Anonymous Contests

[munchycarrot]

I have searched these forums and more to find out the best way to do this, without any joy.

I would like to have a monthly comp where pics uploaded to the comp are hidden until voting starts. But also when voting starts that the pics are still anonymous.
I can hide the category until voting starts, - halfway there.
But i then have to make it viewable so registered users can see it to vote.
When i do this, the pics appear in the recent, all pics sections too. Removing any anonymity.

I thought i was close when i read about using a statement like
If category = competions then username = hide, else username show.

But i wouldnt know how or where to write this exactly to make it work.

Is there a simple answer?

Many Thanks

[Chuck S]

Well we do have mod forums where users can interact with each other on there coding ideas. Your needs are not in the program since contents are not designed to be anonymous. I guess what you hide and where you hide it depends what your trying to hide.

Example if your trying to hide photos from the recent random blocks then you say would modify the display_gallery in pp-inc.php and say elect to not show photos from that category by maybe adding something like this to the queries

Content visible to verified customers only.

[munchycarrot]

thanks chuck... all i want to hide is the username of the person who uploaded the pics.

If its visible in the 'all photos' sections and other blocks, then thats where i want to hide it till after the voting has ended.

[Chuck S]

Yeah then you would need to do some kind of if condition in multple scripts where you wanted to hide it like you noted above.

[munchycarrot]

yep, kinda over my head the scripting... lol

an easy (albeit more work) way of doing it.

Created an account with username Anon.
Got members to upload to Comp Entry Category, which is un-viewable, but uploadable too,
Download all the pics entered.
Bulk upload to Monthly Comp category as user Anon, make this viewable etc.
Run the voting.
When voting an winner announced, delete monthly comp category and bulk move pics from comp entry category into Members galleries.
Job done.
Just thought id post this as a work around for us too scared to go creating conditions on files we know not a lot about.

Unless anyone can point in the direction of help writing the scripts.

[Chuck S]

Sounds like a logistical way of doing it without altering code.