Custom Invitation Message, w/Search Engine, Terms

This is a PRODUCT: go to Manage Products, upload, to install.

This Product creates a "Welcome" or "Invitation to Join" table for guests. If the guest reaches your site via a search engine, the message will display the search engine name and the search terms to entice them to join.

It works with Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and a couple of others.

Members don't see the message: only guests.

The message will replace the "Posting Rules" - I never saw much need for guests to see the Posting Rules, after all. Members will still see the normal Posting Rules. This means that FORUMDISPLAY and SHOWTHREAD will display the invitation table.

I chose this location because it is at the bottom of the page, and that's where most interested guests will find themselves.

The plugin creates three new phrases:

TGREER_invite_title : the tile to display for the table/panel. Defaults to "You're Invited".

TGREER_invite_search_engine: An invitation to join, using the search engine name, search terms, and forum title.

TGREER_invite_default: if a guest is browsing the forum, but didn't arrive via search engine, they'll see a default invitation.

You MUST EDIT THESE PHRASES, as they contain the phrase "GENERIC industry". You'll need something more suited to your own forum.

The phrases use phrase variables:

{1} = the forum title
{2} = search engine name
{3} = search terms

The plugin creates one new template:

invite_forumrules

This template is used to create the actual HTML table which displays the invitation. You may edit it, as you would any other template. Within the template, there is a conditional to test if the user is a guest or not.

The variable $GLOBALS[orig_forumrules] contains the normal forumrules template. If you edit the invite_forumrules template, you can use this variable as a "placeholder" for the normal Posting Rules.

Advanced Users

You don't have to use my template or location. You can use the search terms and search engine anywhere you like. If you don't want to use my template, disable the TGREER_invite_template plugin.

In the TGREER_invite_search_terms plugin, comment-out these two lines:

PHP Code:

eval('$orig_forumrules = "' . fetch_template('forumrules') . '";'); 


found near the top, and

PHP Code:

$vbulletin->templatecache['forumrules'] = $vbulletin->templatecache['invite_forumrules'];]]> 


found at the bottom.

Then, you can use $GLOBALS[search_engine], $GLOBALS[search_terms] and $GLOBALS[showSearchWelcome] wherever you like.

NOTE: $GLOBALS[showSearchWelcome] is "true" if the user reached the site via search engine, false otherwise.

Screen-shot:

[Brandon Sheley]

so I can just place

$GLOBALS[search_engine]
$GLOBALS[search_terms]
$GLOBALS[showSearchWelcome]


where I want it to show if I chose to edit it ?

great mod, I like it
[high]* Brandon Sheley clicked install[/high]

[AMFMaree]

Hi.. I just uploaded this but I can not see it working???

[AMFMaree]

Okay, its working.. I was looking for it on the Forum home page!..
Is there anyway to have it under the navbar on all pages..including the forumhome?

My brain isnt working.. I can not seem to find how to edit the actual message.

this is what i ahve..

You're Invited!
Among My Friends discusses many topics of interest to the GENERIC industry. Please join our community today. Registration is free and easy. Don't just browse, participate!

I love it except.. to the generic industry I want to edit that
Im i missing something or can you walk me through it..
thanks

[AMFMaree]

me again..
All fixed.. just need to know how to center it. Thanks

[tgreer]

@Loco.M: yes, essentially. You can check to see if showSearchWelcome is true, and if it is, you'll have values for the other two you can use as you like.

@AMFMaree: There is already a very good mod for that, called "Welcome Headers". I use it on my site. Consider mine an additional mod, a "Welcome Footer" if you like, designed to catch the eye of those who end up at the bottom of a forum or thread because of a search engine hit.

Good, you found the phrases. It should already be centered, as I have "align=center" in the table. You can code that table however you like, it's in the invite_forumrules template.

[kadafi_alive]

Hi,

how do I fix this problem:

Uncached templates: forumrules (1)

[tgreer]

I'm not sure - no one else has had this problem. You can try adding forumrules to the globaltemplates cache...

Go to your Plugin Manager, edit the TGREER_invite_template plugin. Add the colored code:

global $globaltemplates;

$globaltemplates  = array_merge($globaltemplates, array('invite_forumrules'));

$globaltemplates  = array_merge($globaltemplates, array('forumrules'));

[Brandon Sheley]

mine just tosses my forums menu off wack

[tgreer]

Quite right! I've turned off forum jump when I developed this, so didn't think to test it with it on. Uninstall for now, and I'll work on this as soon as I can.

If you'd like to try to adjust this yourself, in the invite_forumrules template, change the width of the table to something much smaller. Try changing $stylevar[formwidth] to a hard-coded value, such a "180px;"

Loco, I went to your forum... your Forum Jump menu is very wide due to some unusually long forum names. So, I don't think this is a bug, but you do need to adjust the width of the table as I suggested above. You can also add CSS styles to adjust the padding, border, etc.