Add-On Releases - vBExperience 3.8

vBExperience 3.8 (aka xPerience)

Created by Marius Czyz aka Phalynx.

Triple Winner of the "Mod of the Month"-Award (March 2008, September 2009, July 2010) on vBulletin.org.

A version for vBulletin 4.0 has been released! Thread: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=245023


vBExperience 3.8.6 is currently (August 2010) in development.


Description
vBExperience is your feature packaged solution for motivation and satisfying your users. vBExperience is an advanced Level/Promotion and Activity System with Shop, Awards and Activities. It will calculate an activity and experience score for every user based on their activites on the forum. Now your users will see how their level is increasing by participating on your forum.

This mod was developed by me because I was never satisfied with the post count. Communities are not only defined by post count, they need much more parameters: Are the postings the user creates helpful? Are his threads frequently read? Does the user participate on the community by posting pictures, attachments, leaving visitor messages, tagging threads? All this can be answered with this mod.

Comments, suggestions, translations, bugs, etc... are very welcome! Support is only given to people who have clicked Mark as Installed.


Compatibility
This mod will work with vBulletin 3.7.x and 3.8.x. For vBulletin 3.6 you will need vBExperience 3.7



Demo:
http://www.insideearth.net/xperience.php?langid=5

Demo 3.8.6:
http://www.insidetwoworlds.com/xperience.php

Other Demo Site:
http://www.insidesupcom.de/xperience.php?langid=1


There are mainly four things visible for the users: The users score, his level, his next level up in %/points and his activity in %.


Calculation of the score
Taken into calculation are these things:
Threads
- Created threads
- Thread views of own threads
- Thread replies of own threads
- Thread votes of own threads
- Thread tags
- Replies to own threads
- Sticky threads
- Socialgroup Discussions (Discussions, Posts)

Posts
- Created posts
- Views on attachments

User
- Days since registration
- Average posts per Day (for users who are on forum for at least seven days)
- Referrals
- Received infractions
- Reputation / Use of reputation system
- Visitor messages on profiles
- Members of own social groups
- Albumpictures
- Friends
- Completing Profile

Misc
- Calendar entries


Additionally there is support for 3rd party addons (some are already installed):
- vB Tournaments and Ladders (via CDP Addon)
- Post Ranking System (via CDP Addon)
- Helpful Answers (via CDP Addon)
- AWCoding-Donation System LITE and PRO (via CDP Addon)
- Cyb Paypal Donate (included)
- DownloadsII (included)
- ibProArcade Highscorer Points (via CDP Addon)
- LDM Links and Downloads Manager (included)
- PhotoPlog 2.1 (via CDP Addon)
- PhotoPost vBGallery (via CDP Addon)
- PhotoPost Pro (via CDP Addon)
- Post Thank You / Use of Post Thank You (via CDP Addon)
- QuoteIt! 3.16 (via CDP Addon)
- SAPR: Advanced Post Rating system (via CDP Addon)
- thanks via vS-Hide Hack Resurrection (Expanded Edition) (included)
- v3arcade Highscorer Points (via CDP Addon)
- v3arcade Submissions Points (via CDP Addon)
- vBulletin Blog (included)
- Who Downloaded This Attachment? (included)
- Other Addons can be easily added via CDP - Custom Data Provider plugins.

Additionally you can install these modifications:
- Thread Necromancer: Gives (minus-) points when a user is posting in old threads.
- Scrupulous Poster: Gives points for editing posts. Award users that are editing own posts instead of doing double post.
- Deletion Addicted: Gives points when an user/nod soft-deletes post, thread, visitormessage, groupmessage or picturecomment.
- Arm of Law: Give points for moderators who are using the infraction system
- Discussion Ender: Give points for people who are the last on a discussion
- RadioActivity: Reduce points for every day the user is not online

Also, there are already addons available that are working as Custom Data Provider (CDP). A CDP can extend vBExperience by collecting data and adding it to the vBExperience datastore. All point providers can be used for Awards and Shop.

You have to install these hacks for your own, vBExperience doesn't install nor touches these.


vBAdvanced
There are three vBAdvanced 3.0 XML modules: Most Active Users, Most Experienced Users and Last 20 Activities. Import them via vBAdvanced AdminCP.


Awards
There are six default awards: Most Popular, Activity Award, Posting Award, Community Award, Frequent Poster, Blog Award, Calendar Award. The awards are shown in Rankings and Profile. You can set them also to display in postbit near the username. There is a scheduled job running once a day (02:30h) to calculate them.
Via AdminCP they are completely customizeable and can also be assigned manually.
Awards can be created for every data provider.


Rankings
Showing User, Level, Awards, Activity Points (experience, thread, post, user, misc) - sortable.
Since 3.8.3, there is a also a ranking for Social Groups

Shop
A virtual Shop will motivate your users to earn more points. You can define categories and put virtual items with pictures in it. A currency can be defined seperatly for every item, e.g. 20 points from threads or 100 points from gallery. Users can purchase the items, they appear in their profile. The costs of the item are substracted from their xperience points. Additionally you can set quantity of the items.
The Shop will motivate your users to collect specific points to buy an item. Optionally you can show the last purchased items on postbit.
You can put virtual items in it, like WoW addons: Sell WoW Items in exchange of f.e. thread points. Great for RPG forums.
Non-Virtual Items like bold Usernames or Downloads for Points are already on my todo list.

Earn Points
There is an overview for the user on how points can be collected, with a list of users own points. All data is beeing pulled from the database (settings, phrases)

Statistics
The statistics is showing a Top-X list of the leading users. Usefull for optimizing points of the point provider. Only enabled point providers with results will be displayed.


Promotion system
To motivate users to do more on your forum I created the promotion system. By reaching defined xperience points the user will be moved to another usergroup - where you can set graphics, shadows, highlighting, etc... What is interesting in combination with this: you can give the user more possibilities f.e. larger avatars or bigger PM box. A log of the promotions is available.


Calculation of the activity
The system calculates the activity by taking the average post count/visitormessages/group discussion/Blog entries of the ten most active user and comparing it to own post count. This can be set to count only the last X days, f.e. 21 days.


Settings
You can control how many points are given to every calculation. For example you can give many points for creating new threads but only a few for views of that thread. Setting a value to 0 will disable a setting.
Additionally, you can set ignore users (f.e. for bot users), forums (f.e. offtopic forums) and usergroup id's.


Performance, Big Boards
vBExperience has been tested on smaller and also on some bigger sites. I know from boards with around 120k users running this mod smoothly. More about this topic can be read in the file readme_optimization.txt


Frequently asked questions
Q: How do I change the name Experience to something new?
A: You can change the name via phrases. Just search and replace all phrases that contains vBExperience.

Q: When installing vBExperience, does everyone start from scratch, or will it automatically configure everyone's points based on actions before the install?
A: If you recount, vBExperience will calculate ALL existing data since the beginning of the board.

Known Issues:
- Awards: On "Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread" awards are only shown for the user who is viewing this.
- Awards: If activated in with rich username, they are attached to the username. If the username is linked, the awards are also linked. If a link is underlined, the awards are also underlined. This behaviour is hardcoded in vBulletin and cannot be fixed.
- Settings are showing only a blank page, read here: http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/proje...6979#note74140
- If you completely remove vBExperience, you need also to uninstall the product XML manually from the pluginssystem

Credits for icons
- FAMFAMFAM, http://www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/silk/
- IconExperience


History
3.8.4.3 / 3.8.5 Beta 5, 10th July 2011
- Prio 1 security patch, please update just xperience.php!


3.8.5 Beta 4, 25th September 2009
- Promotions: Listing now also the last Usergroup. Please notice the new settings for nethermost/uppermost usergroups.
- Several minor cosmetic changes
- Clear Activities (except Shop)
- Fixed error with GetActivityAll() on profile
- Several Beta 3 fixes

3.8.5 Beta 3, 18th September 2009
- Fixed Promotions
- Fixed Notifications
- Added Activities to Promotions
- All Activities are not obeying limit
- AdminCP/Experience has a recount for Promotions and Achievements
- Fixed listing of Achievements with Firefox
- Several Beta 2 fixes

3.8.5 Beta 2, 02nd September 2009
- Just a short note: Condition in Achievements and Promotions are calculated in POINTS, not in counts of items.
If you choose 10 Day, you must enter the points needed for this.
For example: You have an achievement for 10 days. You have set 2 points for every day since registering. Calculation: 10*2 = 20
You will have to set 20 as the condition.
- New tabbed interface. If you want to change the style, edit the template xperience_navbar_css
- Promotions now showing usergroups and conditions for a promotion to the next group
- You can import old vBExperience Legacy promotions (that were created within level.xml)
- Achievements in Profile
- Achievements below Avatar
- Several Beta 1 fixes

3.8.5 Beta 1, 28th August 2009
- Achievements!
- Promotions!
- Notification on Awards, Promotions and Achievements
- GAP: Empty pointfields will not be displayed anymore
- Activity: Showing percent values with a decimal
- Activities now also for users
- Awards below Avatar
- Default Awards are now also creating new category
- Shop: Fixed issue in not returning cash on sells
- Reworked Edit Shop Items



For more see history.txt

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by p4rp4d30

Hello, I need a way to just update my vbexperience statistics as always to make a post always remains at 0 and does not
Update of statistics can solve this problem?

Thank you expect answers.

Sorry for my Bad English

I don't understand this 100%, sorry. The recount for a specific user is trigged by a users posting, not by his post count.

Originally Posted by gigaenvy

Hi Phalynx,

Do you have an estimated date for delivery?

No, sorry....

Originally Posted by lauxanh

Does it works with Xcache installed?

I tried before and it does not work

I have not experience () with that.

Originally Posted by cooltechie

Where can I find the instructions on how to do (set graphics, shadows, highlighting, etc... ) as listed for promotion features?

The usergroups are configured via vBulletin default AdminCP Tools.

Originally Posted by Calystos

Seems I'm having that old issue of certain things not showing up in the admincp. I viewed that url link in the info an I have both libxml and php updated to at least the versions they recommended an yet still I don't see certain things.

Its just the Settings: ... options, the rest of the menu items show up. Statistics, the manage stuff, etc.

Any ideas? Could it be cos of one of the other addons I've got enabled, such as vb optimise, or something else?

This is not a bug in vBExperience, as all other hacks with that specific link have problems with it.

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by Noser

hello how can i add the text above the experience bars?

greetings Noser

Enable setting "Show bar text?"

Originally Posted by Sin City

sorry for asking a question that may have already been asked, but i am not reading through 49 pages lol... does the store on this allow users to buy colored, italics, bold, etc user names?... basically does it have the things that were done on previous stores, or is it just like the things you have screenshotted?

No, not supported.

Originally Posted by kalisekj

Hi Great Mod BTW, I am getting a DB error message when I attempt to do a recount.
Database error in vBulletin 3.8.2:

Invalid SQL:
SELECT
COUNT(p.postid) as count_posts
FROM post as p
INNER JOIN thread AS t ON (p.threadid = t.threadid)
WHERE p.visible=1 AND p.dateline>1243951920 AND t.forumid NOT IN(164, 165, 166, 173, 172,)
GROUP BY p.userid
ORDER BY count_posts DESC
LIMIT 0,10;

MySQL Error : You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ')
GROUP BY p.userid
ORDER BY count_posts DESC
LIMIT 0,10' at line 5
Error Number : 1064
Request Date : Tuesday, June 23rd 2009 @ 09:12:25 AM
Error Date : Tuesday, June 23rd 2009 @ 09:12:25 AM
Script : http://freeonlinemoviesforum.com/adm...nce_recount_xp
Referrer : http://freeonlinemoviesforum.com/adm...nce_recount_xp
IP Address : 189.216.118.250
Username : 2borno2b
Classname : vB_Database
MySQL Version : 5.0.81-community

Remove the spaces and the last colon...

Originally Posted by Thijmen1992

How do I just only display the awards in my postbit?
Only the awards.

Enable setting "Hide bars in Postbit?"

Originally Posted by LieuR

I have 100 posts more then another guy that have 32 pots, still he get the award Posting Award :/ I have recounted 5 times lol, still same thing

Are the awards limited in any way? So maybe you already have 3 awards, so all other awards you could get are carryied to the next one...

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by animcentral

is there anyway to set points per forum?
or add a coefficient per forum?

I'n 3.8.4 there is a new plugin called "Advanced Forum Points" which is capable of this.

Originally Posted by NetX

Is there any way to use the VbExperience rankings to assign different permissons to the users with user gropus?

For example, access special forums, links etc..

Yes, with promotions and usergroupds.

Originally Posted by Sisiric

how to run this for old user post?

Maintenance Tools, Recount

Originally Posted by calord

I have tried surfing this thread for the solution to this problem with no luck.

Awards and items bought from the shop are NOT showing in the postbit. Yes it is a custom made skin from vbskinworks, but I do not see what or where to edit to get these items to show up in the postbit. I am using postbit legacy template and I dont even know where to begin fixing this.

And thank you for this brilliant mod. It is my favorite site toy so far.

I assume there are missing template hooks in that custom style.

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by SHER

Install....and what about the extras folder

No need to do anything there. It's just extras like screenshots, plugins, etc...

Originally Posted by applebeef

There's another 'problem'--

-I had an item under "Category A"
-1 user purchased the item
-I deleted "Category A", thinking, logically that all items inside would be deleted as well

Nope. Item A still exists in the user's postbit/profile. And he says he cannot sell it back to the store.

I on the other hand can't delete it in the AdminCP.... so we have a ghost item. How do I get rid of it?

That is in fact a really problem for which I don't have a solution right now. Maybe all items of a category should be moved to another by deleting it.

Originally Posted by Psychosiis2

For some reason it won't level me up, What is wrong? I have 1,054 points and I"m still at level 1.

Oh wait, my crystal ball is damaged at the moment... Maybe you provide a little more informations, like the level xml you used?

[applebeef]

That is in fact a really problem for which I don't have a solution right now. Maybe all items of a category should be moved to another by deleting it.

Alright thanks Phalynx, I guess I'm not too bothered by it, as I caught it so it ended up only affecting 1 user.

This is an absolutely amazing mod, thanks a lot.

[RoL360]

I can't get the images to display on my template, Lunablack, for my forums.

Lunablack folder is placed on the forums folder and not placed in the usual styles folder. What can I do to get this sorted and working?
Thanks.

[Eruantien]

Im in the same boat. I can't get the images to display on my custom style. I've re-uploaded the files and basically did the install over again. No luck

[M i K e]

I have a slight problem:

here and here

[fbriceno97]

I am using the latest version of the vS-Hide Hack Resurrection (Expanded Edition) 3.7.6 and there is no way that this take the thanks from it.

the Helpful Award is assigned to nobody.

Any clues about what is the problem here?

regards

[johny30238]

Originally Posted by RoL360

I can't get the images to display on my template, Lunablack, for my forums.

Lunablack folder is placed on the forums folder and not placed in the usual styles folder. What can I do to get this sorted and working?
Thanks.

All you have to do it find out where you theme is pulling its images. For example my theme pulls its theme images from :

web root/images/styles/"name of product"/

So im my case i would put the misc. folder here

web root/images/styles/"name of product"/misc/

And it should put the images up properly hope that helps !!