vB3 Admin - Misc Inquiries about XenForo…

[adwade]

I have run vB3 for over a decade and am looking into XenForo now. I have requested a DEMO and played with it a bit, but don't quite understand a thing or two…

Namely,
1)Under Display Location it states "These fields will never be displayed on a user's profile."
Does that mean PROFILE FIELDS can not be part of a users viewable profile? If so, it sort of defeats the purpose for our needs.

2)Is there anyway to import a set of choices for a drop-down selection?
I ask, because we run a bicycling website where each user declares their state/country & region within the state/country (i.e. N,NE,NW,S,SE,SW,E,W), so folks can sort of find one another. In vB3 I just copied/pasted a list of all States & Countries for my drop-down choices. In XenForo, it looks like you add each choice manually?

3)Also, is there a limit to the number of choices and if so what is that limit?(i.e. Enough for ALL States & Countries)

 

[0ptima]

11)In our present vB forum, users use State and City (reqd user profile fields) as a way to locate on another. On each user's profile page, both the State and City are LINKED to our members list. When they click on their STATE, they are shown a listing of other riders who also live in that same state. When they click on their CITY, they are shown a listing of other riders who also ride in/around that same city. Once at the members listing, they can click on also click on the same values from there.(see screen shot)

Is there a way to do something similar in XenForo? I've looked around in my demo and cannot find anywhere to add a user profile field to the members listing that is displayed. I'm going to cross my fingers and hope there is some way to accomplish, as it's a prime feature on our vB board.

You could probably use this
Xenforo User Map

 

[adwade]

Thanxx @Optima for suggesting that MOD. While our location data doesn't reside in the default Registration Location Field, we could probably get the data copied over from our State/Country & City user profile fields to there.

 

[adwade]

[GUIDE] Custom Pages with Navigation Tabs
Have you seen this? I think it'll be fairly accurate still.

Although it's way above my head for now, PERFECT! Somehow I'd missed seeing the Development Tutorials section. Many Thanxx!

 

[adwade]

11b)While playing around with the DEMO, I see the Admin (only) Advanced User Search is similar to vB3's Advanced User Search, which registered members on our board have access to. That said, in order to provide an Advanced User Search function to registered members on a Xenforo board would this be possible…?

Could one not just copy the admin.php file, rename it to say aus.php and strip-out everything except just the Advanced User Search Code. Revise the permission strings so a registered member could perform such a search, and then provide registered members a link to call that feature?

It's not ideal, but it could be a work-around for us until we were able to fashion some sort of a Members Listing page that could show each user's locations.(i.e. City; Region; State/Country)

 

[Chris D]

Unfortunately the nature of the code means things aren't quite that simple. I think earlier on in the thread someone pointed out an add-on that adds a similar advanced search to the front end so it's likely to be the best option.

 

[adwade]

See if this helps: Advanced Member Profile Search

In reference to the MOD above, I have a question about TMS…

12)I noticed the MOD was released on May 26, 2015 and a requirement is the Template Modification System by @guiltar . However, guiltar's TMS was last updated on Apr 24, 2014. And I understand that XenForo now has a built-in TMS.

So, would the MOD above run on XenForo's built-in TMS? If not, would installing guiltar's TMS on current production XenForo interfere with it's operation?(i.e. running two TMS's at once)

Lastly if the MOD would only run under guiltar's TMS, does he plan on keeping it updated to run with current versions of XenForo -or- is it something most here think will just be phased out of production in time?

 

[James]

In reference to the MOD above, I have a question about TMS…

12)I noticed the MOD was released on May 26, 2015 and a requirement is the Template Modification System by @guiltar . However, guiltar's TMS was last updated on Apr 24, 2014. And I understand that XenForo now has a built-in TMS.

So, would the MOD above run on XenForo's built-in TMS? If not, would installing guiltar's TMS on current production XenForo interfere with it's operation?(i.e. running two TMS's at once)

Lastly if the MOD would only run under guiltar's TMS, does he plan on keeping it updated to run with current versions of XenForo -or- is it something most here think will just be phased out of production in time?

An addon probably best asked in the thread or directed to the addon author. I would imagine you could manually apply the template edits that are applied in the TMS.

 

[Chris D]

I had a quick look at the XML file, it looks like it's in a standard XF format to me, probably just some old text that hasn't been updated.

 

[adwade]

An addon probably best asked in the thread or directed to the addon author.

Agreed, but when I tried: "You have insufficient privileges to reply here."(i.e. Discussion Tab of MOD)

UPDATE: I did manage to start a conversation with Akinak and inquire about such.
ANSWER: "This addon use core TMS, I am just not update desription." ​

 

[adwade]

I had a quick look at the XML file, it looks like it's in a standard XF format to me, probably just some old text that hasn't been updated.

Sorry-so-slow, but I'm trying to interpert just what you mean. Is your comment in reference to the declaration: "Requirements=Template Modification System" in the Overview tab here? If so, you're thinking the MOD might work with XenForo's current built-in TMS?

 

[James]

Agreed, but when I tried: "You have insufficient privileges to reply here."

Chris believes it's in the standard XF format so should be fine but you could always private message the author just to make sure. No harm in asking!

 

[Chris D]

If so, you're thinking the MOD might work with XenForo's current built-in TMS?

Yes, exactly.

 

[adwade]

UPDATE: 11)I did (finally) trip across another MOD by @AndyB called Member Search 1.7 which appears to perform a Search via user profile fields just like we need...

Description:
Search for members using up to five input fields:
1. Username
2. Location
3. Home Page
4. Custom User Field 1 (text box)
5. Custom User Field 2 (text box)
6. Custom User Field 3 (text box)
A new link under the Members tab will be added called Member Search.

Features:
◦ Six searchable fields.
◦ Add up to three custom user fields.
◦ Partial username and profile field searches allowed.
◦ All phrases start with membersearch_ for your convenience.
◦ Fully responsive for mobile devices.

So while not the perfect answer to our needs, it's certainly an excellent work-around.

 

[adwade]

Two features we've been relying on for a while are: 6)Caching of offsite images and...

6)I've read a little about XenForo's Image Proxy Feature, but can't find anyting in the manual about it. What I think I read here is that it would keep a copy of offsite images for us, similar to how this MOD has done so for us in vB3. Correct? If not, is there any MOD available for XenForo to copy any referenced offsite image within a post and keep it on our website? We use this feature so older threads are still easily readable with ALL the info they originally referenced, regardless if the original image or referenced website is now missing.

@AndyB also has a MOD called Convert Image 3.4 that would seem to perform this function for us:

Description:
The Convert Image add-on will convert hot linked images in messages to attachments. Hot linked images are those images that have been inserted using the Image icon in the editor toolbar.
Features:
◦ Linked images are immediately converted after message is saved.
◦ Images resizing is done with ImageMagick for best quality.
◦ Images resized to maximum width and height settings in Admin.
◦ Control Panel (Options -> Attachments).
◦ Setting for inserting full-size or thumbnail attachments.
◦ Setting for temporary image path.
◦ Setting for optional log file.
◦ Setting for ImageMagick environment path.​

This MOD will even resize images, something our present vB3 MOD does not do. To me, there's just nothing worse than reading through a D-I-Y thread with a good explanation of the process…yet ALL the pictures are missing.

 

[James]

Sounds like AndyB has you covered!

 

[Mr Lucky]

Sounds like AndyB has you covered!

He has most things covered.

 

[adwade]

In @Chris D's MOD Automatic Watch Thread and Watch Forum on Registration [Paid] 1.0.2

Marcus stated:
Yes it would be very helpful to also trigger the events on profile field updates:
When you click on the "I like swimming" profile field in your "sports community forum", you are watching the "Swimming Forum".
​

However, I never saw any responses to that suggestion. I was thinking it would be very beneficial if we could have a new user from say TN, to automatically be subscribed to our Tennessee Forum upon registration.(i.e. based on their State user profile field contents=TN)

Since I cannot reply to the MOD discussion (yet), I just wanted to ask here: Would this be a relatively simple upgrade for the MOD -or- a major (as in big $$) revamp/feature-fix for it?

 

[Chris D]

It would likely be a big change.

 

[adwade]

Just looking ahead, I tripped across a post where Code Monkey said:

I think one of the best things I did before migrating from vBulletin was moving every single member into the registered usergroup. Not because I knew I should do it but because I had no idea what to expect. I think I avoided a mess by that lucky guess. I would advise that for everyone.

I was curious what others though about this methodology? Is it a critical step in the conversion process, or is it pretty simple/easy to deal with imported usergroups from vB once in XenForo?

While I don't fully grasp the permissions system in XenForo yet, two posts by @Code Monkey (i.e. Human Terms & Pizza) really helped me to begin to understand XenForo's philosophy of dealing with permissions.

Right now we have about 1200 Registered Members and about as many Inactive members (i.e. Absent for 1yr+), and 150 Unconfirmed and about as many users who's emails have Bounced. Mind you, each of these is a separate usergroup in vB.

 

[0ptima]

I found it easier to cleanup my user groups prior to the conversion.