Integration with vBulletin - Text Messaging (SMS) for vBulletin 4.0

June 2014: I just realized that this thing was still around after getting a random PM about it - I may have some short-term plans to redo this, but for now I'm pulling the files because it's been so long and I have no idea if anything still works. At one point I bought a vB Suite license for 4.1 (at the time, I have no idea where vB is at now) so I'll poke around and see if it'll be practical to update this.

Original description text still below.

Text Messaging for vBulletin does what it implies - adds text messaging functions to your forums! Users can set up their cell phone number and sign up for notifications of a new private message or visitor message received. The forum will send them a text message in close to real time, letting them know about their new message wherever they might be.

Updated 2-15-2010 6:30AM GMT to add support for T-Mobile and Virgin Mobile.

This is being brought back from when I retired it in 2008 from vB 3.7, I think it was. It's been redesigned from scratch to be more reliable, as well as compatible with vB 4.0. It is not yet compatible with vBulletin 3.8 - I'll be working on downgrading it within the next week or so.

This version supports Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Verizion cell phone numbers. It is a light version of a bigger modification - you can learn more about the full version here. Please note that I will only answer question or otherwise discuss the full version modification via my website.

Features:
- Compatible with Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Verizon cell phones
- Allows users to receive text messages when they receive a new PM or visitor message
- PIN verification ensures number ownership and saves forum resources
- Users can be reached by your forum wherever they are, any time of day
- Nearly fully phrased (including the text of the text messages), making translation easy

Live Demo:
A live demo can be found on my Demonstration Forums at this link. Please note that registration is required to set up text messaging, as there's no way to store your user info as a guest, obviously.

Screenshots:
Attached to this post. Also, I thought the picture with my phone turned out cool. And as for the 2016 date, it's an HTC phone plagued by a Windows Mobile date display glitch... haha.

Support:
I will provide support whenever I can - I've been pretty good about it lately. Please click Install before asking for support.

I also appreciate it when you support me by purchasing the full versions of the free products you get a lot of use out of.

[Jabong82]

I just downloaded this application and uploaded it to my forum however I am having some issues with the uploading.

In my Admin CP, I am able to load the XML file where it now shows up in my Manage Products section and I am able to see the settings in my Vbulletin Options.

That being said, when I go to "Usergroups" to enable the permissions, there is nothing about the Text Messaging program. So I can't "turn-on" the feature for my forum.

Any idea why this may be?

Thanks in advance.

[Mrquarter2]

Can you please assist me? I have done everything like you said and every time I try to receive the text, it never comes through. I have AT&T and I put my number in, but the text never shows up.

[robwoelich]

Originally Posted by NittoMOD

When a user enters an invalid pin and clicks the "click here to resend..." they get the following error -

Internal Server Error
The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.

Please contact the server administrator, support@supportwebsite.com and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.

More information about this error may be available in the server error log.

Edit the "User CP Text Messaging Options" plugin, and at the very bottom where it says:

PHP Code:

// use regular mail this time... maybe vbmail is backed up 


... change mail( <stuff> ) to vbmail( <stuff> ). That should fix it for you.

[robwoelich]

Originally Posted by Jabong82

I just downloaded this application and uploaded it to my forum however I am having some issues with the uploading.

In my Admin CP, I am able to load the XML file where it now shows up in my Manage Products section and I am able to see the settings in my Vbulletin Options.

That being said, when I go to "Usergroups" to enable the permissions, there is nothing about the Text Messaging program. So I can't "turn-on" the feature for my forum.

Any idea why this may be?

Thanks in advance.

Make sure you uploaded the bitfield XML to /includes/xml/ before you import the product, as that's what adds the "on/off" options to the usergroup permissions. If you don't upload it before you import the product, the bitfields don't get rebuilt properly to add the options.

[robwoelich]

Originally Posted by Mrquarter2

Can you please assist me? I have done everything like you said and every time I try to receive the text, it never comes through. I have AT&T and I put my number in, but the text never shows up.

If you're getting the confirmation PIN but not the texts, I can't think of a reason you wouldn't be getting other texts. The process for sending the PIN and sending everything else isn't significantly different. I'd verify:

1. You've uninstalled and deleted all uploaded files related to texting, and used the current ZIP file to re-upload all files and then import the product;
2. You've uploaded everything where it goes before importing the product;
3. You've turned on all options in the Admin CP > vBulletin Options > Text Messaging Options;
4. You've enabled texting for your usergroup(s) in Admin CP > Usergroups > Edit Usergroups (options are usually near the bottom of each usergroup's configuration page);
5. You've turned on texting in your User CP > Edit Options;

I'll try to look through the code some more before the next update (which should be in the next day or two) to try to figure out what could be causing texts to not send despite all of that being configured correctly, but like I mentioned before, I've fully tested the product on my development forums at this point and everything was functioning as it should, so nothing should be different based on carrier unless AT&T requires you to enable some special feature through your plan to receive these texts... but once again, if you're getting the PIN text, that shouldn't be the case.

[cmmguy]

I dont understand what this does that I can already do now. I get SMS messages for new posts, threads, PMs to my cell phone using the regular vBulletin email notification.

nnn-nnn-nnnn@vtext.com (for Verizon)

All of the other carriers do the same thing.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/email-to-sms/

Or am I missing something here?

[robwoelich]

Originally Posted by cmmguy

I dont understand what this does that I can already do now. I get SMS messages for new posts, threads, PMs to my cell phone using the regular vBulletin email notification.

nnn-nnn-nnnn@vtext.com (for Verizon)

All of the other carriers do the same thing.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/email-to-sms/

Or am I missing something here?

The difference is that this is an easy way to mass-integrate that functionality for all of your users in an easy to setup format, without interfering with regular email notifications - and sending text-friendly messages (<160 characters) only on events that are really relevant to a text based notification.

[Jabong82]

I have ATT and I installed it and it works great. Thanks Rob for a great app!.

[murekhalir]

This is sexy THANKS.

[CoZmicShReddeR]

Wow this is amazing stuff I have it working on at&t with my VB 4.02 CMS!