One new feature of this upgraded version of vBulletin that I have been playing with lately is the capability of creating tags as a prefix for a newly created thread. What this does is to allow a member to more easily determine a general category that a thread may be in. So far, I have set this up for the BOI sections as well as the classified areas. Each has a different set of prefix tags to be consistent with the subject matter within the forum sections.
On the BOI, there are now required tags as a prefix for any newly created thread that indicate the following:
And in the classifieds sections, I have put in the following thread prefix tags:
Hopefully this will help keep things more organized in those particular sections. One neat feature that might come in handy with these prefex tags is that once those tags have had a chance to be more heavily utilized, you can set up a filter for viewing a classified forum that will limit the display to ONLY those threads with the tag prefix that you select. So if you only wanted to look at the FOR SALE threads, you could filter out all of the rest of them.
To give you some examples on how to use this feature, here's some help.
When you create a new thread in those sections where the prefix tags are enabled, you will see a new drop box available.
Clicking on the down arrow will show you a list of available prefix tags to apply to your new thread. In this instance, I selected "For Sale".
Now when you complete your thread (classified ad) and submit it, here's how it will look when that classified section is viewed:
Marking each thread with the appropriate prefix tag will make it VERY easy for members to see what category (For Sale, Wanted, etc.,) your thread is in.
But wait! There's more!
After this has been used for a while, suppose you ONLY want to view those threads that are in the For Sale category? Well, you can do that, by simply using the Display Options section for the forum. Notice below that there is a new option available for those prefix tags.
Using that drop down menu, you can select any one of the tags, or ALL of them or no prefixes. So, for instance, if you selected to view only the threads tagged with the For Sale prefix,
Here's an example of what that display would look like using that option:
For now, I am making the use of those prefix tags optional in the classifieds section, and mandatory in the BOI sections.
But see how EASY that is?
Now as for people actually LIKING that feature, well that's another story, I guess........
On the BOI, there are now required tags as a prefix for any newly created thread that indicate the following:
- [Good Guy]
- [Bad Guy]
- [Inquiry]
- [Info]
And in the classifieds sections, I have put in the following thread prefix tags:
- [For Sale]
- [Wanted]
- [Trade]
Hopefully this will help keep things more organized in those particular sections. One neat feature that might come in handy with these prefex tags is that once those tags have had a chance to be more heavily utilized, you can set up a filter for viewing a classified forum that will limit the display to ONLY those threads with the tag prefix that you select. So if you only wanted to look at the FOR SALE threads, you could filter out all of the rest of them.
To give you some examples on how to use this feature, here's some help.
When you create a new thread in those sections where the prefix tags are enabled, you will see a new drop box available.
Clicking on the down arrow will show you a list of available prefix tags to apply to your new thread. In this instance, I selected "For Sale".
Now when you complete your thread (classified ad) and submit it, here's how it will look when that classified section is viewed:
Marking each thread with the appropriate prefix tag will make it VERY easy for members to see what category (For Sale, Wanted, etc.,) your thread is in.
But wait! There's more!
After this has been used for a while, suppose you ONLY want to view those threads that are in the For Sale category? Well, you can do that, by simply using the Display Options section for the forum. Notice below that there is a new option available for those prefix tags.
Using that drop down menu, you can select any one of the tags, or ALL of them or no prefixes. So, for instance, if you selected to view only the threads tagged with the For Sale prefix,
Here's an example of what that display would look like using that option:
For now, I am making the use of those prefix tags optional in the classifieds section, and mandatory in the BOI sections.
But see how EASY that is?
Now as for people actually LIKING that feature, well that's another story, I guess........
In fact, I'll re-do my wanted ad right now!
