To display the Whois Online info on any phpBB page is really quite simple. The functions that are used to display the information are generated within includes/functions.php within the page_header function. Let's take a look:

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function page_header($page_title = '', $display_online_list = true, $item_id = 0, $item = 'forum')
{
[SNIP...code removed]

    // Get users online list ... if required
    $l_online_users = $online_userlist = $l_online_record = $l_online_time = '';

    if ($config['load_online'] && $config['load_online_time'] && $display_online_list)
    {
        /**
        * Load online data:
        * For obtaining another session column use $item and $item_id in the function-parameter, whereby the column is session_{$item}_id.
        */
        $item_id = max($item_id, 0);

        $online_users = obtain_users_online($item_id, $item);
        $user_online_strings = obtain_users_online_string($online_users, $item_id, $item);

        $l_online_users = $user_online_strings['l_online_users'];
        $online_userlist = $user_online_strings['online_userlist'];
        $total_online_users = $online_users['total_online'];

        if ($total_online_users > $config['record_online_users'])
        {
            set_config('record_online_users', $total_online_users, true);
            set_config('record_online_date', time(), true);
        }

        $l_online_record = sprintf($user->lang['RECORD_ONLINE_USERS'], $config['record_online_users'], $user->format_date($config['record_online_date'], false, true));

        $l_online_time = ($config['load_online_time'] == 1) ? 'VIEW_ONLINE_TIME' : 'VIEW_ONLINE_TIMES';
        $l_online_time = sprintf($user->lang[$l_online_time], $config['load_online_time']);
    } 

It is, specifically, these two function calls that generate the information

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        $online_users = obtain_users_online($item_id, $item);
        $user_online_strings = obtain_users_online_string($online_users, $item_id, $item);
 

Generally it is quite easy to display this information by simply including this template var within the html page of your style that you want the information to display on

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{LOGGED_IN_USER_LIST}

It couldn't be much simpler. But wait, you say you have included that and yet you still can not see the list after refreshing your style in the ACP. Well there are a few reasons that it won't display. Let's take a look at the if statement

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if ($config['load_online'] && $config['load_online_time'] && $display_online_list)

$display_online_list is already set to true by the page_header function itself

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function page_header($page_title = '', $display_online_list = true

so if within the php file that is using the html file you want it displayed on has either $config['load_online'] or $config['load_online_time'] set to false then the list will not display. This is the way it is set within viewonline.php which is the only page that specifically sets that variable as false

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// We do not need to load the who is online box here. ;)
$config['load_online'] = false; 

"Okay," you say, "I don't have that line within my php page but the information still isn't displaying."

Let's look at the page_header function again

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function page_header($page_title = '', $display_online_list = true

As I stated before, the second parameter is always set to true within the function itself, however within many of the php pages you will find code such as this (from memberlist.php)

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// Output the page
page_header($page_title, false); 

the first paramenter is the page title for the page you are on and the second parameter is the display_online_list, so by simply changing the above from

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// Output the page
page_header($page_title, false); 

to

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// Output the page
page_header($page_title); 

and including the template var of, as stated earlier

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{LOGGED_IN_USER_LIST}

within the memberlist html files (any of the memberlist files) you will then see a list of users who are logged into the forum when viewing a members profile, viewing the memberlist itself, etc.

Couldn't be simpler.

BTW, little caveat, these two functions

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obtain_users_online

and

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obtain_users_online_string

generate an additional 3 queries on any page they are used on. Just keep that in the back of your mind if you choose to display this information within your html files.

Happy coding.