that's JavaScript! You're fired!!!

I like how Meph thinks this is a fairly simple thing.
Have you bothered to read any of the phpBB documentation?

First you need to make a 'module' aka MOD.
It should be an ACP module. So it can be added, or removed by the administration.

http://wiki.phpbb.com/Creating_modules

You'll need to call on the SQL database in the script to get the 'user_id' number.
Here is a list of generic tables of phpBB 3.x
http://wiki.phpbb.com/Tables .. clicking on phpbb_users gives you
http://wiki.phpbb.com/Tables/phpbb_users
At the top is 'user_id' which the users number id.

This is a basic expample of quering the DB.
http://wiki.phpbb.com/Dbal.sql_query

You will want this displayed in the 'overall_footer.html'

I ain't writing you no dang code. :P
Get yo ass over onto the phpBB forums for some help.

http://www.phpbb.com/community/

Everything I've written assumes it is phpBB v3.x

actually, that's perfect. I just wanted ideas on how to do it.

THX!

all forum software tracks user by number
even ubb
the problem is if the user is just reading post there is noway of tracking, well there is but bit more difficult to track
read & unread post are tracked by personal cookie
so unless your RAT is posting in your thread it's hard to find him

if you post are in a private forum /board you can get a list of user names that are in that group with read/write access to that board

but ds - doesn't the forum have to generate each page when its viewed? At *that* time the userid number could be written into the page.

yes it could your right