The following are some tips on using these two programs together, based on my own experience. It's expected that you know how to use phpadsnew 2 to set up ads and generate invocation code.
PHP Invocation
The first tip is how to use php invocation code. Using javascript is possible, but not all browsers support javascript and, in my experience, using php is faster.
The php invocation code phpadsnew generates will look something like this...
Place it in your PHPINCLUDE_START template, but omit the final echo statement and the <?php ?> tags. It will look like this...
PHP Code:
if (@include(getenv('DOCUMENT_ROOT').'/phpads/phpadsnew.inc.php')) {
if (!isset($phpAds_context)) $phpAds_context = array();
$phpAds_raw = view_raw ('zone:2', 0, '', '', '0', $phpAds_context);
}
Now, to place the add, put the variable $phpAds_raw[html] in any template that you want that ad to appear (usually your header). Remember to omit the '' marks when placing the variable in a normal template - therefore $phpAds_raw['html'] becomes $phpAds_raw[html]
If you have multiple zones, you can string these together. On EN World we have a zone that only appears on our vbadvanced news page. On those pages we call the view_raw function an additional time for the extra zone (view_raw is the function that actually calls up the ad - the rest of the code initializes phpadsnew). Here's our code, as an example of a 2 zone system.
Running Maintenance.php from the scheduled task manager
Ads new's maintenance.php file needs to run on a regular basis for it to perform correctly. You can invoke it from your scheduled task manager if you wish. If you do, I'd advise applying the following mod to the code of the maintenance.php file.
Open it and go to the ending ?> mark. Right about it add this.
PHP Code:
log_cron_action('PHP Ads New Maintenance Complete', $nextitem);
And you're done. The file can now log it's cron action with vbulletin's cron manager. Note that if you make this change you will be unable to call the maintenance.php file without vbulletin since it will trigger a fatal error (call to undefined function). Also, there's a glitch in phpadsnew - when vbulletin invokes maintenance.php it somehow forgets that it was ever invoked. The log files both in vbulletin and in phpadsnew itself speak differently, but phpadsnew continues to echo a message saying the maintenance.php script hasn't been ran which can be ignored.
Here's a way to prevent certain usergroups from being logged as having seen an ad (they'll still see them but the ad view won't be logged). In the file phpadsnew.inc.php find the following code:
PHP Code:
if ($phpAds_config['log_adviews'] && !$phpAds_config['log_beacon'])
Directly above it add
PHP Code:
if (is_member_of($bbuserinfo, 6))
{
$phpAds_config['log_adviews'] = false;
}
If you need to use your phpadsnew installation for non vbulletin pages you'll need to create seperate versions of phpadnew.inc.php for vbulletin and your other pages to call.
I tried running the maintenance.php on my VBulletin 3.0.7 and wanted to make sure it was working so I tried to run it and got this error.
PhpAdsNew Maintenance
Warning: main(/www/adserver/maintenance/maintenance.php): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /admincp/cronadmin.php on line 56
Fatal error: main(): Failed opening required '/www/adserver/maintenance/maintenance.php' (include_path='.:/usr/local/nf/lib/php') in /mnt/web_h/d48/s32/b0239134/www/forums/admincp/cronadmin.php on line 56
Hi mike I tired what you said to put: (/mnt/web_h/d48/s32/b0239134/www/adserver/maintenan
I still get an error! How much will it cost to fix the problem for me?
PhpAdsNew Maintenance
Warning: main(/mnt/web_h/d48/s32/b0239134/www/adserver/maintenan): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /admincp/cronadmin.php on line 56
Fatal error: main(): Failed opening required '/mnt/web_h/d48/s32/b0239134/www/adserver/maintenan' (include_path='.:/usr/local/nf/lib/php') in /mnt/web_h/d48/s32/b0239134/www/forums/admincp/cronadmin.php on line 56
FrankieFive, you need to adjust the number of caracters of the field filename of the table cron of your database because the default value of 50 caracters is not enought.
Try to run this query in the PHPMyAdmin:
Code:
ALTER TABLE `cron` CHANGE `filename` `filename` VARCHAR( 70 ) NOT NULL
FrankieFive, you need to adjust the number of caracters of the field filename of the table cron of your database because the default value of 50 caracters is not enought.
Try to run this query in the PHPMyAdmin:
Code:
ALTER TABLE `cron` CHANGE `filename` `filename` VARCHAR( 70 ) NOT NULL
Is there a step by step instruction on how to do this?