Geek Article System 3.52

IMPORTANT:
Please note that I can no longer support this project. Primarily as it is designed for vb3.0.x and I no longer use that version (im obviously on vb3.5x ). There is a version for vb3.5 however its a commercial script. This project is left here for the community.
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HowdA All.

The GAS3 system is a comprehensive article system that completely integrates into vB3.

News:

• Updated 3/08/05 to version 3.53 for compatability with vb3.08
• Updated 13/05/05 to version 3.52!!! Posts for 3.52 to integrate with GAL4.0 start here

History

Originally, I looked into other article systems to integrate with my forums but just got irritated over and over again as I found the other offering out there very limiting for my needs. I wanted to use my members usergroup permissions, the search facility (so when someone did a search for 'bob' both articles AND threads appeared on one page), I also wanted wysiwyg editing and vBs attachment system. Well, I accomplished 99% of my needs with the Geek Article System 2.0
Why 3.0? While the 2.0 was fine for my needs, many users began asking for a far more complex system that took the beauty of 2.0 and added popular features in the other article systems.

Here are the features in a nutshell:

• Integrates 100% into vB. No importing forums or creating special groups. Simply mark forum as an 'Article' forum and instantly all threads become articles. Dont like it anymore? Simply remove the ID and the therads and forums go back to normal.
• Whatever you can do in a thread or post, you can do with the GAS3 system (uploading attachments, smiles, BBcode, various editors, yadayadayada)
• Adding on the above point: all the differing vB editors (wysiwyg, etc..), usergroup permissions (heck - anything you can set for a forum you can set in this - AND MORE!) why> because it is totally integrated!
• Create multiple pages in your post by simply putting [BREAK] anywhere in your post.
• The first thumbnail in an article substitutes the posters avatar (switchable via admincp)
• Upload header images and have them auto resize
• Choose header images from a global (or forum specific) gallery
• Integrated article byline.
• Synopsis - allows users to give a summary that appears on the new forumdisplay
• New forumdisplay shows article header image and synopsis (if no synopsis then the first X amount of characters from the article is used)
• Synopisis allows BBCode
• Integrates with the Geek AutoLink system (optional)
• Allows you to post as other users
• Article sidebar that shows the article rating, your rating, the rating form, article tools, and article attachments (all toggable via admincp)
• An auto installer/upgrader/uninstaller that makes all file edits for you!
• A whole host of other tiddlybits that I wont bore you with

Special thanks goes to rlamego, peterska2, Snow, Gldtn, and Magic Spark for private Beta testing this for me. Couldnt of happened without them!

Change log
13.05.05 - updated to 3.52
All this does is update GAS for the GAL4.0 integration.
To update, simply replace your existing functions_geekarticles.php with the one in the latest package.

18.3.05 - updated to 3.51
This really just fixes a couple of mega minor bugs.
Added new default icon per forum functionality (see readme)
Wrote a real README.
Wrote a seperate 3.5x upgrade script. Users of 3.5x should run admincp/gas3_upgrade.php

16.3.05 - updated to 3.50
Loads of new features and a new installer that makes the file changes for you.
New forumdisplay
Uploading of images for your header
Synopsis box
yadayadayda

10.2.05 - updated to 3.02
Fixed typo in readme (step 2.6 referenced $articlebyline instead of $GAS_byline). This bug fixes the disappearing byline when editing an article.
To upgrade - edit your editpost template and search for $articlebyline then replace it with $GAS_byline

Importers
I have made an importer for v3articles. Technically speaking, you dont have to strictly have GAS3 installed to use the importer (though it is ideal). What it does is essentailly import v3articles, comments, ratings, and attachments into existing forums as new threads, replies, threadratings, and post attachments. The idea is that you install GAS3, create the forums to house your articles, and then import your existing v3articles into them (but as I said, you can simply import v3articles into normal forums without having GAS3 installed).
There is also a rollback feature in case you change your mind or experience a problem with the import. Your v3articles installation isnt touched. In fact, no v3articles are harmed in the process

Known issues:

• none that I am aware of.

Demos: (note that I have a custom skin, so your results will be ever so slightly different)
http://www.thenailgeek.com/showthread.php?t=11287
http://www.thenailgeek.com/showthread.php?t=8801 - pages with comments (click View Comments to see comments only)


Difficulty - EASY
Time - about 5 minutes
File modifications? a few but now all done automatically for you

Change log:

Updated to 3.01 Feb 7th
Fixed a couple template errors and minor readme instructions


Instructions

Click install. I have busted my butt over the past few weeks to do this and all I ask is that you click install if you use it

• Download the package and unzip.
• Follow the README!
• Ther installer does all the work for you
• When done, go into your admncp, and adjust your settings

Troubleshooting:

• No phrases after install? This happens a lot with many installers for some bizzare reason. All you have to do is do a phrase search for GAS_ , edit the phrase (dont change it), then save it. Bingo - all your phrases appear.

Also:

I would therefore backup your DB, your styles, and any of the files the README asks you to change.

nJoy

[Lizard King]

gas folder supposed to be in your forum folder and you have to chmod it to 777 if not it will not find gas directory

[emtee]

Originally Posted by The Geek

if it is an article forum it uses GAS_threadbit.

What you want to get rid of is the goto=newpost and goto=lastpost
if you are trying to prevent users going to last comments.

HTH's

Yes, I had edited GAS_threadbitm and that forum was marked as an article forum also, but it also didn't go to showthread.php?t=$thread[threadid], even though after I removed goto=newpost and goto=lastpost from GAS_threadbit. That's why I said I suspect it might be in threadbit template itself.

If you have a test board, can you check this please? Or anyone else who has the same problem, can you verify this? Thank you in advance.

[theoperative]

gas folder supposed to be in your forum folder and you have to chmod it to 777 if not it will not find gas directory

yes those are the settings I have, I am using vb 3.0.7 could that be the issue?

[The Geek]

Originally Posted by theoperative

yes those are the settings I have, I am using vb 3.0.7 could that be the issue?

check the readme - you need to manually create the file structure in this situation. After that - the rest is a snap

HTH's

[theoperative]

Originally Posted by The Geek

check the readme - you need to manually create the file structure in this situation. After that - the rest is a snap

HTH's

I'm sorry for being a pain, but the readme doesn't really elaborate on creating the structure manually could you please explain that a little better. Thanks Much

[The Geek]

no stress. Your not being a pain - here is the section from the readme.

I hope it helps:

Originally Posted by readme

Important!

• You must upload all files in package to their respective locations (including the gas folder)
• Make sure that the gas folder (and its contents) are chmod'ed to 0777
• If your admincp folder has been renamed. I would rename it to admincp until the install is done - then you can revert it back
• In a couple of instances, the folder structure in gas/changes doesnt get made. Manually creating it seemed to do the trick so here it is:
  • gas/changes
    • admincp
      • index.php
    • includes
      • functions_showthread.php
    • editpost.php
    • forumdisplay.php
    • newthread.php
    • printthread.php
    • showthread.php
• The backup folder (gas/changes/backup) is the exact same
• Each folder also has an index.html file in it. Dont copy those back into the forums folder. That is just to prevent directory browsing

[rjordan]

I searched the thread and did not see this question asked. I hope I did not miss it!

Anyway, in the following step:

step 610 
 
in showthread.php, replace:
 
SELECT filename, filesize, visible, attachmentid, counter, postid, IF(thumbnail_filesize > 0, 1, 0) AS hasthumbnail, thumbnail_filesize
with:
 
SELECT filename, filesize, visible, attachmentid, counter, postid, IF(thumbnail_filesize > 0, 1, 0) AS hasthumbnail, thumbnail_filesize, description

I see 2 instances of the line being searched for. Which do I change?

EDIT:

The same for the following:

 step 611 
 
in showthread.php, replace:
 
$postattach["$attachment[postid]"]["$attachment[attachmentid]"] = $attachment;
with:
 
$postattach["$attachment[postid]"]["$attachment[attachmentid]"] = $attachment;// === GAS step 611 ===if ($GAS_setting['is_article'] AND $GAS_setting['show_thumb_as_avatar']){	if (!$GAS_setting['rt_thumb_avatar']){ $GAS_setting['rt_thumb_avatar']=gas_getthumbasavatar($attachment['attachmentid'],$attachment['filename']); }}// === /GAS step 611 ===

and

step 612 
 
in showthread.php, replace:
 
$postbits .= construct_postbit($post, $template);
with:
 
// === GAS step 612 ===if($GAS_setting['is_article']){	gas_prepare_postbit($post['postid']==$FIRSTPOSTID);	if(($post['postid']==$FIRSTPOSTID) OR $GAS_setting['rt_comments_only']){		$articlebits .= construct_postbit($post, $GAS_setting['rt_template']); }else{ 		$commentsbits .= construct_postbit($post, $GAS_setting['rt_template']); }}else{	$postbits .= construct_postbit($post, $template);}// === /GAS step 612 ===

I had to do this manually as I have a highly modified installation. These three steps are all that I have not completed.

[3GNMEDIA]

err, I did everything. Do you have any screenshots of the Admin Panel? I don't see any changes in it.

edit: disregard this, i just see it now

[memobug]

Thanks for this!

The install went smoothly. A couple of notes:

1. Regarding The lines in GAS setting

URL to default image can be relative (i.e. gas/images/default.jpg)

Maybe I am misunderstanding something, but there seem to be a couple of problems here. The first is that this setting has a bug that inserts an extra slash in front of the link, making it become:
/http://www.domain.com/forum/gas/images/default.jpg
if you use a relative link it will enter a slash too

I think it has something to do with these "safety checks" in line 163. I had to comment them out to get it to stop inserting that slash:

# if(substr($GAS_setting['default_header_image'],0,1)!='/'){
#		 $GAS_setting['default_header_image'] = '/' . $GAS_setting['default_header_image'];
#		}
#

regardless of what you enter!

I also found that despite the fact that these two parameters say "CAN BE RELATIVE" in fact, the second link, the one to the default image, has to be relative. This is because the two get appended together!

The only way I could get an image out of it was to comment out all the safety checks - in particular this one that strips a slash off the end of the images directory

# if(substr($GAS_setting['url_to_header_images'],-1,1)=='/'){
#		 $GAS_setting['url_to_header_images'] = substr($GAS_setting['url_to_header_images'],0,strlen($GAS_setting['url_to_header_images'])-1);
#

and then use these settings:

URL to your images folder can be relative (i.e. gas/images) : http://www.mydomain.com/forum/gas/images/
URL to default image can be relative (i.e. gas/images/default.jpg):
default.jpg

Then when GAS appends the two together, I get good links!


A note:

2. I noticed that the path to the buttons was picking up my template path, so the buttons had to be reinstalled in the /buttons folder for the images associated to the template set where they were used.

A suggestion:

3. I think it would be great if a [BREAK] inserted a "Next Page" link right at the bottom of the template beneath the text Without it, it looks like the article is over and the user would think so unless he looked for the fiddly little Page 1 2 > links.

Thanks!

Matt

[The Geek]

rjordan - are you sure you havent already run the install? It looks to me like those changes have already been done?

memo - Thanks for the info. First anyone has mentioned problems with the safety checks.
You suggestion re: next page is good - Ill keep it in mind. The goal would really be to do a [break=on to page 2!] - but havent quite gotten my head around making it happen yet.

nJoy