Download Thread as PDF
 

Keywords: SHOWTHREAD, PDF, Abobe, export, download, thread

Description:
Allows you to download an entire thread in PDF format, viewable in any PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat or Foxit Reader.

Details:
Previously, there was a modification that performed this task however that modification is no longer supported and the backend used was seriously out-of-date and suffered from quite a few bugs. I've gone ahead and created this modification around an entirely different backend, one which works quickly and flawlessly.

Requirements:

• PHP Version 4.0.4 or greater
• html2ps (link)
• ps2pdf (link)

Notes:
Please note, these prerequesits may already be installed on your system. If you're unsure, simply install the modification and upon usage it will inform you if something is missing.

If you happen to be fortunate enough to be using Debian, the above requirements can be installed with the following packages:

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Usage:
Under "Thread Tools", simply select "Download as PDF" which will be located under "Show Printable Version". Easy, eh?

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Installation:

1. Download and unzip the pdfthread101.zip archive.
2. Upload necessary files to their respective locations.
3. Import the product-pdfthread.xml via the Product Manager.
4. ???
5. Profit!

Notes:
All template modifications are made automatically. They attach to pretty common text locations, so modified styles shouldn't* be a problem.

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Comments:
As with all my hacks, this modification is provided free of charge. However, if you find this product useful and have money burning a hole in your pocket, feel free to make a small donation, I won't mind.. really. :)

Version History:

• 1.0.1 - Initial release, here's to hoping...

Currently Known Bugs:

• None

* Please note that this modification was developed on a forum with a userbase of 1 (myself). I've tested it for basic functionality but I cannot guarantee functionality or behavior on your forum. So, please -- make backups before installing this product!

Reserved.

What do I do with these?

* html2ps (link)
* ps2pdf (link)

I'm not sure where to put them and I couldn't quite understand the installation instruction.

The applications html2ps and ps2pdf are both dependencies of this modification. If they're not already present on your system, they will need to be downloaded, compiled and installed. These utilities are not vBulletin related, they have absolutely nothing to do with vBulletin.

Chances are, if you're using a shared hosting account, these are already installed. Before trying to install them, I would just attempt to run the modification first and see if they're already present.

I have printthread completely removed for SEO purposes. This is just the alternative I've been waiting for! Thanks. :)

all the time :- safe mode effect .

dont we have a way to prevent it .

This really looks like a good feature for any forums. Thanks for releasing, will test it out shortly.
Thanks.

Unfortunally your host has safe mode. You would need to contact them to resolve this issue.

installed this and html2ps but still have the error
HTML_ToPDF Error: html2ps [/usr/bin/local/html2ps] not executable

I changed the path in /includes/class_threadtop.php to /usr/bin/local/html2ps to no avail

This mod requires the use a direct access to their server. What about those on shared hosting ?

A few friends of mine run vBulletin sites on shared hosting and they were able to use this modification no problem. Really, it's hit or miss with some shared hosting providers.

The html2ps error you're receiving is claiming the binary isn't set to executable. What are the permissions? Did you install from source or did you use a package (ie. rpm, deb)?

A simple chmod 755 should fix it (provided you have rights to do that).