WeitualUser -- Virtual Members crawling the site

[Weiyan]

As resquested in this thread:
http://xenforo.com/community/threads/virtual-member.16172/

In the users online now widget, a select group of users will appear there. On the user card, the user has one of following activities:

1. Viewing Forum List
2. Viewing Forum XXX
3. Viewing Thread XXX

This mod use cron entry to create record in xf_session_activity, via
XenForo_Model_User->updateSessionActivity method.

Setup:

1. unzip the download
2. upload content in library
3. import the xml file
4. Selecting a user group to go virtual:
ACP->Option->Virtual User Options
-->Virtual User Group -- select the virtual user group(must create a new group for this)
-->Guests per each job -- Control Max. new guests online for each cron job.
-->Time span of user online -- Each virtual users are randomly time back, max. to this param.

Factory default groups are not show up as an option.

Enjoy your busy site.

2011-Jul-3 : Version 1.2.0
Randomize the online time
Add guests

Donations are welcome: paypal.com => email:weiyanwo@yahoo.com

 

[Weiyan]

Since 1.2.0, threads limited to latest 100 threads.

There are 12 cron jobs, each 5 mins fire a job.

The Xenforo default user session time out is 15 min. This mod's default max. time back is 17 min. That's means that some user may view xxx 16 min ago, this user will not show in online list. Guests default to 30, each job create 30 guests but some are already time out. This enhance the random effect.

The online users drop in 5 mins, then climb up again in next cron job.

There may happen no virtual user online, when refresh browser, hundreds of guests appeared. If your web site traffic is very low, may be as low as 1 click per hour. This is the issue of cron job. Xenforo fire cron job when there is a click on forumroot/cron.php. If no click after an hour, there are 12 accumulate jobs, 12 jobs run at same time, this produce 12 x 30 max. 420 virtual users.

The temporary fix:

1. Register linux server cron job to execute cron.php at server root, best in 5 mins interval or less.
2. User web crawling software to click http://yourforumhome/cron.php. Do not click index.php, because virtual browser may not fire the cron.php

END OF 1.2.0 NOTES

The possible thread for a virtual member to view is limited to among 50 selected threads. There is no control of which 50 threads.

There is no permission restrictions for virtual members.

Default 4 cron jobs, run at 1, 16, 13, 46 minute of each hour. You can create more cron jobs so the virtual members has more activities.

Update to now, I don't sure whether there is negative effect to forum statistics. I suppose there is no effect to thread read counter.

Feed backs are welcome.
Thanks

 

[Young]

Great job, Highly recommend

Done with the payment.
PayPal Transaction ID is: 7GR89506G4241190X

 

[TazDevilLooney]

Grate little addon you have produced there Weiyan.

Nice job

 

[Kaiser]

To be honest, its a nice add-on but it creates way for people to fake their stats and that's why I don't like it. Now there will be a good amount of forums making their forums look active when it really isn't. I just hope that there wont be any member generator mods out soon. I wouldn't release this to be honest. Just my honest opinion.

 

[Forsaken]

To be honest, its a nice add-on but it creates way for people to fake their stats and that's why I don't like it. Now there will be a good amount of forums making their forums look active when it really isn't. I just hope that there wont be any member generator mods out soon. I wouldn't release this to be honest. Just my honest opinion.

While I'm against fake members of any type, its really no different than administrators that fill their forums with tons of posts by them and their staff (I mean with little way in conversation between members in the threads), or buying/trading posts with other sites.

 

[Weiyan]

Its not possible for an action passing all ethical tests.

The Bottom Line:
This mod does issue http request, so, doesn't treat any web traffic analysis tool.

If looking busier to motive for visiting is unethical, tons of posts from other site to motive visitors ethical?

Let change to another angle of view, who suffers from this mod?
Please let me know if there is any possible suffer of this mod make to visitor.

The using decision of this mod is in the hand of web admins.

 

[Veer]

Well said Weiyan, basicely this type of add-ons helps a lot new forums to get new users. Of course this is not for active boards.

 

[Weiyan]

Well said Weiyan, basicely this type of add-ons helps a lot new forums to get new users. Of course this is not for active boards.

Surely not for active boards. If your board always have hundreds of visitors, why use this mod?

This mod is inspired Young's request, and the equivalent mod in Discuz!. Please feel free to feedback and suggest features you want.

Thank you.

 

[moody]

Can this be done for guests instead of registered members?

 

[rotozuk]

So each WeitualUser within the group will look at 50 random threads on each cron job? So if I have 3 members in the virtual group, I'll get 150 thread reads every 15 minutes?

 

[bogus]

Can this be done for guests instead of registered members?

+1
I have a very small board and this addon, also if everyone else gets a bit shocked now , would help me to get it pushed, porblably the main Idea of this Addon.
Because of my small Board i just have, lets say 5 Users around. If i choose this Group its quit useless
Well. Its just what i think. You must not like it

 

[Weiyan]

So each WeitualUser within the group will look at 50 random threads on each cron job? So if I have 3 members in the virtual group, I'll get 150 thread reads every 15 minutes?

In each cron job, select 50 threads from database, than randomly select one thread from the 50 threads. 3 users crawl 3 threads from 50 threads. The threads pool is same for each user.

The idea is limiting users crawling latest 50 threads, 50 latest post threads. Since I have not idea limit to latest thread or latest post, so I haven't add the order by clause to the query. Its possible to select one thread from the whole database, a user may crawl very old threads. Pls. let me konw your preference of the crawling range.

 

[Weiyan]

Can this be done for guests instead of registered members?

+1
I have a very small board and this addon, also if everyone else gets a bit shocked now , would help me to get it pushed, porblably the main Idea of this Addon.
Because of my small Board i just have, lets say 5 Users around. If i choose this Group its quit useless
Well. Its just what i think. You must not like it

For a new board, 60+ members always online, only 6 posts a day. Its a big joke.

I put this to the todo list. Next version will enhance the randomity of users. In this version, all users have same online time.

 

[wickedstangs]

nice mod..

 

[spiderman]

hi I'm not display any user with virual where is the problem

 

[rotozuk]

The idea is limiting users crawling latest 50 threads, 50 latest post threads. Since I have not idea limit to latest thread or latest post, so I haven't add the order by clause to the query. Its possible to select one thread from the whole database, a user may crawl very old threads. Pls. let me konw your preference of the crawling range.

Well, there are a couple of ways to look at this. The first would be that what you have here is fine, this really should be running on a new board, not an established site, so there should not be any very old threads. With that said, if you were going to put a limit on it, I'd think the 100 newest threads would be fine.

Thanks!

 

[Weiyan]

hi I'm not display any user with virual where is the problem

The mod only recognize primary group.
Tks.

 

[Adam Carem]

How do you select the Virtual User Group? My drop down menu has nothing in it.​

 

[Weiyan]

How do you select the Virtual User Group? My drop down menu has nothing in it.​

The default groups come with Xenforo installation , registers, moderator, administrator are not allowed in this mod. It must create a new users group for virtual users.

TKS.