Activity Modification

For vB3.7, see The vB3.7 version

This is the plugin/vB3.5/vB3.6 version of this hack

This mod was developed on vB3.6.4, and tested for compatibility with vB3.5.4

Description
This hack adds an activity metric for users to your forum; this metric takes into account a variable number of weeks. Also provided is a Junior/Normal/Senior member system based on this metric, and a longevity metric (user registered time as a percent of the amount of time the first user has been registered).

Visiting each day and posting the configured amount of times per day for the configured number of weeks will yeild 100% activity. Posts are checked individually for each day, so days cannot be skipped then spammed up afterwards. The weight of visiting for the day relative to posting is configurable. Weeks are weighted so the most recent has a bigger impact on the activity percent than the most distant.

When a user logs in with activity above the configured threshold, they are promoted from Junior Member to Member. When they log in with the configured amount of time as Member, they are promoted to Senior Member. You can configure the mod to also add secondary usergroups when these promotions happen.

Complexity
This modification requires 1 XML import, modification to 3 templates, and the addition of some CSS, depending on what options you choose

Technical
This hack adds 1 query to showthread for each user who posts in that page (or only 1 for the logged in user by configuration). In addition, the first time a member's post or profile is accessed during a day (GMT), 3 queries are performed to find that user's activity. By configuration, 1 query may be added to each page load to find the logged in user's "activity today". By configuration, 1 query may be added to each member profile view to find that member's "activity today".

Upgradability
This modification will import your settings and data from the 3.0/hack version

Frequently Asked Questions

• I installed this mod using the Download/Upload Plugin page and there was an error/it doesn't seem to work
  To install this mod, you need to use the Add/Import Product link on the Manage Products page
• I just installed and everyone's activity seems low
  1. Part of the activity calculation is what days users visited on. This information isn't collected before the mod is installed, so no user can have 100% activity untill you've been running the mod for the full period of time you have it set to monitor
  2. Please realize that there is no "roll over" for activity; if you have it set to look at 4 posts per day, your users must post 4 posts on each individual day to obtain 100%.
• I founded this forum, but I don't have 100% longevity
  Somehow a user's join date has been set before yours. When you install, the mod looks for the earliest join date to use to find longevity, but you can change the baseline date. To change the "Start of board" time, go to Maintenance>Activity Maintenance>Set Start of Board, enter your user number in the text field, then click Set Start of Board
• I'm using the images template version, but the images don't show up
  Be sure to upload one of the activity directories from activityimages.zip to the misc directory for each of your styles. To find a style's misc directory, goto the Style Manager, then from the dropdown next to the style, choose Stylevars. The setting Miscellaneous Images Folder contains the path to that style's misc directory, where you need to upload the activity directory
• Can I use activity for promotions?
  The project to build a full-blown promotion hack for use with this mod has been cancelled, after losing all of my work, however a much simpler system that adds secondary groups based on two thresholds has been added to the main hack.
• Can you make X number get split up into digits?
  I understand where you're coming from with this one, but I just can't figure out a way to work this that would be simple to use.
• The tooltips don't wrap and get cut off with FireFox
  The same thing happens to other vB tooltips (the thumbnail ones, for example). If you know a way to add line breaks to FF tooltips without scripting, please let me know.

Change log

Note: To upgrade, with the old version still installed, go to the Add/Import Product link on the Manage Products page, select the XML file for the new version, choose Yes for overwrite, then click Import.

2.80 release update

• Added AdminCP option to disable display of activity ranks (ranktext)
• Modified template changes to support the above change (for most people, your templates should work as is)
• Modified template changes for image horizontal postbit to always locate activity information in the upper right of the postbit, so it doesn't move arround from post to post (if you're happy with how it is now, no need to update)

2.80 rc3 update

• You can now control the number of entries on the Top Activity board from the adminCP
• Top Activity templates are properly cached
• Changes for XHTML 1.0 validation (requires template reedits if you want XHTML validation)

2.80 rc1 update

• Added improved built-in Top Activity page
• Added option for activity breakdown in activity bar tooltip
• Added option to promote users when their activity is calculated instead of just when they visit to help admins that are having trouble with the promotion system
• Fixed issue with maintenance section with other languages. It should display correctly now for all languages.
• Added admin help in 3.6.x
• Added 3.6.x version and link in product list
• No template changes since 2.70 (there are new templates, however)

2.71 update

• Corrected a bug where users on forums with "Weeks reflected" set to 1 could not reach 100% activity

2.70 update

• Full info available to MEMBERINFO template
• Full info available for the logged-in user (see template customization in install file)
• Fixed % issue with different vB versions
• "Midnight" for activity hack is configurable. Note that it may be desirable to set this to a time other than true midnight for your users.
• Options to control calculation of activity today in MEMBERINFO and for logged-in user
• Simple promotion system adds secondary usergroups when members are promoted in the ranktext system
• Reworking of internals
• Default templates should not try to display activity information when it is unavailable (a generic fix that covers vbA gallery)

2.51 update

• Updated phrases for vb3.5.1
• Updated options activity refresh for vb3.5.1
• Fixed problem with activity-based ranks

2.50 Release update

• Added fix for reversed posts field in images version templates when user is using a right-to-left language. (Manually update the postbit and postbit_legacy templates)

Beta 6 update

• Added extra checks for excessive activity
• User activity is now automatically refreshed when settings changes make it neccessary
• Fixed guest bug

Beta 5 update

• Removed the query added to PM views in beta 4
• Removed the post digits setting; it causes trouble since the majority of users seem to be using the image version, and the load impact is slight anyway.

Beta 4 update

• Fixed the problem where activity panel displayed incorrect information in PMs
• Moved start of board into settings, removed 1 query from showthread, view PM, view user note

Beta 3 update

• Fixed a critical issue with activity caching. Everyone should update
• Fixed an issue with a query not working when using table prefixes
• Added template modification instructions
• Added image template mod version screenshot

Beta 2 update

• There was an issue with % signs in the phrases, this has been corrected.
• Screen shots added.

Changes from the hack version

• Thresholds for promotions are configurable
• Ranktext system is configured from the options page instead of by a file
• You can now prune the visit log from the adminCP (Under Maintenance>Activity Maintenance)

Support

Please click the install link if you install this hack
I will support this hack in this thread on about a weekly basis.

[Boofo]

Any pics?

[vBintense]

/me takes a picture of something, shows it to boofo....... (I am stalking you now)

Actually I would like to see a pic as well.

[WetWired]

Screenshots added. Keep in mind that there are currently no instructions for template modification; the thread and memberinfo screenshots are just a simple example of what you can do with this mod. For a more complicated example, see zelaron.com, which runs the hack version of this modification (which presents the same variables to the postbit and memberinfo). I intend to release template mod instructions for something like Zelaron has with the release version.

[Boofo]

Looks good. Looking forward to the release.

[JirQUEST]

looks good alright. i love the way u did it on zaleron.

[hotrod1]

I uploaded the plugin but nothing took effect. What am I doing wrong?

[WetWired]

Be sure to use the Plugins>Manage Products page to install the plugin.

[hotrod1]

Hmm I tried that too but it still did not work.

[WetWired]

When you say it did not work, what do you mean? Does it appear in the product list? Does the Activity Settings group appear on the vB options page?