UBB.Developers Forums UBB.threads 7 Development How Do I? ubb.classic 6.5 > ubb.threads

hello there,

due the fact that we do have a pretty slow server i had to delete roundabout 1.300.000 postings on my ubb.classic 6.5 to keep the server running. i also had to limit the search-feature, kicked out a hits-hack and actually i HAVE to think about to convert my bbs to ubb.threads to improove features, speed and the uptime. having regulary a look at ubbdev.com it seems like that ubb.classic is today not the perfect choice to keep a pretty large bbs updated with useful mods, hacks and to keep my site interesting and fast for my users.

some poeple always want to force me to switch to post- or phpnuke or even to xoops because of the large amount of useful addons like galleries, chats and so on. but i still love the way of ubb and i'd like to keep it. so ubb.threads seems THE alternative for me, but i have some doubts concerning the migration as well as mods/hacks and future features, so, here's a list of serious questions and i would love to get some feedback. so, in advance: THANKS for any useful comments, hints and links:

1. is it possible to keep the look&feel nearly alive after switching to ubb.threads from classic6.5? please have a short look at my bbs:
http://technoforum.dyndns.org/public_html/ubb/ultimatebb.php

2. my users love that background-gfx, is it also possible to include it using ubb.threads? please note, i don't have ANY experiences using php, so...

3. i'm into html, a bit of cgi and i've done hundreds of hacks on ubb.classic, so do you think i might handle to hack ubb.threads with some mods without having too much difficulties?

4. are there any incompatility-issues when switching to ubb.threads because of mods i've done to my classic6.5 like the instant messenger, custom user-title-hacks, additional profile fields, the background-gfx etc.. ?

5. i have loads of instant graemlins, so i might have to include a popup-mod and have to remove (!) the graemlin-field nearby the posting-screen: might this be complicated or is it quite easy? what about broken image-links after the migration to ubbthreads?

6. is there any instantmessage-mod for ubb.threads? my users LOVE that feature.

7. my users also love the STARS as well as the custom user title. is it possible to use both features at the same time using ubb.threads? i do not like to give my users the ability of using avatars.

8. i'm still missing a nice search-feature like listing excerpts of found threads with highlighting the search-term. as far as i know just eve does provide a better search-function, so is there any mod concerning the highlighting of search-terms as well as listing excerpts of founded threads/postings?

9. some very important thing: due the fact that my bbs is also included inside another website i would LOVE to design TWO different layouts based on the REFERRER: so if a user directs his browser directly to my site, the look&feel should be like it's actually using ubb.classic6.5 with the layout i actually have. but when users try to access the bbs thru another website they automatically should see another layout basing on the gfx of the other website. is THIS possible and how to do that WITHOUT giving the user the ability to CHOOSE the skin?
some feature like that would be so important for me.

10. does ubb.threads provide a HIT-counter? i installed that mod long time ago on ubb.classic 5 as well as on 6.4 and that hack caused difficulties concerning the stability of the bbs, i HAD to remove it. and my users still would love to see how many times their thread has been viewed.

11. i don't havy any clues concerning sql, so, how difficult is the first-installation of ubb.threads and moving all accounts and threads to ubb.threads? pleae note: our server is PRETTY slow, so - for example - the classic.65-'rebuild search index' will stop after a while re-indexing larger subforums of my bbs. i'm actually a bit afraid that ubb.classic will crash while exporting/importing all data to ubb.threads.

12. is it possible to switch off the posting icons on ubb.threads?

13. i also do NOT want users to choose the font-color. is this a mod or a basic feature of ubb.threads?

well, that'S all for now,
thank you so much for any hints,
bigup!
chris

Lotta stuff, I will hit the ones I know for a fact.

1. Yes, UBB.Threads is templated, so you can mess with each page and set it up to your desire. The stock install is not bad, but most change something. You can change your templates through the Admin interface as well (btw).

2. Yes, you can use background graphics, there are many .css style sheets listed in the CSS Styles forum that have these.

3. PHP is EASY. I am a Project Manager and have no programming experience, but my sites are all php based, I write my own code now, and never even bought a book. I learned by backing a file up, trying something, if it worked, cool - if not, reloaded the backup and tried again. I am probably an above-average php coder now.

4. There is an importer, but I am unsure of incompatibilities. I have not used ubb.classic since around 98 or 99.

5. There is a mod for this already. Broken image links can be fixed by some help by Josh and the folks out here...and a nice little snippet of code called eregi.

6. Unsure.

7. Stars exist on Threads as a user-voted "rating" of the individual. Custom titles do as well.

8. The Threads search is not quite up to par with other forum systems, but from my little knowledge on the subject, I have read they are improving this.

9. If you are talking one MySQL database and two separate "design" setups - that is possible. Might want to check the license though...that should require two licenses for threads (two separate domains). As long as you can access the MySQL DB - I think this is possible. NEVER have done it though.

10. Don't know on this one. We have "Thread Views" if that is what you mean.

11. Install is EASY. Especially with the 6.5 changes. Now the import of ubb.classic could be challenging, again - I don't know on this one.

12. Yes, one toggle in admin.

13. Yes, but you can mod it out rather easily.

Enjoy!

Welcome Chris

2Medar, thank you so much for your hints and suggestions, your answers will guide me thru the decision if i should switch to ubb.threads and looks like that i'm gonna do that...

actually, this could be some sort of fun by giving my users new features and make my bbs faster without having to delete posts again and again to keep my bbs up and running. even starting to learn php could be some sort of fun and IS useful for further projects i'm involved in.

right now i cannot afford a licence for ubb.threads, so i would love to ask one of our partners if he would like to 'donate' it: BUT to convince that guy i should offer him to install a SECOND grafik/template using the layout of HIS website. i'm not sure if the solution for doin' that is the installation of a second bbs using the same database. i just think about problems of registering users and stuff like that. so, what i urgently need is the ability to run just ONE ubb.threads with ONE single licence but to use TWO different layouts/templates WITHOUT giving the user the ability to choose from:
so, the layout, as already mentioned, should be triggerend related to the url the user accesses the bbs:
so, if a user accesses my bbs thru technoforum.de, the template no1 should be shown, if he accesses the bbs thru www.anothersite.com template no2 should be used automatically.

if this might be possible i'm pretty sure to switch to ubb.threads VERY soon :-)
maybe this mod/hack/feature could be a very useful addOn for all of you thinking of sharing your bbs with other websites.

i even would like to pay someone to code that even actually i don't have any money left, technoforum.de is still a non-profit thing... well. what about you, allen? :-)

bye the way, hello allen :-)

bigup and thanks so far!
chris

addOn:

first, yesterday i found somewhere a link which leaded to an ubb.threads.bbs directing the user directly to the bbs mentioning the layout/TEMPLATE in the url, i've been searching the whole day today for that link, didn't find it again. but it looks like that i could solve step/'problem' number 9 just by setting the old layout as a custom one and giving my partnersite a link like
http://technoforum.de/forum/showflat.php=chooseTheOtherTemplate
or so ????
so, by removing then the option for users to choose between both layouts i might have solved the problem to run the same bbs with two layouts without giving the user the ability to choose, except they know how to trigger the template in the adress-bar of their browser? :-)

okay guys, next and maybe last question:
should i d/l 6.4 and patch/hack and mod it or do you recommend starting with 6.5 (beta?) ?

maybe it woudn't be so much fun installing 6.4 and patching it with loads of mods/hacks and a bunch of weeks later the official 6.5 is out :-) ?

what do YOU think?
thanks!
chris

If you are just starting now I'd recommend using 6.5b2 (when ready), then adding mods to it once it's final

I am not familiar with a link to change templates when clicked, tho someone else might be

perfect, i'm gonna choose 6.5b2 - thanks.
i asked j.c. 'bout that template-thing and looks like that this kinda css-sample-feature of 6.5 is the thing i'm searching?
again, to switch to ubb.threads i need that possibility to choose the template/layout of the complete bbs for guests as well as for users within the url to provide two different links to the forum-summary-page with two completely (!) different layouts. any hint apreciated :-)
bigup,
chris

sniff, i'm still seeking for any hint concerning the wish to trigger two different ubb.threads-templates just by url, like for example:
when a user accesses the bbs thru url1 template no1 should appear by something like
myfirstwebsite.com/threads.php?show.template.no1
when a user accesses the bbs thru url2 template number 2 should appear even to guests as well to registered users by triggering the template by something like
mysecondwebsite.com/threads.php?show.template.no2

PLEASE - HELP :-/
thanks,
chris

That wouldn't be a problem.
Just insert some kind of switch in the ubbt.inc.php that checks a url param.
So simply create a new directory in "templates" and put your second set of templates there.

There's a variable called $tempstyle that defines the directory from which the templates are read from. The default value is "default".



Have a look at your ubbt.inc.php, find the line:
$tempstyle = "default";

Change it to something like

if ($myurlparam == "style2") {
$tempstyle = "nameOfNewDirectory";
}
else {
$tempstyle = "default";
}