Custom page outside the forum directory

[Kiphaas7]

Basically my idea is to run an index page outside the forum directory, because I want to keep the forum itself as stock as possible (for personal comfort), and because I want to have complete freedom in the way I present the data on the frontpage. I have quite some html/css knowledge, but no real php knowledge. I can read the php and roughly understand what it's about, but that's about it.

I offcourse read the following:
[How To] Run a vb page outside of the forum directory

Which gave me a good start. Currently my first try is to get some stats in plain text. I used vBA for that goal, and loaded stats.php from their modules folder into my php file made with the above link.

What I added to the example given above is:

You must first be a registered member to view any code.

Anyway, long story short, basically the output Im getting is the following:

You must first be a registered member to view any code.

Obviously members and Top Poster doesn't work. I sniffed around in the index.php from vbulletin self, and found out that # of threads and # of posts is taken from the forum cache and total members (and thus top poster) from template. (it should say 2 members and topposter:admin)

This is the part from index.php what I'm talking about.....

You must first be a registered member to view any code.

I think I even got a few errors when trying to show the topposter.

Anyways, any help would be greatly appreciated! Mainly concerning about how to show the topposter and total members in a page outside the forum dir.