UBB.Developers Forums UBB.classic V6 MultiHack Mods [6.1x] Application Forms V2.0

Name: Application Forms v2.0 Beta

Author: Corona

Requirements: Sticky Threads by Jordo

Tested On: UBB v6.1.0.2, v6.1.0.3, & v6.1.0.4 with Sticky Threads Hack v1.5 by Jordo

Thanks: Jordo for producing and maintaining Sticky Threads, Bookie for providing the buttons, and all UBBDev Hack Authors

Purpose: Application Forms is an add-on to the Ultimate Bulletin Board (UBB) which enables a website to display a fully customizable input form ( Example ). Administrators create a custom form through the UBB's control panel interface. After a custom form is created, the form is displayed on a website and accessed by an end user to request and gather data. Forms can be displayed in a shtml page by using SSI, or as a standalone page using the UBB's style templates.

When data is entered into the custom Form and submitted by an end user, the data entered into the form is posted in a new thread in any selectable UBB message forum -- the data is placed into a record and neatly displayed to users who have the appropriate access permissions to view the forum. An optional customizable email message is sent to the user who submitted the form (which by default) indicates that the form has been recieved successfully. A preview of the data entered into the form is also included in the reply email.

Admin functions are provided which give an administrator or moderator various automated functions that can be executed on any form.
Custom email messages are shipped to the individual who submitted a form when an admin or mod performs admin functions on the submitted form. Admin functions provide various scripting options which can sticky/unsticky a thread, grant or deny the form submitter private access to a forum, provide status reports, edit any submitted form, email a custom message, etc... Forms can be managed by moderators with a set of features included with this release.

This release is appropriate for gathering data with an Application type form for a game guild, private club, or private member organization. While this release can be used to display any custom form that is desired, and performs varying tasks for various status settings, the included admin functions may not be appropriate for some situations. Admin functions are not required to be used, (forms will work without using the admin functions), but the admin functions in this release may not be appropriate for various organizations. Please read more about the admin functions for further information.

NOTES: This hack hooks into everything, and if a bug occurs, it has the potential to destroy member files and forum files. Although the likelyhood of such a bug occuring is small, this is a BETA hack. If you attempt to install this hack, you do so at your own risk -- please backup all files before installing. By installing this hack, you agree that i will not be liable if damages occur.

Upgrading: This version is the predecessor of Application Forms v1.0-v1.2 for Everquest Guilds. While this version is no longer specifically for Everquest guilds, a custom form template for everquest guilds is included in this version. Version 1.0-1.2 should no longer be used due to the unresolved permissions bug in v1.0-v1.2 -- please upgrade to this version.

Screenshots, Information and Download: http://test.altereddestiny.net/AppformScreenshots/

Demo: http://test.altereddestiny.net/Joining_AD/joining_ad.shtml

Future Plans:

• Port for compatability with UBB v6.2.1.
• Write routine which can include email attachments in automated email replies
• Enable Multiple Form Template Use.
• Add new feature which allows feedback from the original submitter
• Rewrite admin functions to be customizable and provide a proper fit with any type of input form (paypal, credit card orders, trouble ticket systems, software request and shipment upon acceptance, etc...).

Support Questions? Feel free to post your support problems here. I do not know if i can answer them, or if i will have time to solve them. However, others who use the hack may be willing to provide assistance.

Thanks for the hack Corona.

Is there a way to have more than one application form? I have more than one private forum that I would like to set this up for.

Thanks

Small Cosmetic update -- Group Descriptions now show themselves, and horizontal groups without text after the input field display on their own individual line.

Update public_applicant_new_or_edit.pl and cp_appform_new_template.cgi from the zip.

Updated! Woo nice...

Any way of making a view template option in the control panel so I can view what I just added looks like before making it live?

sure thing Raichu,

Preview Option Added. Download the zip, replace cp_vars_appform_template.pl, public_applicant_new_or_edit.pl, and ubb_applicants.cgi.

To add the preview option, a few lines must be added to ultimatebb.cgi. Refer to the Install.txt and add the following lines in the appropriate location:

## in ultimatebb.cgi
## find:
} #end review_applicants

## add below:
if ($ubb eq 'preview_appform') {
&RequireCode("$vars_config{CGIPath}/ubb_applicants.cgi");
&perform_application_function("preview", $in{appformtemplatefilename});
exit(0);
} #end preview_appform

PS: Raichu, in your control panel, under Application Form Settings -- change 'Display Style Template Header and Footer or Use SSI:' to 'Yes, Use Template Header and Footer' and look at your forms. Your not using SSI, no reason to turn your style templates off.

Okies , update and Template Header and Footer Done... Thanks for such fast work on the preview button.

Came across a bug: In the application form setting where it says::

SSI Page URL
If you will be using SSI to display the forms, Give the full URL to the page which is calling the appforms via SSI. Without the location of the SSI calling page, the Application forms will not know where to send a user after registering a new account.
Example: http://www.yourdomain.com/joining.shtml
Note: Leave field blank if you are not using SSI to display the forms.

If i leave it blank I get a FYI You did not complete all required fields.
You did not complete: SSIIncludePageURL

Cant wait for your Multiform Template, As you can see Our guild is on 2 servers, both TP and Prexus, have the program working for TP only, would be great to have one for Prexus.

Table Update -- this update fixes the table displayed in the thread of the submitted form with the following repairs and updates:

• Bug Fix: Table now shows a radio button selection correctly.
• Bug Fix: Update also fixes a random field from showing up in the message body.
• Compacted Table: This update compacts the table when a group is present which is set to display the group name only.

Download zip, replace ubb_applicants_misc.cgi, cp_appform_new_template.cgi, cp_appform.cgi. Rehack ubb_lib_posting.cgi as indicated in the install.txt.

Hopefully, this should be the last update for version 2.0. All planned features of this version are complete. Only bug fixes will be added to this version in the future.

I updated and rehacked as per above...

Application goes through, but doesnt show the template or any info inputed on the messageboard. I get the template in the Email, so that part is no probs.

Also If i answer anything with a 0 ( zero ) it doesnt pick it up and thinks its blank and wont let me submit.. Im on AIMs again, so look for me there...

should work fine, ive tested it on a few boards so far. re-up all the cgi-bin files and all the templates. If the table is not showing in the message forum, its due to ubb_lib_posting not being hacked correctly.

I'll look into the 0 not being recorded, and contact you on aim.

Thank you again Raichu for the bug report!

bug fix -- standalone 0's no longer get destroyed with the required field check. Standalone 0's entered into a field are now considered valid data.

Update ubb_new_application.cgi and ubb_applicants_misc.cgi to repair the bug.

heheh tried to get the image thing to work with no luck... Ummmm how do i get rid of the TableTop Title from the template?

Nice work

It would seem to me that this could also be used as a user-submitted "reviews" script - you'd have pre-defined input fields (title, author, images, ratings, specs, etc.) and they could fill them out and submit a 100 word or so review to go with it... cool

Undefined subroutine &main::CheckForAppByNumber called at /www/testboardurl/cgi-bin/ubb_lib_posting.cgi line 1042.

I get this error when it posts to the specified forum so you can view or edit or apporve an application. I rechecked ubb_lib_posting.cgi and it was hacked with ultraedit32 and it comes up exactly as per instructions. Sticky Threads is installed as per instructions. I can't figure it out since this error crops up after everything goes fine also to note is it does not forward the applicant back to forum page correctly you have to click on the link.

Eric

Hello Eric,

Make sure ubb_applicants_misc.cgi is in your cgi-bin directory, and is chmod to 755. I know you mentioned that ubb_lib_posting.cgi was hacked correctly, however, recheck the code. At the very least, make sure this line exists in ubb_lib_posting:
&RequireCode("$vars_config{CGIPath}/ubb_applicants_misc.cgi");

The transition to the forum (where it says 'please wait, we are forwarding you to...' will forward the user, however, the timer on the forward is set to pause for 30 seconds).

To change the pause time of the forward from 30 seconds to 7 seconds, perform the following:

## In public_common.pl
## Find:
$direct_to = qq!!;

## Change to:
$direct_to = qq!!;

Okay thanks for the reply corona I will double check again I was tired when I got that error and looked for a solution. Also you are right in the forward I am just used to 5-10 sec pauses I retract that last comment. I will delve into this matter and see if its the permissions thing and the code.

I appreciate it,

Eric

Corona here is an update! It seems to be working fine now. Thanks god its a wonderful hack. Anyways what the problems is or was the poll hack! The first part in ubb_lib_posting.cgi had the poll after it and somehow I think I put it under or inbetween or something or whatever but either way it works with the poll hack if its placed before it. Now I can get into the forum. Oh I have one more nagging thing on my mind. The layout of the app is fine but the colors it uses are funky cause if I use my style the text is white and so is the background. I got around this by making a separate style for the app form to use. It appears to use the table border color and text color only? Well anyways after I did that I tried the app out and the email it sent was all white lol. Hard to read but anyways I will mess with it in due time and I love this thing!.

Thanks for a great hack,

Eric

Hello Eric,

Glad you were able to get the hack working. I have run the hack with integrated polls as well, seems to work perfectly fine.

Using a seperate template for the appforms is recommended. The application form hack should use the following style template color options: Page Background Color (or Page Background Graphic), Text Color, Table Border Color, Table Header Strip Background Color, First Alternating Table Column Color, and the Copyright Text Color. These are the only color options which the forms use (other color option fields are not needed nor used by the forms). I stripped out the use of the Second Alternating column options -- it made the forms look entirely too confusing.

Also, email can use a seperate style template -- it can be set to be different then the style template displayed to a browser over the web.

Its been a long time since i have played with the style templates, and they do need to be fiddled with a bit for the forms to look decent. Due to the form showing bulks of table strips and columns, using the sites default style template usually makes the forms look a bit odd.

Again, i haven't toyed with the style templates excessively as i have a real hard time matching colors. For me, getting a usable color scheme for my web pages is difficult as my artistic talents are far from developed. Yet, when i was creating the application, i tested to make sure that the application hack was using varying templates and the appropriate color options. If you run across anything which just doesn't feel right (such as a field not matching a color option from the style template), please let me know.

Did you use the hack to display a guild application form? Or did you create a unique form? Also, if you could, id love to see the webpage the form is on (helps me out as well in making sure that the hack is running properly, as well as giving me ideas of what features would be valuable to add in the future.)

The following Bug was Found and fixed -- When editing an applicant into a voting status, the application becomes unmanagable.

To fix:
Download new zip and replace cp_appform_new_template.cgi

## In vars_appform_template_1.cgi:
## Find:
Request Voting

## Replace with (this is case sensitive!):
Vote on Applicant

## save and close.

## In vars_appform_template_worksheet.cgi (if the file does not exist, skip this step):
## Find:
Request Voting

## Replace with (this is case sensitive!):
Vote on Applicant

# save and close

This hack has been ported to ubb6.2.x, and made XHTML compliant. For more information: https://ubbdev.com/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=000541

Colors not following the style template settings has been repaired -- rehack public_common.pl.

Ok, ran into a snag trying to put this on UBB 6.3.

Can't find this section in the ultimatebb.cgi.

*****************************
*****************************

## Find:
$templatefile = $template_match{email};

## Add Under:
} elsif ($in{ubb} =~ m/^(agreeapplication|register_application_page|submit_registration_application|loginapplication)$/) {
$templatefile = $vars_appform{template};
******************************
******************************

The link is not working, can someone email this hack to me?