Various Questions

[Webbstre]

I'll skip the small talk and get to the questions while I am still awake:

1- Can you make your own icon set for vbActivity?
2- What is the difference between achievements and awards?
3- How do all of the products interact with vbSEO?
4- Is it possible to have users get points through other integrated add-ons like DownloadsII and VaultWiki?


...and I am out of brainpower. I'll probably have more once I have these answers. I was looking at vbCredits as an option for a points and rewards system, but I'm honestly not sure those guys are ever going to release their vb4 version, while you already have multiple products out and in production. Also, any hint on what the new products are going to be for? Will they get included in a bundle as well? How soon should I expect them?

I guess I had more questions after all. I look forward to your answers and trying out the lite versions on my test domain.

 

[Fillip H.]

1- Can you make your own icon set for vbActivity?

Yeah, just drop them in the proper directories in /images/vbactivity and they'll appear in the AdminCP.

2- What is the difference between achievements and awards?

Achievements are automatically awarded based on criteria you define. Awards are manually awarded (also scheduled to be revamped in v1.2, as the current version is a touch limited.)

3- How do all of the products interact with vbSEO?

We haven't tested that. It is fully compliant with vBulletin 4's SEO URL system, though.

4- Is it possible to have users get points through other integrated add-ons like DownloadsII and VaultWiki?

Also untested, but the points are stored in the user table (which is what most of these points addons seem to use), so in theory there shouldn't be a problem.

Also, any hint on what the new products are going to be for?

If you mean functionality, we're not ready to announce any new projects beyond what we've already announced here yet. If you mean vB versions, we will aim to make all our future products (and in time, our old products) vB3.8 and vB4 capable.

Will they get included in a bundle as well?

We have no plans to release further bundles at this time, mostly because we don't have anything else to put in a bundle yet

How soon should I expect them?

We generally don't like to post public ETAs, but we'll always put our products and new versions on DBT before going public release, so once you see the products on here, you better get your wallet ready

I look forward to your answers and trying out the lite versions on my test domain.

Hopefully it works out well for you

 

[Webbstre]

Thanks for the answers! One more question. I got an e-mail saying vb 4.0.3 caused a bug in vbShout. Is that the bug where it overloads the server? I tried installing it yesterday and it literally caused by server to overload. Fortunately it was in my test domain where no one but me and a few testers can access, so as soon as no one was loading the forum index the server load went down and I could turn it off via the admin section.

 

[Fillip H.]

No I don't think so, there's no such known bug in vBShout. We have a large number of customers running the Pro version on a huge range of servers and forum sizes, and nobody has mentioned high server load before.

Are there any log files or anything you could produce that would help track this issue down? Did you change any settings like refresh speed or something?

 

[Webbstre]

I don't know. I was still using the default settings, and only one person was on the page: me. I think the last thing I did was try to set it to conserve resources by using some kind of file system, and the next thing I know the entire server is at 400% CPU load and nothing can be accessed. Where can I get a log to find out what went wrong?

 

[Fillip H.]

Did you try setting the AOP to Database or Disabled?
Maybe there's a problem with the File System version (you could also try CHMODing the /dbtech/vbshout/aop.php to 0777) that's causing the load.

 

[Webbstre]

I'm back now, having installed the latest versions of both vb4 and the various dragonbyte lite things. vbShout isn't crashing the server (maybe it was a conflict with another addon? I'll check later as I reinstall them), and I have a few questions:

1- Is there a way to change the locations of each of the info panels? I would like to move the Welcome and the Top 5 stats down below the forum, perhaps near the "What's going on?" box. The shoutbox is fine at the top though.

2- What works best with vbOptimize? I guess I need to set a caching software for it to work? Any recommendations?

3- Is the archive available in the Lite version or am i missing something?

4- Is there a way to move Stickies to stay at the top of the shout box?

5- How do I remove the activity tab? I am fine with it in Quick Links and Community submenus, but my tab space is limited

I'll have more questions soon I think. Now that I have the lite versions working and like what I am seeing you are definitely going to get a purchase once I have my latest dose of Ad money arrive and transfer to my bank account.

 

[Deceptor]

In regards to #2:

2) What works best with vbOptimize? I guess I need to set a caching software for it to work? Any recommendations?

Typically XCache or Memcache work best, or WinCache if you have a windows server. APC/eAccelerator are also supported.

 

[Webbstre]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind as I prepare stuff.

Also, added a few more questions.

 

[Fillip H.]

1 - Is there a way to change the locations of each of the info panels? I would like to move the Welcome and the Top 5 stats down below the forum, perhaps near the "What's going on?" box. The shoutbox is fine at the top though.|

Yeah, but only in the Pro version.
In the Pro version, you have circa the same customisability for the location of the Welcome Panel and Top X Stats blocks as you do the Shoutbox, except for the fact that they only work on Forum Home.

3- Is the archive available in the Lite version or am i missing something?

The link to the Archive moved to the dropdown menu you get when you click the title. This was done to allow further space conservation in the Pro version with its added features (settings and Detached) and still have the Shoutbox look relatively good on a skin that supports 800x600 resolutions.

4- Is there a way to move Stickies to stay at the top of the shout box?

The Sticky note follows the setting of the Shoutbox, so if you have it set to Newest First, it'll be on top, and vice versa. Otherwise, how will your members read it?

5- How do I remove the activity tab? I am fine with it in Quick Links and Community submenus, but my tab space is limited

Remove the contents of the dbtech_vbactivity_navbar_link template.

 

[Webbstre]

Thank you!