Tenacious D
Customer
First, I should say that I have purchased several DB mods, and have been exceedingly pleased with the many benefits which they have brought to my site, and its users. Both the product and support have been excellent, without exception.
But, after having recently purchased both VBCredits and VBShop, and in spending much of the last two days reading (and in some cases, re-re-re-reading amidst heaving sobs of failure) all available information (i.e. the Pro support threads, the main forum documents here, the text and/or html documentation supplied with each product, etc.), I find myself unable to grasp a cohesive understanding of how each can be best utilized, both individually and in an integrated fashion. Likely, much of my confusion results from not being a coder / programmer, or from a simple lack of the basic intelligence required to establish the necessary parameters of each (I am comfortable in admitting my ignorance, having practiced it for years). Be that as it may, below, I have compiled a list of the most pressing / frustrating / confusing aspects which continue to elude my competency, and for which I am utterly bankrupt to solve on my own.
I apologize in advance for both their rudimentary and haphazard nature, but to minimize this to the greatest possible extent, here is an overview of what I hope to achieve:
1. I want users to be able earn credits through site participation via pre-defined actions (i.e. posting, tagging a thread, adding a friend, etc.), several of which I have already established in VBCredits (and by "established", I mean, I have built these actions, assigned them points, and made them active in my shop).
2. I would also like users to be able to purchase credits via PayPal, in minimum increments of $5 and at a 100:1 ration toward credits (i.e. $5.00 = 500 credits).
3. These credits, while delineated between those earned via participation or purchased via PayPal, would be automatically totaled for combined use (i.e. if the user purchased 500 credits at $5.00 via PayPal, and had earned an additional 250 credits from site participation metrics, I just want their account to show, "Credits Earned: 250" "Credits Purchased: 500" "Total Credits: 750"). I don't care what these units of measurements are ultimately named - be it, "credits" "points" "dollars" "pesos" or "creamed corn" - so long as they function as one single source of payment, and integrate across both platforms, equally and (preferably) automatically.
4. These (combined) credits could then be used to purchase any number of pre-established items via the site's VBShop, some of which would be relatively straightforward (i.e. bold username, colorized username, etc.), and others of a more intricate design, if even possible (i.e. access to a forum, access to Shoutbox, the ability to ignore a user, etc.).
5. I would like the user's reputation to factor into both their rate of return, meaning, the more reputable, the higher "paycheck" rate (just as an example) or lower costs to purchase a mod (perhaps a discounted rate?).
6. I want all of these things - awards, purchases, credits, etc. - to show up neatly in my VBPostBit tabs, and in a similarly "boxed" format as my other items - and not as part of the static postbit (i.e. outside of the tabbed system).
7. I would like to do something about world hunger and finding a cure for the common cold, too, but will leave those items left for another day. While I believe each to be of far greater importance, admittedly, they seem to involve a tremendously lesser degree of complexity.
So, with all of those introductions being noted, here are my specific questions / concerns, and which I would be most appreciative of any help you may be kind enough to provide:
1. How do I identify the best form of "currency" to use (be it fictitious credits, or cold hard cash via PayPal) and to establish it to be automatically integrated across both platforms? For the record, I have changed, "points" to "credits" as a previous thread instructed - it had no effect, whatsoever, insofar as I can tell.
2. From the standpoint of a clean install, and approaching it as if you are instructing a toddler on how to perform open-heart surgery via text message (enumerated lists are always welcome, and enormously helpful) - can you explain the precise actions that are required to establish the means by which members can purchase credits via PayPal. Surprisingly, I have long since successfully established my own PayPal account, so that step can be safely skipped, but the more details you can provide thereafter, the better - and delineating which mod they should be accomplished, or in VB AdminCP, itself.
3. How do I configure a custom (exotic?) action to occur and assign it an award amount? A few quick but specific examples, I've wrestled with (and lost to):
a. How do I charge users for access to Shoutbox? A specific forum? Editing their profile page? Uploading a picture into an album?
b. Is there a way to allow banned members to pay to un-ban (re: reinstate) themselves? What about a way for members to buy a usergroup upgrade to moderator status? If so, how?
c. How can I enable users to take action against another member - be it changing their username, placing them on their ignore list, or even banning them from the site for a day (or hour?)?
d. How can I give users some limited mod ability for a finite period of time, say to give infractions, but not allow them to have any other mod power / access, besides that very limited action (i.e. they couldn't ban someone, access the mod-only forums, etc.)?
e. How can I provide the means for users to be rewarded for successfully inviting another member?
f. How can I best provide a means for users to be credited for writing a blog? Giving reputation to a poster? Liking us on Facebook?
4. How do I get all of these things to show up in my VBPostBit tabs, and not as part of the static postbit, and in a "boxed" format (i.e. each entry on a single line - surrounded by a border and shadow)?
5. Speaking of the postbit, how do I get the items to appear as a single line item?
Like this: "Credits: 750" and not on two lines, like this -
"Credits:"
"750
6. How could I establish a recurring billing system to be integrated with the credits of each member? For example, let's say I charge 15 credits to underline your username - how could I also implement a recurring charge of an additional 3 credits each month, as maintenance of that underlined mod, if even possible?
7. I don't show any means of showing the user how to "Purchase" or "Charge" (to acquire additional) credits in their PostBit. Where is this supposed to appear, and what prerequisites need to be accomplished in order to do so, if any?
Obviously, I have a great many questions, but I will stop here for now, and will only add them later, as they continue to arise.
Thanks in advance.
But, after having recently purchased both VBCredits and VBShop, and in spending much of the last two days reading (and in some cases, re-re-re-reading amidst heaving sobs of failure) all available information (i.e. the Pro support threads, the main forum documents here, the text and/or html documentation supplied with each product, etc.), I find myself unable to grasp a cohesive understanding of how each can be best utilized, both individually and in an integrated fashion. Likely, much of my confusion results from not being a coder / programmer, or from a simple lack of the basic intelligence required to establish the necessary parameters of each (I am comfortable in admitting my ignorance, having practiced it for years). Be that as it may, below, I have compiled a list of the most pressing / frustrating / confusing aspects which continue to elude my competency, and for which I am utterly bankrupt to solve on my own.
I apologize in advance for both their rudimentary and haphazard nature, but to minimize this to the greatest possible extent, here is an overview of what I hope to achieve:
1. I want users to be able earn credits through site participation via pre-defined actions (i.e. posting, tagging a thread, adding a friend, etc.), several of which I have already established in VBCredits (and by "established", I mean, I have built these actions, assigned them points, and made them active in my shop).
2. I would also like users to be able to purchase credits via PayPal, in minimum increments of $5 and at a 100:1 ration toward credits (i.e. $5.00 = 500 credits).
3. These credits, while delineated between those earned via participation or purchased via PayPal, would be automatically totaled for combined use (i.e. if the user purchased 500 credits at $5.00 via PayPal, and had earned an additional 250 credits from site participation metrics, I just want their account to show, "Credits Earned: 250" "Credits Purchased: 500" "Total Credits: 750"). I don't care what these units of measurements are ultimately named - be it, "credits" "points" "dollars" "pesos" or "creamed corn" - so long as they function as one single source of payment, and integrate across both platforms, equally and (preferably) automatically.
4. These (combined) credits could then be used to purchase any number of pre-established items via the site's VBShop, some of which would be relatively straightforward (i.e. bold username, colorized username, etc.), and others of a more intricate design, if even possible (i.e. access to a forum, access to Shoutbox, the ability to ignore a user, etc.).
5. I would like the user's reputation to factor into both their rate of return, meaning, the more reputable, the higher "paycheck" rate (just as an example) or lower costs to purchase a mod (perhaps a discounted rate?).
6. I want all of these things - awards, purchases, credits, etc. - to show up neatly in my VBPostBit tabs, and in a similarly "boxed" format as my other items - and not as part of the static postbit (i.e. outside of the tabbed system).
7. I would like to do something about world hunger and finding a cure for the common cold, too, but will leave those items left for another day. While I believe each to be of far greater importance, admittedly, they seem to involve a tremendously lesser degree of complexity.
So, with all of those introductions being noted, here are my specific questions / concerns, and which I would be most appreciative of any help you may be kind enough to provide:
1. How do I identify the best form of "currency" to use (be it fictitious credits, or cold hard cash via PayPal) and to establish it to be automatically integrated across both platforms? For the record, I have changed, "points" to "credits" as a previous thread instructed - it had no effect, whatsoever, insofar as I can tell.
2. From the standpoint of a clean install, and approaching it as if you are instructing a toddler on how to perform open-heart surgery via text message (enumerated lists are always welcome, and enormously helpful) - can you explain the precise actions that are required to establish the means by which members can purchase credits via PayPal. Surprisingly, I have long since successfully established my own PayPal account, so that step can be safely skipped, but the more details you can provide thereafter, the better - and delineating which mod they should be accomplished, or in VB AdminCP, itself.
3. How do I configure a custom (exotic?) action to occur and assign it an award amount? A few quick but specific examples, I've wrestled with (and lost to):
a. How do I charge users for access to Shoutbox? A specific forum? Editing their profile page? Uploading a picture into an album?
b. Is there a way to allow banned members to pay to un-ban (re: reinstate) themselves? What about a way for members to buy a usergroup upgrade to moderator status? If so, how?
c. How can I enable users to take action against another member - be it changing their username, placing them on their ignore list, or even banning them from the site for a day (or hour?)?
d. How can I give users some limited mod ability for a finite period of time, say to give infractions, but not allow them to have any other mod power / access, besides that very limited action (i.e. they couldn't ban someone, access the mod-only forums, etc.)?
e. How can I provide the means for users to be rewarded for successfully inviting another member?
f. How can I best provide a means for users to be credited for writing a blog? Giving reputation to a poster? Liking us on Facebook?
4. How do I get all of these things to show up in my VBPostBit tabs, and not as part of the static postbit, and in a "boxed" format (i.e. each entry on a single line - surrounded by a border and shadow)?
5. Speaking of the postbit, how do I get the items to appear as a single line item?
Like this: "Credits: 750" and not on two lines, like this -
"Credits:"
"750
6. How could I establish a recurring billing system to be integrated with the credits of each member? For example, let's say I charge 15 credits to underline your username - how could I also implement a recurring charge of an additional 3 credits each month, as maintenance of that underlined mod, if even possible?
7. I don't show any means of showing the user how to "Purchase" or "Charge" (to acquire additional) credits in their PostBit. Where is this supposed to appear, and what prerequisites need to be accomplished in order to do so, if any?
Obviously, I have a great many questions, but I will stop here for now, and will only add them later, as they continue to arise.
Thanks in advance.
Last edited:
We are glad to help; these addons do a lot for many different people, so their complexity has grown as a result...
