Forum Display Enhancements - Advanced Info Center

Description:

This is a newsheader, welcome header, global announcement, newsticker in one.
It contains 2 independent and dynamic area's which contents can differ per usergroup.

For example, you can send multiple messages to everyone, and to members only, at the same time.

Message types:
Guests welcome header
Accounts awaiting email confirmation receive a message to check their email.
NonMembers receive a message where to apply for membership
Members receive messages for members only (?)
Everyone receive global public messages
Idlers receive a pm to start posting again
NonPosters also receive a pm to start posting
Unread Pm's: users receive a message when they have unread pm's, if they turned the popup off.

All messages, usergroups, on/off switches, and some style variables are manageable via the admin-cp.
The 2 biggest text area's you'll be using often are separated from the other options to make things easy on the eyes

This mod is style-friendly as it automatically changes with your style and is fully phrased.
The looks and feel of the container is adjustable in a template.
The messages you want to show support any html and css.

The Info Center also runs on custom forum pages, like portals, that aren't in the same forum folder.



Installation Time:

Uploading various files, like style sheets, installing the product, add 1 word in a template will take about 3minutes.
Configuring the settings on on/off switches, usergroups and the text you would like to show can take from 5mins up to what ever you want to make of it.



Installation Steps:

1.
Upload the files that are located in the upload-folder, within the zip-file, to their respective places:
- /forum
- - /includes
- - - contentslider.css
- - - contentslider.js
- - - /xml
- - - - cpnav_LaCN.xml

2.
Install the product using the LaCN_InfoCenter.xml file.

3.
Go to your Templates.
Find in templates: Navigation / Breadcrumb Templates --> navbar
Find this line:

<!-- / nav buttons bar -->

Add beneath:

$LaCN_InfoCenter

Save it, and u're done in the templates.
You can choose where ever you'd like to place it, since it will pretty much load in any template. Some alternate locations are: footer and FORUMHOME.

4.
Refresh the menu frame in the admin-cp.
U'll see a new menu: LaCN, containing the 2 Info Center links.

5.
Go to the Info Center Options.
The first switch is to turn the whole Info Center on.
It's turned off by default.
Per set of usergroups you can show a message.
But there's only 2 message area's:

 ______________________________
|                              |
|           top area           |
| _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _ |
|                              |
|         bottom area          |
|______________________________|

The bottom could be set for anyone to read.
(you can use a 0 in the usergroups field to make it show to everyone)

The top area is shared amongst different sets of usergroups:
- guests (if turned on)
- nonactivated accounts (if turned on)
- registered accounts, but not seen as members (if turned on)
- members (if turned on)
A guest will never see the other messages, same for the rest.

The bottom area could be used for any group, as second set of messages.
For example to everyone, if u set the usergroups to 0 in there.

You could turn all switches in the top area off, and it will only show the bottom area.
You could also turn that bottom area off, and it will show nothing at all

6.
Within a message box, for example for Guests, you can have multiple messages, that will slide behind eachother. This will save space.
A message in every box must be within
<div class="contentdiv"> and </div> tags.
For example:

<div class="contentdiv">
  <br />Welcome Guest
</div>
<div class="contentdiv">
  <br />Welcome to our board
</div>

If you don't add those tags, the Info Center will NOT work properly !!
So even with 1 line you need to add those tags.



Remove vBulletins Guest Welcome header:

vBulletin comes with a nice guest message already:

Welcome to the ....
If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Together with the Info Center, this takes up too much space, and frankly becomes unnecessary.
Here's how to remove it:
Go to your template: Forum Home Templates --> FORUMHOME
Find:

<if condition="$show['guest']">
<!-- guest welcome message -->
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<tr>
	<td class="tcat"><phrase 1="$vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase[welcome_to_the_x]</phrase></td>
</tr>
<tr>
	<td class="alt1">
		<phrase 1="faq.php$session[sessionurl_q]" 2="register.php$session[sessionurl_q]">$vbphrase[first_visit_message]</phrase>
	</td>
</tr>
</table>
<!-- / guest welcome message -->
<br />
</if>

Remove that part.



Add on:

The GMT-mod is being used in this mod, to show the gmt time and date.
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=130818



Demo:

http://test.lacnfamily.com



Integration with Inferno's vbShout ShoutBox

The ShoutBox can be placed into the Info Center.
See here (#11) on how to.



Version History

1.51

• Added dynamic links in the template, so the InfoCenter can also show outside the forum folder, like in portals and custom forum pages.
• Made the default guest message smaller to fit on the default hight.

When upgrading from 1.5:
Edit 1 template: See here
Edit 1 phrase: See here

1.50

• The following messages changed into phrases:
  • Guest welcome
  • Account not activated by email user
  • nonmember
• Updated the contentslider.css file:
  • Updated the padding from the pagination
• Added the following in the template LaCN_InfoCenter:
  • Added global phrases InfoCenter title and description
  • Added support for styles who have round corners
• The following groups have been added (phrased):
  • Idler message
    posted long ago (how long ago, is settable)
  • Low post count
    users with a low postcount get a message (post count is settable)
  • Unread pm's
    users with one or more unread pm's will get a message if their pm-popup is turned off

When upgrading:

1. Save all your messages in a text file
2. Overwrite or edit the /includes/contentslider.css file with the new version.
3. Install the product, and overwrite the current one
4. Revert the template LaCN_InfoCenter
5. Go check the InfoCenter options, open the phrases, and edit the ones using your notepad

1.0
Original release.


Support:

• If the css and js files and the plugins aren't changed, I'll help you.
• In time I won't be visiting this forum every day, so you'll have to help eachother in the meantime.
• To share the knowledge on bugs and solutions, I'll maintain a link-list to the appropriate posts in here.
• If needed, I will make modifications after forum upgrades, as we use this one too ourselves.
  But unless vBulletin is going to change their php and variables structure, there's no concerns for having to change this mod for any upgrade.
  After each forum upgrade that "resetted" your template, you can simply add this mod back on by placing the "$LaCN_InfoCenter" back in.
• If there are any suggestions or whishes from multiple people, I'll do my best to make it

So all in all, I think I give the same support as others, but I choose to mark this mod as not-supported, to have nobody wait for me replying, and that you'll help eachother when you can



HELP FAQ:

1. I see only one text area, the other is vanished
   But I see the to be placed text in the source code o_0
   You forgot the <div class="contentdiv"> and </div> tags in one of the text areas in the Info Center options.
2. The $gmt (gmt time) isn't showing
   post #30
3. The InfoCenter isn't working well on my custom pages outside the forum directory, like a portal
   See solution in post 62
   (This improvement will be standard added into next version (newer than 1.50))

This is my first real mod, so bare with me

[LaCN]

Originally Posted by Luky

I said it would be better, well i would pefer it, if it only had one box instead of the top and bottom. Is it possible to do this without me having to edit any code? I can edit it, but i cannot be bothered as you most likely used plugins and they are a pain int eh butt to mod :|

You can use only 1 box

That's what I did when I placed VbShout in the Info Center

See this attachment in post 11

In there I used the 2nd box only, and made it twice as high (optionally).

If this won't do the trick as much as u like, then I"ll add a "in which box to show" setting in every message

[Luky]

Okay, cool.. Not sure if i wana use but, i already have a shoutbox and my header is tall, dont want users to have to scroll a whole lot just to view the forums!

[LaCN]

Originally Posted by Luky

Okay, cool.. Not sure if i wana use but, i already have a shoutbox and my header is tall, dont want users to have to scroll a whole lot just to view the forums!

Yes, I see the forum in ur signature has a Shoutbox and a welcome header underneath eachother.

If you used the InfoCenter, you could merge the two into one, and save room
(see both screenshots in post 11)

[Luky]

You must be a sales man -.-

The welcome message is only viewable by guests. And in the skin im working on the header is rather tall.

[LaCN]

Originally Posted by Luky

You must be a sales man -.-

The welcome message is only viewable by guests. And in the skin im working on the header is rather tall.

lol

Well, if u need any help, pm me



ps, "this mod is really amazing Mike !!"

[tschai]

With the newest zip-file version 1.5 works perfectly once again.

It almost works also with vBAdvanced...it only shows static: the content slider does not slide and it's kinda deformed...

aynone any idea how to make this work flawless with vBA?

Thankx in advance!

[LaCN]

Originally Posted by Renes4

With the newest zip-file version 1.5 works perfectly once again.

It almost works also with vBAdvanced...it only shows static: the content slider does not slide and it's kinda deformed...

aynone any idea how to make this work flawless with vBA?

Thankx in advance!

I don't have vBAdvanced myself..

I wouldb't know..

If u could give me some details, I could look into it

[tschai]

Well, I'm using vBAdvanced as a portal/frontend for my site...

There's an option where you can define variables globally, so the're available also in the frontend. In this particular case I just 'define' $LaCN_InfoCenter and put it in the template.

It works, in the sense: the data is shown, but not sliding; both 'pages' are shown as 1.
Somehow the script is not working correctly or so...

I'll post this one in http://www.vbadvanced.com forum also, maybe someone there can give us some pointers...

[rayw]

This looks pretty cool. Will have to try it out.

Thanks!

[LaCN]

Originally Posted by Renes4

Well, I'm using vBAdvanced as a portal/frontend for my site...

There's an option where you can define variables globally, so the're available also in the frontend. In this particular case I just 'define' $LaCN_InfoCenter and put it in the template.

It works, in the sense: the data is shown, but not sliding; both 'pages' are shown as 1.
Somehow the script is not working correctly or so...

I'll post this one in http://www.vbadvanced.com forum also, maybe someone there can give us some pointers...

I have an idea..

If it's only not working well on the VbAdvanced portal page, which I guess isn't like the other forum pages in the same folder...

Then it might be not working, cause it doesn't contain the correct path to the css and js file that are needed.

It's just a guess..
- I'll look up the the basic forum path variable and will post it here, so u can add it into your InfoCenter template, and I'll add it into the next version.
- You could really help me by giving your forum address, so I can take a look at the source code.