originally Posted by m_k

woot! workin' like a charm now :-)

thanks marco for the quick work in fixing the bug... great hack too btw

Thanks for the feedback and the compliment.

I had a lot of time to test this hack (was stuck without internet for some time), and was already wondering if there was really no bug to be found left. Lucky the 2 of you found this in combination with your php-settings. (was actually just wrong coded anyway).

[rnmcd]

Originally Posted by MarcoH64

Bug Fix version 1.00.1 released:

Changes:

Version 1.00.1 21-02-2006
- Fixed bug giving an error message when PHP setting 'allow_call_time_pass_reference' was set off


This release needs only to be installed if you have 'allow_call_time_pass_reference' set to Off, and you are getting errors warning you about: Call-time pass-by-reference has been deprecated

To upgrade, do an overwrite install of the new product file.

Edit: Also the files in the upload directory must be re-uploaded to your server for this patch.

Where can this setting(see green colored text above) be changed at?

[Southpaw]

Originally Posted by rnmcd

Where can this setting(see green colored text above) be changed at?

Probably in your php.ini config file

[Marco van Herwaarden]

Originally Posted by rnmcd

Where can this setting(see green colored text above) be changed at?

There is no reason (at least from the point of view of this hack) to change that setting. The 1.00.1 version of this hack supports both modes.

But if you want to change it for whatever reason, then yes, you can find it in your php.ini file.

[lionheart53]

I'm looking to install this for a reason that's a bit different. I've got incoming mails that are to be replies to existing topics. So what I'm thinking is actually using this hack along with a server that has a permanent login under the account that has the proxy option. Then when it gets the message it would fill out the form and use it to post. I could go direct to the database, but we don't get tons of these, and this would allow me to not have to worry about all the database updates, forum subscriptions, etc. as they'd follow all the posting rules.

Does this make sense? Any major issue you see with this logic?

[Marco van Herwaarden]

I think it wouold be easier to tell a server to write to the database, then to tell it how to fill a form and select from a dropdown box.