Administrative and Maintenance Tools - Import External Images

This vBulletin 4 product imports external images in your posts from external servers or paths into a specific path, normally your forum's image folder.

Differently than the previous product Image Cache for vBulletin 3.x., it parses the posts at regular intervals for new images and replaces the external references in the background. Also, instead of using only a single folder, it creates folders for years and months, making it much easier to handle large quantities of images. The source and destination image URL's are stored into database, too, avoiding unnecessary duplicates.

It moves and optionally converts images from one place to another. It is a handy tool in order to keep your images local to your forums.

Version 1.0.4 is temporarily in BETA stage until the users have confirmed the newly requested features.
Version 1.0.5 is still in BETA stage. It adds a new bunch of additional features, one of which allows you to test your mathematical understanding ... and a few other to fine-tune CURL and socket timeouts, and resizing on the fly of too large images. If you don't know what these options do, please leave them at their default values.

[RichieBoy67]

Oh I understand now. You are really trying to stop hotlinking. I thought you were trying to encourage it or allow it which seemed very odd to me. lmao

You could always disable right clicking if you have a major problem with it. I cannot even tell you how much bandwidth gets wasted on my site from hotlinking but most of the images on my site were posted on other sites anyways so we allow it.

I would like to use watermarking though and I am not sure if that would work with this mod either.

Sorry I cannot answer your question. Glad I know what you mean now though. Great concept there!

[y2ksw]

Originally Posted by Bob_R

What are you talking about?

Is that supposed to represent an answer to my question?

I realize what this mod does. I use it and have for quite some time now.

So, it's YES you cannot hotlink images if you use this mod.

As it turns out, the question was different. You want to know if you can block hotlinking on your server. The answer is yes and it has nothing to do with this mod.

In order to block hotlinking you will have to add 3 (or more) lines in your .htaccess file, like:

RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^$
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://(www\.)?yourdomain.com(/)?.*$     [NC]
RewriteRule .*\.(gif|jpg|jpeg|bmp)$ - [F,NC]

[Bob_R]

Originally Posted by y2ksw

As it turns out, the question was different. You want to know if you can block hotlinking on your server. The answer is yes and it has nothing to do with this mod.

In order to block hotlinking you will have to add 3 (or more) lines in your .htaccess file, like:

RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^$
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://(www\.)?yourdomain.com(/)?.*$     [NC]
RewriteRule .*\.(gif|jpg|jpeg|bmp)$ - [F,NC]

OK, maybe I'll try it by adding the code to the .htaccess myself. My server people tried it thru cPanel and it did not work. Not saying that it's this mods fault just sharing.

I also heard from a trusted friend that "hotlink protection (via an htaccess file) doesn't protect images uploaded to vbulletin because they are being requested via php files, not via their native file name."

I'll keep you informed.

[sticky]

This product struggles with importing images that have anything after the .jpg

Would you be able to make it so files with strings like this: cmonmanjpg3Fw3D50626h3D189-1.jpg%3fw%3d506%26h%3d189

Still import?

[massiveblack]

I installed as directed, then adjusted the settings and pushed save. I checked the ftp and no folder was made. The pdf instruction file says to put the php file in the root of the forums but the zip has it in the includes. I first put it in includes then imported the xml. nothing happens....no imported folder is created...nothing happens. i also tried it inside the root, per the pdf instructions. nothing happens. please advise. thank you!!

[y2ksw]

Originally Posted by sticky

This product struggles with importing images that have anything after the .jpg

Would you be able to make it so files with strings like this: cmonmanjpg3Fw3D50626h3D189-1.jpg%3fw%3d506%26h%3d189

Still import?

Please set in the options "Always Convert Images" and/or uncheck "Use Original File Names" and all your troubles will go at once.

[y2ksw]

Originally Posted by massiveblack

I installed as directed, then adjusted the settings and pushed save. I checked the ftp and no folder was made. The pdf instruction file says to put the php file in the root of the forums but the zip has it in the includes. I first put it in includes then imported the xml. nothing happens....no imported folder is created...nothing happens. i also tried it inside the root, per the pdf instructions. nothing happens. please advise. thank you!!

Please make sure you understand how to install vbulletin products. There are several guides on this site and installing mine is not more difficult than installing any other product.

The imported folder is not created and as stated in the guide, you will have to choose or make one on your own and then verify it has the access rights to write new files and folders.

And, finally, it may take quite some time before it creates images, since it will parse all posts and unless it does not find any, it will not create anything.

[massiveblack]

Ok thank you. Yes I do understand, but the language of the instructions was not clear and suggested that it was an automated process somehow. The folder is made and the permissions are set. I will check in and see if it is working. Thanks for the prompt reply.

[RichieBoy67]

The imports are an automated process but you need to create a directory for the imported images and enter the path so the process knows where to place the imported images.

[Manoel J?nior]

You can import images directly to my database rather than to a folder on my FTP?