How to know when vb4 Plugins have updates available?
 

vBulletin 4 itself nicely advises us when updates are available to the vBulletin software.
WordPress will tell us when both WordPress updates are available and also when WordPress Plugin updates are available.

It seems that the vBulletin plugin ecosystem is chaotic.

In vBulletin 4, how do we know when a plugin that we have installed has an update available? .. especially if it's security related?

thanks!

If you mark the mod as installed, if there is a security issue, you will be notified by vB.org staff. If the developer updates the mod, and sends out a update notic, you will also be notified.

What does 'Marking As Installed' do ?

* It helps you to stay on top of updates - members who have installed modifications will be notified whenever new updates are available.

* For security issues - vbulletin.org will contact all members who have installed a modification whenever a security issue is brought to their attention.

In my vBulletin 4 control panel as admin, under Plugins & Products -> Plugin Manager, I see each installed plugin, whether it is Active, and links to Edit or Delete. Within the Edit page for each plugin, I see options specific to the plugin; but neither on the Plugin Manager page nor on the specific pages for each plugin do I see a Mark as Installed option...

Similarly, on the Manage Products screen, I see a list of installed products e.g. vB Bad Behavior (vB4) and Spam Hammer, and an Edit link, but no Mark as Installed option.

I'm sure I'm going to end up feeling silly, but ... Where is the "Mark as installed" option for Products and Plugins? (or, are "mods" different from "products" different from "plugins"? I'm looking at Products and at Plugins).

Thanks,

Look at the mod here on vB.org. Mark installed is on the right hand side under mod information.

As an example, for the bad behavior mod, look here...
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...t=Bad+Behavior

--------------- Added [DATE]1380551516[/DATE] at [TIME]1380551516[/TIME] ---------------

Also, some mods track version changes. When on the Manage Products screen, check the dropdown box for each mod. Some will have 'Check Version'.

Oh. Ouch. Of the Products I have installed, "Minimum number of posts to post links." does not seem to have a "Mark installed" option; "URLJet - Spam Hammer!" seems to be deprecated/ graveyarded (and doesn't have a "Mark installed" option), and two others I think I've found the right forum posting to select the Mark Installed option.

Can someone find a forum thread where I could check Mark Installed for "Minimum number of posts to post links." and "URLJet - Spam Hammer!" please?

I see that Plugins are apparently parts of Products, right? .. so if I can Mark Installed the overall Product to which a Plugin pertains, then I should get notified, right?

This really needs to be something which is in the formal design of plugins, to allow the vBulletin infrastructure itself to monitor centrally and notify us; having to rely on updates coming through forum posts, with every user having to select the Mark Installed link, does not seem like a manageable/ scalable way to help everyone stay up-to-date :-(

thanks,

On the pages where you download the mod from, on the right hand side of the first post, there is some buttons under the block titled, Mod Information, click on the one that says, Mark As Installed.

ozzy47 wrote:
Hi ozzy,
Yes, I know. The problem is that for two of our installed Products (I've inherited the operational security oversight of this vBulletin installation; I don't know al of its history, and I'm not sure anyone does) I'm not exactly sure from where they were downloaded.

In particular, we have one which appears in vb4's Products list as "Minimum number of posts to post links." version 1. It is not a hyperlink. I searched for that title, and found something which might be it (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=247399, Spam Detector Suite, Lite version), but I can't be sure. And we have another, "URLJet - Spam Hammer! 1.0" version 1.3.8, which is a hyperlink, which is broken. It gets a Page Not Found error on a ?search within vbresults.com. So I don't know where to go to find the correct "Mark As Installed" link to click.

Is someone familiar with these two in particular, "Minimum number of posts to post links." and "URLJet - Spam Hammer! 1.0", to help me find the right mod thread for them?


I also insist that this is an inefficient and error prone way for plugins to be managed, and I sincerely hope that vBulletin takes note and designs in a much better system.

thank you,

Seems the first one maybe from a site that for some reason, is in the bad word filter here, I suggest do a google search for Minimum number of posts to post links vbulletin, you will see one in the list that says, Show Thread Enhancements Minimum Number of Posts to Post Links

Spam Hammer has been renamed about a dozen times, so it may be this mod, https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=289463