How to change the welcome message "Howdy, Stranger"?

rsaepuloh

I really like your Pure theme. It looks very professional.
However, I am new to Vanilla and needs help on changing the welcome message "Howdy, Stranger".

Can you show me how to edit it.

Thanking you in advanced.

x00

Search the forum.

rsaepuloh

I have searched in the forum, but nothing really helps or maybe I have not found the right answer.
I will keep looking. Can anybody give a quick reference?

R_J

http://vanillaforums.org/search?adv=&search=change+howdy+stranger&title=&author=&cat=all&tags=&discussion_d=1&discussion_question=1&comment_c=1&comment_answer=1&page_p=1&within=1+day&date=

"Translation" will be the key you are looking for - something like "create a new definition"...

whu606

@rsaepuloh‌ Welcome to the community.

A search for 'Howdy Stranger' provides a number of results that would help you.

If you have changed your forum language, go to the Dashboard and find Locales under Addons

After clicking on Locales, make sure your Default Locale is en-CA.

You may have to press Save twice to get it to take.

rsaepuloh

Hi @whu606 and @R_J thank you for the response.

I think I found the place to edit the definition here: /home/language/public_html/forum/applications/dashboard/modules/class.guestmodule.php

But this is the only thing I see (I did not see the "howdy, Stranger"
Can I just edit and save the code below?

/**
* Renders the "You should register or sign in" panel box.
*/
class GuestModule extends Gdn_Module {

public $MessageCode = 'GuestModule.Message';
public $MessageDefault = "It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!";

public function __construct($Sender = '', $ApplicationFolder = FALSE) {
if (!$ApplicationFolder)
$ApplicationFolder = 'Dashboard';
parent::__construct($Sender, $ApplicationFolder);
}

public function AssetTarget() {
return 'Panel';
}

public function ToString() {
if (!Gdn::Session()->IsValid() && C('Garden.Modules.ShowGuestModule'))
return parent::ToString();

  return '';

}

}

R_J

You really don't want to research yourself, do you? Look at that comment: http://vanillaforums.org/discussion/comment/192237/#Comment_192237

Read that single comment, do as you are told there. And then please read some of the other links you can find easily in order to understand what you're doing.

whu606

See the 2nd comment, by hgtonight, in this thread:

http://vanillaforums.org/discussion/24867/howdy-stranger-and-bottom-description-location

R_J

That same discussion has a nice conversation about the cons of editing the core files...

rsaepuloh

SOLVED!!! YES!!

For information, I used Cpanel, here are the steps I used and worked:

1. open "File Manager".

2. I went here : public_html/forum/applications/dashboard/views/modules/guest.php

3. then, right click on "guest.php"

4. Find the "Howdy, Stanger" in the code (Line 3 in mine), then change the text to whatever text you want.

5. Click "Save" (on the top right corner)

and DONE!!!

Thank you : @R_J and @whu606

R_J

/!\ Don't edit core files.

If you had taken a look at the link we've given you, you would have known better. After the next update, your users will see "Howdy Stranger!" again.

x00

face palm

whu606

Seriously, it is hard to help some people.

I took time out, first to give you the correct search term, then to give you the specific post you needed, and you chose to simply ignore that.

What you have done is absolutely NOT the right way to go.

I have to be honest, I would be disinclined to offer you help in future based on this experience.

rsaepuloh

@R_J & @whu606 : I thought I have done what was instructed.

Honestly, I have read everything and followed every instruction I found in the forum.
Pardon me for being hard, but what I was looking for, was just simple "step-by-step" instruction like what I just did above. If only I have the ability you guys help, I would make it easy for everybody.

I don't even have any clue what you guys are referring to by saying : "Don't edit core files."

I am sure, I am not the only one who has difficulty in following your instruction by just saying "click this link and figure it out by yourself".

I thought the idea of this forum is to help all people (not only those who knows technical stuff) and guide them so that they can learn.

Do not mistaken me by thinking that I am not grateful for all your help and patience. I just wish that you can be more sensitive to people like me who knows nothing and need to learn from scratch.

However, I will re-read all the comments you have given and see what I did wrong.

whu606

Of course, the easiest thing for any questioner is a step-by-step walk through, but please bear in mind your question may have (and in this case has been), asked many times before, often with a step-by-step.

How is

@whu606 said:
See the 2nd comment, by hgtonight, in this thread:

http://vanillaforums.org/discussion/24867/howdy-stranger-and-bottom-description-location

the same as

"click this link and figure it out by yourself".

Follow the link, and read the 2nd post. That's your answer.

If you don't understand the answer, then of course, ask questions about it, but to ignore my suggestion (and others) completely makes/made me feel I had wasted my time, which I could otherwise have been spending preparing lessons.

No one who has answered you is 'staff' - we are all volunteering our free time to help others get the hang of Vanilla.

rsaepuloh

@whu606 again, I would apologise. But I think you get me wrong. I have followed and read every instruction and acted based on my limited understanding on this matter. FYI, before I post anything here, I have been reading this forum for 3 days and did not understand anything. That is why I made a post on this matter because I am desperate.

I really appreciate with all the helps. It is just so frustrating if somebody say just go here : /conf/locale.php

does it mean go here: public_html/forum/conf ???
If it is, I see nothing says locale.php

Again, I did not mean to be unappreciative. I truly apologise if you feel that way.
I have put back the core file to the original. But this mean I ended up with the same problem.

whu606

OK

But now you are in a position to do it right!

The more someone can say 'I tried this/read that but don't get it' the easier it is to see how best to offer help.

There was a link inside hgtonight's post to here:

http://vanillawiki.homebrewforums.net/index.php/Locales

Where you could see:

Definitions are strings that can override current text. The basic definition line looks like consists of the string to translate as the $Definition key and the customized string as the value. In the example below, we are redefining the text 'Howdy, Stranger!' to 'Welcome to our Community!'

$Definition['Howdy, Stranger!'] = 'Welcome to our Community!';

There can be any number of definitions in a locale file. If the /conf/locale.php file doesn't exist, use the below example as a starting point for your new file.

<?php if (!defined('APPLICATION')) exit();
$Definition['Howdy, Stranger!'] = 'Welcome to our Community!';

So, since you haven't got a locale.php file, in cPanel, go into the conf folder, click New File and call it locale.php, click on it to edit it, then copy the last two lines of that into that file, and save it, changing 'Welcome to our Community' to anything you like.

Don't hesitate to ask if any of this is unclear, or you get stuck, but please DO say what you have done/where you have got up to.

rsaepuloh

@whu606 Perfect! It Worked!!!

Do I go here if I want to change the text "it looks like you're new here . . ." : public_html/forum/applications/dashboard/modules/class.guestmodule.php

Or . . .

Do I add this to the locale.php I just created and put it on the 3rd line?:
$Definition['GuestModule.Message'] = "I don't think I have seen you before. If you want to join in on the conversation, click one of these buttons!";

whu606

Files in applications should not be edited, as any changes may/will be overwritten during an upgrade. There is (almost always) a better solution, in this case your second suggestion is correct!

The left hand side of the 'equation' has the text you want changed.

That is the text that will be called on various pages.

The text on the right hand side is what you want to be shown.

Think of it as a kind of find and replace if that helps, so if you don't have the correct term on the left, Vanilla won't be able to find it, and replace it with your new text.

R_J

Maybe posting a link twice helps... http://vanillaforums.org/discussion/26597/tutorial-how-to-change-wording-how-to-change-text-how-to-change-language-how-to-change-locale

rsaepuloh

@whu606 thanks it really helps. I think I understand how that works now.