UBB.Developers Forums UBB.threads 6 V6 Modifications Forum Design Integration IIP SideBarPal 1.1

Mod Name / Version: IIP SidebarPal 1.1

Description: This allows a user selected sidebar (left/right/off) of IIP pal boxes. It's fully configurable, you you can decide what boxes you want to display, and in what order they display.

Version 1.1 fixes the issue of "headers already sent" errors on some servers.

Working under: Instructions written for UBB.Threads 6.3, but probably could be interpreted to 6.2.

Any pre-requisites: IIP 5.3 or 5.3.1

Author(s): JustDave from chattersonline.com
for discussions and bugs go to www.ubbdev.com

Date: 4/15/03

Credits: JoshPet for putting the instructions together

Files Altered: admin/edittheme.php, admin/doedittheme.php, admin/editconfig.php, admin/doeditconfig.php, editdisplay.php, changedisplay.php, ubbt.inc.php, templates/editdisplay.tmpl

Database Altered: Yes, one field added to the w3t_Users table to store the user's sidebar preference.

New Files: sidebar_leftopen.tmpl, sidebar_leftclose.tmpl, sidebar_rightopen.tmpl, sidebar_rightclose.tmpl, sidebarpal.php

Notes: This is based on JustDave's sidebar mod. He had put together a sidebarpal.php script which we were using here, and had planned on including it in the next release in IIP. But he's been away for a while, and so many people keep asking for it, hopefully he won't mind that I put this together and released it.

[b]Updated - 4/18/03 - to fix things looking off center when you weren't using 100% table widths.

I downloaded this, but I'll have to work on adding it tomorrow. I'll let ya know how it works out!

I just installed it at www.measurection.com

Seems to be working fine... although I noticed that if you enable the current poll in the sidebar.... it doesn't work right. You can't vote.

So for now, don't use that option. If JustDave returns maybe he'll fix it. If not... maybe I'll fix it. But it's low on the list.

Thanks for posting

I noticed after installing it that once you enable it it stays on that side so if you select left it stays left even if you change it to right.

The spacing between the sidebar and forums is a bit tight. A work in progress I see

I should move left/right based on your user preferences.

Like it does here.

Will it not switch sides for you?

I'd check and make sure the new preference is getting stored in the database in changedisplay.php when you make the change. 1 for left, 2 for right, 0 off.

It won't move from the admin theme config.

Remember...as with all theme settings, theme settings only apply for unregistered users... and new users.

Existing users, like yourself, will need to change their preference in the display preferences of My Home.

Try changing it there... it should move for you.

Okay yes I remembered that after posting. Okay here is a summary of what I see

The sidebar works fine on the left except there is no break between the forums and sidebar.

The sidebar when switched to the right half the boxes come up SQL ERROR database only visable to administrator and half work when on forum list or postlist. Now it works fine in other site pages like extras and places like my home and who's online. The error only happens when on the forumlist or postlist

The spacing problem can be solved for the leftopentemplate by adding this just like the other right one has

<td width="10">
 
</td>

Did you add $dbh to the global call in the send_footer function? Without that it can't do queries in the right sidebar.

Are you doing it on a test site? If so, let me know where and I'll look.

I am pretty sure I added that on the line you said.

Just checked and this line

global $dbh, $config, $theme, $thispath, $VERSION, $ubbt_lang, $tempstyle, $timea,$querycount,$zlib,$fheader,$Board,$mysqltime,$debug,$debugprint;

is indeed there

That's odd. Try adding $user into it, like this:

global $dbh, $config, $user, $theme, $thispath, $VERSION, $ubbt_lang, $tempstyle, $timea,$querycount,$zlib,$fheader,$Board,$mysqltime,$debug,$debugprint;

You know... I'm at a bit of a loss. I think it's because it's coming after the photopost stuff.... which is monkeying it up somehow.

Let me ponder that a bit.

Actually the Photopost stuff is called in between and as part of the main index. The sidebar is not called till after the forum closes. It only happens on the main index I see what your getting at. Let me get a clean no Photopost index and test that.

Yep I tested it and yep I found a buggy. Adding Photopost to the main index messes with the sidebar. I removed Photopost and it works on the right. However Photopost is more important to me though. Just let me know what ideas' ya have so we can play and get this one stomped.

I myself am at a loss at my Photopost template would mess it up. Maybe the calls between two databases.

sidebarpal.php



This is the same code that UBB.threads formerly used to manually "register" global variables, that Rick went to great lengths to get rid of using get_input().

I think Dave had written it under 6.1

Havent' really looked at what variables were used etc.... I could go through and add the get_input functions instead.

[6.3b1]

Cosmetic problem: the sidebar and other forum stuff in the middle of the page appear to be aligned left, while the top menu and footer are center-aligned.

I notice that problem doesn't occur here. In fact, it looks like the stuff in the middle is in its own table cell.

Any ideas? Is it possible that other files need to be modified for this hack?

Well it doesn't happen here because we run 100%.

The easy answer.... in my instructions was that it run best in 100% width. Otherwise it looks off center.

This problem seemed to exist in JustDave's user selectable sidebar mod... which is what I merged the sidebar pal he was using here with. The advice was always to run 100%

When I first tried to track that down... I assumed we needed an "align" center" to the td tag... but that's not it.

I never could solve it before.

Edit:
I fixed it and will update the Zips momentarily.

Dave in sidebar_leftopen.tmpl and sidebar_rightopen.tmpl

Add:

align="center"

into the line where the table get's opened.

Looks like the table is 95% but off center.

I'll be updating the zips in just a minute.

Updated the Zip!
Thanks Dave.

Thanks, that fixed it.

Whew - that one was easy.
I got big shoes to fill trying to support JustDave's stuff.

Okay well something is going on weird. I uploaded the new templates and sidebarpal and it does space fine with a 95% width

I had to add in the left open like it has in the rightclose so there is a space inbetween the sidebar and forum.

However now this is totally weird. My Photopost categories on the photopost hack to display on main forum is gone. The featured photo's are there. I have no idea what is going on. Photopost categories are there in photopost. The only change made is with this new sidebarpal script and they did not come back with it set to blank in theme-inc.php

<td width="10">
</td>

Ack. I don't know how that could affect photopost. It's basically a template mod (to do the sidebar).

I don't have that installed on any of my testing sites, so I havne't really played with the photopost thing.

I know well it looks to be unrelated as I installed backup files and the Photo's appear but the cats do not.

OKay well still the right side pal bar does not work right with Photopost still/

Solved the Photopost thing.


Okay the sidebar worked except for the right before now I updated the sidebarpal and I get version mismatch. I am using 5.3.1. It is a version mismatch with 5.3 or 5.3.1 running.

I feel bad for having to ask, but what does this mean:

- Edit your Theme file. Fill in the sidebar type and sidebar width.
(Example: Sidebar Type: left Sidebar Width: 20%)

Edit what Theme file?

Admin -> Edit theme settings

Ahhhh..... I did it the hard way! lol (manually looked at code to add to the theme.inc.php file!

sigh*

Ate a big steak dinner at Mortons; must have slowed me down...

That's kind of a bogus error. The $VERSION variable was getting lost.

I discovered you needed to add $VERSION to the global call in the header or else you got it on the left.

I don't knwo why you'd get it on the right. $VERSION is used in the footer and already in the global call down there.

You can get around it by removing or commenting out this from the sidebarpal.php


if (!stristr($VERSION,"6.2") and !stristr($VERSION,"6.3")) {
$VersionNotice = "<br /><br /><strong><span class="standouttext">Version missmatch!</span> IIP $palVersion will not work with UBB.threads™ $VERSION.</strong>";
}


It's just the check that it's the right version of threads. But when threads upgrades, you'll most likely need to update the sidebarpal if you get errors.


once you take that out, it should get by it.

http://www.viperalley.com/ubbthreads.php

Got it up with all the extras - PhotoPost, ReviewPost, PhotoPost IIP, ReviewPost IIP.

Cool.

I can't wait to check out review post.

Ignore that. Corrupted theme.inc.php

Unfortunately, this hack also suffers from the "never updating IIPs" for those who have active boards. Everytime someone loads this page, it resets the date variable so that an IIP never times out as long as people are hitting the page within the interval.

To fix this, I added the code below (in bold) to the sidebarpal.php:

[] $dbh -> finish_sth($sth);
if ($RefCache && $user['U_Status'] = "Administrator") {
$LastCacheTime = 0;
}

if ( $date > ($LastCacheTime+600) ) $LastCacheTime = 0;

if (empty($forcepublic)) {
[/]

then a little lower:

[] }

if ( $LastCacheTime != 0 ) $date = $LastCacheTime;

$date_q = addslashes($date);[/]

Basically, I'm telling the IIPs to do a refresh ever 10 minutes. Putting LastCacheTime to 0 forces a refresh and I have all the defaults set to 15 minutes.

I know its a little kludgy, but otherwise the pages never update (unless nobody is on my site for 15 minutes!)

Cool, I reported this sidebar/photopost problem a few months back and never could figure it out... I shoulda called in the calvary back then

Maybe Michael is the best to answer this one. Josh I added the version call to the header in ubbt-inc The sidebar works on the left just like it did in the last version. Now with your latest version it is even worse on the right tables everywhere sql errors etc. Now I see Michael has it working on the right. Any Ideas Michael?

Just another little note also. I notice at 100% everything views fine. at 95% it is centered so you fixed that yet if you have extra content like photopost those tables are smaller than threads ones. This does validate so I looked through and just figured I need a drink. To better explain threads when set to 95% when the Photopost tables go to 90% This sidebar is killing me. I have rechecked hacking over a dozen times and this darn thing does not like my site or something.

Dumb luck, I suppose; I dont recall making any changes to get it to work (never didn't work for me). I did have to cleanup the code I posted above and take out a couple <br /> tags for spacing - and I noticed the instructions didnt always match the code I had (6.2.3), but I figured out what needed to be done.

Dumb luck?