NNTP Gateway for Usenet ( Newsgroups ), Mailing Lists

The latest version: V3.5.0Alpha 1 (21 Jul 2005)

What is it?

This hack provides a gateway from vBulletin forums to the USENET. It allows forum members to read newsgroup messages as well as to send posts to the newsgroups. In a nutshell, it turns vBulletin forums into a basic function news reader.

For an added bonus, this package also supports mailing list archive and forum to mailing list gateway. The software retrieves messages from a pop3 account and import them into the forums threaded. It also allows a forums user to send messages to the mailing list by the forum posting interface.

Why?

The gateway will be appreciated by forum members who do not know how to set up a news reader, or people who do not have port 119 open in their network. A forum interface to read and post news are often considered to be better than a news reader.

The gateway adds more contents to your forums and allows the members to interact with wider audience. It is common to see new users signing up to use this feature.

History

This hack was originally coded by Gilby for vB2. I modified the hack to work with vB3 and have been maintaining and improving the hack. I have now done the modification for this to work with vB3.5.

The very original hack by Gilby can be found here:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...7&page=1&pp=15

The vB3 version can be found here:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=65152

Features

Some of the features and improvement include:

• Handles both newsgroup posts and mailing lists.
• Handles MIME encoded messages and attachment.
• Handles UUEncoded messages.
• Two Admin Control Panels for all settings.
• Automated installation.
• Correct thread implementation. All imported messages and posts sent to newsgroups will be threaded correctly according to References and Message-ID headers.
• Optional setting to thread by subject for mailing lists that strip references header.
• Imported messages will be searchable just like normal forum posts.
• Similar threads are built when the messages are imported if the system setting is on.
• Multiple attachments importing.
• Save attachment to database or file according to vB setting.
• Thumbnail created while importing image files.
• Multiple attachment post to newsgroup is also supported.
• Selectable X-No-Archive header honouring system.
• Light on system resources.
• Global Killfile to filter out unwanted messages. Killfiles can have OR and AND effectiveness.
• Strip footer by setting for incoming messages. Strips out repeated message footers.
• Built options to disable signatures and footers for out going messages.

Future development

• Traditional "> " lead posting interface.

What do you need and do not need?

You do not need to edit vB php files.
No need to manually run SQL.

Installation

Basically the AdminCP interfaces take care of installation as well as upgrade in the background. Back up your database first. The scripts can modify your database without alerting you!

Please follow the instructions in the readme.txt file for more details.

It is not a must to click "INSTALL" for this hack if you use it, I do try better answering the questions from people who do.

Support

Please post your support questions to this thread. Please check the FAQ in the second post within this thread first. It may be surprising, but it is possible your question is answered in the adminCP NNTP settings.

Please always provide more details about your problem. Examples and debug messages will certainly help. Well, if you don't even try to have some effort to compose your question, the answer you get may also not include much effort.

================== UPDATES ======================
Jul 21 2005 (release version 3.5.0 Alpha 1)

AdminCP xml file is written by Kadence.

• Ported to work with vB3.5.
• Existing bug fixes.
• Debug message can be sent by email or logged in vB Tast Scheduler.
• Known problem: image attachment thumb nail creation still needs work.
• Needs to be done: Documentation.

Quick installation instruction:
1) Upload files to their correct directory
2) Enter AdminCP, click on NNTP Settings once to install/upgrade. Change settings to your like.
3) Click on NNTP Groups once to install/upgrade.
3a) For new install. Run once
http://www.yourdomain.com/setlastmsg.php

Delete this file afterwards.
If you are upgrading from an older version. There is no need to upload this file. Actually this file should not be there except brand new install.

4)
Manually run in debug mode: http://forums.yourdomain.com/gateway.php?debug=1

[Rik Brown]

Originally Posted by TMM-TT

How about a single line?

PHP Code:

$subject = preg_replace('[^Re: ]', '', $subject); 


Great! I'm just starting out with PHP and any tips are appreciated. Thanks. -- Rik

[TMM-TT]

Originally Posted by Rik Brown

Great! I'm just starting out with PHP and any tips are appreciated. Thanks. -- Rik

Another example that should fix all Re:'s no matter if it's in upper or lower-case.

PHP Code:

$subject = preg_replace('/^re: /i', '', $subject); 


[jgrtap]

Has anyone managed to get this to work using the internal scheduler in vBulletin? We're a small board on a shared server hosted at GoDaddy and I'm not sure we have access to an external scheduler...

[KW802]

Originally Posted by jgrtap

Has anyone managed to get this to work using the internal scheduler in vBulletin? We're a small board on a shared server hosted at GoDaddy and I'm not sure we have access to an external scheduler...

What kind of problem are you having?

[jgrtap]

Originally Posted by KW802

What kind of problem are you having?

For 15 hours yesterday and this morning, the scheduled task (retrieving messages forwarded to an email account from a Yahoo group) ran ONLY if I ran the task manually. Now, all of a sudden, it seems to have started working. Let me give it 24-48 hours to test more thoroughly and I'll be back... (sounds like a threat, doesn't it?)

Thanks...

-- jgr

[Rik Brown]

Ignore.

[TMM-TT]

Originally Posted by jgrtap

For 15 hours yesterday and this morning, the scheduled task (retrieving messages forwarded to an email account from a Yahoo group) ran ONLY if I ran the task manually. Now, all of a sudden, it seems to have started working. Let me give it 24-48 hours to test more thoroughly and I'll be back... (sounds like a threat, doesn't it?)

Thanks...

-- jgr

I've had the same problem but not only for this hack - all scheduling seem to have stopped here too.

[jgrtap]

Originally Posted by TMM-TT

I've had the same problem but not only for this hack - all scheduling seem to have stopped here too.

I'm totally baffled. The gateway works, no problem. But the scheduler is a disaster. It starts, it stops, no error messages, no nothing. I can't figure it out for the life of me.

Is there an external scheduler for a GoDaddy shared hosting account?

[Rik Brown]

Originally Posted by jgrtap

I'm totally baffled. The gateway works, no problem. But the scheduler is a disaster. It starts, it stops, no error messages, no nothing. I can't figure it out for the life of me.

I hate to say it but the vb scheduler has worked flawlessly for us over the past several months that we have had this mod installed.

I have the log entries disabled and we run the gateway.php script hourly. I can't think of any reason it would operate manually but not operate under the scheduler except some conflict with the logging because almost all other options are simply for times/day, etc.

Sorry, I know that doesn't help much except to say that it can work flawlessly via the scheduler.

Regards. -- Rik

[jgrtap]

Originally Posted by Rik Brown

I hate to say it but the vb scheduler has worked flawlessly for us over the past several months that we have had this mod installed. I have the log entries disabled and we run the gateway.php script hourly. I can't think of any reason it would operate manually but not operate under the scheduler except some conflict with the logging because almost all other options are simply for times/day, etc. Sorry, I know that doesn't help much except to say that it can work flawlessly via the scheduler.

As long as it CAN work, I'll keep plugging away, Rik, and I appreciate the info -- it gives me some hope!