News Box Manager v3.0.0 [Support Thread]

Download: https://www.zen-cart.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=2264

v3.0.0 (and later) of News Box Manager builds on the previous versions of the plugin, adding the following features for Zen Cart 1.5.6 and later:

1. Enables the creation of up to four (4) different types of 'news', each separately manageable.
   [LIST=1]
2. Separate admin tools for each type, enables different admin profiles to manage each news type.
3. An additional tool enables the management of all news types.
4. Two (2) storefront sideboxes are now provided, enabling different news types to be displayed in different locations.

[*]Uses the zc156 admin's bootstrap support for its admin-tool displays.

1. Adds search and sort controls to the admin-level tools, making it easier to manage your news articles.
2. Adds controls to the admin's article-listing, enabling you to make a copy of an article and/or to move an article to a different news-type.

[*]Changes the storefront news_archive and more_news pages to be all_articles and article, respectively.

1. Previous pages' header-processing remains to redirect access to those pages (permanently) to their new homes!

[*]Watches for admin-level language-addition and -removal actions, adjusting the articles' news-content accordingly.
[/LIST]

Additional changes:

1. An article must have non-blank title and content in all the store's languages (previously only one language was required).
   [LIST=1]
2. On installation, any article found to have a blank title or content in any of the store's languages is disabled.

[*]Due to the significant changes to the various language files, the German language files have been removed from the distribution.
[/LIST]

Early adopters can view pre-release versions of the plugin's documentation and files on its GitHub repository: https://github.com/lat9/news_box_manager_v3

Thank you - I'm going to try this out with the Westminster_New template :-)

I've just submitted v3.0.1 to the Zen Cart moderators for review and will post back here when it's available for download.

This release contains changes associated with the following GitHub issues:

#9: Correct PHP error on 'news_archive' redirect. Already included in the initial v3.0.0 download.
#10: Correct MySQL error on initial install.

Great, perfecto! Thanks a lot. No, it wasn't partial installation. I had only set of files connected to an old database, just updated the file and uploded those two missing ones, matter of minutes, press the button, and voila. What means "non-blank "News Title" and "News Content" in ALL of your store's languages". Do I obliged to publish news in all of my 3 languages? Hire translator? They are all busy these days reading "Transcript".:D

lat9:

I've just submitted v3.0.1 to the Zen Cart moderators for review and will post back here when it's available for download.

This release contains changes associated with the following GitHub issues:

#9: Correct PHP error on 'news_archive' redirect. Already included in the initial Zen Cart v3.0.0 download.
#10: Correct MySQL error on initial install.

Now available for download (thanks to the Zen Cart moderators for the quick acceptance).

Hi Cindy - I just love this plugin - many thanks for creating it!!

just a couple of things;

1. article title doesn't show as bold (see image below) - on hover it does go blue for link - .css indicates it should be bold - how to adjust?

2. in includes/languages/english/extra_definitions/news_box_manager_defines.php ..... can I replace the BOX_HEADING_NEWS_BOX', 'Latest News' text with an image? I have created the image but not sure how to make it render - tried replacing the text with a link to the image but it wouldn't work for me, likely wrong code.

I also tried adding a row in the stylesheet_news_box_manager.css with a background image in lieu of the above - but again it didn't render

#newsscrollbox ol { margin: 0; padding: 0; list-style-position: inside; }

#moreNewsDefault .news_header { font-weight: bold; padding-right: 0.3em; }
#moreNewsDefault .newsContent { padding: 0.3em 0; }

#news-table { display: table; border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; margin: 0.8em 0; }
.image-row { display: table-row; border: 1px solid #00BFFF; background-image: url(/images/latestnews.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; width: 100%; height: 75px; }
.news-row { display: table-row; border: 1px solid #00BFFF; }
.news-heading { font-weight: bold; }
.news-cell { display: table-cell; padding: 0.5em; border: 1px solid #00BFFF; }

If you can assist that would be great - if I should be posting this in another thread for assistance then please say so :smile:

cheers, Mike

Mike, a link to the site (via PM if you desire) would help me help you for these styling/page-layout type questions.

lat9:

Mike, a link to the site (via PM if you desire) would help me help you for these styling/page-layout type questions.

Hi Cindy, thanks for your quick reply - here is the site https://www.dazzlerscliponearrings.com.au - ideally adding a blank full length table row above the existing top row, so an integral part of the table, into which the existing heading of 'Latest News' would be placed instead of consuming (more) space on the page and such that an image can be inserted in lieu of the text .... so it makes a single element when loaded on the page, in lieu of 2 lines of text (and resultant 2 rows of white space) plus table. The to view all articles click view all text could be incorporated in the same row block as the article title (this part I have been able to do).
Maybe to make that result less 'blocky' possibly have top and side borders of the 'new' top row have their own css lines so that the borders could be #FFFFFF

cheers, Mike

Mike, for the article title showing in bold, try updating the css to include

.news-cell > a:first-child { font-weight: bold; }

The title is the very first anchor directly present in a news-cell class element.

I'm still looking at the other styling question.

lat9:

Mike, for the article title showing in bold, try updating the css to include

.news-cell > a:first-child { font-weight: bold; }

The title is the very first anchor directly present in a news-cell class element.

I'm still looking at the other styling question.

Many thanks Cindy - worked a treat.
cheers, Mike

In which directory is that latestnews.png file (noting that it should be present in the template's /images sub-directory for use by the CSS)?

lat9:

In which directory is that latestnews.png file (noting that it should be present in the template's /images sub-directory for use by the CSS)?

Hi Cindy - it is in /images folder - so I move it to my_template/images folder ........ then in includes/languages/english/extra_definitions/news_box_manager_defines.php I replaced the text 'Latest News' with <img src="includes/templates/westminster_new/images/latestnews.png" alt="latest news"> .... and all is good! So thank you.

I am now going to try to insert a smaller image in the NEWS_BOX_HEADING_TITLE row .... wish me luck :smile:

many thanks,
Mike


cheers,
Mike

shags38:

Hi Cindy - it is in /images folder - so I move it to my_template/images folder ........ then in includes/languages/english/extra_definitions/news_box_manager_defines.php I replaced the text 'Latest News' with <img src="includes/templates/westminster_new/images/latestnews.png" alt="latest news"> .... and all is good! So thank you.

I am now going to try to insert a smaller image in the NEWS_BOX_HEADING_TITLE row .... wish me luck :smile:

many thanks,
Mike


cheers,
Mike

Hi Cindy - inserting an image in that row was easy enough (once I had the image in the right folder :smile:)

So I do not expect you to spend time on re-styling the layout of your plugin for me - putting me in the right direction will be helpful so that I can attempt to make some modifications myself (note that I said 'attempt') - it will help me to learn. So to that end if I want to negate the 'article dates' column altogether and instead include a date block within the article title row/line what files should I be looking at to make such modifications? essentially where can I modify the table layout?

again many thanks for your assistance,
cheers Mike

Mike, the common formatting is provided by /includes/templates/template_default/template/tpl_modules_news_box_format.php, so you can make a template-override copy and make your changes there.

lat9:

Mike, the common formatting is provided by /includes/templates/template_default/template/tpl_modules_news_box_format.php, so you can make a template-override copy and make your changes there.

Many thanks for that Cindy - haven't played with it yet but will soon.

One more quick one - side box heading for news box shows [MORE] and when using Inspect Element [MORE] is the link anchor text in <h3 class="leftBoxHeading" id="newsboxsideboxHeading"><a href="https://www.dazzlerscliponearrings.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_archive">  [more]</a></h3> .... I have tried admin/tools/developer and gone through all files associated with the plugin and I cannot find where to change that anchor text (looks a bit strange as a heading in the sidebox).

A belated Merry Christmas to you and yours and Happy New Year also- hope 2020 is a good one for you.

cheers,
Mike

Those definitions are present in /includes/languages/english/extra_definitions/news_box_manager_defines.php.

Thanks for your kind wishes, but it wasn't my holiday. Have a safe and happy new year.

lat9:

Those definitions are present in /includes/languages/english/extra_definitions/news_box_manager_defines.php.

Thanks for your kind wishes, but it wasn't my holiday. Have a safe and happy new year.

Thanks Cindy - I was remiss in not providing more detail in my previous post - any entries in BOX_HEADING_NEWS_BOX or TEXT_ALL_NEWS or TEXT_NEWS_BOX_INFO render as headings on the home page as well as altering the sidebox heading - I don't want any headings on the page however I would like to have the heading in the sidebox be something different to [MORE]. I even changed TEXT_LINK_MORE from 'More …' to 'Latest News' but that hasn't changed anything. (hence why I was trying to specifically find this in developer <h3 class="leftBoxHeading" id="newsboxsideboxHeading"><a href="https://www.dazzlerscliponearrings.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_archive">  [more]</a></h3>)

I appreciate your help with this - there is no rush on this 'minor' aesthetic adjustment - when, and only when, you get a free moment :smile:

Below is my current /includes/languages/english/extra_definitions/news_box_manager_defines.php and images showing news box on home page and then the sidebox;

define ('BOX_HEADING_NEWS_BOX', '');
define ('TEXT_LINK_MORE', 'Latest News');
define ('TEXT_TRAIL_STR', '…');
define ('TEXT_ALL_NEWS', '');

define ('NEWS_DATE_SEPARATOR', ' - ');

define ('NEWS_BOX_HEADING_TITLE', '<img src="includes/templates/westminster_new/images/latestupdates.png"> ... for more news click <a href="https://www.dazzlerscliponearrings.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_archive"><i><u>View All</i></u></a>');
define ('NEWS_BOX_HEADING_DATES', 'Article Date(s)');

define ('TEXT_NEWS_BOX_INFO', '');

cheers,
Mike

p.s. my apologies for my assumption re the holiday - no offence intended

Mike, I'll need to rethink the sidebox vs. customized centerbox configuration that you're looking for.

I've just submitted v3.0.2 of News Box Manager - v3 to the Zen Cart moderators for review and will post back here when it's available for download.

This release contains changes associated with the following GitHub issue:

#11: Correct PHP warning on all_articles page.

lat9:

I've just submitted v3.0.2 of News Box Manager - v3 to the Zen Cart moderators for review and will post back here when it's available for download.

This release contains changes associated with the following GitHub issue:

#11: Correct PHP warning on all_articles page.

Now available for download: https://www.zen-cart.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=2264