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    vBulletin: A Users Guide
    vBulletin: A Users Guide
    vBulletin: A Users Guide
    Ebook552 pages2 hours

    vBulletin: A Users Guide

    By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes and Kathy Kingsley-Hughes

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    About this ebook

    Using a highly graphical, practical style the experienced authors show you how to get the most out of vBulletin. This book is written for new and intermediate users of vBulletin, who want to manage and maintain a vBulletin discussion forum as easily as possible. No experience of web programming is required.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPackt Publishing
    Release dateApr 30, 2006
    ISBN9781847190536
    vBulletin: A Users Guide

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      Book preview

      vBulletin - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

      Table of Contents

      Building Forums with vBulletin

      Credits

      About the Authors

      Preface

      What This Book Covers

      Conventions

      Reader Feedback

      Customer Support

      Downloading the Example Code for the Book

      Errata

      Questions

      1. Introduction to the vBulletin Board

      What is vBulletin?

      Why Have a Discussion Board?

      Benefits of a Discussion Board

      Why vBulletin?

      History

      Development

      The vBulletin Advantage

      Versatile

      Performance

      Customizable

      Easy to Maintain

      Other Features

      vBulletin Licensing Options

      Leased License

      Owned License

      Choosing a License

      Example vBulletin Sites

      Summary

      2. Installing and Configuring vBulletin

      Requirements

      Disk Space

      Bandwidth

      System Resources

      Shared Hosting

      Semi-Dedicated Hosting

      Dedicated Hosting

      Other Options

      Installing vBulletin

      Tools

      Downloading the Installation Files

      File Extraction

      Upload Preparation

      Creating the Database

      Command-Line Database Creation

      cPanel Database Creation

      File Editing

      Uploading the vBulletin Files

      Running the vBulletin Installation Script

      Troubleshooting

      Database Access Issues

      Images/Styling Not Showing

      PHP Errors

      The vBulletin Control Panel

      Importing Data into vBulletin

      Downloading the ImpEx Script

      Compatibility

      Preparing for Upload

      Editing the Configuration File

      Target Database Settings

      Source Database Settings

      Upload the ImpEx Script

      Running the ImpEx Script

      Default Usergroups

      Securing vBulletin

      Help & Support

      Summary

      3. A Tour of vBulletin

      The vBulletin User Experience

      How to Get to the Board?

      What the End Users See

      Site Logo

      Forum Title, Login Box, and Navbar

      Welcome Banner

      Main Body of the Forum

      What's Going On

      Footer

      Touring the Main Forum—Unregistered Users

      No New Threads for Unregistered Users

      Registering on a vBulletin Board

      Touring the Forum—Members

      New Threads

      Replying

      Editing a Message

      Private Messages

      BB Code

      What Does BB Code Look Like?

      Using BB Code

      User Tools

      Display Modes

      Navbar Changes for Members

      The vBulletin Administrator Experience

      Forum and Thread Tools

      vBulletin Options

      vBulletin Option Tools

      Forum Management

      Editing and Adding Forums

      Editing Existing Forums

      Moderation Options

      Forum Styling

      Access Control Options

      Forum Posting Options

      Enable/Disable Features

      Branding

      Changing the Logo

      Undoing the Change

      Summary

      4. Customizing Your vBulletin Board

      Types of Customization

      CSS Modifications

      Changing the Table Title Text

      Viewing Changes

      Undoing the Changes

      Phrase Modifications

      Searching for Phrases

      Making Changes

      Viewing the Changes

      Undoing Changes

      Template Modifications

      Accessing Templates

      Exploring a Template

      Template Structure

      Adding a FORUMHOME Sidebar

      Two Changes

      PHP Code Modifications

      PayPal Modification

      File Modification

      Hacks

      Pros and Cons of Hacking a vBulletin Board

      Finding a Hack

      Installing a Hack

      Backing Up a Hack

      Commercial Hacks

      Summary

      5. Administering Your Forum

      Setting Up a Forum

      Creating the Forum

      Forum Permissions

      Viewing Permissions

      Opening the Forum

      Super Administrators

      Creating a Super Administrator

      Other Changes to the config.php File

      Admin Log Viewing Permission

      Admin Log Pruning Permission

      Query Running Permission

      Undeletable and Unalterable Users

      Maintaining the Database

      Backing Up the Database

      Repairing and Optimizing the Database

      Some Maintenance Issues

      Smilies

      Editing a Smilie

      Adding a New Smilie

      Uploading a Smilie

      Creating Your Own Smilies

      Avatars

      Adding Avatars

      Storing Avatars

      Summary

      6. Upgrading vBulletin

      When to Upgrade

      Preparing for Upgrade

      Migrating Changes

      File Compare Utilities

      Uploading the Files

      Running the Upgrade Script

      Testing the Upgrade

      Unveiling the Upgrade

      Summary

      7. Changing the Look of vBulletin

      Styling vBulletin

      Template Lifecycles

      Lifecycle 1—Constant Change

      Lifecycle 2—Working Behind the Scenes

      Editing the Default Style

      Changing Image Paths

      Other Editable Elements

      Some Tips about Editing Styles

      Adding a New Style

      Editing the Style

      Saving the Style

      Downloading the Style

      Making the New Style into the Default

      Distributing a Style

      Installing a New Style

      Summary

      8. Developing a Hack

      Hacking vBulletin

      Making the Changes

      Locating the Template

      Hacking the pm_newpm Template

      Testing the Hack

      Hack Distribution

      Tips for Hack Distribution

      Plugins and Products

      Getting Plugins and Products

      Adding a Product

      Adding a Plugin

      What If Things Go Wrong?

      Summary

      9. Programmer's Reference

      Default Usergroup Settings

      (COPPA) Users Awaiting Moderation

      Administrators

      Moderators

      Registered Users

      Super Moderators

      Unregistered / Not Logged In

      Users Awaiting Email Confirmation

      Banned Users

      Default vBulletin Database Tables

      Moving Servers in Six Easy Steps

      Cookie Check

      Back up Database

      Download the vBulletin Files

      Transfer to New Server

      Database Restoration

      Back Online

      Graphics

      Global Post Text Find and Replace

      Programming Standards

      Braces

      Indenting

      Give Operators Space

      String Quoting

      Return Values

      AND and OR

      AS

      SQL Queries

      Naming Conventions for Functions

      Summary

      A. vBulletin Directory Structure

      vBulletin Directory Structure

      Notes

      B. vBulletin Resources, Hacks, Add-ons, and Templates

      Official vBulletin Sites

      Main vBulletin Hack Site

      vBulletin Styles and Templates

      vBulletin Add-Ons

      General Discussion Board‑Related Sites

      Index

      Building Forums with vBulletin

      Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

      Kathy Kingsley-Hughes

      Building Forums with vBulletin

      Creating and Maintaining Online Discussion Forums

      Copyright © 2006 Packt Publishing

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

      Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the authors, Packt Publishing, nor its dealers or distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

      Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

      First published: March 2006

      Production Reference: 1200306

      Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

      32 Lincoln Road

      Olton

      Birmingham, B27 6PA, UK.

      ISBN 1-904811-67-1

      www.packtpub.com

      Cover Design by www.visionwt.com

      Credits

      Authors

      Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

      Kathie Kingsley-Hughes

      Reviewer

      Mizanur Rahman

      Technical Editor

      Martin Brooks

      Editorial Manager

      Dipali Chittar

      Development Editor

      David Barnes

      Indexer

      Ashutosh Pande

      Proofreader

      Chris Smith

      Production Coordinator

      Manjiri Nadkarni

      Cover Designer

      Helen Wood

      About the Authors

      Adrian and Kathie Kingsley-Hughes have over a decade of experience in web development and programming, having firsthand experience of most of the popular community-building and blogging platforms currently available.

      They both work for a UK company specializing in internet development, workflow streamlining, and security.

      They have authored and co-authored a number of books in the web development, programming, and PC area and have written dozens of coaching manuals that are in use by Fortune 500 companies.

      A big thanks to the people at Jelsoft Enterprises Limited for all their help during the writing of this book.

      Also, a huge thanks to the amazing vBulletin community—there are a lot of talented people out there putting their valuable time and effort into creating templates, modifications, and hacks.

      Preface

      vBulletin is a very popular, commercial discussion forums application. Written in PHP, it is the system of choice for many of the biggest and most popular discussion forums on the Internet.

      This book takes you step by step through setting up and running your own vBulletin website. In easy‑to‑follow language, it will show you how to select a vBulletin license, set up the site, and then customize and use it for maximum impact. You will learn how to use the powerful administration features of vBulletin, and even see how to alter the code to create your own 'hacks'.

      What This Book Covers

      Chapter 1 gives you a quick overview of vBulletin's key features and benefits and helps you choose the right vBulletin license for your community's needs.

      Chapter 2 shows you how to go about installing and configuring a vBulletin installation.

      Chapter 3 gives you a quick tour of vBulletin from both the user's perspective and the admin side.

      Chapter 4 shows you how to go about customizing almost every aspect of a vBulletin installation.

      Chapter 5 is a key chapter, which shows a vBulletin forum administrator how to go about administering every aspect of their forum.

      Chapter 6 looks at the vBulletin upgrade process and guides you through the successful migration of all the important settings and customizations.

      Chapter 7 shows you how to go about designing a new vBulletin template.

      Chapter 8 shows you how to create and then distribute new vBulletin forum hacks.

      Chapter 9 provides you with an important programmer's reference of information that will be handy to you when working with a vBulletin forum.

      Conventions

      In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an explanation of their meaning.

      There are three styles for code. Code words in text are shown as follows: On most installations the database server is located on the same computer as the web server, in which case the address should be set to localhost.

      A block of code will be set as follows:

      Cache-Control content=no-cache />

      <phrase 1="

      $vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase [x_powered_by_vbulletin]

      $headinclude

      When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items will be made bold:

      Cache-Control content=no-cache />

      <phrase 1="

      $vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase [x_powered_by_vbulletin]

      $headinclude

      Any command-line input and output is written as follows:

      GRANT ALL ON vb_database.* TO vb_user@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'password';

      New terms and important words are introduced in a bold-type font. Words that you see on the screen, in menus or dialog boxes for example, appear in our text like this: clicking the Next button moves you to the next screen.

      Note

      Warnings or important notes appear in a box like this.

      Tip

      Tips and tricks appear like this.

      Reader Feedback

      Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think about this book, what you liked or may have disliked. Reader feedback is important for us to develop titles that you really get the most out of.

      To send us general feedback, simply drop an email to <feedback@packtpub.com>, making sure to mention the book title in the subject of your message.

      If there is a book that you need and would like to see us publish, please send us a note in the SUGGEST A TITLE form on www.packtpub.com or email .

      If there is a topic that you have expertise in and you are interested in either writing or contributing to a book, see our author guide on www.packtpub.com/authors.

      Customer Support

      Now that you are the proud owner of a Packt book, we have a number of things to help you to get the most from your purchase.

      Downloading the Example Code for the Book

      Visit http://www.packtpub.com/support, and select this book from the list of titles to download any example code or extra resources for this book. The files available for download will then be displayed.

      Note

      The downloadable files contain instructions on how to use them.

      Errata

      Although we have taken every care to ensure the accuracy of our contents, mistakes do happen. If you find a mistake in one of our books—maybe a mistake in text or code—we would be grateful if you would report this to us. By doing this you can save other readers from frustration, and help to improve subsequent versions of this book. If you find any errata, report them by visiting http://www.packtpub.com/support, selecting your book, clicking on the Submit Errata link, and entering the details of your errata. Once your errata have been verified, your submission will be accepted and the errata added to the list of existing errata. The existing errata can be viewed by selecting your title from http://www.packtpub.com/support.

      Questions

      You can contact us at <questions@packtpub.com> if you are having a problem with some aspect of the book, and we will do our best to address it.

      Chapter 1. Introduction to the vBulletin Board

      Before we see how to install vBulletin, and how to customize and hack the board, let's take a little time to look at the board, the company behind it, and a little of its history. We will also show you what other people have accomplished with this most versatile and powerful board.

      What is vBulletin?

      This is a good place to start!

      vBulletin is software that is loaded onto a web server to allow you to create and manage online forums or discussion boards. It is designed and developed by Jelsoft Enterprises Limited.

      If you have spent a little time on the Web, you will undoubtedly have come across a variety of discussion areas on websites that allow visitors to interact with each other. These discussion areas are generally known as 'forums', 'boards', or 'communities', and they are becoming very popular.

      Why Have a Discussion Board?

      But why have a discussion board? Well one good reason is that there is a tendency for a website to seem like a one-sided conversation with the webmaster talking to the visitors, but by adding a discussion area the webmaster can bring the benefits of two-way discussion to the website and in doing so create a community.

      By spending the time, effort, and money needed to give this foundation to a community, the webmaster can make visitors to the website feel that they are part of something bigger. As a consequence they will visit the site more often, spending more time there, promoting it by word of mouth, and sharing links on their own websites, blog entries, and signature lines on other forums. Online communities take on a life of their own, and they can bring a whole new level of life and energy to an otherwise static, slowly evolving website.

      All of this means the website has an advantage over similar sites that don't have a discussion area.

      Benefits of a Discussion Board

      Here are just a few of the advantages of having a discussion forum on your site:

      A relatively quiet forum generates a steady stream of new content on your site—this means that people visit your site more regularly in order to read the new content. You can find out interests and preferences directly from your website visitors, enabling you to target content more specifically to their needs.

      A discussion forum allows people to become more than just passive observers of your site. It allows visitors to pose a question, post a comment or share a review. When someone posts something, they come back to see whether there's been an answer or comment posted in response. This is how a community begins and is a path

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