CTA Featured Threads & Portal [Paid] 2.17.0

[Renegade]

The featured threads seems to be refreshing every hour and getting reset. When the threads are auto featured, I edit them to add the icon images and after some time the images are gone. In fact sometimes I see threads from 2009 as featured and they disappear in a minute. I guess they show up when the cron to feature or unfeature them runs.

Plus I have this once in my error log

ErrorException: Fatal Error: syntax error, unexpected $end, expecting T_VARIABLE or T_DOLLAR_OPEN_CURLY_BRACES or T_CURLY_OPEN - library/CTA/FeaturedThreads/Model/Featured.php:107
Generated By: Unknown Account, Yesterday at 10:36 PM
Stack Trace
#0 [internal function]: XenForo_Application::handleFatalError()
#1 {main}
Request State
array(3) {
["url"] => string(71) "/community/threads/amd-opteron-165-939.25477/"
["_GET"] => array(0) {
}
["_POST"] => array(0) {
}
}

 

[Paul B]

Upload the files once again.
It's possible it was a bad upload buf if it happened only once it is more than likely due to someone loading the page as you were uploading previously.

 

[tajhay]

hey Brogan,
Is there anyway to make the sizes of the featured threads content boxes all the same size? For example i want to have the icon for it sized at 400px*300px. However on the content side of things, its all determined by the characters. The problem here is that sometimes the top content is an image...and or most likely its a list (team list - we are a sports forum)...so the box looks out of whack. ideally i would like the 400*300 content boxes strewn together with the same size images (which can be done now) and the content being the same. Any tricks up your sleeve sir?

feature request. Is it possible to drag and drop an icon image into an icon image to replace it? That would be the bomb!

Keep up the great work!

 

[tajhay]

I've done some basic work with the Widget Framework now:

https://www.aspiescentral.com/
https://www.v6mustang.com/
https://www.orchidsforum.com/

Going to play around with it a bit more.

Any update on this? Would love to try this out! WF + FT = Awesomeness!!!

 

[Paul B]

hey Brogan,
Is there anyway to make the sizes of the featured threads content boxes all the same size?

Presumably you mean for the page?
If so, copy the Style Properties from the blocks for Thread Content and Thread Text.
That will give you a fixed height with overflow content hidden.

 

[Renegade]

The featured threads seems to be refreshing every hour and getting reset. When the threads are auto featured, I edit them to add the icon images and after some time the images are gone. In fact sometimes I see threads from 2009 as featured and they disappear in a minute. I guess they show up when the cron to feature or unfeature them runs.

Any suggestions on why this could be happening?

 

[Paul B]

Your criteria must be incorrect.

I am unable to reproduce it.

 

[Renegade]

The only criteria I have set is that the thread should have more than 4 posts and feature indefinitely. Such a great feature and I cannot use it.

 

[Paul B]

What do you have maximum featured threads set to?

 

[Renegade]

It is set to 20.

 

[Paul B]

Well that's the issue then.

The maximum number of threads which can be featured at any one time is 20.

If there are more than 20 threads which have greater than 4 posts then they will be featured and immediately unfeatured once the 21st thread and so on is featured.

Set it to 0 or a greater limit.

 

[Paul B]

The first feature for 2.10 is finished.

I believe it has been requested by several people, including @FredC, which is the ability to not show featured threads in the blocks but show them on the page.

A new option to set the default status in the feature template:



The same default setting option also exists for automatic featuring.

When featuring with the option enabled:



And disabled:



The update template takes into account the actual status of the featured thread.
So if it is already set to display globally, the checkbox will be checked automatically, and vice versa.

All existing threads will be set to display globally when updating to 2.10.
They can be updated and changed on a per featured thread basis, or, if you want to do it en masse, it's a simple query to change the field from 1 to 0.

 

[FredC]

haha, You can surely expect me to beta test this version..
---------

Edit:
Dang got all excited and forgot what i came here for in the first place..

 

[Renegade]

Set it to 0 or a greater limit.

Ideally I should not be able to set the options in a way which will interfere with the working of the add-on. And if the add-on unfeatures and features all the threads then it would do so even with a higher limit. So I set it to 0 instead and duration as indefinite.

Now I seem to have different problem. The latest featured thread is from 13th June, almost a month old. Why would the latest threads not show up? I have include expired checked.

 

[Martok]

Ideally I should not be able to set the options in a way which will interfere with the working of the add-on. And if the add-on unfeatures and features all the threads then it would do so even with a higher limit. So I set it to 0 instead and duration as indefinite.

How exactly is this 'interfering' with the working of the add-on? It isn't! However many FTs you want on your home page you specify with that number. It works exactly as expected.

Now I seem to have different problem. The latest featured thread is from 13th June, almost a month old. Why would the latest threads not show up? I have include expired checked.

Are you sure they aren't there? What order have you set for display on the front page? Which forums have you selected for auto promotion? Are you sure this isn't user error in setting this up? (I presume your previous 'issues' with Bb Code were user error as you're still using this add-on and you've not commented further on that problem)

It would be useful to have the URL to your site so we can see these issues.

 

[Paul B]

Ideally I should not be able to set the options in a way which will interfere with the working of the add-on.

You do realise how ridiculous that is?
It is up to you to configure the options correctly.

I said all along they weren't correct yet all you've done is rant and rave and claim the add-on doesn't work.

It clearly does work.
It isn't faulty as you claim.
It works exactly as advertised.

Yet you still claim it doesn't work and don't even have the courtesy to acknowledge the issue is you, nor to apologise.

I am proud of the support I provide yet I will no longer waste my time on you.

 

[Lisa]

I am proud of the support I provide.

As you should be. FT is one of the best supported addons around. It's the addon that just keeps on giving Your support is exceptional, keep up the good work!

 

[Renegade]

You do realise how ridiculous that is?
It is up to you to configure the options correctly.

I said all along they weren't correct yet all you've done is rant and rave and claim the add-on doesn't work.

It clearly does work.
It isn't faulty as you claim.
It works exactly as advertised.

Yet you still claim it doesn't work and don't even have the courtesy to acknowledge the issue is you, nor to apologise.

I am proud of the support I provide yet I will no longer waste my time on you.

Wow! I had typed a long reply but thankfully I got back into my senses.

@Brogan you are a great mod and a great asset to XF and the support you offer since day one is second to none. Ignore my frustration if you can. I expect you would be more tolerant to users being a mod yourself and not just an add-on author. I hope you do understand the reason I am coming back to this thread is coz I want to use this add-on.

How exactly is this 'interfering' with the working of the add-on? It isn't! However many FTs you want on your home page you specify with that number. It works exactly as expected.


Are you sure they aren't there? What order have you set for display on the front page? Which forums have you selected for auto promotion? Are you sure this isn't user error in setting this up? (I presume your previous 'issues' with Bb Code were user error as you're still using this add-on and you've not commented further on that problem)

It would be useful to have the URL to your site so we can see these issues.

It is interfering with the working if it is unfeaturing all the threads and refeaturing them if I set the limit to say 20. That way I am losing all the image icons I have uploaded for each featured thread. They just disappear after an hour. So if I have to set it to 0 or too high for it to work then it should be controlled through the options. After I have set it to 0 it is working fine as far as image icon is concerned.

I am in no way saying that it isn't the settings issue (user issue) and the add-on has bugs but the least I expect is that the add-on author will guide me with the settings. And since I am such a noob then will extend the support to offer to look at my settings for me.

The earlier issues with BB code went away after I toggled with the settings more than once. Just disabling the auto feature had led to those issues and I had posted in this thread. I guess that is the purpose of these thread or is it only to praise the add-on author.

 

[Paul B]

So if I have to set it to 0 or too high for it to work then it should be controlled through the options.

Your post makes no sense.

It is controlled through the options.
This one:



It states quite clearly:

The maximum number of threads which will be featured at any one time. Once the limit has been reached, the oldest featured thread will be replaced by the next thread to be featured. Use 0 to disable the limit.

Quite why you expect the code to ignore that value when it is clearly there for that very purpose is beyond me.

I am in no way saying that it isn't the settings issue (user issue) and the add-on has bugs but the least I expect is that the add-on author will guide me with the settings. And since I am such a noob then will extend the support to offer to look at my settings for me.

Perhaps your initial attitude and post had a lot to do with that?

 

[Martok]

It is interfering with the working if it is unfeaturing all the threads and refeaturing them if I set the limit to say 20. That way I am losing all the image icons I have uploaded for each featured thread. They just disappear after an hour. So if I have to set it to 0 or too high for it to work then it should be controlled through the options. After I have set it to 0 it is working fine as far as image icon is concerned.

Featured Threads will only feature the number of threads you specify. So if you specify 20 it will only display 20. If this is the setting that you want but you don't want expired threads to keep on being re-featured, you need to untick the "Include Expired" option - it should only be used the first time you feature threads based on criteria i.e. switch that on for the first time until the cron runs, then switch it off.

The earlier issues with BB code went away after I toggled with the settings more than once. Just disabling the auto feature had led to those issues and I had posted in this thread. I guess that is the purpose of these thread or is it only to praise the add-on author.

So it was user error, then...

No, this thread isn't just to praise the author, it is to help others in any issues they have. However, don't expect users to stand by and let someone say that a product is buggy and doesn't work properly when it isn't the case.

Anyway, back to trying to solve your latest issue - and I'd really like to get this sorted for you As I requested in my last post, please can you tell us about the following:

• Are you sure your latest threads aren't there?
• What order have you set for display on the front page
• Which forums have you selected for auto promotion?
• What is the URL to your site so we can see these issues?