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Adding Custom Features to the Recent Forum Post Widget

SR Seth Riley
Seth Riley
Member
Member since Jun 2012
143 posts
Jan 7, 2013 · 5:33 am · Edited

Hello,

I was looking for a plugin that would allow me to place a widget out side of the content area(I couldn’t find one). I have a full width theme and I don’t have a side bar for my forum page. I would like to make it easy for the members to easily select the most recent forum post at a glance. I think members would want to post more if they could see an avatar of them selves on the main page of the forum right after they post. It would give them the ability to be recognized a lot easier.

Features I suggest for this plugin:

.1 Adding the ability to add the Recent Forum Post to the top left or right of the forum outside of the content area. The ability to adjust the positioning by using numbers right inside the widget. 

.2 Rapping the widget with a cotent box that you can easily customize the color of the container with a color picker so it will match the theme exactly. 

.3 Adding a 1 pixel divider line between each forum post. 

 

I think it would be really cool to add this feature. I just love the recent forum posts and it’s a chame not to have it on the forum page. If you look at my site you will be able to visualize what I am talking about.

Forum Page: http://marketingden.net/forum/

Other page with Recent Posts: http://marketingden.net/events/

Now imagine a nice Recent Forum Post Widget On the left top side of my forum with a matching background color. laugh It would be pretty cool huh? 

10 Answers

New Answer
YS Yellow Swordfish
Yellow Swordfish
Member
Member since Nov 2008
16,437 posts
Jan 7, 2013 · 6:31 am

But there IS already a recent forum posts widget. Just download the SP template tags plugin.
Ok – we don’t offer color pickers and pixel by pixel adjustments of the container but that is a task for your WP CSS stylesheet NOT for a widget whose job it is to deliver content.
The widget DOES include clearly defined classes however to make this easier.

SR Seth Riley
Seth Riley
Member
Member since Jun 2012
143 posts
Jan 7, 2013 · 7:34 am

That still really doesn’t explain how I am suppose to get the widget on the outside of the forum. Unless i am missing something. 

SR Seth Riley
Seth Riley
Member
Member since Jun 2012
143 posts
Jan 7, 2013 · 7:37 am

I have a full width layout and I want to put the recent posts on the outside of the content container. 

YS Yellow Swordfish
Yellow Swordfish
Member
Member since Nov 2008
16,437 posts
Jan 7, 2013 · 7:49 am

Ah – sorry – I thought you said to show recent forum posts on non-forum pages.

Well – the use of widgets or template-tags for that matter are – along with the columns and areas available – controlled by your WP theme templates so you actually need to be looking at what is available amongst those.

SR Seth Riley
Seth Riley
Member
Member since Jun 2012
143 posts
Jan 7, 2013 · 7:57 am

Well I have uploaded a simular plugin that displace your WordPress menu on the outside of your content container. And this plugin in was fully customizable. To bad they didn’t add that to the widgets page. Maybe I will contact them and ask lol 

YS Yellow Swordfish
Yellow Swordfish
Member
Member since Nov 2008
16,437 posts
Jan 7, 2013 · 9:02 am

Well the WP theme has to create and define areas that can contain widgets – they can’t just be dropped in anywhere as this would still be a Wp theme issue. Hopwever, the Sp template tags can be used where widgets are not defined. That is really what they are for.

BR Brandon
Brandon
Member
Member since May 2010
864 posts
Jan 7, 2013 · 7:51 pm

Seth Riley said
I have a full width layout and I want to put the recent posts on the outside of the content container. 

If you look at the demo site http://demo.simple-press.com/forum/ you will see the countdown clock is outside of the wrapper.  In it’s case we have added it to all pages but you could do something similar by creating a DIV display block in the actual forum page, set it’s absolute position and use the Recent Posts template tag to display the info.

It would take a little testing and tuning but it could be done. wink

 

SR Seth Riley
Seth Riley
Member
Member since Jun 2012
143 posts
Jan 8, 2013 · 8:09 pm

Thanks Brandon,

I will have my programmer add it as soon as he is available. Should be a nice touch to the forum in my opinion. Just a quick way for everyone in the forum to view the latest posts.