Several questions - new to SMF (2.0.5)

[andreysc7]

Hi guys,

I am new to SMF and I have remade my website's forum, cleaner and I guess that is also better.

Here are my questions :
- How to prevent the registration of those bots ? Even if they didn't posted yet, I don't want to have 90% bots and 10% users. ( I can see that recaptcha is not very strong)
>>> If I check a new user that just registered, I can see that those real users were online at least once, but on those bots, at the "last active" it says never. As a human, it it possible to be never online if you have activated your account ? Because I was thinking to delete those users who are never online

- I would like to know how to remove the names of the groups because I have made some small banners for each group and its useless to have administrator wrote 2 times (see image)

- How can display the banner/star/badge of the secondary groups ? I have seen that there were some mods for the older versions but for 2.0.5 I didn't found anything. Can you help me to solve it ? (by the way, I know nothing about coding, so, I hope that you understand that you want to advise me to modify some code line, I need some explanations)

[Burke ♞ Knight]

1. Use the verification questions in registration settings.


2. Have you searched the Mod Site for a possible solution to this?

3. That is an ongoing issue, with no real answer, I think.

[andreysc7]

Thanks for fast reply

1. Done - I will wait to see what happens next , if the problem persists

2. Yes and I didn't anything compatible with 2.0.5

3. I guess that I will wait until someone will make a mod for this version 

[Kindred]

Any mod which works on 2.0.x will work on any other version of 2.0.x.

Look at the FAQ for information on how to install a mod on a different version.

[andreysc7]

You think that this will work ? To install it, I just need to replace those codes with the provides codes ?
Sorry for stupid questions but I don't want to ruin it (again)

http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=1110

Update :
- I install the mod then replace the codes
OR
- Replace the code and then install the mod

[mashby]

Which mod is that one?

[andreysc7]

Fixed sorry i have pasted the wrong link (stars and badges 2.1)

[mashby]

I'm not entirely sure that will work so well on 2.0.5 due to the RC1 part. You could try emulation, but I'd be wary of doing so.

[Kindred]

No... I very clearly wrote 2.0.x.  This does not include RC or beta versions...

Anything rc3 or prior will almost certainly NOT work on 2.0.5 since there were some significant changes between rc3 and rc5

[andreysc7]

So, is there any similar mod on the web for 2.0.5 ? 

PS : until now, there aren't new bots on the forum.  

[margarett]

I have a MOD in the making for your (3). I've already made it once but I've lost the code in my last "format C:" (and I have to admit, was made in a very ugly way)
Not on top of my priorities list right now, but it will see the light of day, some day.

My main concern is your (2). I don't find it so easy to be released in the form of a MOD because, the way I see it, there are a number of combinations that need to be addressed. Can you live with a tweak?
Display.template.php, find:

Code Select Expand


// Show the member's primary group (like 'Administrator') if they have one.
if (!empty($message['member']['group']))

Replace with:

Code Select Expand


// Show the member's primary group (like 'Administrator') if they have one.
if (!empty($message['member']['group']) && 1==0)

This will hide the name of ALL your "Primary Membergroups", so make sure you have a "rank" for all of them (that is just one of the combinations that need to be addressed to have this in the form of a MOD...)

[Kindred]

hmmmm.... now that I am on a real computer and not a mobile device...

1- http://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/Spam_-_my_forum_is_flooded_with_spam,_what_can_I_do
2- http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=372917.0
3- http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=1110

Oddly, enough, despite what I posted above - now that I have had a chance to read through the support topics for those 2 mods, it seems that they MAY work on 2.0.5. 

BACKUP....
then http://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/How_can_I_install_a_mod_that_doesn%27t_work_in_my_SMF_version

[andreysc7]

This will hide the name of ALL your "Primary Membergroups", so make sure you have a "rank" for all of them (that is just one of the combinations that need to be addressed to have this in the form of a MOD...)

what do you mean "rank" for all membergroups ?

[andreysc7]

hmmmm.... now that I am on a real computer and not a mobile device...

1- http://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/Spam_-_my_forum_is_flooded_with_spam,_what_can_I_do
2- http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=372917.0
3- http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=1110

Oddly, enough, despite what I posted above - now that I have had a chance to read through the support topics for those 2 mods, it seems that they MAY work on 2.0.5. 

BACKUP....
then http://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/How_can_I_install_a_mod_that_doesn%27t_work_in_my_SMF_version

Can you please explain me something ?

1. I have solved the spam problem, so , for the moment everything seems to be fine

About that Emulation .... I have read that tutorial and I would like to know what are the chances to ruin the forum. Sorry but i don't want to make it again.

[margarett]

...I have made some small banners for each group

This is what call called "ranks". "stars" is also used But it's the same

About that Emulation .... I have read that tutorial and I would like to know what are the chances to ruin the forum. Sorry but i don't want to make it again.

No, it will not break it. The emulation only "tricks" the MOD installer by telling it that your forum is from a lower version than it actually is.
In either case, backup

[andreysc7]

Thanks

I will try it right now, wish me luck. If not, I will come back and complain  .

I will let you know what I did

[andreysc7]

So, here are the results :

-I have "changed" the version to that one compatible with the mod "hide membergroup titles" and it worked (partially , because the name "administrator" has gone but newbie remains)
-Then I have changed to the version for the mod "Stars and badges" and when I try to install it, it says that file is corrupt or incompatible with the version that I have.

- I have tried another mod , and this is what I get :
Message :"Error in Package Installation
At least one error was encountered during a test installation of this package. It is strongly recommended that you do not continue with installation unless you know what you are doing (well, I have no idea) , and have made a backup very recently. This error may be caused by a conflict between the package you're trying to install and another package you have already installed, an error in the package, a package which requires another package that you don't have installed yet, or a package designed for another version of SMF. "

And also the image :

[Kindred]

for the newbie thing, find the checkbox to hide post-count-based groups for users who have a primary group (in current theme settings)


yeah...   those errors mean that there were significant enough code changes between the versions that the autoinstaller can't find the code matches that it needs.

Since you're not REALLY comfortable with coding, I don't recommend attempting a manual install because it probably requires a number of tweaks and twitches to be updated.

(do remember that you will need to "reset' th eemulated version after doing an emulated install.)

[andreysc7]

how to reset the emulated version ?
Example : now it is the version that the mod asked... I need to press the "revert" button ? or I need to put again the version 2.0.5 and press apply ?

and after that I need to add again another version and install another mod ?

[Kindred]

if you click revert and then apply, it will reset to whatever the installed version is.

and yes...   if you need to add another mod that is not for your version, you would need to do the emulate thing again, for the target version.

[margarett]

Well, the first problem is expected. The MOD (as my trick above) will only hide the name of the primary membergroup. If you want to take the "Newbie", there is a built in option in SMF for that:
Administration Center » Configuration » Current Theme » Hide post group titles for grouped members
(as per Kindred's advice)

[andreysc7]

Thaks guys for helping. I  have solved the problem with the membergroup name, but no luck for the mode called "stars and badges" .

If you have some free time, or if you are bored  , can you help me to make it work ? (that part with the coding stuff)

[andreysc7]

And I have forgot to ask. Is there any way to change the type of the links of my forum ? Like canonical links ? Because now they are like this : index.php?topic=15.msg51#new and I would like to know if they can be /name of topic, or something similar

[Arantor]

There are two different mods for this, Pretty URLs and SimpleSEF. But they will both give you various other troubles, significantly increased resource usage and little other benefit other than nicer looking links (there are few actual benefits to them)

[andreysc7]

There are two different mods for this, Pretty URLs and SimpleSEF. But they will both give you various other troubles, significantly increased resource usage and little other benefit other than nicer looking links (there are few actual benefits to them)

Does the topic will be the same for the search engines ? if the I have the standard link, or the canonical link, for search engine will be the same ?

[Arantor]

I don't understand what you mean.

SMF already manages canonical links.

You want to 'prettify' the links to add the topic title to them; there are two different mods in SMF that do the same thing. Neither does it perfectly. Both will update the canonical link to point to the 'pretty' URL with keywords and whatnot in it.

But all of that becomes irrelevant when users almost always make titles that have no SEO benefit. So there is not a lot of point to it.

[andreysc7]

But all of that becomes irrelevant when users almost always make titles that have no SEO benefit. So there is not a lot of point to it.

I guess you're right

[~aura~]

for the newbie thing, find the checkbox to hide post-count-based groups for users who have a primary group (in current theme settings

Kindred, thankyou reading the amount of board posts i am is helping me with lots of things, and this was something that had me puzzled and in an instant its fixed, thanks for giving of your time and sharing your knowledge *S*

aura