vBulletin Forum Sideblocks - Nexia's Forum Sidebar Everywhere

Will add the forumhome sidebar everywhere logically possible to show it, with choices of locations.

First Screenshots show how it is "before/after" on the calendar page, doing some esthetical changes... some templates are less obvious!

Third screeny is about the settings you can change to your wills.

I take requests if you want other templates to be available...

Actual Pages where the sidebar can be activated on release date, Mar 21th, 2012:

Forumhome (can even be deactivate and show sidebar elsewhere)
Main Albums Pages
Announcements
Calendar
FAQ
Forum Display
Main Groups Pages
Member List
Who's Online
Show Thread
Main Blog Pages

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# How To use Nexia's Forum Sidebar Everywhere:


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# Simple Installation:

1- upload via ftp the content of the /UPLOAD_THIS/ folder in your forum's base directory.

2- Import the Product file included in the /IMPORT_THIS/ folder.

3- AdminCP >> Settings >> Options >> Forum Sidebar and Block Options

Follow that path and change the list of pages you want the sidebar to show up.


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# Customization:

If you have customized templates on the pages affected by this engine, you will need to edit it's related template to make it fit your custom design. To do so, it's simple... to edit our version of SHOWTHREAD, find SHOWTHREAD_SIDEBAR and edit it accordingly.
*(you can also hire nexialys to do the job!)


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# What to Know:

This tool originally replace the pages you browse by pages that contain the sidebar you already have on Forum Home.

How it work is simple. Each page you see on your browser is made from a "template" containing the proper codes to display each elements you see in the page. For the default vBulletin, only the "Forum Home" page contain the codes to display a sidebar. But maybe you would like to see that sidebar in other pages where it would help the navigation of the visitors ?!

That's what this tool intend to do... add the sidebar in precise pages that deserve to. In the "Forum Sidebar and Block Options" page, you can now select what page will show the sidebar...

To make it more even, the FORUMHOME template was updated as well to look like all the others... as the sidebar is supposed to be similar everywhere.


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# Why not adding everything via plugin instead of switching templates?:

When we add that kind of content via plugin, we face the possibility to have a template that is incompatible with the hooks we need, or a style that we can not trust because written poorly.

We switch templates so your designer can edit the default templates we provide and make them better if necessary. It is tangible content, it requires less server process, and you can customize it for each style you have... the other technique does not comply with that option.

EDIT: update on april 10th, now deactivate automatically for Mobile styles... *(as requested hundreds of times! )
EDIT: update on april 11th, edited the product file to fit forumhome for mobiles, sorry!

EDIT: august 9th, 2012: version 4.2 is now supported - memberlist and other pages are now showing proper content... sorry for the late, summer vacations with 7 kids is a bit complicated to deal with!

[Trevor Matthews]

Aha, a total misunderstanding of the instructions on my part.
I uploaded just the .php file to the root.
I did not realise I had to have it inside the nex folder.

Thanks for your patience :embarrassed:

[Trevor Matthews]

I have had a look at sidebar.css and can't see how to make the width bigger.
Does anyone know how to achieve that as my sidebar adverts no longer fit quite right.
I need to set the width as 230 as it was with ESB Gold.

Also I want to remove the collapse buttons as my blocks are adverts.
How would I achieve that?

[Gemma]

Originally Posted by Trevor Matthews

I have had a look at sidebar.css and can't see how to make the width bigger.
Does anyone know how to achieve that as my sidebar adverts no longer fit quite right.
I need to set the width as 230 as it was with ESB Gold.

AdminCP > Style Manager > Choose Style Variable Editor (for whichever style) and click GO >

Scroll down til you find forum_sidebar_width and change to whatever size you require.

Originally Posted by Trevor Matthews

Also I want to remove the collapse buttons as my blocks are adverts.
How would I achieve that?

If you are using the default block_html template, go into AdminCP > Style Manager > Edit Templates > block_html

Find and remove

<a class="collapse" id="collapse_block_html_{vb:raw blockinfo.blockid}" href="{vb:raw relpath}#top"><img alt="" src="{vb:stylevar imgdir_button}/collapse_40b.png" id="collapseimg_html_{vb:raw blockinfo.blockid}"/></a>

If you are using a custom template for your adverts then there should still be code similar to the above; again just delete that code.

[Trevor Matthews]

Gemma, thank you very much.
I now have this mod in place and it doesn't break my mobile style as ESB did!

I have one last question. I still have the little icon to collapse the whole sidebar, even though collapsing the sidebar is disabled the collapse icon is still there.
Is it possible to get rid of it?

Many thanks again.

[Trevor Matthews]

Hi
Actually the sidebar does collapse in certain parts of the forum, it looks to me that locking the sidebar is a feature of ESB.
I must be able to lock the sidebar and have it visible at all times.

Will this be an option at some point as I can't use it until then?

[Samsine]

Originally Posted by vbenhancer

what did you edit and for what purpose?!

I selected the pages. I want the sidebar only on showthread visible.

I've tested with:
Install -> select 1 page more
Install -> delete 1 page


Both efforts come to nothing.
Once stored, the selected pages are deleted.
While it can be re-selected, but the display remains unsuccessful.

[vbenhancer]

and you have what version of vB so i can investigate?! because you're the only one to report that problem...

Originally Posted by Samsine

I selected the pages. I want the sidebar only on showthread visible.

I've tested with:
Install -> select 1 page more
Install -> delete 1 page


Both efforts come to nothing.
Once stored, the selected pages are deleted.
While it can be re-selected, but the display remains unsuccessful.

[Samsine]

I found the error. The problem was due to an own addon which works as "Optioncode Checkbox" ... sorry
Your sidebar work now excellent ! :up:

[vbenhancer]

Originally Posted by Samsine

I found the error. The problem was due to an own addon which works as "Optioncode Checkbox" ... sorry
Your sidebar work now excellent ! :up:

ROOOOO... sorry, this is one of my other addon... rofl... looks like i will have to make them more compatible... i hate how evals are used, we can't check everything... i will update!

[tpearl5]

Any chance of getting the ability to assign blocks based on THIS_SCRIPT? For example, different blocks on the forum homepage vs thread pages, or search pages?