Persistent Mark Forum Read

Hack: Persistent Mark Forum Read
Version of VB: 2.2.5
Current version: 1.3
Description: This hack replaces the bahavior of vBulletin's "Mark Forum Read" and "Mark All Forums Read" with a system that uses a database to track when forums are set read. By eliminating the use of cookies for this feature, a user can come onto your boards, read a bit, mark forums read as they go through and logout. The next time they come into the forums, the status of which forums they've read and which they haven't, as well as new posts since the last time they read is preserved.

This functions a lot like EZBoard and Chatspace's Webboard.

Included in this hack are three search routines: searing the entire forum for new messages, an individual forum and a section of the hierarchy (parent + children)

Also: Mark All Forums Read, Mark Individual Forum Read and Mark Hierarchy Section (Parent + Children) Read

Note: The install is not all pretty yet and requires a degree of knowledge of MySQL (to add a table) and PHP (as it requires heavy modifications to core files). It is recommended that you backup everything before using this.

After installation, behavior might be a bit odd until a default "markread" record is created for users. This is created when they first login if one does not exist.

This hack has been tweaked to now not add more than two queries to your index page. It will add load on sub-forum pages currently if you have a lot of nested forums. This will be fixed in the next release.

Instructions:

Follow the instructions in the included text file TO THE LETTER. If you run into problems, post here so we can work through them and improve the instructions. Look for a better install utility soon.

I recommend doing the text editing using a DIFF utility to see where you made changes, it honestly helps.

Place the images in your vbulletin image folder. I included PSD files for them if you want to change colors.

[ethank]

Originally posted by Gimp
this hack just wracked everything!

More specifics needed, its running fine here.

EThan

[ethank]

Your missing the new indicators by the post in the thread. THe changes in funcitons.php were to makepostbit.

EThan

[VirtueTech]

How many queries does this add per process.

And when and what scripts are they added to please.

I'm very interested in using this along with Bira's Shrink old posts hack.

Also...what if the users do not mark the forum as read...does the system keep the threads as read forever...or does it kick into the cookies then.

Is there anyway to have it setup so that once the user reads the thread it then marks the thread as read immediately?

[ethank]

Originally posted by VirtueTech
How many queries does this add per process.



And when and what scripts are they added to please.

I'm very interested in using this along with Bira's Shrink old posts hack.

Also...what if the users do not mark the forum as read...does the system keep the threads as read forever...or does it kick into the cookies then.

Is there anyway to have it setup so that once the user reads the thread it then marks the thread as read immediately?

1. Depends how deep your hierarchy is.

2. The instructions are in that document, although I need to revise it when I get some time to.

3. This replaces cookies used for forums as read, but not for threads read in the current session, that works the same.

Ethan

[Arathorn]

This was one HUGE hack to install, but it works beautifully. In fact, I could never use Bira's Contract Old Posts hack to it's full effect (stupid cookie timeout...) until I added this hack.

THANKS!

[Erwin]

Nice hack. I love it!

[Erwin]

By the way, the server load increase is there, but marginal. My users love it - we recently merged with an ezboard forum and the migrated members had requested this. They are now ecstatic!

[Infernus]

When I installed this, After trying to mark a forum read I would just get a white screen. Not sure what the problem was, but im guessing its one of the places where I had to guess on the code because the directions didnt match.

[Tommy Boy]

This is a wonderful hack, I've said it before, and I'll say it again!

I just wanted to mention that in my forum, in order to display the forum home page, more than 260 sql queries are being performed! The situation is not much better with the forumdisplay.php script as well.

The good news are that after hours of intense optimization, the forum home page is now done with only 21 queries, and the forumdisplay.php with 23.

I know ethank is too busy to work on this hack anymore, but maybe these scary numbers will encourage him to come back to us.

[Erwin]

Tommy Boy - do you mind sharing your optimizations?