Forms Hack

Forms Hack 3.5

Features:

Ever wanted an online form that a user can fill out, which when submitted gets:

• Posted into a new thread in a forum of your choice
• Create a new poll in the new thread with options of your choice
• Posted as a reply in an existing thread of your choice
• PMed to you or someone else
• Emailed to an email address you specify
• Choose to redirect to the post, thread or forum, or a custom thank you message
• Choose to redirect to edit post to upload attachments
• See a preview before they submit

Or any combination or all of the above?

Well, this is the hack for you!

You can use this for:

• Moderator Applications
• Quiz Submit Form which gets PMed to a moderator
• Contact Form that goes to PM, email or thread
• Guests to apply to be members
• Report a Moderator form that goes as a PM to you
• Guests can PM you for whatever reason
• Order form to buy things
• Donation form
• News or Articles submissions that can go straight to a thread

Or anything you like - this hack is totally customizable via the AdminCP.

The beauty of this hack is that once you install this hack, to make a new form all you need to do is copy the main hook, rename it to whatever you want, edit the variables in the hook, and you have a totally new form!!! You do not need to touch the templates again, but can always create new ones and use different templates for different forms.

Format of the form:

• One main input question
• 3 Radio buttons Choice questions
• 3 Normal text input questions
• 1 Drop down menu
• 3 Check boxes
• 1 Long answer question
• 1 VB message editor text box question

This is customizable via the hook.

Also:

• You can set the usergroups you want access to this form.
• Depending on your forum permissions, if the new thread is in a public forum, members can reply to it. This hack allows a form to submit the new thread or post wherever you want it to go.
• Force the user to answer all questions.

INSTALLATION
Easy - takes only a few minutes:

• Import the XML into products. (admin cp -> Plug-in System -> Manage Products -> Add/Import Product)
• Edit the main plug-in - the instructions are all inside the hook itself, in the top half. Follow the instructions carefully!
• To get to the form, go to: /newthread.php?do=form (change "form" to the name of your form if you have few)

Done!

Use this hack to make as many forms as you like!

Enjoy!

Updates:

Version 2.0: (08/10/2005)

• Ported over for vb3.5

Version 2.1: (08/10/2005)

• bug fix with answers not showing

Version 2.5: (08/13/2005)

• Major update:
• Templates have a few lines changed here and there.
• You can now have more then 2 poll options very easily
• Polls can't be created if your not creating a new thread
• New Thread now uses VB function to add the thread
• New Poll now uses VB function to add the poll
• New Reply now uses VB function to add the reply
• PM now uses VB function to send the PM

Version 2.6: (08/21/2005)

• fixed bug with posts having to be moderated

Version 2.7: (08/23/2005)

• Minor update:
• Fixed some issues with signatures, URL parsing, and subscriptions
• Option to name the post titles
• Made template XHTML 1.0 Transitional

Version 3.0: (11/29/2005)

• Major update:
• Added drop down menu
• Made the long answer show up in a the vb message box
• Re-wrote some instructions
• Pressing back should save work
• Both templates and plug-in were edited
• Some more minor things

Version 3.1: (12/07/2005)

• Brought back the standard text box (longanswer)

Version 3.2: (12/09/2005)

• [ADDED] Option to make polls public.

Version 3.3: (12/19/2005)

• [FIXED] Guests can now post using the forms to make a thread or post. They cannot send a PM though.
• [ADDED] Paypal link so you can make a donation for this hack.

Version 3.4: (04/05/2006)

• [FIXED] Removed extra line from template.
• [ADDED] WYSIWYG editor now works besides the regular editor.
• [ADDED] Preview.
• [CHANGED] Subscriptions now take from user default setting.

Version 3.5: (05/31/2006)

• [ADDED] Check boxes.

Abe1 with rights from Dr Erwin Loh

This hack is created for your use free of charge. No payment is requested. However, if you would like to donate money for the work I put in to this hack, a donation would show your appreciation.

[RMS-Chef]

Take you time Abe. You have already been a huge help.
I was simply pointing it out to chatbum.

[wimminrule]

Hi there - I completely LOVE your form. I am a complete newbie to PHP. I have all of it working except for one part, and was hoping someone could help me with it.

We want the form we created completed before we validate registrations. So, I modified the moderateuser in the phrase manager to say the following:

Thank you, {1}! We require one additional step in the registration process. Please click<a href="http://phenomsonline.com/board/newthread.php?do=form"> here</a> and tell us a little more about yourself.

instead of:

Thank you for registering, {1}. Your account has been submitted for moderation by an administrator and will be activated shortly. You will be notified by email when this happens. To return to the forums, click <a href="{2}.php{3}">here</a>.

My problem arises when the new user clicks on the link to the form. It doesn't carry over their username. Consequently, the post will not post to the thread that I have specified for it to reply to. Can anyone help me with this? I'd be most grateful.

Thanking you in advance!

[Abe1]

Originally Posted by wimminrule

Hi there - I completely LOVE your form. I am a complete newbie to PHP. I have all of it working except for one part, and was hoping someone could help me with it.

We want the form we created completed before we validate registrations. So, I modified the moderateuser in the phrase manager to say the following:

Thank you, {1}! We require one additional step in the registration process. Please click<a href="http://phenomsonline.com/board/newthread.php?do=form"> here</a> and tell us a little more about yourself.

instead of:

Thank you for registering, {1}. Your account has been submitted for moderation by an administrator and will be activated shortly. You will be notified by email when this happens. To return to the forums, click <a href="{2}.php{3}">here</a>.

My problem arises when the new user clicks on the link to the form. It doesn't carry over their username. Consequently, the post will not post to the thread that I have specified for it to reply to. Can anyone help me with this? I'd be most grateful.

Thanking you in advance!

I dont think when you register vb automaticly logs you in. You have to then sign in. But I'll try to look for a solution for you.

As for the were the form info gets posted, i can't help you with out you showing me the settings you did and exacly what you want done and were it goes now instead.

[wimminrule]

Thank you for responding, Abe! Everything else is working perfectly, as far as the posting issue. I had it set to reply to a specific thread in our Adminstrator's Corner Forum. Before I modified the moderateuser to point to the form, if I manually entered the location of the form (http://phenomsonline.com/board/newthread.php?do=form) and completed it, it posted just fine.

Now, however, I have no idea where it goes with the Unregistered user. I assume that since it has no permission to post, it just goes off into neverneverland, although it says that the form completed successfully.

[wimminrule]

Oh, and I just tried registering a new member and not clicking on the link to the form, but instead going to the index, and it says I'm logged in, so it must be passing that (username) variable somehow, correct? TIA.

[wimminrule]

Well, for some reason it's working now...thank you for your help!

Edited to say I lied.

[Abe1]

Originally Posted by wimminrule

Well, for some reason it's working now...thank you for your help!

Edited to say I lied.

I just signup up for an acount there. If my form didn't go through, here is what it said,

Hi, this is Abe1 the coder of the form hack. I see that this form DID pick up my Username. I have a thery behind why it doesn't post. The form uses the permissions of the cateory to alow it to post this or not. What you should do is make sure the unvalidated users are aloud to post in the section you want these posts to go.

[wimminrule]

Thanks for testing it, Abe! It did post. It seems to be an intermittent thing as to whether it carries over the username to the form, but we put some instructions to make sure to login first, if it doesn't, in the moderateuser phrase.

This is the greatest thing ever. Again, thanks so much for your hard work and for your willingness to help out a newbie!!

Stacy

[Abe1]

Originally Posted by wimminrule

Thanks for testing it, Abe! It did post. It seems to be an intermittent thing as to whether it carries over the username to the form, but we put some instructions to make sure to login first, if it doesn't, in the moderateuser phrase.

This is the greatest thing ever. Again, thanks so much for your hard work and for your willingness to help out a newbie!!

Stacy

I guess your web site likes me Anyways, you can delete the account now.

[CnB]

does it work on RC3 ?

[Abe1]

Originally Posted by CnB

does it work on RC3 ?

Yes, it should.

[CnB]

ok going to give this one a try then
since the original one for 3.0.x does not work on 3.0.9
and i need something like this so i just upgrade to 3.5 hopefully it will go final soon

[CnB]

i dont get it though
the installation says

1. Import the xml into products.

i got no directory in my vB folder named products !!!

Originally Posted by CnB

i got no directory in my vB folder named products !!!

it's not DOWNLOAD, it's IMPORT...

admincp >> Plugin System >> Manage Products

[CnB]

ah right got it now

though already got some problems

1. i tried changing the name from form to recruits
but then it does not load anymore or says Invalid Forum
2. i tried changing some stuff to what i want and i got a Invalid Forum and on the top of the page i had

Parse error: parse error in c:\apache\htdocs\forums\newthread.php(68) : eval()'d code on line 204
i also still see this same error when creating a new topic
it shows on the top of the page

it does this with the non edited xml file