Alters [library support]

[Wormopolis]

Support thread for Alters plugin and companion plugin

Alters:  www.proboards.com/library/plugins/item/160

Companion:  www.proboards.com/library/plugins/item/282

Extension:  www.proboards.com/library/plugins/item/434


WHAT DOES THIS DO?

This plugin allows you to setup alternate profiles that your members can use for posting.  They can simply select their alter from a drop down box below their post, and when the post displays, it will show the alter's data in the mini profile.  it will also show the alter's name for the last/first post if it applies - even on the main page.  you can also quote an alter and when the post displays, it shows the alter as the author of the quote.  The mini-profile area can be standard, or you can customize it to show only the things you want, including all the data associated with the alter and even have the alter's name a clickable link to a specific URL (i.e. a history or bio post).

You can make it where members can only choose the alter when they create the post, or change it later, as well as make it where just the admin can change an alter author.

Each person's alter will show under a new tab in their profile as well.

There isnt unlimited data for storage of the alters, so if you run out of room, you can download the Extension plugin that gives you double the storage.

The companion plugin, allows for each alter to have a unique and actual post count, as well as a last online time, and even a member customizable "status" that mimics the personal text area of a regular acct.  staff can edit the post count or status of an alter as well.

suggestions are welcome, but read through the thread first to see if they have been discussed already

[Wormopolis]

status update:

Still working on the companion plugin to track individual alter postcount and last online stamp. I ran into a problem trying to find a way to store the data correctly though.

I also have the custom MP template stuff working but dont have advanced stuff like {if}{/if} working because Im not as clever as I thought.

[Ace Of Charts]

Question, I'm attempting to use Alters 1.5 on my forum at www.moriyashrine.proboards.com/ and although the name changes in the board list (where it says Latest Post), the actual posts still show the original mini-profile (not the alter's). I can't figure out why this is, whether it's the way I have MPs set up, whether the plugin itself is wonky, or what. I've tried turning off all plugins other than Alters, and that didn't fix the problem, so I'm fairly sure it's not some other plugin interfering. Assistance would be wonderful, as I'm absolutely certain that the denizens of my forum (myself included) would love working alters.

[Wormopolis]

I think its mad you changed how postcount was displayed. it wants to do a calculation on postcount but its getting null because it doesnt find it. I have to add in something to make it ignore postcounts it cant find.

[Skidjit]

I'm loving using your Alters plugin. It's added a great new way of posting something new on my site.

I did notice that the post count shows something odd, but it was never something I ever bothered me. If there is a way to turn off that option for post count JUST for the alter, this might be feezable for me. Still, just to let you know it shows this on my alters posts:

posts: NaN

Hmm? Come to think about it, you might already have this option available. I need to go check the plugin area again.

[Ace Of Charts]

Given what you said, Wormo, I figured it out. It looks specifically for "Posts: $[user.posts]" rather than just $[user.posts]. Alters are now working perfectly. Thanks much!

[Ace Of Charts]

Another thought has occurred to me, despite the now-working alters. Is there any chance of Shoutbox support for alters in the future?

[Wormopolis]

I was going to say if you want to keep the way you are doing post counts, then add a hidden span with the normal pattern in the info div:

<span style="display:none">Posts $[user.posts]</span>


then alters will still find what it needs, and you dont HAVE to show it that way.




I never considered shoutbox... Im not even sure there is a way to do that since there is nothing to attach meta data to. each post actually stores the alter choice so when it displayed it knows where to pull data. a shout in the shoutbox doesnt really have a place to store anything. its literally just text being displayed line for line.


I just thought about this though.. if you delete an alter, all the posts made by that alter revert back to the original poster (since the alter data no longer exists). Im sorta wasting space by only storing the alter name in the post key.. what if I had it store the entire alter sheet.. then if the Alter gets deleted, it will continue to display the alter data on that post. if the alter still exists, and the data is different then what is stored, it will update (in case you change something like status or avatar or something).

anyone have thoughts on this idea?



also if you werent aware, there is now a companion plugin in the library that lets you store actual post counts and last online times for each alter.

[Wormopolis]

Jul 5, 2013 8:33:35 GMT -8 Skidjit said:

I'm loving using your Alters plugin. It's added a great new way of posting something new on my site.

I did notice that the post count shows something odd, but it was never something I ever bothered me. If there is a way to turn off that option for post count JUST for the alter, this might be feezable for me. Still, just to let you know it shows this on my alters posts:

posts: NaN

Hmm? Come to think about it, you might already have this option available. I need to go check the plugin area again.

I need to see a post on your site to try and figure out why its doing that.  its supposed to base the alter post count off your own post count if you dont have the companion code.. but it might just be getting confused with what its finding for a post count.  can you link me to a post made by an alter that i can see as a guest?

[Skidjit]

Sure... give me a sec.

[Skidjit]

lovegood-lounge.proboards.com/thread/177/film-fashions-which-movie-trio

Here's a link.

It's something I'm using at the site in my signature here.

[Wormopolis]

as a test for something, change the post count percentage to a number like 5 instead of blank to see if its on the template side or the plugin side, please.

[Skidjit]

OK I just did that. I put the number 5 in there and when I looked it shows a post count of 356. Funny, my actual post count by the SN I have that attatched to is a quadruple number.

Still, I know this is a test. This did take the NaN out of there.

[Wormopolis]

yeah the 5 means it assumes 5% of your total posts are made by the Alter. it was so you could setup an automatic post count for each alter you used if you assumed you used them a certain percentage of the time. it was never meant to be accurate, just an estimation. the companion plugin will actually track each alters post count.

I need to put in something that
will blank out the post count if the setting is blank.

actually what does it show if you put in 0?

[Skidjit]

Jul 5, 2013 12:23:49 GMT -8 Wormopolis said:

yeah the 5 means it assumes 5% of your total posts are made by the Alter. it was so you could setup an automatic post count for each alter you used if you assumed you used them a certain percentage of the time. it was never meant to be accurate, just an estimation. the companion plugin will actually track each alters post count.

I need to put in something that
will blank out the post count if the setting is blank.

actually what does it show if you put in 0?

It just shows:

Posts: 0