Compose External Javascript

vB Compose External v. 1.0.3 (Updated)

This hack provides an easy way to generate JS-Code for the Javascript syndication system on vB 3. It has been tested with VB 3.0.0 RC 1 and higher.

Features:

• Complete control of the HTML-code before, after and in between the links to the threads
• Possibility to enter a maximum-value for the count of threads to be displayed by the administrator
• Users can choose more than one forum to be displayed
• Users can choose how many threads to be displayed
• Users can choose how many characters in the thread title should appear (new in version 1.0.1)
• Users can choose from three pre-made styles (new in version 1.0.3)
• Integration into forumdisplay and navbar-templates (new in version 1.0.4)
• Complete integration in the look and feel of vB 3
• Phrase-compatibility

Plans for future versions:

• Option to choose the forums from a pulldown-men?
• Option to add it to the forum-tools (in order to be able to have the JS-Script created for this specific forum)
• Options for creating the URLs for XML- and RSS-feeds
• Adding new features when external.php will be updated with new features

These are the instructions how to install it:

• New templates: 1
• Templates to be changed: 2
• PHP-files to be added: 1
• Phrases to be added: 23

Step 1:
Insert the phrases using the XML-files. There are phrases for some languages. You can of course translate them to other languages using the phrase-system. If you do so, please send me the XML-files for these translations. I will add them to this ZIP. Right now there are:

• German
• English

Please be sure to save the language in the phrase system BEFORE you do so!

Step 2:
Upload the file composeexternal.php in the root of your forum.
Upload the files in the folder /images/composeexternal/ on the server.


Step 3:
Add a new template with the name "composeexternal" and add the content of composeexternal_template.txt (in this zip) to it.

Step 4:
Search for the following code on template forumdisplay:

 
 	    	<div><img class="inlineimg" src="$stylevar[imgdir_button]/subscribe.gif" alt="$vbphrase[view_parent_forum]" vspace="1" /> <a href="forumdisplay.php?$session[sessionurl]f=$foruminfo[parentid]">$vbphrase[view_parent_forum]</a></div>
 		</div>
 	</td>
 	<!-- / forum tools -->

Replace with the following code:

 
 	    	<div><img class="inlineimg" src="$stylevar[imgdir_button]/subscribe.gif" alt="$vbphrase[view_parent_forum]" vspace="1" /> <a href="forumdisplay.php?$session[sessionurl]f=$foruminfo[parentid]">$vbphrase[view_parent_forum]</a></div>
 		</div>
 		    <div><img class="inlineimg" src="$stylevar[imgdir_button]/subscribe.gif" alt="$vbphrase[composeexternal_categorystrip]" vspace="1" /> <a href="composeexternal.php?$session[sessionurl]do=composecode&amp;f=$foruminfo[forumid]">$vbphrase[composeexternal_categorystrip]</a></div>
 
 	</td>
 	<!-- / forum tools -->

Search for:

 
 	<if condition="$show['adminoptions']">

Add above:

 
 	<tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="composeexternal.php?$session[sessionurl]do=composecode&amp;f=$foruminfo[forumid]">$vbphrase[composeexternal_categorystrip]</a></td></tr>

Step 5:

Search for the following code on template navbar:

   		<if condition="$show['wollink']"><tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="online.php?$session[sessionurl]">$vbphrase[whos_online]</a></td></tr></if>

Add below:

 		<tr><td class="vbmenu_option"><a href="composeexternal.php?$session[sessionurl]">$vbphrase[composeexternal_categorystrip]</a></td></tr>

Credits go to Ypsfanpage.de - a user of our forum. He coded the initial php-file. I ported it to the VB-system and created the php-file and the template.

See the screen-shots below, how it works, or visit our testsite.

Version-History
v. 1.0.0 - Initial release
v. 1.0.1 - Added character-limitation
v. 1.0.2 - Got rid of a small bug, occuring in MSIE, happened when there where too less threads, genereal optimization of the code
v. 1.0.3 - Added three pre-made templates
v. 1.0.4 - Added support for forumdisplay-template and navbar-template

Please click on install, when you choose to use this hack

[daFish]

Originally Posted by Bernd Glasstett

Hm for xhtml-compatibility the code has to be with low-characters. A far as I can see, everything is in that way, but I will take look asap.

Good news. Danke Bernd.

[Natch]

Originally Posted by Bernd Glasstett

ok, first things first: Please use

 <script type="text/javascript" src=http://animeboards.com/external.php?forumids=<?php echo $fid; ?>&type=js></script>

Instead of the above code. So that it uses the same code, as we are currently using on our development-board We noticed that while & should work out it sometimes doesn't. That's why we use & again. Let's see if the problem is solved with this

U need to use & IF AND ONLY IF the & will be decoded by a browser - if you are generating a link using document.write, you need only use & ...

(I think this is accurate ... HTH)

[Natch]

Oh - and GREAT JOB!

Wow - you guys have created something excellent here

[Bernd Glasstett]

Ok, about the xhtml-compatibility: As you can see here:

http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=ht...seexternal.php

The major problems are resolved. What remains is the begin of the form - and I have to say, I dunno how to resolve it - and the contents of the textareas, which is the example-code. I will discuss this with my co-developer. What would be most likely is that we might show the example in simple text, while leaving the textareas blank - which would make them xhtml-conform.

We will release the next version as soon as we resolved the issues

If you would like most of the problems already resolved, please download the new template. However there is one small issue left in the phrases. Search for <br> and replace with <br/> in the composeexternal-phrases. This is NOT a new release yet. New release will have version 1.0.5

[Bernd Glasstett]

And some good news: We are working on implementing to generate the URLs for XML and RSS-feeds at this moment. So, if they are active, the user can choose whether he would like to have RSS, JS or XML and then generate the appropriate code

[daFish]

Originally Posted by Bernd Glasstett

And some good news: We are working on implementing to generate the URLs for XML and RSS-feeds at this moment. So, if they are active, the user can choose whether he would like to have RSS, JS or XML and then generate the appropriate code

That sounds pretty good. I'll switch over to XML output when the new version of your hack is ready.
That should solve the resulting XHTML-valid problems.

[Bernd Glasstett]

Err... keep in mind, we only make it easier to make the link. We don't offer - at this moment - a parser that could be downloaded

But the parser could be a nice idea. Welllllll, let's see

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by Bernd Glasstett

Err... keep in mind, we only make it easier to make the link. We don't offer - at this moment - a parser that could be downloaded

But the parser could be a nice idea. Welllllll, let's see

Has this been updated (or does it need to be) for vB 3 Gold?

[Bernd Glasstett]

Not yet - but it runs on Gold perfectly. We use it on our production-board

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by Bernd Glasstett

Not yet - but it runs on Gold perfectly. We use it on our production-board

OK. Thanks! I've been watching for a while and now that things are stable I may try it on my testbed.

Your contribution is appreciated!