Arrange Sub-Forums in columns

Better alternatives to this hack:

3.6 plugin version by Cybernetec with more options:
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=122996

3.5 plugin version by Atakan KOC: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=118935

CSS/templates version by hpwilhelm:
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=91299

Ported from 3.0.x.

What it does
This hack arranges sub-forums on the forum home into 2 columns, makeing large lists of sub-forums more presentable. You can see the before/after in the screenshots attached

Note:
1. You need to enable sub-forum display on the forum home from your vB admin panel
2. This hack is for the forum home page, not forum display.

To enable sub-forums on the forum home page
1. Go to your forum Admin panel
2. Click vBulletin Options
3. Select "Forum Listings Display Options" from the drop down list
4. In "Depth of Sub-Forums" replace 0 with 1

Installation
To install, edit the file includes/functions_forumlist.php

1. Find (there are two slightly different lines, differing by a space, the one in question is around line 552)

PHP Code:

    if (!isset($vbulletin->iforumcache["$parentid"]))
    {
        return $output;
    } 


Place this code below it:

PHP Code:

 $output .= "<table width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" ><tr valign=\"top\"> ";
      $cols = 0; 


2. Find

PHP Code:

            if (!empty($output))
            {
                $subforum = $splitter["$canpost"] . $subforum;
            }
            if ($depth < $vbulletin->options['subforumdepth'])
            {
                $output .= construct_subforum_bit($forumid, $cancontainthreads, $subforum, $depthmark . '--', $depth + 1);
            }
        }
    }

    return $output;

} 


Replace with

PHP Code:

                        //sub-forum hack
            if ($depth < $vbulletin->options['subforumdepth'])
                        {
                                $cols++;
                                if ($cols==3)
                                        {
                                        $cols = 1;
                                        $output .=  "</tr><tr>";
                                        }

                        $output .= '<td width="50%">' . construct_subforum_bit($forumid, $cancontainthreads, $subforum, $depthmark . '--', $depth + 1) . "</td>";
                        }
        }
    }

        if ($cols ==1) $output.="<td>&nbsp;</td></tr></table>";
    else $output.="</tr></table>";

        return $output;

}
//end hack 


Template modification (optional)
As this hack will list the sub-forums in a table, the font used is not effected by the <div> tag for subforums, which will cause the default font to be used instead of smallfont.

To use smallfont for sub-forum names, edit the "forumhome_subforumbit_post"

Change (this is the whole template)

 <img class="inlineimg" src="$stylevar[imgdir_statusicon]/subforum_$forum[statusicon].gif" alt="" /> <a href="forumdisplay.php?$session[sessionurl]f=$forum[forumid]">$forum[title]</a>

To:

 <img class="inlineimg" src="$stylevar[imgdir_statusicon]/subforum_$forum[statusicon].gif" alt="" /> <a href="forumdisplay.php?$session[sessionurl]f=$forum[forumid]"><span class="smallfont">$forum[title]</span></a>

And for those who want to edit or remove the "Sub-forum" word, just remove (or edit, if you just want to change it) "<strong>$vbphrase[subforums]</strong>:" from the "forumhome_forumbit_level2_post" template.

handling of sub-forums.

[Smiry Kin's]

very usfull!

[RetroDreams]

Originally Posted by newfun

How to move this text: Sub-Forums: out?

Look in the "forumhome_forumbit_level2_post" template and remove the following:

$vbphrase[subforums]</strong>:

[YLP1]

Tamarian, I really appreciate this modification as it brings order to an otherwise very busy category page.

I have two questions: I just LOVE your forum layout (your pic examples on the mod). It appears you mastered the tabbed look.... I am fairly new to php and coding...is this a vb style? How can one get the same tabbed look?

I found the answer to my second question.

[tamarian]

Originally Posted by YLP1

is this a vb style? How can one get the same tabbed look?

It's the standard vb style, just some different colours, and using some old vB 1.x icons

[dead7]

Working great on 3.5.2 -- Much obliged for this, organizes it all much better.

[bada_bing]

WIll this work on 3.5.3 also any change of making this a plugin ?

[bada_bing]

question how can I get me forum and subforums to look like your first example? I cant even get mine to look like that and im running vb 3.5.3 ?

[bada_bing]

Originally Posted by bada_bing

question how can I get me forum and subforums to look like your first example? I cant even get mine to look like that and im running vb 3.5.3 ?

Anyone ?

[rages4calm]

Ok im getting a headache from hell doing this crap.

I followed all steps even with the new warnings added.

Im using 3.5.2

Made sure the forum was set to sub forum depth of 1... with the top two being 2.

i edited the php file and checked it 3 times.

When i uploaded the php file nothing changed at all.

hmm
so i set
Depth of Forums - Forum Home = 1
Depth of Forums - Forum Display = 1
Depth of Sub-Forums = 2

Ahh ha.. it works.. but.. my post counts and stats etc.. all gone.

so i put it back to
2
2
1
...
nope looks like my regular forum.

[rages4calm]

uhh anyone?