More functionality please

[bpat1434]

I'm posting a reference to a different topic here. I've posted it in the "Echo Lounge" to see if I could get some feedback, and Weed seems to be the only one that fed me. So, I guess I'll just ask JP here:

Could we implement some of these?

Additions to Forum for Better User Experience (http://phpbuilder.com/board/showthread.php?t=10314523)

Double Posting Prevention
Would definately help out. Especially for those guys that can't quite find the "Edit" button or other buttons (like me at some times :) )

Custom user Pages
Could possibly be an augmentation to the "Mods Bods" section so that each Mod can have a better/more personal profile page.

bbCode Tables
Would love to see this one make it. Trying to display table data on this forum is tough, this would make it easier (to an extent).

Forbidden Characters in Username
Has the possibility to be adapted to the subject line so that users have to enter more descriptive subjects, rather than "Help!!!!"

~Brett

[Sayian]

I like your suggestions brett, sounds real good if they would impl. it

[bpat1434]

yup... would make helping out easier...

[dream.scape]

One suggestion I have is to write a module that automatically tags all PHP functions in a post. This would not be hard to do since http://www.php.net/name will send you where you need to go, so you really just need a list of php functions and extensions, which is not hard to come by.

So then for example whenever someone replies with, "I think simpleXML will do what you want" it is automatically translated to "I think simpleXML (http://www.php.net/simplexml) will do what you want".

Sure every seasoned PHP developer knows the http://www.php.net/name shortcut, but alot of people we're trying to help out probably don't, and so since this is a PHP Developer board, automatically tagging known PHP functions/extensions would really help us help others.

So c'mon, help us to help others. ;)

[bpat1434]

umm... it's already kind of done. You just use the [man] tag. I honestly link as needed. I'd hate to have all the links be that way....

And the simpleXML example you give (which is from my post... coinkydink) I linked to it previously, as well as to specific functions. Mainly, the "newb" to the forum will be asking questions, and us "seasoned" members will be answering. I don't see Weedpacket, Dale, Liz, or Laser not linking.

It's a good thought, but I think it's going a little far. Especially since there's already a "bbcode" for it. Maybe a button for the bbcode tag (if there isn't one... not sure as i use quick-reply religously) would help...

[laserlight]

Come to think of it, the bbcode tag list (http://phpbuilder.com/board/misc.php?do=bbcode) just describes as "Man", which doesnt really explain what it does. Since readers wont know that we used the tag instead of manually linking (pun?), they may never know that it exists and serves as a shortcut for what they want to do. Something more descriptive like "Links keyword to PHP Manual" may help, but then it depends on whether users actually read the list in the first place (I didnt :o).

It's a good thought, but I think it's going a little far. Especially since there's already a "bbcode" for it. Maybe a button for the bbcode tag (if there isn't one... not sure as i use quick-reply religously) would help...
There isnt one, and yes, I temporarily apostatized from our religion to check :)

[bpat1434]

well... I guess there isn't.... (had to see for myself!!)

[dream.scape]

actually bpat1434, simpleXml was just an example from the top of my head since I've been working with it quite a bit recently. It could have just as easily been str_replace() or any other PHP function/extension.

Sorry, I didn't know that you have some kind of blanket claim to simpleXml. I'll try to remember that ;)

laserlight, I usually do read the BBCode tag list at least once on forums; however, it is buried deep here. It's not even linked to from the advanced reply page. Now I don't know about you, but that makes absolutely no sense to me. I had to prune my way through the thicket of the FAQ to find the link to it, which I can guarantee you, almost no one is going to do.

[bpat1434]

I'm not blanket claiming it. I thought you were bringing it up for some inane reason. But whatever.

It is a good point you bring up that you do have to dig for information.... wish it could be laid out better, but I guess you can't have everything....

[JPnyc]

Ok, you can try out the table, tr, and td tags now. Each inside [] of course

[bpat1434]

Well then, let's try:


Column 1Column 2Column 3
Somethingiswrong
becauseIcan't
thinkofany
tabulardata

How's that look?

EDIT
eww... no lines, let's see if that's an option... or some formatting....

Column 1Column 2Column 3
Somethingiswrong
becauseIcan't
thinkofany
tabulardata


And yet another test...


Column 1Column 2Column 3
Somethingiswrong
becauseIcan't
thinkofany
tabular[/td]data



Column 1Column 2Column 3
Somethingiswrong
becauseIcan't
thinkofany
tabulardata



Column 1Column 2Column 3
Somethingiswrong
becauseIcan't
thinkofany
tabulardata



Column 1Column 2Column 3
Somethingiswrong
becauseIcan't
thinkofany
tabular[/td]data

[JPnyc]

Ah, now I know why there were none. It messes up the table containing the posts. Ok, sorry but it has to go

[bpat1434]

ah crap.... darn... oh well... any word on the others though?

[JPnyc]

You can try using the pre tags to format your post the way you want it, but the table tags had to go. They've been deleted.

[JPnyc]

'Fraid that was the only request you made that was realistically do-able. Sorry, but I tried.

[bpat1434]

Hey, all I ask is you try.... nothing more. And it's a shame, but if it doesn't work, oh well!

Thanks for tryin.

[madwormer2]

Wouldn't you do it similar to this:

<?php
$orig = "
Column 1Column 2Column 3
Somethingiswrong
becauseIcan't
thinkofany
tabulardata
";
$regex = Array("#\[table\](.*?)\[/table\]#is","#\[tr\](.*?)\[/tr\]#is","#\[td\](.*?)\[/td\]#is");
$rep = Array("<table>$1</table>","<tr>$1</tr>","<td>$1</td>");
$outcome = preg_replace($regex, $rep, $orig);
?>

But maybe with a check for data within the table, and a check for the same amount of td's in a tr...

Maybe?

I know it's hard to mash home-made code into a board, but it can be done.

And the only reason that it'd mess up the board layout, is if someone typed it wrong, so obviously you'd need to get some checks in to prevent data from being outside of <td> tags, but inside the table tags. Lol....

[bpat1434]

Nope... it breaks the board for some other reason. We tried yesterday, looked horrendous. I typed, exactly as you see above, and it came out terrible!!

The two after my initial table were just trying to get more difinitive lines, and the table(s) broke the board layout. The plain one worked; however, once you put a width on it, it broke. So not sure, but it might have something to do with CSS and tables not cooperating here.

Either way, JP tried, said it can't be done. That's all I can ask for. It's a closed issue to me.

[JPnyc]

Yeah it doesn't matter, we could even do the same with javascript but it allows too many possibilities to screw up the display

[madwormer2]

Ohh, shame vBulletin isn't free, then everyone could have a bash ^_^.

[Weedpacket]

There's one improvement I'd like to see, and that's to revert to v2's handling of character entity references (v3 doesn't recognise them). I'd much rather remember to type &#mu; than &*#39;#956; - it doesn't even recognise &amp;, and silently swallows the numeric form, so I had to write that literal form as &*#8205;#39;#956; and sneak a joiner in there.

No doubt this is a security feature, though - but if it is it seems rather easy to evade. Just darned inconvenient for legitimate use.

[dalecosp]

True, that one's borken a few back posts of mine, and I would rather not have to "man ascii" in an xterm just to remember what I want to do. Not terribly "biggie" though.

I've accumulated a dozen or so ports on some "hardware analysis" board I found recently that seems to use VBulletin, but must be a newer thing (haven't checked). The "quick reply" field must use some AJAX or other clientside stuff because as soon as I submit it's there ... just a blink for the page load (and no, AFAIK it's not on my LAN, heh).

That might be cool. But, more'n'likely it's a new VBulletin version. And that means $$. And we're not likely to start charging for help here, eh?

[bpat1434]

Funny you mention that Ajax and vB. SMF uses a slight bit of Ajax in 1.1 RC2. While SMF is free, I feel it is a good competitor to vB. Offers many of the same types of options, while also being very well organized.

If at all possible, a look into switching to SMF might be worth it, if vB gets to be too costly.....