Transform your XenForo forum into a vibrant hub for book enthusiasts with the XenCustomize Book Threads add-on! This powerful tool introduces dedicated thread and forum types designed specifically for book rating and personalized user bookshelves, offering a rich and organized experience for your users.
Key Highlights
Book-Centric Thread & Forum Types – Tailored experience for book discussions Book Cover Image – Supports custom uploads, deletion, and smart auto-assignment for seamless visual integration. Integrated Rating System – Allow users to rate books with comprehensive display options List & Grid Views – Choose visually stunning List or Grid views for your book forums Detailed Book Data – Store and display rich details like title, author, ISBN, publisher, rating, and more. Sticky Sidebar – Cover, rating, and “Add to shelf” button stay visible in first post User Bookshelves – Organize books as Want to Read, Currently Reading, or Read Community Shelf Stats – See how many users want, are reading, or have read each book Advanced Filtering & Sorting – Filter and sort by author, publisher, rating, language, etc. Smart Forum Type Switching – Auto converts threads and cleans up book data when changing forum types SEO Friendly – Includes Schema.org LD+JSON structured data for better visibility
Notable Features:
Dedicated Book Types & Structure
Dedicated Book Thread Type: Introduces a distinct thread type specifically designed for book rating and discussions, allowing for unique handling and display of all book-related information.
Dedicated Book Forum Type: Establishes a specific forum type for organizing and housing book discussions, providing a focused environment for book lovers.
Automatic Data Preparation: Upon changing a forum to the "Book Forum" type, existing threads are automatically prepared for book-specific data via an efficient background job.
Data Cleanup: When a book forum type is changed back to other forum types, associated book-specific data is automatically cleaned up from dedicated tables.
Flexible Forum Type Conversion: Seamlessly convert existing discussion, article, question, or suggestion forums to a "Book Forum" type.
Book Rating System
Integrated Book Rating: Allows users to rate books from 1 to 5 stars directly within the book thread.
Average Rating & Count Display: Clearly shows the average rating and total number of ratings for each book, visible on the list view, grid view, search results, and within the book thread itself.
Quick Rating Option: Features a quick rating option for a seamless user experience, allowing users to rate without reloading the current page.
Admin-Controlled Rating Options: Administrators can enable/disable the rating system, control quick rating functionality, and choose whether to display the rating below the cover image.
Dynamic Rating Updates: Ratings are automatically recalculated and updated when a user adds or removes their rating for a book.
Rating Data Storage: Stores individual user ratings in a dedicated table, capturing the user, their rating, and the rating date.
Rich Book Data & Thread Display
Comprehensive Book Data Storage: Stores essential book details in a dedicated database table, directly associated with each book thread. This includes:
Book Title
Book Author
Book Synopsis
Book ISBN
Book Publisher
Book Publication Date
Book Language
Book Print Length (Pages)
Book Reading Time
Book Rating & Rating Count
Book Cover Image
Book Additional Information
Book Cover Image Management: Users can upload custom book covers directly via an intuitive interface. Existing covers can also be easily deleted. Supported image formats include GIF, JPEG, PNG, and WebP, with recommended dimensions of 324x500 pixels for optimal display.
Intelligent Cover Image Assignment: When an existing thread containing an image attachment in its first post is moved into a book forum, that image is automatically extracted and set as the book's cover image, streamlining content migration and setup. This process is handled efficiently in the background for both individual thread moves and large-scale forum conversions.
Consistent Cover Display Across Platform: Book cover images are prominently displayed across all relevant areas of your forum, including:
Book Thread View
Book Forum (List View)
Book Forum (Grid View)
Search Results
User Bookshelves
Enhanced Book Information Display: Clearly presents key book details within the thread view (in the first post), making essential information readily accessible at a glance.
Unique Book Thread View Design: Offers a customized and visually appealing display style exclusive to book threads. This includes a sticky left sidebar featuring the book cover, the "Add to shelf" button (with dynamic shelf status), and optionally the book rating, ensuring these key elements remain readily accessible as users scroll.
Unique Forum Display Style & Browse
Unique Book Forum View Designs: Choose between two distinct display styles for your book forum listings, offering flexibility in how book discussions are presented:
List View: Displays book threads in an expanded list format, including cover images, book details, ratings, and synopsis for comprehensive information at a glance.
Grid View: Presents book threads in a visual grid layout with cover images, author, and rating, emphasizing visual Browse and quick identification of books.
Advanced Forum Filtering by Book Attributes: Empowers users to filter book discussion lists based on various book characteristics like Book Title, Book Author, ISBN, Book Publisher, and Book Language.
Flexible Thread List Sorting Options: Allows users to sort book discussion lists according to relevant book attributes such as Book Author, Book Publication Date, and Book Rating.
Personalized User Experience & Management
Personalized User Bookshelves: Provides users with their own dedicated spaces to organize books into virtual shelves:
Want to Read: Keep track of books users are interested in reading.
Currently Reading: Showcases the books users are actively engaged with.
Read: A personal archive of books users have finished.
Community Bookshelf Statistics: Displays "X people want to read," "X people are currently reading," and "X people read" statistics directly on each book thread, showing aggregated shelf stats from all users.
Integrated Book Creation Form: The intuitive and user-friendly interface for entering book details (Title, Author, Synopsis, etc.) is seamlessly integrated into the thread creation form, providing additional book-specific fields.
Automatic Cover Image Handling on Thread Move: When a thread containing an attached image in its first post is moved into a book forum, that image is automatically extracted and set as the book's cover.
Customized Post Button: A dedicated button or phrase for initiating a new book discussion thread, enhancing user experience and clarity.
Integrations & Administration
Schema.org LD+JSON Structured Data: Implements schema.org markup for book listings, significantly improving SEO and making your content more discoverable by search engines.
XenForo Feature Support: Seamlessly integrates with core XenForo functionalities:
Thread Prefixes Support
Custom Thread Fields Support
Thread Prompts Support
User Group Permissions: Provides fine-grained control over who can utilize specific features.
With XenCustomize Book Threads, you can create a thriving and well-organized book discussion community on your XenForo forum, offering a rich and engaging experience for your book-loving members!
In your XenForo Admin CP, go to "Add-ons" and click "+ Install/upgrade from archive". Select the downloaded add-on archive file and click "Install".
Configuration:
After installation, navigate to "Options" in the Admin CP and find "XenCustomize Book Threads" to adjust any available settings to your preferences.
Permissions:
Review and configure user group permissions under "Groups & Permissions" -> "User Group Permissions" -> [Edit Each User Group] -> "XenCustomize Book Threads". This allows you to control who can view and use the shelving features.
Usage:
Creating a Book Thread:
In a designated "Book Forum," click the "Add Book" button.
You will be presented with a form to enter the book details (Title, Author, Synopsis, etc.). Fill out the form as required and click "Add book".
Click "Book cover" button to Upload custom book cover.
Adding Books to Shelves:
When viewing a book thread, you'll see an "Add to shelf" button in the left sidebar.
Clicking this button will present you with options: "Want to Read," "Currently Reading," and "Read."
Select the shelf you want to add the book to. Your choice will be saved, and the button's status will update to reflect the current shelf.
You can manage your personal bookshelves through your account "Your bookshelves" page.
Filtering and Sorting Book Forums:
Within a "Book Forum," look for Filters dropdown menu that allow you to filter the book list by attributes such as Book Title, Author, Publisher, and Language.
You'll also find options to sort the book list by criteria like Author, Publication Date, and Rating, helping you find books based on your preferences.
Forum View Display Styles:
Administrators can customize the look of each Book Forum by navigating to Admin CP > Forums > Nodes > Edit [Your Book Forum].
In the forum settings, you can choose the "Display style" between "List view" and "Grid view".
Support and Licensing Information:
Support:
For support regarding the XenCustomize Book Threads add-on, please visit our support forums at XenCustomize.com and Create a Ticket.
Licensing:
The license grants you the right to use the add-on on a single XenForo installation.
By purchasing and using this add-on, you agree to the terms of the license agreement.
Excellent AddOn. Does what I need it to do and will be great to show all different items. I do not do books, I changed it something else, so it is very flexible. I had a question which was answered in a very timely manner, so great support as well.
That’s wonderful to hear! Glad you found the add-on flexible enough to adapt for other items - that kind of creativity really shows how versatile and multipurpose the add-on can be. It’s a great example for others to see how it can be customized to fit different needs. Thanks so much for mentioning our quick support and for your kind words!
![[XenCustomize] Book Threads: Forum & Thread Types](/community/data/resource_icons/9/9953.jpg?1749151743){kind=icon}
XenCustomize Book Threads for XenForo 2!
Key Highlights
Book-Centric Thread & Forum Types – Tailored experience for book discussions
Book Cover Image – Supports custom uploads, deletion, and smart auto-assignment for seamless visual integration.
Integrated Rating System – Allow users to rate books with comprehensive display options
Detailed Book Data – Store and display rich details like title, author, ISBN, publisher, rating, and more.
Sticky Sidebar – Cover, rating, and “Add to shelf” button stay visible in first post
User Bookshelves – Organize books as Want to Read, Currently Reading, or Read
Community Shelf Stats – See how many users want, are reading, or have read each book
Advanced Filtering & Sorting – Filter and sort by author, publisher, rating, language, etc.
Smart Forum Type Switching – Auto converts threads and cleans up book data when changing forum types
SEO Friendly – Includes Schema.org LD+JSON structured data for better visibility
Notable Features:
Rich Book Data & Thread Display
Unique Forum Display Style & Browse
Personalized User Experience & Management
Integrations & Administration
Compatible XF Versions
XenForo 2.3.x
XenForo 2.2.x
Screenshots
Add Book Forum Type
Install Add-on:
Configuration:
Permissions:
Adding Books to Shelves:
Filtering and Sorting Book Forums:
Support:
Licensing:
![[XenCustomize] Carousel Enhancer](/community/data/resource_icons/10/10243.jpg?1768946598){kind=icon}
![[XenCustomize] Testimonials: Client Feedback & Reviews Manager](/community/data/resource_icons/9/9599.jpg?1762176204){kind=icon}
![[XenCustomize] Events Manager](/community/data/resource_icons/9/9299.jpg?1775737707){kind=icon}
![[XenCustomize] Year in Review: Annual Community Growth & Personal Stats](/community/data/resource_icons/10/10192.jpg?1766591201){kind=icon}
![[XenCustomize] Content Analytics Core](/community/data/resource_icons/10/10383.jpg?1775342524){kind=icon}
