XF 1.1 How to customize link forum to look like actual forum?

[phaze3131]

Hi,

How do I customize link forum to look like actual forum and show total discussions, last post, etc.

I have a prepaid cell phone forum. One section shows all prepaid providers and the other top prepaid providers. All prepaid providers are the actual forum and top prepaid providers are just link forum of forum from all prepaid providers.

How do I do this? Can I copy some codes from forum to the link forum?
What file produces these codes and file for link forum? Codes like div class nodeLastPost secondaryContent, nodesStats pairsInline, etc.

Forum link:

to look like actual forum:

 

[Morgain]

One thing I did was to replace the icon for link forum with the same icon which displays for a forum. That makes a big difference to how it looks.
I just did it by editing the sprite graphic - not ideal as it has to be redone when you upgrade. So make a note in your site diary or log.

Using FTP
In /styles/default/xenforo
find nodesprite.png
download it. Don't change the filename but make a copy of it naming it nodespriteORIG.png
In a graphics editor (I use free Irfanview) open the nodesprite.png version.
You will see the icons in a row.
Copy the one for forum over the top of the link forum one.
(Or make a new set of your own images, but make these two the same.)

Now back in FTP Rename the original nodesprite.png to nodespriteORIG.png
This is a safety backup when making any changes in case something goes wrong so you still have the original. By adding caps on the end of the name it shows up clearly on the file list, and sits next to the new version.
Upload the new version you made.
..... Don't rename it so it shows up in the file list as nodesprite.png
..... (XF needs to find the file with the same name in order to use it.)
..... Be sure to upload in Binary mode in the FTP program.

Go to the forums list and refresh. A link forum should now display the same icon as ordinary forum.

 

[Jeremy]

If you want to show totals, you'll need to do quite a bit of editing, and it may require an add-on, but without my digging into the code, I can say for certain, since the foreach loop that creates the display works on an individual node at the time.

 

[phaze3131]

One thing I did was to replace the icon for link forum with the same icon which displays for a forum. That makes a big difference to how it looks.
I just did it by editing the sprite graphic - not ideal as it has to be redone when you upgrade. So make a note in your site diary or log.

Using FTP
In /styles/default/xenforo
find nodesprite.png
download it. Don't change the filename but make a copy of it naming it nodespriteORIG.png
In a graphics editor (I use free Irfanview) open the nodesprite.png version.
You will see the icons in a row.
Copy the one for forum over the top of the link forum one.
(Or make a new set of your own images, but make these two the same.)

Now back in FTP Rename the original nodesprite.png to nodespriteORIG.png
This is a safety backup when making any changes in case something goes wrong so you still have the original. By adding caps on the end of the name it shows up clearly on the file list, and sits next to the new version.
Upload the new version you made.
..... Don't rename it so it shows up in the file list as nodesprite.png
..... (XF needs to find the file with the same name in order to use it.)
..... Be sure to upload in Binary mode in the FTP program.

Go to the forums list and refresh. A link forum should now display the same icon as ordinary forum.

Sounds like a plan.
That's only for the icon, right? It wont display discussions, messages, latest, etc?

 

[phaze3131]

If you want to show totals, you'll need to do quite a bit of editing, and it may require an add-on, but without my digging into the code, I can say for certain, since the foreach loop that creates the display works on an individual node at the time.

Yes that's what am thinking, to code but it's not gonna be easy.

Do you know what file produces codes like div class nodeLastPost secondaryContent, nodesStats pairsInline? Those are the div class of the forum details like discussions, messages, etc.

 

[Jeremy]

They would be Models and fetched in XenForo_ControllerPublic_Forum::actionIndex I believe, but you may be able to do it without an add-on, but I won't be able to look into that until tomorrow.

 

[phaze3131]

They would be Models and fetched in XenForo_ControllerPublic_Forum::actionIndex I believe, but you may be able to do it without an add-on, but I won't be able to look into that until tomorrow.

Alright, thanks. Will give it a try.

I'm new with xen and only know the basics.

 

[Morgain]

Sounds like a plan.
That's only for the icon, right? It wont display discussions, messages, latest, etc?

yes just the icon. but it does make a big difference.

 

[phaze3131]

yes just the icon. but it does make a big difference.

yeah, that will help too but I really want all the other info.

 

[phaze3131]

Hey @Jeremy, can you check now if those data can be fetched at XenForo_ControllerPublic_Forum::actionIndex?

 

[phaze3131]

Let me explain further. I need to know what file these are from:

then add to file of link forum:

to make it look like actual forum.

So what file the info on forum are from and what file(file of link forum) should I add it to?

 

[phaze3131]

Well I contacted a developer and he found the locations but said this won't work to just output the code to the main forum topics here where the virtual shortcut links are.

He said it would start to output all the forums in that section, not just the ones we need which are the shortcuts.

Really at a standstill.

Looks horrible, Like there is no activity and just dead

please any help would be so awesome at this point.

Virtual forums are popular I thought, I know alot of forums use them.

 

[TPerry]

Well I contacted a developer and he found the locations but said this won't work to just output the code to the main forum topics here where the virtual shortcut links are.

He said it would start to output all the forums in that section, not just the ones we need which are the shortcuts.

Really at a standstill.

Looks horrible, Like there is no activity and just dead
please any help would be so awesome at this point.
Virtual forums are popular I thought, I know alot of forums use them.

Let me get you right. Those are LINKS that you want to look like forums with discussions? Don't think that would look very well.
Heck, why not just make them a forum and inside put a child that is a LINK to the provider.

 

[Gazhyde]

Can you not put them into columns?

 

[phaze3131]

Let me get you right. Those are LINKS that you want to look like forums with discussions? Don't think that would look very well.
Heck, why not just make them a forum and inside put a child that is a LINK to the provider.

Yes exactly, those are links to the official forums.

Many forums do it and it looks amazing and really helpful for users to find more important forums quickly. Digitalpoint found a way to do this, just wish I could.

We need users to find the important threads fastser. It is no different than having Tags printed in larger font so users can find blog posts easier, its exactly the same principle.


Your idea does not work, we have a main forum where all prepaid providers must be listed so there is ZERO confusion on where a prepaid company might be located or something subjective like, what is a "Top Prepaid provider" and how do I know which are top and which are not when I am looking.

It's something so needed, hard to believe Xen has not done this by now. All other forums I have worked with have this.

 

[TPerry]

Yes exactly, those are links to the official forums.

Many forums do it and it looks amazing and really helpful for users to find more important forums quickly. Digitalpoint found a way to do this, just wish I could.

And I'm pretty sure he did it with a CUSTOM add-on (probably one he wrote). Most of his site is highly modified by him.

We need users to find the important threads fastser. It is no different than having Tags printed in larger font so users can find blog posts easier, its exactly the same principle.

I think that's where you are getting people somewhat confused. Those are NOT thread/forums. They are simple hyperlinks to elsewhere. I DO know that one of the forums that I used (one of the free ones - just don't remember what one) kept a tally of how many visits via that hyperlink was performed and displayed it.

Your idea does not work, we have a main forum where all prepaid providers must be listed so there is ZERO confusion on where a prepaid company might be located or something subjective like, what is a "Top Prepaid provider" and how do I know which are top and which are not when I am looking.

Again, it sounds like what you are wanting to do will need to be addressed with an add-on. I personally don't see any need to have it built in to rank by the method you are wanting (it would not be used by most forums). And ALL that the "top" would prove would be the ones that are clicked on the most times on YOUR forum - not industry wide.

It's something so needed, hard to believe Xen has not done this by now. All other forums I have worked with have this.

Can you provide an example of a site that does it that has this built in (you can send it in a convo if you want).

 

[phaze3131]

well first of all, no addon is needed. An addon just makes it so it can be replicated, if I just want to change a few virtual links div area, an addon is not needed.

just was looking to see if anyone knows of what area the code needs to be altered.

thanks for the "addon" help but it is really not needed, I am not looking to replicate this function, at all.

 

[Steve F]

With that many links to nothing more than just Carriers why not make a sidebar block to house those or something of the sort, seems like a bunch of wasted space.

 

[TPerry]

With that many links to nothing more than just Carriers why not make a sidebar block to house those or something of the sort, seems like a bunch of wasted space.

BD Widgets would be perfect for that.
That is one thing I like about myBB. It has an option to count the number of visits to a link that is set up.