Image Cache
 

Y2K Software Image Cache

Compatible at least with vBulletin 3.5.4 and 3.6.4

Please click here for the product Import External Images for vBulletin 4

This product caches images from external sites to a local board folder (including signatures) located at:

http://www.domain.tld/[forum/]imgcache

Installation

1. Please create at your vBulletin board directory a folder called: imgcache and give it the following access rights: CHMOD 777 (read/write/modify to all users)
2. Create an empty index.html file in this folder to avoid file exploring and direct download on some systems.
3. Copy the y2kswimgcache.php file to your vBulletin board (forum home) directory.
4. Close your forum temporarily to the public.
5. Install the product product-y2kswimagecache.xml to your board (allow overwrite if already present).
   The installer will add a table called '[prefix]y2ksw_imgcache' with one field (int ID AUTOINCREMENT) to your board database.
   Please note: Although the uninstaller is provided, it is commented out. By removing the table, and reinstalling the plugin later, the cached images would be overwritten, because of the field counter restarting from 1.
   By leaving the table in your database, you may reinstall the plugin later without collision problems.
6. Test the product: New thread, reply, edit. If errors occur (or white pages), make sure your imgcache/ folder has the required access rights.
7. Reopen your forum to the public.
8. DONE!

How it works

When a board user opens a new thread or message, or edits an existing one (all advanced, quick-reply and ajax), and pastes an image from all but the local cache directory (or by copy and paste, or by specifying [IMG] tags), upon submission the image is read from the external url and written to the local (server) image cache folder.
This avoids to show a placeholder image when the source link is dead or temporarily unavailable.

The link to the image is accordingly replaced.

The script scans first all image references and creates a table of unique images in the current message. It creates a new database table entry in y2ksw_imgcache for each image, reads the new ID and creates a sequence of new images for each url it happens to be readable, and creates for each successful read an imgcache/<id>.png file.

After this sequence, the files are cached locally and may disappear from their sources without leaving an unreferenced image pointer at the local board.

Known bugs

When an image link contains dynamic data, vBulletin would show the image in preview, but change also the IMG tags to URL.
This causes to loose the reference and the plugin will not attempt to recover. A possible solution is to allow dynamic contents for IMG tags on your board.

Version history

1.0.3.0 2007-08-19 Repaired browser (IE 7) issue for images of a different file extension than the officially recognized types. For this issue, newly cached files have now the *.png extension.
1.0.2.0 2006-08-27 Image caching of signatures ([IMG] tags for signatures must be enabled); added a donation button inside readme.htm for specific user requests, which will help us to keep this product always up-to-date.
1.0.1.2 2006-08-07 Release changes for vbulletin.org
1.0.1.1 2006-08-06 Image size verification to avoid caching of invalid images
1.0.1.0 2006-07-17 Collision-free unique cache ID's
1.0.0.0 2006-07-17 Product creation

this looks amazing, good work!!

Sounds great!

But isn't this a great increase of your bandwith? I asked my members to user sites like imageshack to upload their pictures.
When I'm going to cache it all, they can just upload it as an attachment. Can't they?

What If i have an upload script for members, So they can upload their images and files, when they upload they get the link, then they will post the new topic, and the images are already on my server,it be uploaded again to the cache image ,,

So is there is away to exclude links for example any images that have been uploaded to http://up.domain.com/uploads/ should be excluded,

if there is an option in the admin control page to exclude links that would be great.

anyway thanks for the great work

It increases the bandwidth quite a lot, and members can make attachments.

However, over the years, we experienced that most forum members don't like attachments, and prefer to insert the pictures in their messages as required. Not much an issue for just one image, but quite some if you have to tell about mathematic, scientific or medical research. And specifically in these areas a missing image source may void the whole discussion.

The New Version is 3.6.0

The script is intended to use where other scripts aren't available, or image sources are too slow, as most of the free image hosting sites.

Loading images from the own site has been always the best solution, although it has a cost: bandwidth and web space. ;)

This looks great! I wonder if it will work with the Lightbox mod? I was thinking of installing that mod and using thumbnails on my forum. Would there be a conflict with 'Image Cache'? I am guessing no, but let me know if you think their might be.

Thanks so much.

Kether

It will not.

I don't have any experience with the Lightbox mod. However I would assume it would not conflict, since the Image Cache catches the image contents and redirects the URL's to the local server. So even if there is another plugin or modification to elaborate further (like vBulletin does itself, after caching), there should be really no problem.