Thanks, I'll take a look. What I've tried to do with this hack is to keep it consistent, keep it working, keep it under control. The first version that got released last year involved 29K of php code. It's now 220K+ and I'm afraid to upload new releases for fear of what is broken. *More and more* is always the cry, but this isn't necessarily what people actually want to use. There's also the question of what people are actually wanting to use this type of software to achieve. I'm sorry, but providing easy ways to share large videos is not my responsiblity.

The single design feature in LDM that I think was a mistake was to pick up protections from forums, rather than replicating the VB permissions system over onto categories. But it works well for our site, and is deeply embedded into the code, so I'm reluctant to unwind that decision.

Anyway, keep up the suggestions, and I'll see what I can do.

Uhh.. a lot to read in this thread but couldn´t find a answer to my question

Is it possible to set the limit of categories by usergroups ?

I have some links for every member in our forum, but some big downloads should be limited to a special usergroup

In fact, this was what I was discussing in the previous post.

Set up or select a forum which is only visible to the usergroup(s) you want to have access to the large downloads.

When you create or edite the download, set that forum as its parent. Voila, only the usergroups which can access the forum will be able to see the download.

Thank you very much ! Works fine for me !

As you described in instructions.txt i run into the following errors when reimporting a dump: invalid category id list

I needed to do this in order to change the links from localhost/forum to domain.com/articles.

Have I to delete all categories and also the links for it to work?

Three comments:

a) Did you 'Dump' or 'Export' - you can only 'Import' what you have 'Exported' The error message you quote suggests you me that you 'Dumped'

b) If you 'Export', then edit the filenames in the csv and then 'Import' on top of an existing database, what should(!!) happen is that the category records will be flagged as errors and ignored; the links that are unchanged will be untouched; the links which have new file names will be inserted; but the old entries will not be deleted.

c) If you empty the database after exporting the dump, the re-import should work fine. However, there are some fields (e.g. the thumbnail image, I think) which are not retained during this process.

d) There may be a much easier way to do this with a short bit of sql.

Yes i did a dump indeed.
Thank you, using export.php it worked.

I am almost finished with customizations, the only thing i can´t figure out is how to have the same "breadcrump" (navigation) from the links directory show up in showthread.php. Is there an easy way around you would consider to me?

I have install and everythingworks perfectly I cant express my gratitude for you makin this. But I got a question or a suggestion. Anyways to add a module for the vBa CMPS.

In fact, there is one in beta form - if you look in the modules directory of the release and read the instructions.txt file. There are a couple of issues which people have reported and will be fixed in the coming version.

Thanks AndrewD :)

I just updated my site to 3.5 and installed the new ver of the hack :) works like charm

I'm going to modify my ticket system hack to work on the new system


Thanks alot :D

AndrewD - When you get this live with the uploader. You can expect a nice "donation" from me.. I'm checking this thread daily if not several times a day.

Yes I second that. Man I really donate to real hard workers and that release they stuff for free. since I use it even more. thanks again man.

Hang on in there - it's nearly ready for prime time audiences....

Any chance to get the WYSIWYG-Editor in it while editing links and their description? :)

Depends how difficult it is:) - I haven't looked into this at all.

Does this mean instead of adding new permissions to usergroups for the LDM that the permissions are embedded in the forum access like where you set whether they can edit their own thread, use thread ratings and stuff?

I just installed this on my forum, vb3.5 RC3. It's working great so far. :)

There are two levels of permissions:

a) permissions to 'do' things (e.g. create links, delete categories, etc), which are set in the LDM admin page per usergroup. This part is straightforward - it is easy to define which usergroups can or cannot 'do' things

b) permissions to 'access' specific links and categories. These are set by selecting a forum which has the required permission masks, and 'associating' it with the link or category, using either default_forumid or explicitly. The point is that, by using a forum in this way, it is possible to pick up the whole set of (possibly cascading) permission masks without requiring too much coding or new interfaces for the user. It also provides some coherence between the forums and LDM - there tend to be patterns of access that you want to allow or not. The problem with this approach is that it ties LDM to forums, which a number of people have found tricky.

Andrew, thank you for your awsome mod and amazing support. I really like the product but I would like the links to be bigger. If I make a new style to use for the Links whick template do I need to modify to change the fonts, etc?

Thank You,

Sean

Well done again, AndrewD. *thumbsup*


Will try to translate the new .xml file fully to German.;)

It isn't ;)
However there's no how-to available but... I have built it in my vBGarage installtion so it can't be that complicated ;)

Wow, AndrewD is doing a great job and supporting this. Very nice! :)

Thanks, depending on which layout you're using, you need to look at the links_linkbit and links_linkbit_table templates.

Pls be aware that there are minor changes in these templates in the forthcoming 2.0.6 - it's no big shakes and doesn't affect the way you change the text size

Thanks - it would be a really great help if you could work on the version for 2.0.6 rather than the current release - there are a few more phrases added - see attached

*Edited - job done*

Edited 16.10.2005 - zip file moved into first post in the thread.

With much trepidation, I offer the beta version 2.0.6 of LDM. This fixes the recent bugs reports and adds some useful new features. Because of the number of changes, I intend that this will remain *beta* until we are reasonably sure that no serious bugs have been introduced.

I strongly encourage a quick scan through the instructions.txt file.

Enthusiasts are encouraged to try this and report - please backup your database first. LDM will install and upgrade smoothly via VB admin/Plugins/Manage Products

Perhaps the most significant feature is that uploads are now available (at last, they say!) - for authorised users within specified size and space limits - note that this feature is not enabled by default - there are a series of settings and permissions with *upload* in their name that need to be set.

The release comes with French and German translations, and there are a number of new phrases which need to be translated. LeeWicked has offered to help with the German. I'd appreciate help with the French, and so attach the French phrases xml file. Many, many thanks.

Other new features:

+ when thumbnails enabled, thumbnails are automagically created for new image links during normal entry when no other link specified, and during scans
+ LDM home page displays statistics if show_hit_parade=1 (default), including the most popular entries in *days_seen_on_portal* days. Statistics box is collapsible.
+ searches extended: find uploads, find by filetype
+ new *protected_link* setting controls behaviour of links shown when user does not have can_access_link permission

Bugs fixed:

> interface with vbAdvanced tidied up
> handles situations where VB admin has turned off the forum jump menu
> moderation of links with review frequency set works correctly again
> the jukebox feature works and checks the user is running windows
> catches html in category titles so breadcrump isn't screwed up
> in main display, categories are sorted according to same scheme as links
> in scans, trap filenames with some magic characters
> multiple hit detection within timeout period in record_hit() works again **

** This bug meant that earlier versions failed to trap multiple hits by the same user on the same link within the period timeout_hit_recording. Consequently your downloads statistics may be inaccurate, e.g. if users 'double-click'. If you care about this, upload local_links_fixdlds.php from the development/fixes directory into your main forums directory, run the script once, then delete it from your site.

Coding style
New global variables ($LINKS_SCRIPT, $ADMIN_SCRIPT) are used in the templates instead of hard-coded script names
<?php tags used consistently in code files

damn just finished 2.0.5 and now saw 2.0.6 :D

ok i will translate 2.0.6 this weekend

and here was me just discovered the thread and read through the lot just to find Andrew had just released a new version LOL

Now I need to wait for the gold again but man, it sounds great :)

@andrewd: are there any plans to include daily download limits? obviously this only applies to files.

my board currently offers several gigs of (legal) dj sets which are remotely hosted. access to these files is controlled by usergroup... but still if everyone decides one day to download the whole lot again - there goes my bandwidth for the month :(

as previously stated, this software absolutely rocks and has enhanced my forum a great deal... but i'm reluctant to add any more content (file links) in case they get abused.

any feedback most appreciated!

You're the first who has asked this - I don't think this would be difficult to add as all the relevant data (who's accessing what and how much traffic that creates) is already being captured - what do other's think?

I think it's a great idea. Although I have no need for it now, but it gives the admin more control over this area. I'm all for that.

I love this idea as well,I was just actually thinking about it yesterday matter in fact.It would be awsome so be able to set limits by usergroups.For example usergroups 1 can download (this many files per day) while user group 2 can download (this many per day) while admins can download (unlimited) would be very handy for sites like mine which have alot of downloads but may require restrictions to save bandwidth.

sounds cool

Possible bug in 2.06 or me missing something new.

The catagories in the main catagory view are not showing by order I have given them in the "display order"

I just found that /local_links_admin.php?action=admin&set=categories is showing them in correct order though, Am I missing another setting ;)

Confirmed bug, introduced in 2.0.6 in fixing another bug. Order of subcategories should match order of links (by title, date, etc), but a specified displayorder should always trump anything else.

Fix is to edit local_links_include.php, line 519

Before the switch statement, insert these two lines so that the code reads as follows:

Fixed ;)

<i>v2.0.6, very nice, good job!</i>

Here are a couple of suggestions I think would improve usability. I noticed the links are no longer accessible if you don't have permission to view/download them. You should do the same thing with the Most Popular Entry links on the home category.

The most popular entries looks a little weird centered there in the middle of the home category. Even the entries are centered. Please allow us to enable or disable the most popular entries box.
In Advanced Search, people really don't know what to type in as the file type. Should it be for instance, *.doc or just doc or .doc? Perhaps a few examples in the template is all that's needed to clear up any confusion.

Thanks

Yes, I agree.

Yes, I agree. The layout can be improved. btw, you can switch the whole welcome box off with the show_hit_parade setting (admin page).

Yes, I agree.


I'm impressed - you've really dug into this!

Ok, finished German translation...I hope it's understandable for the German-Users...some phrases we're difficult to translate :D

@AndrewD: is this xml-file the file i can post at vbhacks-germany for the translated version, or do you import this to your 2.0.6-zipfile?


Have fun,

Cheers

Lee

Thanks, Lee - I'll include in the next upload of 2.0.6 and I'll check it with 2.0.5 to give you a proper answer for vbhacks-germany.

I've moved the beta 2.0.6 into the first post in this thread and fixed the bugs/suggestions reported so far.

Both the zips in the first post (2.0.5 and 2.0.6) also contain the complete German translation that LeeWicked has provided - thanks :)

Further reports please, particularly about uploading, which is the main new feature.