Website Page Template Identification

[alfuzzy]

Hello all you vBulletin 4 experts. Maybe an easy question...maybe a difficult one.

On most vBulletin forum websites you have the "top layer" which is usually the Home Page. On the Home Page most forums have a list of the forum discussion categories. If any of these categories are clicked on (you enter the 2nd layer of the website)...and you see a list of each individual discussion thread in that category.

On this "2nd layer" of the website I have some sidebar blocks that I cannot find the code that's controlling/defining them. The vBulletin "Forum Blocks Manager" only seems to control Forum Blocks that are displayed on the Home Page...but not on pages "deeper" into the site.

Thus I'm thinking someone in the past created some custom forum blocks on these non-Home Page pages.

Does anyone have any ideas where I might look to see if I can find the code for these non-Home Page forum blocks (which are located on the sidebar)?

I was thinking maybe if I looked at the vBulletin template responsible for the rendering this "2nd layer" (first layer deeper after the Home Page)...maybe I might find the forum block code I'm looking for there. But I didn't know what the name of this vBulletin template is (please let me know if you know).

If anyone has any ideas...please suggest. Right now these forum blocks are empty...and I would like to fill them with some website content or advertising.

Thanks much.

p.s. If what I'm asking for is unclear...please let me know & I will clarify.

[Dave]

Is this the plugin you have installed right now for the "sidebar anywhere" functionality?
https://vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=283307

[alfuzzy]

Originally Posted by Dave

Is this the plugin you have installed right now for the "sidebar anywhere" functionality?

Thanks for mentioning that Dave. I should have also mentioned that before I posted the thread...I looked thru all the installed plug-in products (via the Admin CP)...and there's no product there (Sidebar Anywhere) or other plug-in product (as far as I know) that would do this.

Only thing I can conclude is someone inserted code directly into the template (no plug-in product)...since I cannot find anything via the Admin CP.

I have sidebar blocks on the website home page that are setup via the "Forum Blocks Manager"...but the sidebar blocks on the next level deeper into the website (where the thread lists are)...are where the sidebar blocks I'm trying to work with are located.

I'm thinking if I knew what template or templates are involved in rendering the thread list pages...I might be able to find this sidebar code.

Thanks

[Dave]

In that case it's hard to say because we don't know how it was implemented into your forum.
You can try searching for "sidebar" in your style by using the searching tool under "Style Manager".

[alfuzzy]

Originally Posted by Dave

In that case it's hard to say because we don't know how it was implemented into your forum.
You can try searching for "sidebar" in your style by using the searching tool under "Style Manager".

Aren't the vBulletin pages rendered in a fairly consistent way? Aren't the Home Page and other pages mostly a collection of individual templates that are assembled together to form each page?

Unless a vBulletin 4 site is heavily modified with a special "skin" or "eye candy"...the basic layout of a vBulletin 4 site is the same...thus the same templates are very likely used to form each page.

I was hoping to find out what templates are used to construct the 2nd level of a vBulletin 4 website (the page where the individual threads are listed...the level below the Home Page).

Thanks

[Dave]

The "FORUMDISPLAY" template is used to display all threads.

Any custom feature (such as sidebar on any other page aside from homepage) can be implemented in many ways, it doesn't necessarily have the use the vBulletin structure and format which is why it's a bit hard to say from our end where exactly your sidebar is implemented. Unless I'm completely misunderstanding you.

[alfuzzy]

Originally Posted by Dave

The "FORUMDISPLAY" template is used to display all threads.

Any custom feature (such as sidebar on any other page aside from homepage) can be implemented in many ways, it doesn't necessarily have the use the vBulletin structure and format which is why it's a bit hard to say from our end where exactly your sidebar is implemented. Unless I'm completely misunderstanding you.

I think you got things perfectly.

What I'm saying is...as far as I can find via the Admin CP...there's no installed plugin product that's implementing the sidebar blocks on non-Home Page pages.

Because of this...my theory is someone in the past may have added some code directly to one of the templates which is implementing the sidebar blocks on non-Home Page pages.

This code may be similar to what the "Sidebar Anywhere" plugin uses...except whomever did it...may have inserted the code directly into a template rather than via a plugin.

What I was hoping to learn via this thread...was what the most likely template that would have been. Maybe this sidebar block code is inserted in the same template as "Sidebar Anywhere" uses...I just don't know what template(s) that is. Lol

Thanks

p.s. I'll give the FORUMDISPLAY template a close look...maybe I'll get lucky...and that's where it's located.

--------------- Added [DATE]1572440614[/DATE] at [TIME]1572440614[/TIME] ---------------

Made some progress. Turns out someone made a custom template called "sidebar"...also when I look at the FORUMDISPLAY template...I see references to "sidebar"...which would seem to indicate this is how the sidebar blocks I'm interested in are getting onto the 2nd level of the website.

Now I'm thinking I would probably like to install the "Sidebar Anywhere" plug-in...but I'm also thinking it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to remove any references to this custom "sidebar" template so there's less chance of conflicts between the custom "sidebar" template & the operation of the "Sidebar Anywhere" plugin.

Does this make sense...and if so...what would be the best way to get rid any references to this custom "sidebar" template? Is it as easy as simply deleting the custom "sidebar" template...or if I do this...will it mess up the FORUMDISPLAY template?

Thanks

[romaine]

Originally Posted by alfuzzy

Does anyone have any ideas where I might look to see if I can find the code for these non-Home Page forum blocks (which are located on the sidebar)?

I think these ideas from this forum https://www.webmastersun.com/ will fit your requirements. However, you can create a forum depending on your ideas but any way I also like forums with blocks, it looks greater than default forum themes

[alfuzzy]

Originally Posted by romaine

I think these ideas from this forum https://www.webmastersun.com/ will fit your requirements. However, you can create a forum depending on your ideas but any way I also like forums with blocks, it looks greater than default forum themes

Sorry...I don't understand the suggestion.