
- •Table of Contents
- •Preface
- •What This Book Covers
- •Conventions
- •Reader Feedback
- •Customer Support
- •Downloading the Example Code for the Book
- •Errata
- •Questions
- •What is vBulletin?
- •Why Have a Discussion Board?
- •Benefits of a Discussion Board
- •Why vBulletin?
- •History
- •Development
- •The vBulletin Advantage
- •Versatile
- •Performance
- •Customizable
- •Easy to Maintain
- •Other Features
- •vBulletin Licensing Options
- •Leased License
- •Owned License
- •Choosing a License
- •Example vBulletin Sites
- •Summary
- •Requirements
- •Disk Space
- •Bandwidth
- •System Resources
- •Shared Hosting
- •Semi-Dedicated Hosting
- •Dedicated Hosting
- •Other Options
- •Installing vBulletin
- •Tools
- •Downloading the Installation Files
- •File Extraction
- •Upload Preparation
- •Creating the Database
- •Command-Line Database Creation
- •cPanel Database Creation
- •File Editing
- •Uploading the vBulletin Files
- •Running the vBulletin Installation Script
- •Troubleshooting
- •Database Access Issues
- •Images/Styling Not Showing
- •PHP Errors
- •The vBulletin Control Panel
- •Importing Data into vBulletin
- •Downloading the ImpEx Script
- •Compatibility
- •Preparing for Upload
- •Editing the Configuration File
- •Upload the ImpEx Script
- •Running the ImpEx Script
- •Default Usergroups
- •Securing vBulletin
- •Help & Support
- •Summary
- •The vBulletin User Experience
- •How to Get to the Board?
- •What the End Users See
- •Site Logo
- •Forum Title, Login Box, and Navbar
- •Welcome Banner
- •Main Body of the Forum
- •What's Going On
- •Footer
- •Touring the Main Forum—Unregistered Users
- •No "New Threads" for Unregistered Users
- •Registering on a vBulletin Board
- •Touring the Forum—Members
- •New Threads
- •Replying
- •Editing a Message
- •Private Messages
- •BB Code
- •User Tools
- •Display Modes
- •Navbar Changes for Members
- •The vBulletin Administrator Experience
- •Forum and Thread Tools
- •The AdminCP
- •Control Panel Home
- •Latest Version Information
- •vBulletin Options
- •Forum Management
- •Editing and Adding Forums
- •Editing Existing Forums
- •Moderation Options
- •Forum Styling
- •Access Control Options
- •Forum Posting Options
- •Enable/Disable Features
- •Branding
- •Changing the Logo
- •Undoing the Change
- •Summary
- •Types of Customization
- •CSS Modifications
- •Changing the Table Title Text
- •Viewing Changes
- •Undoing the Changes
- •Phrase Modifications
- •Searching for Phrases
- •Making Changes
- •Viewing the Changes
- •Undoing Changes
- •Template Modifications
- •Accessing Templates
- •Exploring a Template
- •Template Structure
- •Adding a FORUMHOME Sidebar
- •Two Changes
- •PHP Code Modifications
- •PayPal Modification
- •File Modification
- •Hacks
- •Pros and Cons of Hacking a vBulletin Board
- •Finding a Hack
- •Installing a Hack
- •Backing Up a Hack
- •Commercial Hacks
- •Summary
- •Setting Up a Forum
- •Creating the Forum
- •Forum Permissions
- •Viewing Permissions
- •Opening the Forum
- •Super Administrators
- •Creating a Super Administrator
- •Other Changes to the config.php File
- •Admin Log Viewing Permission
- •Admin Log Pruning Permission
- •Query Running Permission
- •Undeletable and Unalterable Users
- •Maintaining the Database
- •Backing Up the Database
- •Repairing and Optimizing the Database
- •Some Maintenance Issues
- •Smilies
- •Editing a Smilie
- •Adding a New Smilie
- •Uploading a Smilie
- •Creating Your Own Smilies
- •Avatars
- •Adding Avatars
- •Storing Avatars
- •Summary
- •When to Upgrade
- •Preparing for Upgrade
- •Migrating Changes
- •File Compare Utilities
- •Uploading the Files
- •Running the Upgrade Script
- •Testing the Upgrade
- •Unveiling the Upgrade
- •Summary
- •Styling vBulletin
- •Template Lifecycles
- •Lifecycle 1—Constant Change
- •Lifecycle 2—Working Behind the Scenes
- •Editing the Default Style
- •Changing Image Paths
- •Other Editable Elements
- •Some Tips about Editing Styles
- •Adding a New Style
- •Editing the Style
- •Saving the Style
- •Downloading the Style
- •Making the New Style into the Default
- •Distributing a Style
- •Installing a New Style
- •Summary
- •Hacking vBulletin
- •Making the Changes
- •Locating the Template
- •Hacking the pm_newpm Template
- •Testing the Hack
- •Hack Distribution
- •Tips for Hack Distribution
- •Plugins and Products
- •Getting Plugins and Products
- •Adding a Product
- •Adding a Plugin
- •What If Things Go Wrong?
- •Summary
- •Default Usergroup Settings
- •(COPPA) Users Awaiting Moderation
- •Administrators
- •Moderators
- •Registered Users
- •Super Moderators
- •Unregistered / Not Logged In
- •Users Awaiting Email Confirmation
- •Banned Users
- •Default vBulletin Database Tables
- •Moving Servers in Six Easy Steps
- •Cookie Check
- •Back up Database
- •Download the vBulletin Files
- •Transfer to New Server
- •Database Restoration
- •Back Online
- •Graphics
- •Global Post Text Find and Replace
- •Programming Standards
- •Braces
- •Indenting
- •Give Operators Space
- •String Quoting
- •Return Values
- •SQL Queries
- •Naming Conventions for Functions
- •Summary
- •vBulletin Directory Structure
- •Notes
- •Official vBulletin Sites
- •Main vBulletin Hack Site
- •vBulletin Styles and Templates
- •vBulletin Add-Ons
- •Index

Chapter 2
The vBulletin Control Panel
Now that you have come this far, you are probably eager to access the Control Panel and get started.
Click on the link on the Step 13 page to access the Control Panel. (You will need to have deleted the install/install.php file before being able to continue.)
After clicking on the link you will then need to enter the username and password you assigned to the administrator during the installation of vBulletin.
Logging into the control panel
Once you log into the Control Panel, you are faced with a lot of information! Don't worry though—it is well organized, and you will quickly learn where everything is.
The vBulletin Control Panel
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Installing and Configuring vBulletin
Down the left hand side you have a menu that allows you access to all the important features of vBulletin.
Here they are organized into categories and sub-categories.
•vBulletin Options
•vBulletin Options
•Search Type
•Styles & Templates
•Style Manager
•Search in Templates
•Replacement Variable Manager
•Download / Upload Styles
•Find Updated Templates
•Languages & Phrases
•Language Manager
•Phrase Manager
•Search in Phrases
•Download / Upload Languages
•FAQ
•FAQ Manager
•Add New FAQ Item
•Announcements
•Announcement Manager
•Add New Announcement
•Forums & Moderators
•Forum Manager
•Add New Forum
•Forum Permissions
•Show All Moderators
•View Permissions
•Calendars & Moderators
•Calendar Manager
•Add New Calendar
•Calendar Permissions
•Holiday Manager
•Threads & Posts
•Prune
•Move
•Unsubscribe
•Strip Poll
•Who Voted
•Moderation
•Moderate Threads
•Moderate Posts
•Moderate Attachments
•Moderate Events
•Moderate Users
•Attachments
•Search
•Moderate Attachments
•Attachment Statistics
•Attachment Storage Type
•Extensions & Sizes
•Users
•Add New User
•Search for Users
•Merge Users
•Ban User
•Prune / Move Users
•Private Message Statistics
•Referrals
•Search IP Addresses
•View Banned Users
•Send Email to Users
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Chapter 2
•Generate Mailing List
•Access Masks
•Usergroups
•Usergroup Manager
•Add New Usergroup
•Join Requests
•Promotions
•Forum Permissions
•Administrator Permissions
•User Titles
•User Title Manager
•Add New User Title
•User Ranks
•User Rank Manager
•Add New User Rank
•User Reputations
•User Reputation Manager
•Add New User Reputation
•View Reputation Comments
•User Profile Fields
•User Profile Field Manager
•Add New User Profile Field
•Paid Subscriptions
•Subscription Manager
•Add New Subscription
•Payment API Manager
•Test Communication
•Avatars
•Avatar Manager
•Add New Avatars
•Upload Avatar
•Avatar Storage Type
•Post Icons
•Post Icon Manager
•Add New Post Icon
•Upload Post Icon
•Smilies
•Smilie Manager
•Add New Smilie
•Upload Smilie
•Custom BB Codes
•BB Code Manager
•Add New BB Code
•Scheduled Tasks
•Scheduled Task Manager
•Add New Scheduled Task
•Scheduled Task Log
•Plugin System
•Manage Products
•Plugin Manager
•Add New Plugin
•Download / Upload Plugins
•Statistics & Logs
•Statistics
•Control Panel Log
•Moderator Log
•Scheduled Task Log
•Log Manager
•Import & Maintenance
•Database Backup
•Repair / Optimize Tables
•Update Counters
•Diagnostics
•Execute SQL Query
•View PHP info
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